The original town was situated on the left bank of the Gomti River. It is said to have been founded by Kush, son of Rama, and to have been named after him Kusapura or Kusabhavanpur. This ancient city has been identified by General Cunnigham as Sultanpur mentioned by Hiuentsang, the Chinese traveller. He states that there was in his time a dilapidated stupa of Ashoka and that Buddha taught here for six months. There are Buddhist remains still visible at Mahmoodpur, a village, 8 km distant to the north-west of Sultanpur. The town subsequently fell into the hands of Bhars, who retained it until it was taken from them by Muslims in the 12th century. About seven hundred and fifty years ago, it is said, two brothers, Sayid Muhammad and Sayid Ala-ud-Din, horse dealer by profession, visited eastern Avadh and offered some horses for sale to Bhar Chieftains of Kusabhavanpur, who seized the horses and put the two brothers to death. This came to the ear of Ala-ud-Din Khilji, who would not allow such an outrage to pass unpunished. Gathering a mighty force, therefore, he set out for Kusabhavanpur and took revenge by killing most of the Bhars by strategem adopted after a long drawn siege. Kusabhavanpur was reduced to ashes and the town of Sultanpur, so called from the rank of the victor, rose upon its ruins. This town was finally razed to the ground during the military operations connected with the reoccupation of the province in consequence of the inhabitants having been concerned in the murder of British officers at the outbreak of the freedom struggle of 1857. Before annexation a military station and cantonment were established on the right bank of the river in a village then known as Girghit but more commonly called by officials Sultanpur or Chhaoni Sarkar and by the rustic population Kampu or the Cam. The present town of Sultanpur has been developed at this site. In this city there are two parks, one maintained by Soldiers', Sailers' and Airmen's board and other privately maintained known as Chimanlal Park.
Demographics
According to the 2011 Indian Census, Sultanpur district had a total population of 37,97,117 of which 19,14,586 were males and 18,82,531 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 1,10,647. The total number of literates in Sultanpur was 26,57,981 which constituted 70.1% of the population with male literacy of 81.5% and female literacy of 74.4%. The effective literacy rate of the 7+ population of Sultanpur was 87.6%, of which male literacy was 91.6% and female literacy rate was 83.2%. The Scheduled Castes population was 77,706. Sultanpur had 117,954 households in 2011. The city of Sultanpur has a population of 107,640 persons as per the 2011 Census of India.
Geography and climate
Sultanpur is the headquarters of the Sultanpur district, the north side of the district is bounded by Ayodhya district; the south side by Pratapgarh district; the west side by Barabanki and Raebareli districts; and the east side by Azamgarh, Ambedkarnagar, and Jaunpur districts. Sultanpur has an average elevation of. The geography of Sultanpur comprises plain lands, except for some regions around the Gomti River, which drains almost the whole city and district. The southern part of city drains towards the Sai River flowing through Pratapgarh district. The only significant minerals found in the region are in Kanker district.
Transportation
Road
Sultanpur is connected to nearby cities through the 4-lane Lucknow to Varanasi NH 56 and the 2-lane Allahabad to Ayodhya road. UPSRTC is the major public transport apart from other commercial modes run by private agencies.
The nearest airport to Sultanpur is Allahabad Airport which is 99 kilometers away. Lucknow Airpot is 140 km from Sultanpur and is connected by 4-lane NH 56.
