Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh
Pratapgarh, also called Belha or Bela Pratapgarh, is a city and municipality in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Allahabad district, part of the Allahabad division. Etymology. Pratapgarh was the name of a fort built by Pratap Bahadur Singh (1628–1682), a local king, at Rampur. Later, the area around the fort started to be known as Pratapgarh. Economy. In 2006, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Pratapgarh one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 34 districts in  Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). Primarily, an agragrian district, for a while now, Pratapgarh has risen in ranks as the top producer of Aonla (Amla). The fruit grown here is sold all over India and the world in the form of sweets and medicines. Transport. Railways. Railway is the main transport form in this district and some junctions are Pratapgarh, Chilbila and Bhupia Mau. Pratapgarh Junction railway station handles 42 trains daily. Attractions. Bela Devi Temple. The Belha Devi Temple is one of the important temples, situated in Pratapgarh, on the banks  of River Sai on the western side of the Allahabad-faizabad road. Here, Mother Goddess Belha or 'Belha Mai' is worshiped by devotees. Kisan Devta Mandir. Pratapgarh district has the world's first temple dedicated to farmers, named "Kisan Devta Mandir". In this district, farmers are revered as gods. The temple was established by Shailendra Yogi, a homeopathic doctor, in Sarai Mahesh village of Patti tehsil of Pratapgarh in 2015. The six feet tall idol made of sandstone and holding a plough is accompanied by an idol of "Kisan Devi".