Mau — The Textile Heartland & Powerloom Silk City of Purvanchal

District Profile

History of Mau

The historical genesis of Mau is deeply intertwined with ancient monastic geography and medieval artisan migrations. In ancient times, the district was a serene forest tract within the Kosala and Kashi territories, bordered by the Tamas (Tons) River—the sacred waterway where Sage Valmiki composed the opening verses of the Ramayana. Local tradition attributes the town's antiquity to an ancient ascetic named 'Mahanath Baba', whose spiritual penance (bhanjan) upon a high river mound gave the town its historical name of Maunath Bhanjan.

During the medieval era, Mau rose to commercial prominence during the reign of Sher Shah Suri (1540–1545 CE), who recognized the strategic value of the Tons crossing on trade routes connecting Jaunpur and Gorakhpur. The town witnessed massive urban and commercial expansion during the reign of Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and later Aurangzeb. In the mid-17th century, Jahanzeb Banu Begum (popularly known as Jani Begum), daughter of Mughal Prince Dara Shikoh, was granted Mau as an imperial jagir. She constructed a magnificent fortified sarai, grand arched gates, and an imperial riverfront fortress known as the Shahi Qila along the southern bank of the Tons.

Around this same period, imperial decrees invited skilled Ansari and Julaha Muslim master weavers from Banaras, Bihar, and the Doab to settle in Mau, granting them tax incentives, land grants, and subsidized yarn allotments to supply fine cotton dhotis, turbans, and muslin shrouds to royal armories and provincial courts. Over successive generations, Mau transformed from an agricultural market town into an immense specialized weaving colony. When British colonial industrial policies undermined Indian handloom exports in the 19th century, Mau's resilient artisan guilds adapted by specializing in affordable, high-volume domestic sarees, lungis, and dress materials.

During the freedom movement, Mau was a hotbed of anti-colonial fervor. The weavers and peasants formed the vanguard of the Non-Cooperation and Khadi movements under the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi, who visited Mau to inspect its swadeshi textile workshops. In August 1942, during the Quit India Movement, local patriots attacked colonial communication lines, railway tracks, and administrative offices across Ghosi and Muhammadabad-Gohna, facing brutal police lathi charges and mass arrests. Administratively, Mau was carved out of Azamgarh district on November 19, 1988, establishing its independent identity as a district headquarters.

Geography & Agro-Ecology

Geographically, Mau encompasses an area of 1,713 square kilometers in the eastern fertile basin of Uttar Pradesh. The district is bounded by Gorakhpur and Deoria to the north, Ballia to the east, Ghazipur to the south, and Azamgarh to the west. The northern boundary of the district is defined by the massive, braided channel of the Ghaghara River (often called Saryu locally), which swells dramatically during the monsoon, depositing rich silt along the fertile diara floodplains of Dohrighat and Madhuban.

Bisecting the southern and central portions of the district is the sacred Tons (Tamas) River, which enters from Azamgarh and winds gracefully through Mau city before flowing eastward to join the Ganga. The general terrain is an uninterrupted, flat alluvial plain with a gentle gradient sloping from northwest to southeast, with an average elevation of 75 meters above sea level. The district features excellent soil fertility comprising rich dumat (loam) and matiyar (clay loam), supporting both high-intensity double-cropped agriculture and extensive rural brick-kiln clusters.

Places to Visit in Mau

1. Shahi Masjid & Mughal Riverfront Complex

The Shahi Masjid stands as Mau's crowning historical monument, constructed during the mid-17th century under imperial Mughal patronage during the governorship of Jahanzeb Banu Begum. Situated on an elevated terrace overlooking the Tons River, the mosque features three monumental bulbous ribbed domes, towering minarets with ornamental stone balconies, and an expansive courtyard paved in historic brick and stone. The central prayer hall exhibits fine Mughal vaulted archways, delicate Persian stucco inscriptions, and acoustic engineering that allows the Imam's voice to resonate across the entire perimeter without modern amplification.

