Bareilly

Bareilly lies on the Ramganga in the fertile plains of Rohilkhand. A settlement here was founded in 1537 by the local chief Jagat Singh Katehriya and named for his sons Bansaldev and Bareldev. The Mughals took the town in 1569, and by the end of the century it was the seat of a pargana. In 1657 the governor Mukrand Rai laid the foundations of a new city.

As Mughal power weakened, Bareilly became an important centre of the Rohilla Afghans. Their leader Hafiz Rahmat Khan resisted a Maratha invasion with the help of Awadh in 1772. When a dispute over payment followed, the Nawab of Awadh and the East India Company invaded Rohilkhand; Hafiz Rahmat Khan was killed in battle in 1774. Bareilly passed to Awadh and was ceded to the Company in 1801.