# Deoria
**Deoria** (देवरिया) is a district in the eastern zone of [Uttar Pradesh](https://www.edgepedia.org/uttar-pradesh), India, with its headquarters at the town of Deoria. It was carved out of [Gorakhpur](https://www.edgepedia.org/gorakhpur) district on 16 March 1946[1](https://deoria.nic.in/about-district/) • [2](https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/1199/download/3810/DH_2011_0959_PART_B_DCHB_DEORIA.pdf). At the 2011 [Census of India](https://www.edgepedia.org/census-of-india) it had 3,100,946 residents across 2,540 square kilometers, a literacy rate of 71.13 percent, and 2,162 villages in 16 development blocks[3](https://deoria.nic.in/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Formation | Created 16 March 1946 from Gorakhpur district; Kushinagar district was carved from its north and east in 1994[1](https://deoria.nic.in/about-district/) • [2](https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/1199/download/3810/DH_2011_0959_PART_B_DCHB_DEORIA.pdf) |
| Area and population | 2,540 sq km; 3,100,946 people at Census 2011[3](https://deoria.nic.in/) • [4](https://www.census2011.co.in/census/district/561-deoria.html) |
| Literacy | 71.13 percent overall; male 83.27 percent, female 59.38 percent[3](https://deoria.nic.in/) • [5](https://www.census2011.co.in/questions/561/district-literacy/literacy-rate-of-deoria-district-2011.html) |
| Sex ratio | 1,017 women per 1,000 men, above the Uttar Pradesh figure of 912[6](https://bharatsurvey.org/districts/uttar-pradesh/deoria) • [7](https://www.census360.in/districts/deoria) |
| Administration | 5 tehsils (Deoria Sadar, Bhatpar Rani, Barhaj, Salempur, Rudrapur), 16 blocks, 2,162 villages[1](https://deoria.nic.in/about-district/) • [3](https://deoria.nic.in/) |
| Religion | Hindu 88.07 percent, Muslim 11.56 percent (Census 2011)[4](https://www.census2011.co.in/census/district/561-deoria.html) |
| Main rivers | Ghaghara, Rapti, and Chhoti Gandak[1](https://deoria.nic.in/about-district/) |
| Languages | Hindi and Bhojpuri[1](https://deoria.nic.in/about-district/) |
## Name and history
The district takes its name from its headquarters town. According to official gazettes, the term Deoria generally means a place where there are temples, and the name is derived from Devaranya or possibly Devpuria. One account traces it to the remains of a broken Shiva temple on a mound beside the Karn river, north of Deoria[2](https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/1199/download/3810/DH_2011_0959_PART_B_DCHB_DEORIA.pdf) • [1](https://deoria.nic.in/about-district/).
Until 1946 the area formed part of Gorakhpur district, which in colonial times also encompassed Basti and Azamgarh. Deoria was separated from Gorakhpur on 16 March 1946[1](https://deoria.nic.in/about-district/) • [8](https://gorakhpur.nic.in/about-district/). On 13 May 1994 the tehsils of Padrauna, Hata, and Tamkuhi Raj were transferred out to form the new district of Padrauna, renamed [Kushinagar](https://www.edgepedia.org/kushinagar) in 1997[2](https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/1199/download/3810/DH_2011_0959_PART_B_DCHB_DEORIA.pdf).
## Geography
Deoria lies between 26°6′ and 27°8′ north latitude and 83°29′ and 84°26′ east longitude. Kushinagar district bounds it on the north, the Bihar districts of Gopalganj and Siwan on the east, Mau and [Ballia](https://www.edgepedia.org/ballia) on the south, and Gorakhpur on the west. The district headquarters sits 53 kilometers east of Gorakhpur by road[1](https://deoria.nic.in/about-district/). The Ghaghara, Rapti, and Chhoti Gandak are the main rivers[1](https://deoria.nic.in/about-district/). The terrain is flat alluvial plain with fertile loamy soils and a humid subtropical climate[9](https://www.ijmra.us/project%20doc/2026/IJPSS_MARCH2026/IJPSS4_March2026.pdf).
