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Mathura District

Mathura district
मथुरा जनपद
متھرا ضلع
District of Uttar Pradesh
Location of Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh
Location of Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh
Country India
State Uttar Pradesh
Administrative division Agra
Headquarters Mathura
Tehsils 4
Government
 • Lok Sabha constituencies Mathura
Area
 • Total 3,329.4 km2 (1,285.5 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 2,541,894
Demographics
 • Literacy 72.65%.
Website Official website

Mathura district situated along the banks of the river Yamuna is a district of Uttar Pradesh state of northern India. The historic town of Mathura is the district headquarters. The District is part of Agra division. Mathura is bounded on the northeast by Aligarh District, on the southeast by Hathras District, on the south by Agra District, and on the west by Rajasthan and northwest by Haryana state. Mathura district is an important pilgrimage centre of Hindus.

Mathura has an ancient history. According to the Archaeological Survey of India plaque at the Mathura Museum, the city is mentioned in the oldest Indian epic, the Ramayana. In the epic, the Ikshwaku prince Shatrughna slays a demon called Lavanasura and claims the land. Afterwards, the place came to be known as Madhuvan as it was thickly wooded, then Madhupura and later Mathura.

In the 6th century BCE Mathura became the capital of the Surasena mahajanapada.The city was later ruled by the Maurya empire (4th to 2nd centuries BCE) and the Shunga dynasty (2nd century BCE). It may have come under the control of Indo-Greeks some time between 180 BCE and 100 BCE. It then reverted to local rule before being conquered by the Indo-Scythians during the 1st century BCE.


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