Raebareli district: Difference between revisions

| name                  = Raebareli district

| subdivision_name      = {{flag|India}}

| area_total_km2        = 3371

| population_total      = 2,903,507

| demographics1_info1    = 67.25%

| demographics1_info2    = 943

'''Raebareli district'''  is a [[Districts of Uttar Pradesh|district]] of [[Uttar Pradesh]] state in northern India. The city of [[Raebareli]] is the district headquarters. This district is a part of [[Lucknow Division]] in Uttar Pradesh state. The total area of Raebareli district is 3,371 Sq.&nbsp;km.<ref>{{Cite web|title=District Raebareli, Government of Uttar Pradesh {{!}} Land of Martyrs {{!}} India|url=https://raebareli.nic.in/|access-date=8 March 2021|language=en-US}}</ref>

Raebareli district is located in the southern part of [[Awadh]], at the southern end of [[Lucknow Division]]. It is compact in shape — no part of the district is especially far from the city of Raebareli. In general, the terrain is flat or gently undulating, and the soil is especially fertile and well-suited to agriculture.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> The elevation ranges from 100 to 120 m above sea level.<ref name="Census 2011"/> The prevailing slope is from higher in the northwest to lower in the southeast, and the rivers that traverse the district all flow in this direction.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

 

The main river of Raebareli district is the [[Ganges]], which forms the southern border of the district; the other rivers in the district are all its tributaries. The Ganges enters the district at [[Malipur, Raebareli|Malipur]], close to the [[Baksar]] ghat, and then flows southeast until reaching [[Bairua]], where it bends more to the north. After [[Ralpur]] it turns east-northeast until it reaches [[Dalmau]], where it returns to a southeastern course. It flows mostly straight in this direction until reaching [[Gukana]], where it turns sharply to the south before resuming its original direction at the [[Naubasta, Fatehpur|Naubasta]] ghat, and then it maintains this course until leaving the district at [[Katra Bahadurganj]]. The bed of the Ganges is sandy and has a width of about two miles. It is navigable throughout the district for boats carrying up to 40 tons, although now its importance as a means of transportation has declined in favour of road and rail.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

 

The other main river in the district is the [[Sai River (Uttar Pradesh)|Sai]], which is a tributary of the Ganges. It flows right down the middle of the district, from [[Rampur Sudauli]] in the northwestern corner to [[Kanhpur]] in the southeast, and has a meandering course. The Sai is not navigable — its depth during the hot season is no more than two feet — and it is not well suited for irrigation because it has high banks, leaving the actual level of the water well below the ground level of the surrounding terrain.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

 

 

There are also four small streams that go by the generic name Naiya; these are seasonal drainage channels that dry up during the cold months. The [[Kathwara Naiya]] begins northeast of [[Johwa Sharqi]] and flows southeast, then south, and then after reaching the namesake village of [[Kathwara, Raebareli|Kathwara]] it turns southwest. It joins the Sai near the village of [[Andohar]]. The [[Maharajganj Naiya]] rises in the jhils near [[Kumhrawan]] in the north of the district; it takes a meandering course towards the south before joining the Sai at the village of [[Makraha]] near [[Parshadepur]]. The [[Nasirabad Naiya]] flows south past [[Nasirabad, Raebareli|Nasirabad]], its namesake, then turns east for a short distance before turning back to the south. It joins the Sai near [[Ateha]] in [[Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh|Pratapgarh district]]. The last stream called the Naiya is the [[Simrauta Naiya]], which originates in [[Barabanki district]] and is a tributary of the [[Gomti River|Gomti]] rather than the Sai.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

 

There are also a couple of tributaries of the Ganges in Raebareli district. One is the other [[Chob (Ganges)|Chob]], which begins on the south side of the Itaura Buzurg watershed and flows south before joining the Ganges at [[Shahzadpur, Raebareli|Shahzadpur]], just upstream from the Gukana ghat. The [[Loni river|Loni]], further west, can be fairly large but usually dries up during the hot season. It begins in Unnao district and then follows a winding course through Raebareli district before joining the Ganges just west of Dalmau.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

 

