History
The name of Amroha may derive from its production of mangoes (aam) and
fish (rohu). Another possibility is that Raja Amarjoda, of the Bansi
dynasty, named the region Amroha in 474 BC. The author of
Tarikh-i-Amroha states that Amroha was ruled by Rajputs between 676 and
1141 AD. Mahmud of Ghazni conquered Amroha in 589 AH/1093 AD. Behram
Shah (1240–42) appointed Malik Jalaluddin to the position of Hakim of
Amroha in 1242. Ghiyasuddin Balban crushed a rebellion in this region,
and so ruthless was his repression that the territory of Badaun and
Amroha remained quiescent till the reign of Jalaluddin Khalji. Ambar
Sultani built a mosque at Amroha. During Alauddin Khalji's reign, Malik
Tughluq and Malik marched to confront the Mongols through Amroha. Saiyid
Salim was assigned Amroha and Sirsi as an iqta and after his death, the
iqta was assigned to his sons. It is also recorded that Khizr Khan was
punished by Alauddin Khalji with an enforced stay at Amroha with
Hisamuddin.
The historical architecture of Amroha begins with the fort wall,
remnants of which still stand. The Moradabadi Darwaza, built by Saiyid
Abdul Maajid in 1642 AD, is the only extant gate. The wall was
constructed during the reign of Shah Jahan, by Siyadat Maab Saiyid Abdul
Maajid, who had constructed this fort under the supervision of Kamal
Khan Khanazad in 1652 AD. It is fifty feet high with three parallel
arches, covered with a roof. Other monuments from this period include
mosques, idgahs, khanqash, dargahs, imambaras, diwan khana, madrasas and
mandirs. Some of these are of the Delhi Sultanate period, others of the
Mughal period.
Demographics
As of the 2001 India census,[2] Amroha's population was 2,64,890. Men
constituted 53% of the population and females comprised 47%. Amroha's
average literacy rate was 64%, higher than the national average of
59.5%; 79% of the males and 51% of females were literate. 15% of the
population is under 6 years of age.
Economy
Amroha is known for its mangoes; many of the cultivars grow here.[3]
Its main industries are pottery making, hand-loom weaving, and sugar
milling and secondary ones are carpet manufacturing, wood handicrafts
and small-scale production of cotton cloth.
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