Happy TravellerDeoband is a town and municipality located in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India, approximately 150 km from Delhi. While it may not be as well-known as some of its neighbors, Deoband has a rich history and culture that is worth exploring. The town is best known for being home to the Darul Uloom Deoband, one of the largest Islamic institutions in India. But there is much more to discover here, from the town’s fascinating etymology to its scenic geography and diverse demographics.
Let’s start with the town’s name. In Hindi, it is known as Devband, which some believe is derived from the words ‘dev’ (deity) and ‘van’ or ‘vrind’ (forest), a reference to the town’s lush forests during the Mahabharata-era. Others argue that it comes from ‘devi’ (goddess) and ‘vandan’ (praise), in honor of the local Durga temples.
Deoband has a long and fascinating history. In the 16th century, the Bhakti saint Shri Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu, who founded the Radhavallabh Sampradaya of Vaishnavism based in Vrindavan, lived in Deoband before his renunciation. He also established the Radha-Navrangilal temple here, dedicated to Radha-Krishna. In the Ain-i-Akbari, a 16th-century document detailing the administration of the Mughal Empire, Deoband is listed as a pargana (administrative division) under Saharanpur sarkar, producing a revenue of 6,477,977 dams for the imperial treasury and supplying a force of 300 infantry and 60 cavalry. At that time, it had a brick fort.
But perhaps the town’s most significant historical landmark is the Darul Uloom Deoband, which was established on May 21, 1866, by a group of Islamic scholars that included Fazlur Rahman Usmani, Sayyid Muhammad Abid, Muhammad Qasim Nanotawi, Mehtab Ali, Nehal Ahmad and Zulfiqar Ali Deobandi. The Deobandi Islamic movement originated here, and the seminary has produced some of the most prominent Islamic scholars in India.
Geographically, Deoband is located at 29.7°N 77.68°E / 29.7; 77.68 and has an average elevation of 256 meters (840 ft). The town has a population of 97,037 people, of which 53,538 are male and 43,499 are female. According to the 2011 Census of India, the population of children aged 0–6 is 12,200, which is 12.57% of the total population. The sex ratio is 812 females per 1000 males, which is lower than the state average of 912. The child sex ratio in Deoband is around 917, compared to the Uttar Pradesh state average of 902. The effective literacy rate (for population 7 years and above) is 75.23%, higher than the state average of 67.68%, with male literacy at 79.59% and female literacy at 69.77%. Out of the total population, 24,559 were engaged in work or business activity, of which 22,551 were male and 2,008 were female, and 89.91% were engaged in main work. The Scheduled Caste population was 3,576. In 2011, there were a total of 16,530 households in Deoband.
The Deoband Nagar Palika Parishad is responsible for the town’s basic amenities like water and sewage, as well as building roads and imposing taxes on properties within its jurisdiction. But beyond its administrative functions, Deoband is a town full of rich history and culture that is waiting to be explored. Whether you’re interested in Islamic scholarship, Hindu mythology, or just the natural beauty of the region, Deoband has something to offer every traveler.