2. Sheetla Mata Dham & Van Devi Mandir

Located in the heart of Mau city, the ancient Sheetla Mata Dham is one of the most revered Shakti shrines in Purvanchal, drawing thousands of devotees especially during Chaitra and Sharad Navratri for ceremonial mundan and blessings for family health. Approximately twenty kilometers north near Dohrighat lies the sacred Van Devi Mandir. Shaded by ancient grove canopies along the Ghaghara basin, tradition reveres this site as a forest hermitage where Sita took refuge during her exile in the Treta Yuga, making it a profoundly serene pilgrimage sanctuary.

3. The Hidden Gem: Dohrighat & Ramghat River Confluence

Situated 35 kilometers north of Mau city where National Highway 29 meets the sweeping northern bank of the Ghaghara, the historic river town of Dohrighat is an enchanting, overlooked riverfront gem. The name 'Dohri-ghat' commemorates the legendary meeting of two avatars of Lord Vishnu—Lord Rama and Parashurama. A dramatic series of stone and brick ghats cascade down into the vast expanse of the Ghaghara, crowned by 18th-century temple towers, ancient river watchtowers, and peaceful sadhu ashrams. Watching the crimson sunset melt across the wide waters of the Ghaghara from the stone steps of Ramghat offers an authentic spiritual experience devoid of commercial crowds.

What Mau Produces: Crafts, Industry & Agriculture

Mau is universally recognized as the Textile Capital of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, and the textile sector forms the beating heart of its economy. Under the Uttar Pradesh government's One District One Product (ODOP) scheme, Mau's designated craft is Textile Products & Saree Weaving. The district houses an astonishing network of over 1,25,000 powerlooms and thousands of specialized pit looms, providing direct and indirect livelihoods to over 40% of the district's working population.

Unlike the expensive pure silk brocades of neighboring Varanasi, Mau specializes in affordable, durable, and brilliantly designed synthetic, art-silk, jacquard, and blended sarees, catering to mass retail markets across northern, central, and eastern India, as well as exports to Nepal and Bangladesh. In addition to textiles, Mau possesses a vibrant agro-processing industry, including modern cold storages, rice hulling mills, and the large-scale cooperative sugar mill at Sathaon. In the rural tracts, intensive cultivation yields premium harvests of sugarcane, Basmati and non-Basmati paddy, wheat, mustard, and seasonal green vegetables.

Culture, Fairs & Hyperlocal Cuisine

The cultural tapestry of Mau is characterized by a remarkable tradition of interfaith harmony, communal cooperation, and artisan solidarity. For centuries, Hindu yarn traders, dye chemists, and retail merchants have worked hand-in-glove with Muslim master weavers and loom technicians, creating an integrated economic ecosystem that has preserved social peace even during tumultuous periods. Bhojpuri is spoken across all communities, imbued with traditional textile idioms and artisanal terminology.

The cultural calendar is vibrant with both major Hindu and Islamic celebrations. Eid-ul-Fitr and Muharram are observed with solemnity and grandeur in the historic Mohallas of Shahi Katra and Chawk, while Diwali, Durga Puja, and Chhath Puja see the entire riverfront of the Tons and Ghaghara illuminated with millions of earthen lamps. Traditional wrestling (Dangal) remains a passionate rural sport, with historic akhadas in Kopaganj and Ghosi producing celebrated state-level pehlwans. The annual Dohrighat Mela held on Kartik Purnima draws tens of thousands of rural pilgrims for sacred holy dips in the Ghaghara.

Hyperlocal Cuisine

Mau's culinary landscape blends Awadhi culinary sophistication with hearty Purvanchal comfort food. The crowning jewel of local sweets is the renowned Mau ka Peda and melt-in-mouth Khaja, prepared with pure thickened mawa and scented with green cardamom. The old quarters around the Shahi Masjid are famous for authentic Mughlai street food, including aromatic Seekh Kebabs, tender Mutton Biryani simmered in sealed brass handis, and crisp Tandoori Naan straight from clay ovens. For breakfast, locals swear by crisp, flaky Kachoris stuffed with spiced sattu, served with fiery pumpkin-potato curry and sweet, curd-soaked jalebis.

Best Time to Visit

How to Reach Mau

Explore Nearby Districts & Heritage Circuits

Frequently Asked Questions — Mau

Sources & References

• Official Mau District Administration Portal (NIC)
• Uttar Pradesh Tourism Official Department Portal
• District Census Handbook Mau — Census of India 2011
• Ministry of Textiles, Government of India — Powerloom Cluster Profiles