These rivers and streams demarcate the main natural areas of the district. There are four main areas: the Ganges floodplains, in the south along the Ganges; the Dalmau plain, which is the upland area between the limits of the Ganges floodwaters and the Sai catchment; the Sai Catchment, extending for about 25km on either side of the Sai; and the [[Bachhrawan]]-[[Jais]] plain in the north.<ref name="Census 2011"/>

 

In the south are the low-lying ''[[Khadir and Bangar|khadar]]'' lands below the old high bank of the Ganges. This area is locally called ''kachar''. In some places, the Ganges bank is a cliff and the kachar is nonexistant; in other areas it can be up to 2 miles wide. Kachar lands closest to the river are inundated each year during the wet season, so that cultivation is only possible during the [[Rabi crops|rabi]] season. Kachar lands further inland are generally protected from annual floods; they are well-suited for agriculture and often do well without irrigation.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> Villages in this area are especially large and usually are built on the high bank of the Ganges to protect from flood waters.<ref name="Census 2011"/>

 

Above the high bank of the Ganges, the landscape is eroded by tributary channels so that it consists of various mostly-flat plateaus separated by [[nullah|nala]]s.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> The soil in the Ganges uplands is typically a light loam with a fair amount of sand mixed in; the plateaus have more fertile soil than the ravines along the nalas.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> Wheat is the main cereal crop grown in this area; there are only a few localities where the water collects in hollows and rice is the staple crop.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> Historically, this tract was well-shaded by mango and [[Madhuca longifolia|mahua]] groves.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

 

A bit further north, there is a belt of slightly lower-lying land with stiffer clay soil interspersed with broad shallow wetlands and patches of barren ''[[usar]]'' land.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> This area stretches from Khiron towards [[Lalganj, Uttar Pradesh|Lalganj]] and [[Thalrai]], and then on to [[Bela Bhela]] and [[Rohaniya|Rohanian]].<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> Rice is the main crop grown here — in many areas, the soil is too stiff to support rabi crops, and in still other areas, it only supports a light crop of gram and linseed after the rice harvest.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

 

 

The Sai uplands generally resemble the Ganges uplands, although here the least fertile soils are more extreme than in the Ganges uplands.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> The good soils along the Sai, though, are among the best in the district for agriculture.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> On the south side of the river, west of Raebareli, many nalas cut up the terrain.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> The Sai basin narrows further east, around [[Pandri Ganeshpur]].<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

 

The northern part of the district generally has firm loamy or clayey soil, with rice as the staple crop.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> This area is studded with various jhils, of which the largest are the Mung Tal, Hanswa, Khaur, and Salothu.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> Like the jhils on the Dalmau plain, these northern jhils largely dry up during the hot season.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> Settlements in this region are more sparsely distributed than elsewhere in the district.<ref name="Census 2011"/>

 

Woodlands once covered a large area in Raebareli district, but this has mostly been cleared to make room for agriculture.<ref name="Census 2011"/> In the 1800s, [[William Henry Sleeman]] described a large jungle stretching out for 12 miles on either side of the Sai, which historically formed a stronghold of the [[Nain, Raebareli|Nain]] Kanhpurias; after their participation in the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]], the British cut down parts of it to break it up.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> Patches of [[Butea monosperma|dhak]] jungle remain throughout the areas with stiff soils, as well as along the Sai, but their total area is negligible.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

 

The common trees of Raebareli district are the same as the rest of southern Awadh.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> The most common growing wild are [[neem]], [[babul (tree)|babul]], [[banyan|bargad]], [[Ficus religiosa|pipal]], [[tamarisk]], and [[jamun]].<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> Mango and mahua trees are also widely grown in orchards throughout the district.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> The [[shisham]] is uncommon in Raebareli district, and past attempts to introduce the [[Shorea robusta|sal]] were unsuccessful.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

 

