Faizabad

Tehsil Sadar, District Ayodhya (Faizabad), Uttar Pradesh, Bharat
Faizabad , is a city and municipal board in Masodha Block Faizabad Tehsil in Ayodhya District of Uttar Pradesh , situated on the banks of river Ghaghra (locally known as Saryu). Faizabad has a twin city of Ayodhya,which is considered to be the birthplace of Lord Ram. It was the first capital of the Nawabs of Awadh and has many monuments built by the Nawabs of Avadh, like the tomb of Bahu Begum, Gulab-bari etc. . These twin cities have a great heritage and have many monumental sites. The city of Ayodhya is an important pilgrimage centre in Hindu belief known for its numerous Hindu temples, as well as for the disputed site of Babri Mosque. Ayodhya is also the birth place of first Tirthankar of the Jain religion, Shri Rishabh Dev,known as the father of Jain religion. The Legend of Avadh, Umrao Jaan 'Ada', was born in Faizabad (her childhood name was Ameeran). Another legend and a great Hindi writer Mr. Radhika Prasad Tripathi was from this city, his work on Sai Data Sampraday (Sai Data Sect) is greatly admired. Akhtaribai Faizabadi, or Begum Akhtar was also born in Faizabad. She was one of the best classical singer known for her performance of ghazals, dadras, thumris, etc. Among other notable people from Faizabad are Mir Anis, a nineteenth century writer of 'Marsiya' (elegies in Urdu) and Brij Narayan Chakbast, another nineteenth century Urdu poet. Chakbast is credited to have translated Hindu epic 'Ramayan' into Urdu for the first time.The earliest reference made to Faizabad is in the Ramayana, in which the city is referred to as 'Saket', the mythical private estate of King Dashrath, father of Lord Ram. However, more accurately, the reference is found in Medieval and Modern history, when Nawab Sa'adat Khan, Burhan-ul-Mulk was given the charge of the Subah (province) of Awadh (sometimes also spelled as Avadh) around 1722 by the Mughal Court. Nawab Sa'adat Khan made the first settlements along the banks of Ghaghra with a cantonment comprising of a fortress and mud barracks. Due to these temporary dwellings, Faizabad was first known as 'Bangla' (implied meaning- hutment). The city was developed later on by Sa'adat Khan's successor, Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula into a full fledged capital city, with gardens, palaces, markets , roads and other infrastructure. Under Shuja-ud-Daula's reign Faizabad achieved its culmination as an important centre of trade and commerce in northern India and attracted travellers, writers, merchants, artists and courtesans from sll over Europe and Asia. Shuja-ud-Daula also built a fortress on the banks of Saryu after he lost the battle of Buxar in 1764. however, this fort now is nothing more than a hummock.

Faizabad was also a centre of one of many battles of the Mutiny of 1857. A detailed history of Faizabad can be read in 'Tareekh-e-Farahbaksh', written by Mohd. Faiz Baksh, (after whom Faizabad is named) a courtier in the Shuja-ud-Daula's court. This book has been translated into English by Hamid Afaq Qureshi as 'Memoirs of Faizabad'. Faizabad also finds a prominent and detailed mention in 'Guzishta Lakhnau' written by Maulvi Abdul Halim 'Sharar'. The third nawab of Awadh, Nawab Asaf-ud-Dowlah (also, Asaf-ud-Daula), shifted the Capital of Avadh to Lucknow in 1775.

A section of people believe that the prominent Indian freedom fighter and revolutionary, Subash Chandra Bose spent his last days in Faizabad living icognito as a godman called 'Gumnami Baba'. This came under attention when 'Gumnami Baba' died in 1985 and was cremated secretively on the banks of river saryu (a memorial has been built at that place), in the dead of night, in the light of a motorcycle's headlight. Its also said that at the time of cremation his face was disfigured by acid to protect his identity. However, no government enquiry was launched into this matter and the identity of Gumnami Baba still remains an enigma.