GHAZIPUR

town, administrative headquarters of Ghazipur district, Uttar Pradesh state, northern India, northeast of Varanasi (Benares), on the Ganges River. Its ancient name of Gadhipur was changed to Ghazipur in about 1330, reputedly in honour of Ghazi Malik, a Muslim ruler. The town was a strategically important river port under the British, whose former cantonment now contains a college, a church, a bazaar, and the mausoleum of Lord Cornwallis, a British viceroy who died there in 1805. Ghazipur is an agricultural market with some industry, including perfume making, handloom weaving, and an opium factory. The town lies on a major road and two railways. Ghazipur district, 1,305 sq mi (3,381 sq km) in area, is a tract of alluvial plain traversed by the Ganges River. A poor district, subject to frequent floods and droughts, it produces a variety of crops, including opium. Pop. (1981) town, 60,725; district, 1,944,669.