Bareilly is the 19th largest Hindi speaking city of India with a total population of 9,00,000. Major employment in Bareilly District is in Zari-Zardozi Hand Embroidery, Agriculture, Handicrafts and in the Wood Industry. Bareilly has 50% Agricultural workers, 41%workers in Industry and other services and 9% household workers. The topography of Bareilly district is mainly that of fertile plains. Ballui, Domath and Matiyar are commonly found soils in the district which makes it a good agriculture belt. The city is located along the Ramganga River, with seven other rivers passing through the district. According to the epic Mahabharata, Bareilly region (Panchala) is said to be the birthplace of Draupadi, who was also referred to as Panchali. The folklore says that Gautama Buddha had once visited the ancient large and important fortress city of Ahichchhatra in Bareilly, where archaeological remains can still be found of a temple and a monastery. The Jain Tirthankara Parshva is said to have attained Kaivalya at Ahichchhatra. In the 12th century, the region was under different clans of Kshatriya Rajputs. The foundation of the modern City of Bareilly was laid by the Mughal governor Mukrand Rai in 1657 during the rule of Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Later the region became the capital of Rohilkhand before getting handed over to Nawab Vazir of Awadh and then to East India Company.
