KHERI, Uttar Pradesh

Main Attraction: DUDHWA NATIONAL PARK

Spread over an area of 490 sq.km. in a part of the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in district Kheri. The Dudhwa National Park is situated at an approximate distance of 30 km.away from Mailani and 10 km. from Palia. It was established in 1977. This national park is endowed with breathtaking natural beauty and an abundance of wildlife. River Ramganga meanders through the park and it is bordered by thickly wooded hills, dense forests of Sal (‘Shoria robasta’), Khair, Asna etc., and grasslands, known as Chaurs. The great bio-diversity of the area is attributed to its situation in the Shivalik tarai biotic province in the foothills of the Himalaya. In addition, numerous families of uncountable trees, grasses, aqua-plants and creepers are also found where the swamp-deers and folks of other families of deers roam hither and thither freely, which are Stag, Sambhar, Cheetal, Podha and Kakar. 

There are various lake-like ponds of different sizes and streams in the dense grasslands where nearabout 90 species of fishes may be seen in a large number. Over 400 species of various colourful birds including pheasant, peafowl, junglefowl, drougos etc. which come here from far and other countries can also be found here. Besides the wild animals like tiger, leopard, lion, panther, bear, elephant etc. and aqua animal like sea-horse, hippotamus, crocodile, tortoise are present in large number. Among the serpents python, cobra are the main reptile while almost extinct Bengal phloricane and hiripid here may also be seen now-a-days. Being adjacent to the Nepal border, the wild elephants from Nepal often enter into the forests of the park and live there for a number of months. All the animals enjoy here freedom of natural wild life.

Brief History

Traditions point to the inclusion of this place under the rule of the Lunar race of Hastinapur, and several places are associated with episodes in the Mahabharata. Many villages contain ancient mounds in which fragments of sculpture have been found, Balmiar-Barkhar and Khairlgarh being the most remarkable. Kheri is a place of some antiquity, and contains a tine tomb built over the remains of Saiyid Khurd, who died in 1563. It is administered under Act XX of 1856, with an income of about Rs. 800. Though giving its name to the District, it is of small importance. A daily market is held, and the town contains a branch of the American Methodist Mission and a school with 144 pupils.

According to the legend ‘Kheri’ town was so named as there was an abundance of rice and milk in the area which are main ingredients of ‘kheer’. This historical lore of the region covering the present district is said to represent the Kingdom, which formed part of the domains of the lunar race of ‘Kshatriyas’ of Hastinapur. The earliest tradition of this place is associated with the ‘Ramayana’ and ‘Purana. The sites, monuments, temples and shrines reveal that the district sometime served as an ideal retreat for Buddhist monks and Hindu Sages. At later stage, the region was occupied by ‘Mauryas’. After the fall of Maurya dynasty, it passed into the hands of ‘Sungas’. This fact of the history is supported by the discovery of a coin belonging to Agnimitra and a clay seal bearing inscription of ‘Varahdatta’. Till the death of Vasudeo, the district was under the sway of ‘Kushana’ and this period saw the rise of imperial ‘Guptas’. 

After the decline of ‘Guptas’ for some time, the history of this region was completely obscure. When Vardhana dynasty came to power at ‘Kannauj’, the region was included in the territories of ‘Harsh’. A stone horse was found near Khairabad and bears the inscription of Samudra Gupta, dated in the 4thcentury. Samudra Gupta, King of Magadha performed Ashvamedha yajna in which a horse is left to freely roam in the entire nation, so as to display the power of king and to underline the importance of his conquest. The northern part of Lakhimpur Kheri was held by Rajputs in the 10th century. Muslim rule spread slowly to this remote and inhospitable tract. In the 14th century several forts were constructed along the northern frontier, to prevent the incursions of attacks from Nepal.

Till the beginning of 12th century the present district appeared isolated from the spate of Muslim conquests. In 1394 when Mohammad Shah was on the throne of Delhi, the district passed into the charge of Malik Sarwar, known as Khawaja-e-Jahan, who obtained the title of Malik-ush-Sharq and held all the region between Kannauj and Bihar. In the days of Akbar, the district formed part of the province of Awadh. The history of the reign of Akbar, although spread over a wide territory. Very meagre information or just casual references to this region is available. Besides some stray references, this tract appears to have figured only sparingly in historical events during the reign of Akbar.

During the Mughal Empire in the 17th century, under the rule of Akbar the district formed part of the Sarkar of Khairabad in the Subah of Oudh. The later history of 17th century under the Nawabs of Awadh, is of the rise and decline of individual ruling families. In the year 1801 when Rohilkhand was ceded to the British, part of this district was included in the session, but after the Anglo–Nepalese War of 1814-1816 it was restored to Oudh. On the annexation of Oudh in 1856 the west of the present area was formed into a district called Mohammadi and the east into Mallanpur, which also included part of Sitapur.

In the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Mohammadi became one of the centers of Indian independence movement in northern Oudh. The refugees from Shahjahanpur reached Mohammadi on 2 June 1857, and two days later Mohammadi was abandoned, most of the British party was shot down on the way to Sitapur, and the survivors died or were murdered later in Lucknow. The British officials in Mallanpur, with a few who had fled from Sitapur, escaped to Nepal, where later on most of them died. Till October 1858, British officials did not make any other attempt to regain control of the district. By the end of 1858 British officials regained the control and the headquarters of the single district then formed were moved to Lakhimpur shortly afterwards.

The prominent local families that ruled this district were Bachhils, Saiyids and Abhans. During the early days of the Awadh government, the boundaries of the present district were not clearly defined. The district was annexed by British in 1858. Kheri as a district was primarily used as a game reserve by its British rulers who declared it as backward area. The wave of patriotism swept the district during the entire period of freedom struggle. People of this district took active part in all the movements called by the national leaders of that era. Many eminent national leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Rajendra Prasad, Subhash Chandra Bose, Acharya Narendra Dev, Sampurnanand, Chandra Bhanu Gupta, Govind Ballabh Pant and Rafi Ahmad Kidwai visited this district. In 1958 the district was reorganised and Mullanpur was included in ‘Sitapur’. In 1954, due to the change in the course of Ghaghra River, few villages of district Bahraich were transferred to Nighasan tahsil of the district. Dudhwa National Park, is in Lakhimpur Kheri and is the only national park in Uttar Pradesh. It is home to a large number of rare and endangered species including tigers, leopards, swamp deer, hispid hares and Bengal Floricans.