[3] In 1875, parts of Gonda district between Baghaura Tal and the Arrah river were ceded to Nepal by the British government.

[3] More recently, ancient Buddhist remains dating to the early days of Buddhism have been found throughout the region, including at Sravasti.

[4] Gonda played a significant part in the Indian struggle for independence, with many people from the region actively involved: including Raja Devi Baksh Singh, who escaped to Nepal,[5] freedom fighters like Chandra Shekhar Azad took shelter in the district, and Rajendra Lahiri was incarcerated and hanged in the Gonda Jail.

[6] In more recent times, the district received media attention throughout India due to the protracted court case surrounding the murder of 13 people known as the 1982 Gonda Encounter.

[10] According to the 2011 census Gonda district has a population of 3,433,919,[13] roughly equal to the nation of Panama[14] or the US state of Connecticut.

[13][21] The government of India has created a special scheme for underdeveloped districts through the "Backward Region Grant Fund".

It also comes in the top 57 districts with the highest maternal mortality rate[25] Gonda has been listed as cleanest Nagar Palika in entire Uttar Pradesh according to the Swachhta Sarvekshan 2022 overturning its last position in the country as per the 2017 survey.