Due to extensive [[deforestation]] in modern times, the number and variety of wild animals present in Raebareli district has fallen significantly.<ref name="Census 2011"/> In the early 19th century there were wild tigers, hyenas, and buffaloes in the high tamarisk woodlands along the Ganges, but these had disappeared by 1900. The [[Indian wolf]] was also once common, but by the 20th century it had become rare. Antelopes, also once common, have similarly declined and are now represented by a few [[nilgai]] along the Ganges as well as some [[blackbuck]]s along the Ganges and around Bachhrawan. Wild cattle also exist in small numbers along the Sai and Ganges, and jackals are also sometimes seen.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> Other mammals include foxes, cats, and [[mongoose]]s.<ref name="Census 2011"/>

 

The birds present in the district are similar to surrounding districts.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> There are plenty of waterfowl and [[snipe]] during the cold months, and [[quail]] are also fairly common.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> There are also some [[black partridge]]s and [[sandgrouse]]s on the Ganges floodplain.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> The [[red-headed parrot]] was also formerly caught for its feathers.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

Raebareli district did not exist as a distinct administrative division until 1858.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905">{{cite book |last1=Nevill |first1=H.R. |title=Rai Bareli: A Gazetteer, Being Volume XXXIX Of The District Gazetteers Of The United Provinces Of Agra And Oudh |date=1905 |publisher=Government Press |location=Allahabad |pages=1-20, 25-38, 108–9, 129–46 |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.35020 |access-date=24 July 2021}}</ref> After the British annexation of [[Oudh State]] in 1856, there was originally a '''Salon district''', with its headquarters at [[Salon, India|Salon]], and which stretched from [[Purwa]] to [[Allahabad]], but in 1858 this was scrapped and Raebareli district was created.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> However, Raebareli district has since undergone major territorial changes.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> As originally drawn up, Raebareli district was composed of four [[tehsil]]s: Raebareli, [[Haidergarh]], [[Bihar, Unnao|Bihar]], and [[Dalmau]].<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> Raebareli and Dalmau tehsils, which were soon merged, each contained a single [[pargana]] of the same name.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> Haidergarh tehsil contained four parganas: Haidergarh, [[Kumhrawan]], [[Bachhrawan]], and [[Hardoi, Raebareli|Hardoi]].<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> Meanwhile, Bihar tehsil covered the region known as [[Baiswara]] and had nine parganas: Bihar, [[Khiron]], [[Sareni, Uttar Pradesh|Sareni]], [[Bhagwantnagar]], [[Daundia Khera]], [[Patan, Uttar Pradesh|Patan]], [[Panhan]], [[Magrayar]], and [[Ghatampur]].<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

When Raebareli district was first formed, it was made the seat of Raebareli division, along with Sultanpur and Pratapgarh districts, but in 1891 this division was merged with [[Lucknow division]].<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

The history of what is now Raebareli district is mostly unknown until the time of the medieval [[Delhi Sultanate]]. The only sources for this period are local traditions. One thing that most traditions agree on is that this region was originally ruled by the [[Bhar]]s, and most old ruins in the district are generally attributed to them. The Bhars appear to have been in power in this area longer than anywhere else in [[Awadh]], and they were not finally subjugated until the reign of [[Ibrahim Shah]] of the [[Jaunpur Sultanate]] (early 15th century). According to legend, the cities of Raebareli and [[Dalmau]] take their names from two Bhar rulers named Dal and Bal, but if they ever existed, it is impossible to assign any dates to them. In any case, tradition holds that the Bhars were later driven out by the [[Rajput]]s and, to a lesser extent, the Muslims.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

The Rajputs that came to rule over the area of today's Raebareli district mostly belonged to three main clains: the [[Bais (Rajput clan)|Bais]] in the south and west, the [[Kanhpuria]]s in the east, and the [[Amethia]]s in the north. Of these, the Bais were the first; their family traditions state that they came to this region around 1250 under one Abhai Chand, who was rewarded by the Gautam Raja of [[Argal raj|Argal]] (in what is now [[Fatehpur district]]) with a grant of lands that the raja had only nominal control over. His descendants came to rule over the region known as [[Baiswara]]. The Kanhpurias also became powerful in this region at an early date; their original base was at Kanhpur between Salon and Pratapgarh. As for the Amethias, they were always the weakest of the three clans in this region; they got their name from the town of [[Amethi, Lucknow|Amethi]] in today's Lucknow district.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

