Saharanpur district

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Saharanpur district is the northernmost district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It borders Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and lies in the Doab region near the foothills of the Shivalik range. The district headquarters is the city of Saharanpur, which is also the headquarters of Saharanpur Division. Other important towns include Sarsawa, Behat, Deoband, Gangoh and Rampur Maniharan. The district covers about 3,860 square kilometers and sits at an elevation of around 284 meters.

Historically, the region has been ruled by many powers, from the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire to the Rohilla and Maratha rulers, before coming under British control in the early 1800s. Saharanpur later became a center of Muslim education and reform, with the founding of Darul Uloom Deoband in 1867 and the Mazahir Uloom seminary soon after, which promoted learning, culture and a sense of national unity.

Today the area is a mix of rural and urban communities. The district is known for its educational and religious institutions, including the famous Deoband schools, as well as various temples and mosques. The population includes Hindus and Muslims in significant numbers, with both Hindi and Urdu widely spoken.

As of the 2011 census, Saharanpur district had about 3.47 million people, with a high population density. The literacy rate was around 72%, and the sex ratio was about 887 females for every 1,000 males. About 31% of residents live in urban areas.