Laharpur

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Laharpur is a town, tehsil headquarter and municipal board in Sitapur district, Uttar Pradesh, India. Its motto is Spread goodness.

Geography
Laharpur lies at 27.72°N 80.9°E, about 133 meters above sea level. The official languages are Hindi and Urdu, and the PIN code is 261135.

History
The town was founded by Emperor Firuz Shah Tughlaq in 1370, while he was on a journey to a shrine. He settled local Kayastha and Muslim families there. Around 1400, Lahori Pasi, a local Hindu strongman, seized control and renamed Tuglaqpur to Lahoripur, which later became Laharpur. His descendants held it for a short time before being defeated in 1418. The town grew when Raja Todarmal, Akbar’s finance minister, reorganized a large pargana with Laharpur as its center. Muslims ruled until Aurangzeb’s death in 1707, after which local Gaur Kshatriyas took over until 1858, when the area came under British rule.

Population and society
As of the 2011 census, Laharpur had about 50,080 residents (52% male, 48% female). The sex ratio was 896 women per 1,000 men. Literacy was 60.49% (males 64.89%, females 55.83%). About 19% of people were under 6 years old. By 2023, the population was around 84,000.

Economy
Historically a weaving and Zardozi hub, Laharpur’s crafts have declined due to high material and labor costs. Today the main industries are timber and leather work.

Culture
Laharpur is known for the Qalandaria Order of Sufism and the Dargah of saints Shah Alauddin Ahmad Chirminaposh Suharwardi, Shah Abdul Rahman Jaanbaaz Qalandar, and Shah Maja Qalandar.