As per verbal and folk history, Ghazipur was covered with dense forest during the
Vedic era and it was a place for the ashrams of saints during that period. The place is related to the
Ramayana period.
Jamadagni, the father of
Parashurama, is said to have resided here.
Gautama Maharishi and
Chyavana are believed to have taught and delivered sermons here in the ancient period.
Buddha gave his first sermon in
Sarnath, which is not far from here. Some sources state that the original name was Gadhipur, which was renamed around 1330 after
Ghazi Malik. A 30 ft. high Ashoka Pillar is situated in
Latiya, a village 30 km away from the city near Zamania Tehsil is a symbol of Mauryan Empire. It was declared a monument of national importance and protected by the archeological survey of India. In the report of tours in that area of 1871–72
Alexander Cunningham wrote, "The village receives its name from a stone lat, or monolith".
Prehistory and legendary founding According to local tradition, Ghazipur was founded in 1330 CE, although archaeological evidence suggests the area may be significantly older. A popular but historically unverified legend claims the city was originally known as "Gadhipura," named after a mythical king, Gadhi. While this etymology is likely apocryphal, the presence of ancient architectural fragments along the riverbank and the remains of an old mound—believed to be the site of a former fort—indicate that a settlement existed in the region long before the recorded founding date. The legend behind Ghazipur's foundation in 1330 is that Raja Mandhata, a descendant of the
Chauhan Maharaj Prithviraj Chauhan III, had founded a fort at nearby
Kathot and ruled a small kingdom from there. His nephew, who was the heir to the throne, abducted a local Muslim young woman, and her mother pleaded for help to the
Muslim sultan of Delhi. As a result, 40
ghazis led by one Sayyid Masud set out to attack Kathot. They took the place by surprise and ended up killing Raja Mandhata. The nephew mustered an army and fought two battles against the ghazis, but was defeated in both. The first battle took place on the bank of the Besu and the other was at the site of Ghazipur. Sayyid Masud, who was now given the title Malik us-Sadat Ghazi, founded a city on the site of the second battle and called it Ghazipur. Specifically in
Yusufpur, a notable family would be the Ansari sheiks who had held such offices from the 1500s all the way till the late 20th century.
Scientific Society of Ghazipur In 1862,
Syed Ahmed Khan established the
Scientific Society of Ghazipur (which was later transferred to
Aligarh), the first of its kind in India, to propagate modern Western knowledge of science, technology and industry. It was a departure from the past in the sense that education made a paradigm shift from traditional humanities and related disciplines to the new field of science and agriculture. Some current institution like Technical Education and Research Institute (TERI), part of post-graduate college
PG College Ghazipur, in the city, takes their inspiration from that first Society.
Ghazipur at the turn of the 20th century At the turn of the 20th century, Ghazipur was described as forming "a narrow belt" along the bank of the Ganges. Ghazipur proper extended for about 5.5 km along the river, from Khudaipura in the east to Pirnagar in the west; and about 1.5 km on the other axis, away from the river. West of Pirnagar was the large former
cantonment area, which extended for another 4 km along the river. The main business quarter was along the riverfront, while most houses were away from the river. The town was described as generally rather poor, and its streets were winding and narrow. The riverfront, on the other hand, was described as "picturesque", with a number of masonry
ghats. On the west was Amghat, where the opium factory was located; other ghats further downstream included Collector Ghat, Pakka Ghat, Mahaul Ghat, Gola Ghat, Chitnath Ghat, Natkha Ghat, Khirki Ghat, and Pushta Ghat. The main road was the one coming in from Varanasi to the west. It went due east for about 1 km after entering the city, and this stretch was flanked by houses and shops on both sides. Near the entrance, it passed the tank and tomb of Pahar Khan; then the Bishesharganj marketplace; then the Qila Kohna, or old fort; and then the
dispensary, which was built in 1881 atop an old mound that may represent an even earlier fort. Beyond this, the road passed through the Lal Darwaza neighbourhood, past the town's
sarai, and past the town hall (built in 1878) and adjoining mosque. Past this was the police station, and after that was Martinganj, a marketplace named after a former British official. After this point, the road bent sharply to the left, away from the river, for about 200 m. It then bent to the east to run parallel with the river. In this area was a major triple junction at Ghazi Mian, where the Varanasi road met with two others: one coming from
Korantadih and
Ballia to the east and another coming from
Gorakhpur and
Azamgarh in the north. From Ghazi Mian, a wide highway went south to the riverbank at Pushta Ghat, where a ferry crossed over to Tari Ghat on the other side. The
Ghazipur City railway station was also near Ghazi Mian. The main landmark along the main road in the Ghazi Mian area was the Chihal Satun, or "hall of forty pillars", which was built by Abdullah Khan in the mid-1700s. The main road continued east through Razaganj and Begampur to the
Ghazipur Ghat railway station on the eastern city limit. Meanwhile, across from the Chihal Satun, another major road split off toward the northeast, passing the
Jami Masjid and "the Nawab's garden, tank, and tomb" before joining the Korantadih and Ballia road, which then marked the city's northern boundary. Near this point were the garden of Karimullah and the tank of Dharam Chand.
Population The current estimated population of Ghazipur city in 2024 is 155,000, while the Ghazipur metro population is estimated at 169,000. The last census was conducted in 2011, and the scheduled census for Ghazipur city in 2021 was postponed due to Covid. The current estimates of Ghazipur city are based on past growth rate. As per the provisional reports of Census India, the population of Ghazipur in 2011 was 110,587. Although Ghazipur city has a population of 110,587, its urban/metropolitan population is 121,020. ==Geography==