Sauj

Sauj (Sauj) is a village in Karhal block of Mainpuri district, Uttar Pradesh. An old village going back at least as far as the late 1500s, Sauj was historically the seat of a pargana until 1840. It occupies a very large area and consists of many distinct hamlets besides the main site. As of 2011, Sauj has a population of 7,957, in 1,318 households.

There is a large jhil close to the village.^2: 251

As of 2011, Sauj covers an area of 1,991.6 hectares, of which 1,033.6 were currently farmland. 310.8 hectares were classified as cultivable wasteland, and another 3 were used as orchards; 0 hectares were used as pastures. 448 hectares were under non-agricultural use, and 14.7 were covered by forest.^{1: 149, 155}

Sauj is an old village built atop a khera (archaeological mound) with remains of an old fortress. It is mentioned in the Ain-i Akbari (c. 1595) as a mahal under sarkar Kannauj.^{2: 158, 251} It was listed with an assessed revenue of 1,200,000 dams and was expected to supply 3,000 infantry and 200 cavalry to the Mughal army.^3: 185

Sauj remained the seat of a pargana until 1840, when it was broken up. Its 42 villages were reassigned to other parganas: 25 went to Mainpuri and 17, including Sauj itself, went to Karhal. At the turn of the 20th century, Sauj was described as a large and very dispersed village consisting of 26 different hamlets. It had a halqabandi school, and the old fort's ruins were still visible. The village's population as of 1901 was 2,797.^2: 251

As of 2011, Sauj had a population of 7,957, in 1,318 households.^1: 149 This population was 53.2% male (4,230) and 46.8% female (3,727). The 0-6 age group numbered 1,223 (657 male and 566 female), or 15.4% of the total population. 1,749 residents were members of Scheduled Castes, or 22.0% of the total.^4: 118–9

The 1961 census recorded Sauj as comprising 20 hamlets, with a total population of 3,053 people (1,525 male and 1,528 female), in 652 households and 497 physical houses. The area of the village was given as 5,030 acres and it had a post office at that point.^5: lx

As of 2011, Sauj had 2 primary schools; it did not have any kind of healthcare facility. Drinking water was provided by hand pump and tube well; there were no public toilets. The village had a post office but no public library; there was at least some access to electricity for all purposes. Streets were made of both kachcha and pakka materials.^{1: 149–54}