The early history of the Muslims in this region are not clear. According to legend, Dalmau was conquered by Salar Sahu, father of [[Sayyid Salar Masud]], in 423 [[Hijri year|AH]], and he then appointed one Malik Abdullah as governor. However, it is more likely that Dalmau only came under Muslim control during the reign of [[Muhammad bin Tughlaq]] of the [[Delhi Sultanate]], when one Malik Mubarak was made governor, and that before this Dalmau had been under Hindu rule. Some early Muslim immigrants also came from [[Manikpur, Uttar Pradesh|Manikpur]], such as the Gardezi Sayyids of [[Mustafabad, Rae Bareli|Mustafabad]] and the [[Pathan]]s of [[Amanwan]] and [[Pahremau]].<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

The [[Jaunpur Sultanate]] was the first major Muslim polity to make significant inroads in the area of today's district. In 1376, one Mardan Daulat Nasir-ul-Mulk was given the territories of [[Kara, Uttar Pradesh|Kara]] and [[Mahoba]], along with the [[iqta]] of Dalmau. This man was given the title "Malik-ush-Sharq" by [[Firoz Shah Tughlaq]] and later became known as [[Khizr Khan]]. It is not known how long Khizr Khan retained control of Dalmau, but in 1394 it was given to Khwaja-i-Jahan, founder of the Jaunpur Sultanate, along with the rest of Awadh.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

The most prominent of the Jaunpur Sultans in the history of Raebareli district was Ibrahim Shah, who rose to power in 1401. He posted a governor at Dalmau and went to war against the Bhars and Rajputs, and he went on to establish most of the Muslim outposts in the area. It was during this time that Raebareli was probably built up into a major town for the first time, with a [[qazi]] posted there. After Ibrahim Shah's death, however, the Bais and Kanhpuria Rajputs reasserted their independence and were not subdued until the reign of the final Jaunpur Sultan, [[Husain Shah]], who was Ibrahim's grandson.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

After Husain Shah's defeat by [[Bahlol Lodi]], the region came under the nominal authority of the Delhi Sultanate. The Rajputs again took advantage of the temporary instability to strengthen their own position. In 1492, the [[Bachgoti Khanzada|Bachgotis]] in what is now Pratapgarh district rebelled, and [[Sikandar Lodi]] went on a campaign against them.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> He reached Dalmau in 1493, and fought a battle at [[Katghar]] nearby where he routed the Bachgotis. Another rebellion later broke out in [[Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh|Jaunpur]], and Sikandar passed through the area on his way to deal with it.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> He stopped at Dalmau on the way and married the widow of [[Sher Khan Lohani]] while he was there.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

At the time of the [[Ain-i-Akbari]] in the late 1500s, the area of today's Raebareli district was divided between three different [[Sarkar (administrative division)|sarkar]]s in two [[subah]]s: most belonged to Manikpur sarkar in Allahabad Subah, while portions in the north and west were included in Awadh and Lucknow sarkars in Awadh Subah.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

12 ''mahal''s (i.e. parganas) of Manikpur sarkar were located partly or totally in the area of Raebareli district. In the north was Bhilwal, aka Bhalol, which was named after a village in what is now Barabanki district; it was later transferred to [[Nagram]] in today's [[Lucknow district]], and Nagram remained the pargana headquarters until the foundation of [[Haidergarh]] at the end of the 18th century. The small pargana of [[Thulendi]] bordered Bhilwal to the south; its namesake was an old Muslim ''qasba'', and the headquarters were moved to Bachhrawan during the time of [[Shuja-ud-Daula]]. To the south of Thulendi was the large pargana of Raebareli. South of Raebareli was Dalmau, whose borders then probably corresponded fairly closely with its 20th-century borders, although some of the western part probably belonged to the Baiswara ''mahal''s of Lucknow sarkar. Bordering Dalmau was the pargana of Salon, which provided the Mughal army with an "unusually large force" consisting of 8,900 infantry and 180 cavalry. North of Salon, and bordering Raebareli, was the pargana of [[Nasirabad, Raebareli|Nasirabad]], which included the later parganas of Parshadepur and Rokha (before it was merged with Jais). The pargana of Jais, at that time, also covered the later parganas of Mohanganj, [[Gaura Jamun]] (now in Sultanpur district), and part of Simrauta. The [[Kanhpuria]]s were probably already the predominant group in the pargana; the later dismantling of Jais pargana took place towards the end of the 18th century, at the same time that the Kanhpuria estates were divided.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

