People

Language : In 1971, the languages spoken by the inhabitants of the district were about two doxens. But Hindi speaking people were the most numerous i.e. 97.65 percent. Urdu was spoken by 2.25 per cent and the remaining 1 percent were found speaking Punjabi, Sindhi, Bengali and several other languages.

The common dialect of the people in Mainpuri is Braj Bhasha which is the oldest form of Hindi. In the extreme south-west on the banks of the Yamuna, the influence of Bhadauri, a form of Bundeli, is noticeable in the words spoken by the residents.

The main peculiarities in pronunciation differentiating the local speech from ordinary HIndi are the habit of substituting the local speach from ordinary Hindi are the habit of substituting a final "O" for all other vowel termination the alteration of initial "W" and "Y" to "J", as in juh, jih for uuh, yih and the use of a short "i" for "a" as jhigra for jhagra.

Principal Communities : The Hindu, Muslims, Jains, Christians, Sikhs and Buddhist communities are living in Mainpuri district.

Religious Beliefs and Practices  ( Back to Menu ) 

OF Hindus : Hinduism comprises diverse beliefs and practices ranging from polytheism to absolute monism and the identification of the atman(individual soul) with the divine essence. All these variations of religious thought and belief can be found here. A majority of the Hindus worship images of deities and incarnations (avtars). A visit to temples is not obligatory but it is common and frequent Fasts are observed on many occasions and kathas (recitations from Srimat Bhagwat, Ramcharitmanas) and satsang (religious discourses) are arranged periodically. Superstitions and belief in ghosts and arranged continue to haunt the minds, particularly of the illiterate and ignorant members of the society.

The number of places of worship is quite large, the notable ones include the temple of Mahadeo at Bhongaon, the temples of Mahadev, Radha Ballabh, Murli Manohar, Baldevji, Rama, Panchmathi Mahadev and the shrine of Jasan Mahadeo at Shikohabad and the shrine of Rikhi Ashthan at Akbarpur Auncha, in tehsil Mainpuri.

A branch of the Arya Samaj, a Hindu sect founded by Dayananda Saraswati, was eastablished in Mainpuri about 1890. In 1891, the number of Arya Samajists in the district was 329. The sect made considerable progress so that at the census of 1951, the number of Arya Samajists increased to 7621. They believe in one God and repudiate idol worship and rituals.

Of Muslims : Any one believing in the one God and His prophet Muhammad, is a follower of Islam. A Muslim is enjoined to say prayers (namaj) either individually or collectively in a mosque five times a day, keep and contribute in cash or kind for charitable purposes (Zakat). The Quran is their holy book. Many Muslims have faith in pirs (saints). there are many mosques in the district, the more important being at the Bhongaon, Karhal, Rapri and Shikohabad. There are two dargahs located at Rapri and Shikohabad.

Of Jains : The jains follow the creed of the Jinas or Tirthankars and instal their images in temples. They uphold ahimsa as the highest dharma. The orthodox Jains do not eat tubers or take meals after nightfall or drink water withour straining it.

Of Christians : The Christians believe in God, His son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, the resurrection of the dead and the life everlasting. The Bible is their holy book which contains two main sections : the Old Testament and The New Teastament.

Of Sikhs : Sikhism is a monotheistic religion, which disavows idolatry and has no caste distinetions. It enjoins the preservation of kesh(hair) and use of kanghi (comb), a kara (iron bangle), a kirpan (dagger) and kuchha (shorts). The Sikhs attend congregational prayers in gurudwaras (places of Sikh worship). The Granth containing the Vani (sermons) of Guru Nanak Dev is their holy book.

Of Buddhists : The main tenet of Buddhism is that while there is woe in the world, the eight fold middle path of righteousness based of Satya Vishwas (right belief), Satya Vichar (right aspiration), Satya Bhashan (right speech), Satya Karma (right action) Satya Nirvak (right living), Satya Prayatna (right effort), Satya Dhyan (right recollection) and Satya Bhas (right rapture) lead to the end of sorrow and the attainment of nirvana.

