Archaeological sites

At Neoria Husainpur is a large area of ruins that became covered by dense forest.^[1] Mahof has a large ruined brick fort; Simaria Ghosu, not far away, has a mud fort, but it appears to have been built later than other ruins in the area.^[1] Several octagonal wells and a large masonry tank at Khaj appear to be the remains of a large town.^[1] Perhaps the most important ruins in the district are at Balai Khera, close to the town of Jahanabad.^[1] Nearby to the west is a mound called Parasua-kot, which is from the same time as Balai Khera.^[1]

There are many ruins in the forests of Puranpur tehsil, often marked by "unusually large bricks, often carved and chiselled in a most artistic manner."^[1] The ruins at Dhanaura have been partly washed away by the Chauka, but there are still several large ruin-covered mounds here, over a large area.^[1] Another site is at Suapara, a short distance north of Puranpur.^[1] The massive fortress at Shahgarh appears to have been occupied during a fairly late period, since coins of the Varmmas of Nepal have been found inside its walls.^[1] Further south is a large unnamed site where fragments of pottery, bricks, and glazed tiles have been found.^[1]

In the Bisalpur tehsil, there are extensive ruins at Marauri, on the Khanaut, and at Barkhera in the north there is a large mound that is traditionally said to mark the spot of a city built by the legendary Raja Vena.^[1]

Dewal inscription

The 10th-century Dewal inscription, which was found in 1829 at Allahabad Dewal, near Deoria.^[1] It is a Sanskrit inscription, dated to year 1049 of the Vikram Samvat (992 or 993 CE) and written in the so-called kutila or "crooked" script.^[1] The entire inscription is written as a 37-stanza poem, full of metaphors and mythological allusions, and documenting the construction of two temples to Shiva and Parvati by a local ruler and his wife.^[1] It was composed by a man named Nahila, son of Sivarudra, who was evidently well-versed in Sanskrit grammar and rhetoric.^[1]

The ruler mentioned in the inscription, Lalla of the Chhinda family, is described as a mandala-putra, or ruler of a province, and he was probably a feudatory of the kings of Kannauj.^[1] The text says that he "brought the river Katha to his capital", which according to H.R. Nevill probably refers to the digging of the canal now called the Katni.^[1] It also says that Lalla had the two temples built and endowed them with a quarter of the revenue from several villages.^[1] He gave the site the name "Devapalli", which is probably the same as "Dewal".^[1] The site of Garha Khera, a large 800-square-foot mound with two small tanks, was probably Lalla's capital; the Katni winds its way around this site.^[1] Atop a large mound on the south side of Allahabad Dewal are the remains of a large temple, which is where the Dewal inscription was found.^[1]

Medieval through Early Modern

Whatever happened in the area after the time of the Dewal inscription is unknown.^[1] It is completely absent from contemporary sources for several centuries.^[1] The Muslim conquerors appear to have had no interest in the region, which may have been densely forested around this time.^[1] The first reference to Pilibhit is possibly in 1256, when the Delhi Sultan Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad led troops to Awadh by way of "Tilibhat".^[1] Pilibhit may also be the "Talpat" mentioned during the reign of Sultan Ghiyas-ud-Din Balban.^[1]

The Katehria Rajputs came to rule over the Pilibhit area at some point.^[1] Tradition holds that their leader Kharag Singh conquered the western part of this district from the local tribes.^[1] From this base, the Katehrias were only nominally subjects of the Sultans of Delhi.^[1] In 1379, after Kharag Singh murdered the governor of Budaun, Firoz Shah led a scorched-earth campaign in the region, causing widespread destruction and resulting in the entire area between Budaun and Bilaspur becoming a hunting ground.^[1]

During Akbar's reign, the area of today's Pilibhit district was a remote backwater.^[1] In the Ain-i-Akbari, the area included the parganas of Balai and Punar, and Bareilly, with a small part possibly belonging to Gola in today's Shahjahanpur district.^[1] Balai was based at what is now called Balai Khera, and Punar was the old name of Puranpur.^[1] These parganas were all nominally part of the sarkar of Budaun, but in practice they were under the governors of Bareilly.^[1] During this period, Pilibhit district's history is essentially the same as Bareilly district's, with nothing to set it apart.^[1]

Modern times

During the freedom struggle, the rural folks showed Bravery. One freedom fighter Shri Bhadain Lal, Vill Rampur Amrit near Bilsanda who killed a British Police Inspector. He was jailed & imprisoned at Lalitpur Central Jail. The Britishers during the freedom struggle were chased out. They were given shelter by a few villagers at Mankapur. The Britishers in return offered them Land & Gardens near banks of Khannout River. In 191-72 the Nank Matah damp leaked & flooded the Deoha River. Many people died as the flood has taken place in odd hours. Leaving the 1977 Lok Sabha elections when Md Shamshul Hasan Khan of Sherpur became MP, all MPs were from other districts. Local politicians could not win the Loksabha Elections. Thus politically the district remained backward so was its economic growth.

Geography of the reserve

The northeastern boundary of the reserve is the Sharda river (Nepali: Mahakali River) which defines the Indo-Nepal border, while the southwest boundary is marked by the River Sharda and the River Ghaghara. The reserve has a core zone area of 602.79 km2 (232.74 sq mi) and a buffer zone area of 127.45 km2 (49.21 sq mi). Elevation ranges from 168 to 175 meters above MSL.

Airport

Bareilly Airport is a nearest airport to Pilibhit Tiger Reserve and Pilibhit and this airport is located around 43 km from Pilibhit. Bareilly Airport is connected to cities like Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru with direct flights.

Railway Station

• Pilibhit Junction railway station
• Puranpur railway station
• Bisalpur Railway Station
• Bhopatpur Railway Station
• Majhola Railway Station
• Shahi Railway Station

UPSRTC Bus Stand

• Pilibhit UPSRTC Bus Depot
• Puranpur Bus Stand
• Bisalpur Bus Stand
• Amaria Bus Stand