PILIBHIT

town, administrative headquarters of Pilibhit district, Uttar Pradesh state, northern India, northeast of Bareilly, on a tributary of the Ramganga River. It is a rail junction and is linked with Bareilly by road. Sugar processing is the largest industry, and there is an active trade in agricultural products, both locally and with Nepal. On the town's western outskirts is a large 18th-century mosque built by Hafiz Rahmat Khan, the town's founder. Pilibhit district, 1,352 sq mi (3,504 sq km) in area, lies on the Ganges Plain near the Himalayan foothills and adjoins Nepal on the northeast. It is watered by the Sarda Canal and by tributaries of the Ganges River. There are forests in the east. The most productive land and the greatest population density are in the district's extreme south. Crops include rice, wheat, gram, barley, and sugarcane. Pop. (1981) town, 88,548; district, 1,008,312.