There is harmony in the relations between various castes and their sub-castes found in the district. Long residence together and daily contact with one another have brought different communities close to each other but all of them retain own socio- religious indentities. They mix freely and share each others' joys and sorrows.

Inter-caste Relations : As in other parts of the country, intercastes relations were very rigid a generation ago. The members of different castes and sub-castes lived in close watertight compartments, eschewing among other things inter-dining and inter-caste marriages. The picture has greatly changed, especially after political independence and the changes that have occirred in recent times are noteworthy. Inter-dining is no longer looked upon with disapproval by Hindus anywhere in the district, particilarly in towns, though this restriction still persists in a diluted form in rural areas. Inter-caste marriages, though not very common, are more frequent than ever before and many of the traditional restrictions on marriage based on caste marriage based on caste are gradually disappearing as a result of factors like the spread of education and the influence of western culture.

Festivals and Fairs ( Back to Menu )

Hindu : Fasting followed by feasting is an important feature of festivity among the Hindus. Festivals are spread evenly over the whole year and are celebrated almost in the same manner as elsewhere in the State. Some of them are described below.

The ninth day of the bright half of Chaitra is celebrated as the birthday of Rama, believed to be an incarnation of Vishnu.

The fifth day of the bright half of Sravana is called Nagpanchami when the nagas or serpent gods are propitiated. It is also celebrated as a rainy season festival, women being the chief rejoicers, singing kajaries (folk-songs), swining in the air from trees.

The last day of Sravana popularly known as Raksha Bandhan, is an occasion when raksha sutra or rakhi (protective threads or cords) are tied by sisters round the right wrist of their brothers. fairs are also held at several places.

The eight day of the dark half of Bhadrapada, is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, considered to be another incarnation of Vishnu. It is generally accompanied with a fast which is broken at midnight.

The first nine days of the bright half of Anvina are devoted to the worship of goddess Durga, and the tenth one is celebrated as Vijaya Dasami or Dasahra to commemorate the victory of Rama over Ravana. On this occasion effigies of demons are burnt publicly to signify the victory of good over the evil.

Dipawali : On the Amavasya of Kartika, Dipawali, Divali or the festival of lights is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Dwellings are cleaned or whitewashed. Lakshami, the goddess of wealth is worshipped and earthen lamps lighted in large numbers. The occasion synchronises with the advent of winter and the harvesting of the Kharif crop.

Kartiki-purnima : Kartik-Purnima is a bathing festival which falls on the full-moon day of Kartika, and attracts crowds on the banks of rivers, particularly the Ganga.

Shivratri : Shivratri, the most important festival of Shaivites, is observed on the thirteenth day of the dark half of Phalguna as a fast accompanied with milk and Bilvapatra offerings to Lord Siva. For Arya Samajists it is a memorable occasion as Swami Dayanand, the great reformist and founder of Arya Samaj, received enlightenment on this night.

Holi  : Holi is the spring festival which falls on the last day of Phalguna enthusing the masses into a spirit of revelry and brotherhood. Logs of wood are piled at road junctions in every town and village and set on fire at an auspious moment symbolising the annihilation of the forces of evil (in the form of the demon goddess, Holika). It is again, a crop festival, a significant feature of which is roasting of ears of barley and wheat in the community fire.

Sprinkling of coloured water and throwing of coloured powder on one another accompanied with mutual embracing among men characterise this merry occasion. Rural areas in particular resound to the tunes of folk music which some times attains ecstatic hights.

The number of Hindu religious fairs in the district is quite large. On most festive occasion fairs are held. The fair of Deviji is observed from the eighth day of the dark half Chaitra of to the eighth day of the bright half of Chaitra at village Uddetpur (in tehsil Mainpuri) and attracts about 20000 persons. The biggest bathing fair is held on Kartiki purnima at village Bidhuna in the Ghiror development block attracting about 18000 people. Kans-ka-mela is held at Mainpuri proper on the second day of the dark half of Chaitra, being attended by about 10000 persons. On the occasion of Dasahra, Ramlila fairs are held at Kurauli and Mainpuri each attarcting gatherings of about 10000 persons. Others fairs, which also deserve mention are Narain-ka-mela in Mainpuri town, Chaman Rishi-ka-mela at Akbarpur Aunchha and Bairoo-ka-mela at Bhanti.