## Population
The 2011 Census counted 3,100,946 people, of whom 1,537,436 were male and 1,563,510 female, a sex ratio of 1,017 women per 1,000 men[4](https://www.census2011.co.in/census/district/561-deoria.html) • [6](https://bharatsurvey.org/districts/uttar-pradesh/deoria). Population grew 14.31 percent from the 2001 figure of 2,712,650[4](https://www.census2011.co.in/census/district/561-deoria.html). Deoria was the 113th most populous of India's 640 districts and held 1.6 percent of Uttar Pradesh's population[7](https://www.census360.in/districts/deoria).
**Urbanization is low.** Only 10.22 percent of residents, 316,803 people, lived in urban areas, well below the state share of 22.3 percent[4](https://www.census2011.co.in/census/district/561-deoria.html) • [7](https://www.census360.in/districts/deoria). The district contained 10 census towns; the largest, Deoria (NPP), had 129,479 people, followed by Gaura Barhaj with 36,459 and Rudrapur with 34,014[7](https://www.census360.in/districts/deoria). Households averaged 6.6 persons, and population density was 1,221 per square kilometer[6](https://bharatsurvey.org/districts/uttar-pradesh/deoria).
## Literacy and society
Average literacy in 2011 was 71.13 percent, 1.9 points below the national rate of 72.98 percent but 3.4 points above the Uttar Pradesh average[5](https://www.census2011.co.in/questions/561/district-literacy/literacy-rate-of-deoria-district-2011.html) • [7](https://www.census360.in/districts/deoria). Male literacy stood at 83.27 percent and female literacy at 59.38 percent, a gap of 23.9 points against a national gap of 16.3[5](https://www.census2011.co.in/questions/561/district-literacy/literacy-rate-of-deoria-district-2011.html) • [7](https://www.census360.in/districts/deoria). Total literates numbered 1,875,239[5](https://www.census2011.co.in/questions/561/district-literacy/literacy-rate-of-deoria-district-2011.html).
Hindus formed 88.07 percent of the population and Muslims 11.56 percent, with Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains each below 0.2 percent[4](https://www.census2011.co.in/census/district/561-deoria.html). Scheduled Castes made up 15.1 percent and Scheduled Tribes 3.5 percent of residents[6](https://bharatsurvey.org/districts/uttar-pradesh/deoria). Work participation was 28.3 percent; among workers, 27.2 percent were cultivators, 33.2 percent agricultural laborers, 5.8 percent worked in household industry, and 33.8 percent did other work[6](https://bharatsurvey.org/districts/uttar-pradesh/deoria).
## Administration and representation
The district is divided into five tehsils: Deoria Sadar, Bhatpar Rani, Barhaj, Salempur, and Rudrapur[1](https://deoria.nic.in/about-district/). It contains the Deoria Lok Sabha constituency and seven Uttar Pradesh Assembly constituencies: Rudrapur, Deoria, Pathardewa, Rampur Karkhana, Bhatpar Rani, Salempur (reserved for Scheduled Castes), and Barhaj[1](https://deoria.nic.in/about-district/). Major towns besides Deoria include Salempur, Barhaj, and Bhatpar Rani[1](https://deoria.nic.in/about-district/).
## References
1. [About District, District Deoria, Government of Uttar Pradesh](https://deoria.nic.in/about-district/)
2. [District Census Handbook, Deoria, Census of India 2011, Part B](https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/1199/download/3810/DH_2011_0959_PART_B_DCHB_DEORIA.pdf)
3. [District Deoria, Government of Uttar Pradesh, District at a Glance](https://deoria.nic.in/)
4. [Deoria District Population Census 2011, census2011.co.in](https://www.census2011.co.in/census/district/561-deoria.html)
5. [Literacy rate of Deoria district, Census 2011, census2011.co.in](https://www.census2011.co.in/questions/561/district-literacy/literacy-rate-of-deoria-district-2011.html)
6. [Deoria district profile, Bharat Survey, Census 2011](https://bharatsurvey.org/districts/uttar-pradesh/deoria)
7. [Deoria, Census360](https://www.census360.in/districts/deoria)
8. [About District, District Gorakhpur, Government of Uttar Pradesh](https://gorakhpur.nic.in/about-district/)
9. [Block-wise land use change in Deoria district, International Journal of Physical and Social Science](https://www.ijmra.us/project%20doc/2026/IJPSS_MARCH2026/IJPSS4_March2026.pdf)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Places and geography › Administrative and cadastral territories › Intermediate territorial subdivisions › Intermediate subdivisions of South Asia › Districts of Uttar Pradesh*
*Initially written Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license