Two other ''mahal''s from Manikpur sarkar covered parts of Raebareli district: Qariat Guzara and [[Qariat Paegah]]. These were each very scattered entities consisting of various villages throughout the Salon tehsil as well as Pratapgarh district (Qariat Guzara had 262 villages and Qariat Paegah had 256). The purpose of Qariat Guzara is unclear; the word ''guzara'' means "maintenance", and it has been suggested that this ''mahal'' consisted of either villages assigned to the ruler's own (private) servants or villages whose revenues went towards the cost of entertaining royal messengers or other public servants passing through Manikpur. As for Qariat Paegah, the word ''paegah'' refers to a [[stable]], indicating that its villages' revenues were set aside to defray the expenses incurred through the purchase and maintenance of the royal cattle. The two ''mahal''s each had their own courts as well as their own [[qanungo]]s, whose descendants are still known as Guzaras and Paegahwalas respectively.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

In the sarkar of Awadh, there were two ''mahal''s that covered parts of Raibareli district; these were Inhauna and [[Subeha]].<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> In the ''Ain-i-Akbari'', Inhauna is said to have been held by [[Chauhan]]s who had recently converted to Islam, which is possibly a reference to the [[Bhale Sultan Khanzada|Bhale Sultans]], although they were mostly based further east.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> Alternatively, this could be a confused reference to the Bais of Inhauna, who are known to have converted to Islam in large numbers at an early date.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> As for Subeha, it was a very large ''mahal'' at that point; besides the later pargana of that name in today's Barabanki district, it also included the northern part of the later pargana of Simrauta, and possibly the northwestern part of Inhauna as well, although its exact boundaries at the time are uncertain.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

At the time of the ''Ain-i-Akbari'', the western part of today's Raebareli district was part of Lucknow sarkar, but the correspondence here is harder to trace. The modern parganas of Khiron and Sareni, in Baiswara, were then divided into several ''mahal''s that later ceased to exist. The ones in Sareni include [[Nisgar]] (or "Lashkar"), named after a village on the banks of the Ganges southwest of Sareni; [[Tara Singhaur]], named after the present village of [[Singhaur Tara]] some distance downstream from Nisgar, in the far southeast of the pargana; [[Kahanjara]], whose name is still preserved in the village of [[Kahanjar]] in the north of the pargana; and finally [[Deorakh]], which refers to the present-day hamlet of [[Deorahar]] in the village of [[Raipur, Sareni|Raipur]], and which covered the south-central part of the pargana. As for Khiron, it was mostly if not entirely covered by the ''mahal'' of [[Satanpur, Raebareli|Satanpur]], although the northwestern corner may have belonged to [[Maurawan]] in Unnao district, or one of the other small ''mahal''s of Baiswara. Maurawan must have also included the later pargana of Raebareli. The ''mahal'' called "Haihar" in the ''Ain-i-Akbari'' probably corresponds to the modern village of [[Aihar, Raebareli|Aihar]], near Lalganj; this was a small ''mahal'' that belonged to the Bais. Finally, the ''mahal'' of Hardoi seems to be identical with the later pargana of the same name (not to be confused with the [[Hardoi]] in [[Hardoi district]]), but this is located some distance away from the rest of Lucknow sarkar and would have been entirely surrounded by Manikpur. It's not clear why this territory was included in Lucknow rather than Manikpur.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

After Akbar died, the Rajput clans in the region once again enjoyed a period of relative independence. From this period until the foundation of [[Oudh State]] in the 18th century, the history of this area is basically synonymous with the history of its Rajput dynasties. It was during this period that the Saibasi branch of the Bais established their large domain.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

When [[Saadat Ali Khan I]] was made [[Nawab of Awadh|governor of Awadh]], he travelled through the region to secure the submission of the Rajput leaders. In order to earn their loyalty, he acknowledged the Rajput chiefs' rulership and entrusted them with collection of revenues within their own territories. This policy was generally successful.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