Muslim : Among the Muslim festivals, Barawafat, the birthday of the prophet Muhammad, is celebrated on the twelfth day of Rabi-ul-Awwal when alms are distributed and discourses (Maulud sharif) are arranged on the prophet's life.

Shab-e-Barat is celebrated on the night of the fourteenth day of Shaban when prayers (fatiha) are offered for the peace of departed souls.

Id-ul-Fitr is celebrated on the first of the month of Shawal when thankgiving prayers are offered for the successful completion of the fastes of the previous month of Ramadan. On this occasion Muslims attend congregational prayers in mosues.

Id-ul-Zuha (or Bakra-Id) falls on the tenth day of Zilhijja to commemorate the attempted sacrifice of his son, Ismail, by the prophet Ibrahim is submission to teh will of God. Men attend morning prayers in mosques or Idgah and sacrifice sheep and goats in God's name.

Giarahveen Sharif is a faestival of special importance for the Sunnis of the district and is observed on the eleventh day of the month of Rabi-ul-Sani in honour of Abdul Qadir Jilani, and early Muslim divine of Baghdad, acclaimed as a descendant of the prophet Muhammad. Prayers, sweets and flowers are offered in his memory on this occasion.

Muharram is an occasion for mourning rathers than festivity as the first ten days of the month of that name commemorate the tragedy of Karbala which witnessed the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of the prophet, Muhammad and his companions. Although this occasion has special significance for the Shias, the Sunnis also take part in some of the observances. The imambaras (buildings for performance of religious ceremonies and their followers) are illuminated on the eighth and ninth of the month, religious discourses are held from the first to the ninth and tazias (replicas of the tombs of Imams Hussain and Hasan), generally made of coloured paper and bamboo, are taken out in procession separately by Shias and Sunnis on Asgra, the tenth day.

Jains : The Jains in the district celebrate the birth and nirvana anniversaries of Parshvanath and Mahavira, their twenty-third and twenty-fourth tirthankars. The other important festivals of the Jains are Paryushan, the last ten days of Bhadra, and Asthanika falling on the last eight days of Kartika.

Christian : The main festivals of the Christians of the district are Christmas, which falls on December 25 and celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ; Good Friday, which commemorates his crucifixion and Easter which celebrates his resurrection. People attend services in churches and exchange greetings and presents. On Christmas eve scenes from the nativity of Christ are enacted and cribs are set up in the churches and people, particularly children, flock to see them.

Sikh : The Sikhs celebrate the birthdays of their gurus, Nanak Tegh Bahadur and Govind Singh. Portions from Granth are read, congregational prayers are held at gurudwaras and processions taken out. The Baisakhi is another Sikh festival. Fairs are held at gurudwaras on that occassions.

Buddhist : The principal festival of the Buddhists is the Buddha Purnima when Buddha took birth, got enlightenment and attaned nirvana. On this occasion they worship in their temples and recite versesd from the Tripitaka.

Social Life  ( Back to Menu )

Property and Inheritance : In matters of inheritance the Hindus, Sikhs and Jains are governed by the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the Muslims by their personal law, and the Christians by the Indian Succession Act, 1925. Before the enforcement on July 1, 1952 of the U.P. Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950 (Act no.I of 1951), the right to inherit rented agricultural land was governed by the provisions of the U.P. Tenancy Act 1939. At present inheritance to agriculture land held by persons of all religious is governed by the provisions of the U.P. Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950 .

Joint Family : In this district, as in other parts of the State, the institution of joint family, which has been a characterstic feature of Hindu society since ancient times is breaking down owing to economic and social features, the impact of modern ideas and the individualistic outlook of the younger generation. The rapid growth of industrialisation and urbanisation, the increasing demand for labour and the expectation of better wages in the cities have also accelerated the disintegration of the joint family.

Division of property other than agriculture land during the lifetime of the patriarch is becoming common.