Najibabad is a town in the Bijnor district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, located near the city of Bijnor. It is a major industrial centre and has national transport links via rail and roadways such as NH 119 and NH 74.

History

Nawab Najib-ud-Daula, also known as Najib Khan Yousafzai, was a noted Rohilla Muslim warrior and serviceman of both the Mughal Empire and the Durrani Empire in 18th century Rohilkhand. In 1751, he founded the town of Najibabad in Bijnor district, India, after he received the title, "Najib-ud-Daula" from Mughal Emperor Alalmgir III. From 1757 to 1770 he was also the governor of Saharanpur, ruling over Dehradun. Many architectural relics of the period of Rohilla he oversaw remain in Najibabad, which he founded at the height of his career as a Mughal minister. He had succeeded Safdarjung as Grand Wazir of the Mughal Empire and was a devoted serviceman of the Mughal Emperor Alamgir II. According to George Foster ("A Journey from Bengal to England", 1790): "Najibuddaulah, who built this town, saw that its situation would facilitate the commerce of Kashmir, which having been diverted from its former channel of Lahore and Delhi, by the inroads of Sicques [Sikhs], Maharattas and Afgans, took course through the mountains at the head of the Punjab and was introduced into the Rohilla (country) through the Lall Dong Pass. This inducement, with the desire of establishing a mart for the Hindoos of the adjacent mountains, probably influenced the choice of this spot, which otherwise is not favourable for the site of a capital town being low, and surrounded by swampy grounds…. since the death of its founder, Najibabad had fallen from its former importance and seems now chiefly upheld by the languishing trade of Kashmir."

Geography

Najibabad is located at 29.63°N, 78.33°W. It has an average elevation of 295.5 metres (1014 feet).

Climate

People's representative

The current Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) from Najibabad is Tasleem (Samajwadi Party). The current municipality (nagar palika parishad) chairman is Engineer Muazzam. Najibabad is part of Nagina parliamentary constituency and current Member of Parliament is Chandrashekhar azad

Forts and monuments

Najibabad has four sites protected by the Archaeological Survey of India : Other historical sites include:

Industries

Najibabad has an All India Radio centre. The town is an important trade centre for timber, sugar and grain. There are manufacturing units which deal with metal, shoes, blankets, shawls and cotton. Handicrafts Najibabad has many craftsmen, the most remarkable being the rafoogars or the darners.

Demographics

As of 2011 Indian census Najibabad had a total population of 88,535 of which 46,372 are males while 42,163 are females. Population within the age group of 0 – 6 years was 12,697.

Religion

Notable people