Lakhimpur Kheri is the largest district in Uttar Pradesh, India, on the border with Nepal. Its administrative capital is the city of Lakhimpur.
Lakhimpur Kheri district is a part of Lucknow division, with a total area of 7,680 square kilometres (2,970 sq mi). The national government designated Lakhimpur Kheri as a Minority Concentrated District on the basis of 2001 census data, which identifies it as requiring urgent aid to improve living standards and amenities. A 2010 survey published by the Ministry of Urban Development placed Lakhimpur as the second lowest ranking city in India in terms of sanitation.
Dudhwa National Park, is in Lakhimpur Kheri and is the only national park in Uttar Pradesh It is home to a large number of rare and endangered species including tigers, leopards, swamp deer, hispid hares and Bengal floricans.
Kheri is a town 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Lakhimpur. It has the name derived from a tomb built over the remains of Saiyid Khurd, who died in 1563. Pre-independence the tomb was administered under Act XX of 1856, with an income of about 800.Another theory suggests that the name derives from the khair trees that once covered large tracts in the area.
Traditions point to the inclusion of this place under the rule of the Lunar race of Hastinapur, and several places are associated with episodes in the Mahabharata. Many villages contain ancient mounds in which fragments of sculpture have been found, Balmiar-Barkhar and Khairlgarh being the most remarkable. A stone horse was found near Khairabad and bears the inscription of Samudra Gupta, dated in the 4thcentury. Samudra Gupta, King of Magadha performed Ashvamedha yajna in which a horse is left to freely roam in the entire nation, so as to display the power of king and to underline the importance of his conquest. The stone replica of the horse, is now in the Lucknow Museum.
The district is within the Terai lowlands at the base of the Himalayas, with several rivers and lush green vegetation. Situated between 27.6° and 28.6° north latitude and 80.34° and 81.30° east longitudes, and about 7,680 square kilometres (2,970 sq mi) in area, it is roughly triangular in shape, the flattened apex pointing north.. Lakhimpur Kheri is bounded on the north by the river Mohan, separating it from Nepal; on the east by the Kauriala river, separating it from Bahraich; on the south by Sitapur and Hardoi; and on the west by Pilibhit and Shahjahanpur.
The climate is hot throughout the year except the rainy seasons. During summer(March to June), the temperature can reach above 40 °C (104 °F) and in winters(October to February) it can drop to around 4 °C (39 °F). The nights are very cold during winter and fog is very common in this season.The annual average rainfall in Lakhimpur Kheri is 1,085.3 millimetres (42.73 in), mostly in the monsoon months (July to September).
Wheat, rice, maize, barley, and pulses are the major food crops. Recently farmers have started menthol mint farming in the district, as being the Terai region it is ideal for mint cultivation. Sugar-cane and oilseeds are the chief non-food crops. Sugar is grown and processed in this district, forming the backbone of the local economy.
Lakhimpur city is 134 kilometres (77 mi) from the state capital Lucknow. It can be easily reached by train (meter gauge ,under construction) or UPSRTC Bus services. UPSRTC Bus services operates from Lucknow (Kaiserbagh Bus Station) to Lakhimpur.
UPSRTC operates bus station in Lakhimpur, and operates buses to Gola Gokarannath, Sitapur, Lucknow, Faizabad and Gorakhpur. DTC operates buses from Inter State Bus Terminals in Anand Vihar, Delhi.
Lakhimpur Kheri can be reached from Delhi, following Delhi – Muradabad – Bareilly – Shahjahanpur – Gola Gokarannath – Lakhimpur route (Distance: 425 km approx). Lakhimpur can also be reached from state capital Lucknow following Lucknow – Sitapur – Lakhimpur route (Distance: 135 km approx).Several Uttar Pradesh State Highways pass through Lakhimpur.
According to the 2011 census Lakhimpur Kheri District has a population of 4,021,243 roughly equal to the nation of Liberia[40] or the US state of Oregon.
This gives it a ranking of 56th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 523 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,350/sq mi).Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 25.38%.Kheri has a sex ratio of 894 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 60.56%.
Languages spoken here include Awadhi, a vernacular in the Hindi dialect continuum spoken by over 38 million people, mainly in the Awadh region.