| Deoband | |
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| Coordinates | 29°42′N 77°41′E / 29.7°N 77.68°E |
| Country |  India |
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
| District(s) | Saharanpur |
| Population | 161,706 (2001[update]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
• 248 m (814 ft) |
Deoband (Hindi: देवबंद, Urdu: دیوبند) is a city and a municipal board in Saharanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the upper Doab region of Uttar Pradesh. Deoband used to be surrounded by dense forests, and was believed to be the abode of the Goddess Durga, according to one tradition this is where the town got its name, from Devi Van, or 'the Forest of the Goddess'. Others suggest that is derived from devi vandan, because the Goddess killed the Maha Asur Durg here, and was then worshipped here by many Devtas. [1]
Deoband is about 150 km from Delhi. It is best known for the presence of the Jamia Tibbiya Deoband college of Unani Medicine, awarding the qualifications of B.U.M.S. and M.D., and the Darul Uloom of Deoband, one of the most important and influential schools of Islamic Studies.
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Geography
Deoband is located at 29°42′N 77°41′E / 29.7°N 77.68°E [1]. It has an average elevation of 248 metres (813 feet). Famous cities located in its neighbourhood are: Saharanpur, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Roorkee, Dehradun etc.
Demographics
As of 2008[update] India census[2], Deoband had a population of 1,61,706. Males constitute 56% of the population and females 44%. Deoband has an average literacy rate of 70% (this is an incorrect figure - 62% males & 49% females are literate), higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 62% and, female literacy is 49%. In Deoband, there are 65% Muslims & 35% Hindus . Also 15% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Holy Sites
Shri Hith Harivansh Mahaprabhu resided in Deoband during his childhood. It is said that he was once playing with some other children when the ball fell into a deep well; Mahaprabhu jumped in and came out with a 'Shri Vigraha' (sacred image). The well still exists, and the image was placed in the ancestral palace. On another occasion Mahaprabhu had a vision of Sri Radha in his dream, whilst sleeping under a peepal tree, in it she graced him with a special mantra. The tree tree can still be seen in the precincts of one of the temples at Deoband.
East of Deoband there is a large pool, known as Devi Kund. This is where it is said that the Goddess Durga killed the terrible 'demon' Mahishasura. A temple of Bala Sundari has been built close by in memory of this event, and has become a major centre for Durga worshippers. A naked statue of the Goddess Durga has been erected here. The temple itself is ancient, as proved by the fact that the inscriptions engraved on its doorway have still not been deciphered. Every year a large festival (mela) is organized here in Chaitra Shukla Chaturdashi. Innumerable devotees throng the place to take a dip in the holy waters of this pool and worship the Goddess. People believe that Devi of Deoband and Shakumbari are sisters. Devi Kund and the Bala Sundari temple of Deoband are considered as one of the two Shakti Peethas or holy places of cosmic power of the Saharanpur District.[3]
See also
Tripur Maa Bala Sundri
Sai Dham Deoband
Bala Ji Dham
Darul Uloom
References
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Deoband
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
- ^ http://saharanpur.nic.in/sre_place.htm
External links
- Deoband series - TCN News
- Darul Uloom Deoband website
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