Rudrapur has a total population of 1,40,000 and ranks 134th in terms of Hindi speakers. Udham Singh Nagar district of which Rudrapur is a part, seems to approximately have an equal distribution of workers between agricultural and industrial employment, followed by employment in government jobs. The district has 49% Agriculture Workers, 47% Industrial workers and 4% Household workers. UdhamSinghNagar is a fine agricultural district since it is located in the terai region at the foothills of the Kumaon. There is abundance of water and availability of high quality seeds with the involvement of PantNagar University, the very first agricultural university of India, that was established in November, 1960. The region of Rudrapur was understood to be an impenetrable forest for much of the ancient period. Marshy land, extreme heat in the summers, rains which lasted months, wild animals, diseases and no means of transportation prevented men from settling here earlier. Rudrapur town was established in the 16th century by King Rudra Chand of Almora. It served as the residence of the Adhikari (Governor) of Terai, until the town of Kashipur was established in 1718. The Kumaoni Army, under Shiv Deo Joshi faced severe defeat during the Battle of Rudrapur that was fought between the Chands and the Rohillas in AD 1744. Later, King Deep Chand built a fort at Rudrapur to keep vigil over the Rohillas. By the end of 18th century, Nand Ram, the Adhikari of Kashipur, murdered the Governor of Rudrapur, Manorath Joshi, and declared himself the de-facto ruler of the low-lying Terai land, with his capital at Kashipur.. After the fall of Almora in 1790, Rudrapur and its surrounding areas were ceded to the Nawab of Oudh, who remained its suzerain until the British occupation in 1801.
