Nawabganj is a town and nagar panchayat in Hasanganj tehsil of Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh, India.[1] It is located northeast of Unnao on the Lucknow-Kanpur road, near the Ajgain railway station.[2] Founded in 1842[2] and first officially classified as a town for the 1981 census,[3] Nawabganj once served as the seat of a tehsil under the Nawabs of Awadh[2] and is today the headquarters of a community development block containing 124 villages.[1]
Nawabganj is the site of Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary, which was established in 1984 at the site of a local lake.[1] Designated as a protected Ramsar site since September 2019, the sanctuary is home to over 25,000 birds (including both resident and migratory populations) across some 220 species.[4] Among the species present are the endangered Egyptian vulture and Pallas's fish eagle, as well as the vulnerable lesser adjutant and woolly-necked stork.[4] Additionally, the sanctuary is home to larger mammals including the golden jackal and the jungle cat.[4]
Nawabganj hosts a large annual fair at the end of Chait in honour of the goddesses Durga Devi and Kusahri Devi.[2] The fair is one of the largest in the district, drawing visitors from Lucknow and Kanpur.[2] The Durga temple is in Nawabganj, while the Kusahri temple is in the neighbouring village of Kusumbhi to the north.[2] Major products manufactured in Nawabganj include fireworks, jaggery, and sweets.[1] As of 2011, the town's population is 11,545, in 1,985 households.[1]
Nawabganj was founded in 1842 by Amin-ud-Daulah, the prime minister of Oudh State, who also built a sarai and mosque here.[2] Naubat Rai, the state's treasurer, was responsible for the construction of the tank.[2] Under the Nawabs of Awadh, Nawabganj was the seat of a tehsil and also had a thana, but it declined in importance after the tehsil was relocated and the population shrank as a result: it was 3,123 in 1869, but by 1891 it had fallen to 2,840.[2] The 1901 census recorded a population of 2,789, including a Muslim minority of about one-sixth of the total.[2]
According to the 2011 census, Nawabganj has a population of 11,545 people, in 1,985 households.[1] The town's sex ratio is 934 females to every 1000 males; 5,968 of Nawabganj's residents are male (51.7%) and 5,577 are female (48.3%).[1] The 0-6 age group makes up about 12.7% of the town's population; among this group, the sex ratio is 964, which is higher than the district urban average of 903.[1] Members of Scheduled Castes make up 23.55% of the town's population and members of Scheduled Tribes make up 1.22%.[1] The proportion of scheduled tribes in Nawabganj is the highest among towns in Unnao district.[1] The town's literacy rate was 70.6% (counting only people age 7 and up); literacy was higher among men and boys (75.2%) than among women and girls (65.6%).[1] The corresponding gap of 17.3% was the highest among towns in the district.[1] The scheduled castes literacy rate is 57.2% (63.5% among men and boys, and 50.7% among women and girls).[1]
In terms of employment, 25.2% of Nawabganj residents were classified as main workers (i.e. people employed for at least 6 months per year) in 2011.[1] Marginal workers (i.e. people employed for less than 6 months per year) made up 3.1%, and the remaining 71.7% were non-workers.[1] Employment status varied substantially according to gender, with 49.8% of men being either main or marginal workers, compared to only 5.3% of women.[1]
The train station is at the nearby village of Kusambi, 1.5 km[1] north of Nawabganj.[2] There are 7.4 km of roads in the town, and it is connected by bus routes with other towns.[1]
Nawabganj's PIN code is 209859 and its postal head office is Nawabganj (Unnao).
Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary, a bird sanctuary (chandra shekhar azad) and nature reserve, is located near the town. Shri Durga Mata temple is located in the town. Shri Kushahari Mata temple is 3 k.m. away from the town near kusumbhi railway station.
Nawabganj CD block has the following 124 villages:[1]