Siddharthnagar District

Siddharthnagar district is one of the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh state in Northern India. Naugarh town is the district headquarters. Siddharth Nagar district is a part of Basti division. The district is known for the ruins of the Shakya Janapada, at Piprahwa. 22 km from the district headquarters Naugarh. According to the Government of India, Siddharthnagar district is one of the Muslim concentrated districts in India on the basis of the 2001 census data on population, socio-economic indicators and basic amenities indicators.

History

Siddharthnagar district was carved out on 29 December 1989 by bifurcating Basti district. The new district comprised the northern part of the erstwhile Basti district.

Siddharthnagar district encompasses the village of Piprahwa (22 km from Naugarh), best known for its archaeological site. A large stupa and the ruins of several monasteries are located within the site at Piprahwa. Ancient residential complexes and shrines were uncovered at the adjacent mound of Ganwaria.

Geography

Siddharthnagar district lies between 27°N to 27°28'N and 82°45'E to 83°10'E. It is part of Purvanchal. The district borders Nepal's Kapilvastu district on the north and Rupandehi district on the northeast. Otherwise it is surrounded by other districts of Uttar Pradesh: Maharajganj on the east, Basti and Sant Kabir Nagar on the south, and Balrampur on the west. Siddarthnagar's area is 2,752 km2.