Map - Budaun district (Budaun)

Badaun district is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Badaun town is the district headquarters. Badaun district is a part of Bareilly division. The district covers an area of 4234 km2. According to the (District Badaun, Govt. Of Uttar Pradesh) mythological stories, Badaun was named after Ahir prince Budh.

After the original British takeover in 1801, this area was part of Moradabad district, although parts were then transferred into Bareilly district in 1805. Then in October 1823, the district was created out of areas previously in both Moradabad and Bareilly districts, and it was originally called Sahaswan district after its headquarters of Sahaswan. The headquarters were moved to Budaun in 1838.

The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition wrote of Budaun: A town and district of British India, in the Rohilkhand division of the United Provinces. The town is near the left bank of the river Sot. [The population as of] 1901 [was] 39,031. There are ruins of an immense fort and a very handsome mosque of imposing size, crowned with a dome, and built in 1223 in great part from the materials of an ancient Hindu temple. The American Methodist mission maintains several girls' schools, and there is a high school for boys. According to tradition, Badaun was founded about A.D. 905, and an inscription, probably of the 12th century, gives a list of twelve Rathor kings reigning at Badaun (called Vodamayuta). The first authentic historical event connected with it, however, was its capture by Kutb-ud-din in 1196, after which it became a very important post on the northern frontier of the Delhi empire. In the 13th century two of its governors, Shams-ud-din Altamsh, the builder of the great mosque referred to above, and his son Rukd-ud-din Firoz, attained the imperial throne. In 1571 the town was burnt, and about a hundred years later, under Shah Jahan, the seat of the governorship was transferred to Bareilly; after which the importance of Badaun declined.

It has been noted by Prof. Goti John that this city was named "Bedamooth" (बेदामूथ) in an ancient inscription (stone writeup, शिलालेख.) (inscription at Lucknow Museum). Then this region was called Panchal (पांचाल). According to the lines on Stone Writeup there was a village "Bhadaunlak" near the city. A Muslim Historian (इतिहासकार) Mr. Roz Khan Lodhi said that here the Ashoka - The Great built a Buddh Vihar & Quila (किला) and he named it BuddhMau (बुद्धमउ). Geographically Badaun City is located near holy river Ganges (गंगा).