Culture & Heritage

The district has very rich literary heritage. Famous Urdu poet Ali Sardar Jafri was born here in 1913. He is among the only four Urdu poets who got the prestigious Jnanpith award (other three are Firak Gorakhpuri, Kurtulain Hyder and Shaharyar). The other notable poet of the city is Syed Ali Mehdi Rizvi, very famous for his religious Urdu poetry such as Mussadas, Marsiya, Salam, Rubai, Nauha etc. Apart from extensively writing the religious poetry, his other notable works include poetic representation of History of India named “Matla-e-Watan” and translation of Bhagavad Gita in Urdu poetry. Apart from that the birthplace of Mohd Shafi Khan also known as Bekal Utsahi is Balrampur. He has the distinction of being a former member of Rajya Sabha . In 1976 he got Padmashree Award in the field of literature. During a visit to the Mazar of Hazrat Vaaris Ali Shah of Devan-Sharif in 1945 Shah Hafiz Pyari Miyan quoted, “Bedam Gaya Bekal aaya”. After that incident Mohammad Shafi Khan converted his name as “Bekal Varsi”.During the period of Pandit Nehru in 1952 an interesting event happened, which resulted in the emergence of Bekal Utsahi. There was an election programme of congress party in Gonda at that time. Bekal Varsi welcomed Pandit Nehru by his poetry “Kisan Bharat Ka”. Nehru was very much impressed and said,”Yeh hamara utsahi shayar hai”.Finally he is renowned as Bekal Utsahi in the literary world.

One of the most popular Hindu worship place is situated in Tulsipur about 27 kilometers from the district headquarters. It is known as Devi Patan.

Apart from that Bijleshwari Devi temple is also famous among the local people.
Bijlipur, Dist. Balrampur, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaThe area where the temple is situated is known as Bijlipur. The temple is built by the Maharaja of Balrampur in the 19th Century and is a fine example of intricate carving in red stone, which cover the whole structure. During British period Balrampur riyasat was one of the important states of Avadh area. The amazing Neel Bagh Palace is also situated inside the city. It is One of the most frequently visited place by the tourists. Presently Dharmendra Prasad Singh is the member of former monarchy. He is also the curator of famous Maharani Lal Kunwari Post Graduate College, Balrampur.

The temple has the distinction of having included in 51 “Shaktipeethas” of Goddess Durga according to Hindu mythology. It is believed that during the event when Lord Shiva was carrying the corpse of his wife Sati, the light shoulder of Sati had fallen here. Revered by Hindus in India and Nepal, millions of pilgrims visit this place throughout the year. A Grand festival has been organized at the time of Durga Puja. During the month of chaitra a “Mela” has also been organized every year. One of the salient feature of this event is “Shobha Yatra” of Peer Ratan Nath. Every year devotees from Dang district of Nepal used to come here as an integral part of yatra.

The Devi Patan Siddha Peeth had been established by Guru Gorakshnath of the Nath Sampradaya. The existing temple here is said to have been constructed King Vikramaditya. In the 1lth century King Suheldeo of Sravasti had renovated the temple. The Royal family of Balrampur, is today the caretaker of the temple. A large fair takes place in Navratri and every year on Chaitra Panchami the deity of Pir Ratan Nath is brought from Dang in Nepal to the Devi Patan temple where it is worshipped along with the Devi.