Hardoi District in
Uttar Pradesh covers a geographical area of 5,986 sq km. It is bounded by
Shahjahanpur District,
Lalitpur District and
Kheri District in the north,
Lucknow District and
Unnao District in the south,
Kanpur Dehat District and
Farrukhabad District in the west, and the
Gomati on the eastern side separating the district of
Sitapur. The population is over 3.3 million.
According to Hindu religious belief, Hardoi District is associated with the demon king Hiranyakashyap who was killed by Narasimha, an incarnation of Lord
Vishnu. It is believed that the present name Hardoi is a vague form of its old name Haridrohi (enemy of god), which was in existence during ancient times.
People depend mainly on agriculture as their main occupation. About 70% of the total land is used for agricultural purposes. Paddy, sugarcane, wheat, vegetable, pulses and oilseeds are the main crops. Hardoi produces guava, different varieties of mangoes and lemons.
Mallawa,
Bilgram,
Pihani, Shahabad,
Sandila, and Ruiyaa are some of the noteworthy places in Hardoi.
