The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica wrote of Buduan:
"A town and district of British India, in the Rohilkhand division of the United Provinces. The town is near the left bank of the river Sot. Pop. (1901) 39,031. There are ruins of an immense fort and a very handsome mosque of imposing size, crowned with a dome, and built in 1223. The American Methodist mission maintains several girls schools, and there is a high school for boys. According to tradition, Badaun was founded about 905 AD, and an inscription, probably of the 12th century, gives a list of twelve Rathor kings reigning at Badaun (called Vodamayuta). The first authentic historical event connected with it, however, was its capture by Qutb-ud-din Aybak in 1196, after which it became a very important post on the northern frontier of the Delhi empire. In the 13th century two of its governors, Shams-ud-din Iltutmish, the builder of the great mosque referred above, and his son Rukn ud din Firuz, attained the imperial throne. In 1571 the town was burnt, and about a hundred years later, under Shah Jahan, the seat of the governorship was transferred to Sahaspur- Bilari; According to Government of India, the district Badaun is one of theMinority Concentrated Districts in India, having 34% of Muslim population, on the basis of the 2001 census data on population, socio-economic indicators and basic amenities indicators."
Badaun is the birthplace of legendary figures such as Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya, Abul fazl Ibn Mubarak, Fani Badayuni, Shakeel Badayuni, Dilawar Figar, Ismat Chugtai, Bekhud Badayuni.
Kunwar Rukum singh Rathore, Chaudhary Badan Singh Yadav and Kunwar Gowardhan Singh Rathore were freedom fighters during the war of Independence 1947. They were the great supporters of Mahatma Gandhi and contribute much in the educational development of the city. Their families are the most prominent and respectable ones of Budaun
