Oudh

Oudh, historic region, India

Oudh (oud), historic region of N central India, now part of the state of Uttar Pradesh. Its early history centers around the ancient kingdom of Kosala, which had Ayodhya (formerly Oudh) as its capital. The region passed under Gupta rule in the 4th cent. A.D. and later it became (11th–12th cent.) the center of the Rajput state of Kanauj. In the 13th cent. it was conquered by the Delhi Sultanate. It became (16th cent.) a province of the Mughal empire, and was subsequently governed by the nawabs of Oudh from their capitals of Faizabad (1724–75) and Lucknow (1775–1856). The annexation (1856) of Oudh as a British province was a contributing cause of the Indian Mutiny (1857–58). In 1877, Oudh was joined with the presidency of Agra to form the United Provinces, which subsequently became the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

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Oudh, town, India

Oudh, town, India: see Ayodhya.

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Oudh

Former province of British India. Now the northeastern portion of Uttar Pradesh state, it received its name from Ayodhya, the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kosala, which was nearly coextensive with modern Oudh. It was taken by Muslim invaders in the 12th century, became part of the Mughal Empire in the 16th century, and was annexed by the British in 1856. In 1877 it was joined with Agra to form the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. After India's independence in 1947 it became part of Uttar Pradesh.

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Oudh

1. a region of N India, in central Uttar Pradesh: annexed by Britain in 1856 and a centre of the Indian Mutiny (1857--58); joined with Agra in 1877, becoming the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh in 1902, which were renamed Uttar Pradesh in 1950

2. another name for Ayodhya

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Oudh 

a historic region in northern India, located on the middle course of the Ganges River. Its name comes from the ancient city of Ajodhya (medieval Awadh). During the Middle Ages, Oudh was the most important part of the large states that formed in the valley of the Ganges. In the 1720’s Saadat Khan, vicegerent of the Great Moguls in Oudh, obtained its de facto independence. In the 18th and early 19th centuries Oudh (with its capital at Lucknow) was one of the significant principalities of India. It actively opposed the expansion of the English East India Company but was defeated by it in 1764 in a battle at Buxar and became the company’s vassal. The annexation of Oudh by the company in 1856 was one of the main reasons why Oudh became the major seat of the Indian popular uprising of 1857–59. Oudh is part of the state of Uttar Pradesh of the Republic of India.