[[Asaf-ud-Daula]] succeeded to the throne in 1774 and granted his mother the parganas of Salon, Jais, and Nasirabad in [[jagir]]. He also put Raebareli, Dalmau, Khiron, and Thulendi under the control of the [[chakladar]] of Baiswara at about the same time. From then until the British annexation of Awadh, the area of today's Raebareli district was then divided between the [[Chakla (administrative division|chakla]]s of Salon and Baiswara.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

Raebareli district has 1,773 villages, of which 1,733 are inhabited and 40 are uninhabited.<ref name="Census 2011"/> As of 2011, a majority of the populated villages (950 of them or 56%) have a population between 500 and 1,999 people.<ref name="Census 2011"/> At the extreme ends of the spectrum, there are 67 villages (4% of the total) with a population below 200, and there are 16 (1%) with a population greater than 10,000.<ref name="Census 2011"/>

 

In some places, a village's population is entirely clustered in the main site, or ''abadi'', while in other cases a village consists of multiple hamlets, or ''purwa''s, dotting the landscape.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> There are over 8,000 such hamlets in Raebareli district, many of which are extremely small and consist of only two or three houses.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/> These hamlets are typically founded by cultivators who want to live close to their fields in order to tend to them better.<ref name="Gazetteer 1905"/>

Raebareli district is predominantly agrarian and it produces large amounts of grain.<ref name="Census 2011"/> The district is self-sufficient in grain production and also exports some to places like Europe, Japan, and North America.<ref name="Census 1981">{{cite book |title=Census 1981 Uttar Pradesh: District Census Handbook Part XIII-A: Village & Town Directory, District Rae Bareli |date=1982 |pages=4-7 |url=http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/1298/1/50861_1981_RAE.pdf |access-date=29 August 2021}}</ref>

|title= Religions in Raebareli district (2011)

|[[Hindus]]|darkorange|87.39}}

  }}</ref> This gives it a ranking of 97th in India (out of a total of [[Districts of India|640]]). The district has a population density of {{convert| 739 |PD/sqkm|PD/sqmi}} . Its [[Family planning in India|population growth rate]] over the decade 2001-2011 was  18.51%. Rae Bareli has a [[sex ratio]] of 941 [[Women in India|females]] for every 1000 males, and a [[Literacy in India|literacy rate]] of 81.04%.<ref name="Census 2011" />{{historical populations|11=1901|12=10,33,571|13=1911|14=10,16,689|15=1921|16=9,36,442|17=1931|18=9,74,237|19=1941|20=10,65,296|21=1951|22=11,57,461|23=1961|24=13,16,095|25=1971|26=15,04,187|27=1981|28=18,79,248|29=1991|30=23,09,928|31=2001|32=28,72,335|33=2011|34=34,05,559|percentages=pagr|footnote=source:<ref>[http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/PCA/A2_Data_Table.html Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901]</ref>|align=middle}} Post division into Amethi district and the remerging of Salon tehsil, it has a population of 2,903,507. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 30.58% and 0.06% of the population in the divided district respectively.<ref name="Census 2011" />

|caption=Languages in Rai Bareli district (2011 census)<ref name="census2011-C16"/>

|label1 = [[Hindi]] |value1 = 94.67 |color1 = orange

|label2 = [[Awadhi language|Awadhi]] |value2 = 3.56 |color2 = tomato

|label3 = [[Urdu]] |value3 = 1.63 |color3 = green

|label4 = Others |value4 = 0.14 |color4 = grey

At the time of the [[2011 Census of India]], in what is now Raebareli district 94.67% of the population in the district spoke [[Hindi]] (or a related language), 3.56% [[Awadhi language|Awadhi]] and 1.60% [[Urdu]] as their first language.<ref name="census2011-C16">{{cite report|url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-16/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-0900.XLSX|title=C-16 Population By Mother Tongue – Uttar Pradesh|publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India|access-date=15 July 2020}}</ref> The local language is Awadhi but most people record their language as Hindi in the census.