Pratapgarh district is located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, and its administrative headquarters is the city of Pratapgarh. It is a part of the Prayagraj division and covers a total area of 3730 square kilometers. The city of Pratapgarh gets its name from Raja Pratap Bahadur Singh, a Rajput ruler of the Somvanshi Dynasty, who constructed a castle named Pratapgarh Mahal. As time passed, the areas surrounding the castle also became known as Pratapgarh.
In 1928, the arrival of the Simon Commission in India led to widespread protests against the British government. Many talukdars, including Raja Awadhesh Singh of Kalakankar, actively participated in the movement, openly expressing their opposition to the Imperial Government. On July 10, Congress leaders Jawaharlal Nehru and Mohanlal Saxena visited Pratapgarh district to address a public meeting at Hadi Hall in Bela Pratapgarh, where they were welcomed by Brajesh Singh. The district also received a visit from Mahatma Gandhi on November 14, 1929, who addressed a crowd of 5000 and was awarded a purse of Rs 5,570 by then-Raja Awadhesh Singh of Kalakankar.
In 2006, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj designated Pratapgarh as one of the 250 most backward districts in the country, out of a total of 640. Currently, it is among the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh that receive funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
According to the 2011 census, Pratapgarh district in Uttar Pradesh had a population of 3,209,141, roughly equivalent to the nation of Mongolia or the U.S. state of Iowa. This places it at the 109th rank in India (out of a total of 640). The district had a population density of 854 inhabitants per square kilometer (2,210/sq mi). The population growth rate over the decade from 2001 to 2011 was 16.2%. Pratapgarh had a sex ratio of 994 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 73.1%. Scheduled Castes made up 22.10% of the population.
Languages spoken in Pratapgarh district (2011):
- Hindi (90.74%)
- Awadhi (6.02%)
- Urdu (3.13%)
- Others (0.11%)
As per the 2011 Census of India, 90.74% of the district’s population spoke Hindi, 6.02% spoke Awadhi, and 3.13% spoke Urdu as their first language.
On October 5, the Northern Railway announced the renaming of three railway stations in Pratapgarh district, Uttar Pradesh. The updated names for these stations are as follows:
- Pratapgarh Junction (PBH) is now Maa Belha Devi Dham Pratapgarh Junction.
- Antu (ANTU) has been renamed Maa Chandika Devi Dham Antu.
- Bishnathganj (BTJ) is now Shanidev Dham Bishnathganj.