Budaun district (; or Buaaun) is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, with its headquarters in the town of Budaun. The district is part of the Bareilly division, and covers an area of . According to legend, Budaun was named after the Ahir prince Budh.
History After the British takeover in 1801, the area was part of Moradabad district, and parts were transferred to Bareilly district in 1805. In October 1823, the district was created out of areas previously in both Moradabad and Bareilly districts, and it was originally called Sahaswan district after its headquarters of Sahaswan. The headquarters was moved to Budaun in 1838. The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition wrote of Budaun:
According to professor Goti John, the city was named () on an 11th-century stone inscription which is held at the Lucknow Museum. At that time, the region was called Panchal (). According to a line of the inscription, there was a village named () near the city. Geographically, the city of Badaun is located near the Ganges, which the Hindus consider a holy river.
Economy In 2006, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Budaun one of the country's 251 special funded cities (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
Divisions The district comprises five tehsils: Budaun, Bisauli, Bilsi, Dataganj and Sahaswan.
There are six Vidhan Sabha constituencies in the district: Bisauli, Sahaswan, Bilsi, Badaun, Shekhupur and Dataganj. While Shekhupur and Dataganj are part of the Aonla Lok Sabha constituency, the rest are part of the Badaun Lok Sabha constituency.
Transport Badaun is well connected with the rest of the state through roads and rail services, however the city lacks an airport. The nearest airport is the Bareilly Airport – a civil enclave at the Indian Air Force's 'Trishul Air Base' in Izzatnagar neighborhood of Bareilly, which is located at a distance of from the city. The Indira Gandhi International Airport, located in Delhi is the nearest International Airport.
The National Highway 530B passes through the city and connects it with Bareilly and Mathura. A number of State Highways also pass through the city. Prominent among them are the UP State Highway 18, connecting Budaun with Meerut, UP State Highway 43, connecting Budaun with Moradabad & Farrukhabad and UP State Highway 51, which connects Budaun with Gajraula & Bijnor. Inter-city bus services to and from the city are operated from the Budaun bus station by the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation and private operators. The Budaun bus station as well as the Budaun Depot come under the Bareilly region of UPSRTC.
Ganga Expressway On 29 April 2026, Primeminister Narendra Modi inaugurated longest expressway of Uttar Pradesh, Ganga Expressway in Binawar, Budaun. The expressway is 594 KM long, which is connected 12 districts of the state (Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Raebareli, Pratapgarh, and Prayagraj).
Demographics
According to the 2011 census Budaun district has a population of 3,681,896, roughly equal to the nation of Liberia or the US state of Oklahoma. This gives it a ranking of 71st in India out of 640. The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 20.96%. Budaun has a sex ratio of 859 females for every 1000 males and a literacy rate of 52.91%.
After the formation of Sambhal district and separation of Gunnaur tehsil, the district had a population of 3,127,621 and a sex ratio of 872 females per 1000 males. 593,254 (18.97%) lived in urban areas. Scheduled Castes make up 553,497 (17.70%) of the population.
The major urban areas in the district according to March 2015 estimates are Budaun (population 397,000), Ujhani (124,000), Sahaswan (118,000) and Kakrala (85,000).
Religion
The vast majority of the population residing in Budaun identifies with either Hinduism or Islam. Sikhs, Christians, and Jains also live in the region.
Language
At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 89.98% of the population of the district spoke Hindi and 9.93% spoke Urdu as their first language.
Major settlements Budaun Bisauli Sahaswan Ujhani Kakrala Bilsi Islamnagar Dataganj
Villages
Badarpur, Budaun Faridpur Nausana Hansigunj Kartoli Ughaiti
Notable people
Mahesh Chandra Guptapolitician Inayat Hussain KhanIndian classical vocalist Sanghmitra Mauryapolitician Harish Shakyapolitician Banwari Lal Verma politician Dr. Akram Ahmad Academician Shakeel Badayuni Urdu poet Fani Badayuni Urdu Post
References
External links