Awadh (Awadhi, Hindi: अवध, Urdu: اودھ pronunciation) is a region in the centre of the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. Also known in various British historical texts as Oudh or Oude derived from Ayodhya, it was established around 1722 AD with Faizabad as its capital and Sadat Ali Khan as its first Nawab and progenitor of Nawabs of Awadh. The traditional capital of Awadh has been Faizabad and later Lucknow the capital of the modern day Uttar Pradesh.
The modern definition of Awadh geographically includes the districts of Ambedkar Nagar, Bahraich, Balrampur, Barabanki, Faizabad, Gonda, Hardoi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Lucknow, Pratapgarh, Raebareli, Shravasti, Sitapur, Sultanpur and Unnao from Awadh and Farrukhabad, Etawah, Kannauj, Auraiya, Kanpur, Ramabai Nagar, Fatehpur, Kaushambi and Allahabad from Lower Doab. A strip of the northern areas of the region, i.e. parts of Terai area (Inner Terai and Outer Terai), now lies within Nepal (Tulsipur Dang) and main parts of Gorakhpur district. The region is home to a distinct dialect, Awadhi, spoken by Awadhis.
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