World History Channel

Kanpur pronunciation (help·info) (Hindi: कानपुर, Urdu: کان پور), spelled as Cawnpore before 1948, is the tenth most populous city in India and the largest within the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the largest city of the Hindi-speaking belt after Delhi. It remains one of the oldest industrial townships of North India,[4] although it has not kept pace with IT industry growth in the rest of India due to political indifference. It has a metropolitan area of over 1,640 square kilometres (630 sq mi) and a city area of around 829 km2 with an approximate poplation of 5 million inhabitants.[1] Such a huge population implies lots of problems with traffic and pollution. Continuous development in the city, like over-bridges, sewage lines and roads have caused problems to the citizens for the last 2–3 years. The status of the city was upgraded when it was included in the "Counter Magnets" of National Capital Region (NCR). To tackle the traffic problem state government and local administration have planned to set up metro service in city known as Kanpur Metro. Owing to the city's industrial importance, one of the few branches of the Reserve Banks of India and Institute of Chartered Accountants of India were established in the city. It is also home to several globally recognized institutions such as IIT Kanpur, Harcourt Butler Technological Institute (HBTI), GSVM Medical College and University Institute of Engineering and Technology, Kanpur University.

Now the Kanpur is one of the fastest growing cities of India specially the industrial growth in the first decade of the 21st century is phenomenal supported by the fact that the number of industrial units that were around 14,000 in the year 1998 has almost more than doubled to nearly 29,000 by 2009 just in 10 years duration which is exceptional growth.

Contents [hide]

1 History

2 Indian Rebellion 1857

2.1 Development of industries

2.2 Cultural history

3 Geography

4 Surrounding districts

5 Flora and fauna

6 Demography

6.1 Economy

7 Civic administration

8 Climate

8.1 Media

9 Education

10 Sports

11 Notable locations

12 Amusement park

13 Parks

14 Historical

15 Water bodies

16 Entertainment

17 Eminent people associated with Kanpur

18 Transportation

18.1 KMBS

18.1.1 Suburban bus service

18.1.2 Inter-state bus service

18.2 Railways

18.3 Roadways

18.4 Airways

18.5 Trams

19 International relations

20 See also

21 Notes

22 References

23 External links

History

Bibi Ghar

View of Cawnpore from the Ganga river. Painting by Rev. Henry Martyn.

Nestled on the banks of the river Ganga, Kanpur stands as one of North India’s major industrial centres with its own historical, religious and commercial importance. It is believed to have been founded by Hindu Chandel King of the state of Sachendi.[5] The city's name is believed to have been derived from Kanhiyapur, the town of Kanhiya (Lord Krishna). In the course of time, Kanhiyapur probably was abbreviated as Kanhapur and subsequently as Kanpur. "Cawnpore" was the Anglicized spelling of the name during the British Raj.

Others believe that the name is derived from Karnapur and is associated with Karna, one of the heroes of the Mahabharata. Duryodhana made Karna a king, seeing him as a fitting match to Arjuna, and granted him this area; the region was named after its first king. Another theory is that it came from the nearby town of Makanpur, earlier known as Khairabad, where the Sufi saint of the Madariya Sufi order, Badiuddin Zinda Shah Madar (d. 1434 CE), settled.[6] Historically, Jajmau, on the eastern outskirts of present day Kanpur, is regarded as one of the original settlements in the Kanpur district.

Kanpur's development is unclear until the 13th century. Although no reference to Kanpur is found in history, the history of two of its suburbs, Jajmau and Bithoor, can be traced back to legendary times. Bithoor is located about 20 km upstream from the city and is approximately 10 km from the IIT Kanpur Campus. Jajmau is about 8 km east of Kanpur city and is nearly 20 km downstream from the IIT Campus. According to Hindu mythology, just after creating the universe, Lord Brahma performed the Ashvamedh Yajna (a horse is released and escorted by armies, which engaged in battle anyone who impeded the horse's progress) at Bithoor (also known as Brahmavart) and established a shivalingam there. Another legendary site at Bithoor is the Valmiki Ashram, where the famous sage Valmiki is supposed to have written the Sanskrit epic, the Ramayana. According to this epic, queen Seeta, on being exiled by King Ramachandra of Ayodhya, spent her days in seclusion at the ashram bringing up her twin sons, Lava and Kush.

At Jajmau there are remains of an ancient fort, now surviving as a huge mound. Recent excavations on this mound indicate that the site is very ancient, perhaps dating back to the Vedic age. Popular legends[which?] state that the fort belonged to Yayati, a king of the ancient Chandravanshi race, the eighth in succession to Lord Brahma. The famous Siddhnath temple of Lord Shiva and the Siddha Devi temple at Jajmau belong to the Buddhist period. The place was once known as Siddhpuri. Now one museum is going to open in Jajmau named Jajmau Museum.The museum will contain the things of pre-mauryan period which are found in tila

At Shivrajpur, 20 km from the Kanpur Central Railway Station, there is an ancient temple built by Chandel Raja Sati Prasad in memory of his queen. This temple is supposed to have been built in a night and is situated on the banks of river Ganga. This temple is famous for its beautiful architectural work and its unique carving designs.

Gurjar Parihar rulers of Kannauj may have ruled this place for a significant part of history long before the beginning of Mughal era. Some historical accounts suggest Gurjara Pratihara emperor, Mihir Bhoja, has ruled in Kanpur since nearby Kannuaj was the capital of Gurjar Parihar.[7]

In 1207 AD, Raja Kanti Deo of Prayag (connected to the throne of Kannauj) established the village Kohna, which later came to be known as Kanpur. Kanpur continued its association with Kannauj during the reigns of Harsha Vardhan, Mihir Bhoja, Jai Chand and early Muslim rulers through the Sur Dynasty. The first mention of Kanpur was made in 1579 during Sher Shah's regime. Up to the first half of the 18th century, Kanpur continued to survive as an insignificant village. Its fate, however, took a new turn in the second half of the 18th century. In May 1765, Shuja-ud-daula, the Nawab Wazir of Awadh, was defeated by the British near Jajmau. From 1773 to 1801, it was part of the Oudh kingdom and then came into the hands of the British. At this time, the British realized the strategic importance of the site of Kanpur. European businessmen had, by this time, started establishing themselves in Kanpur. In order to ensure protection for their lives and property, the European business shifted the `Awadh local forces’ here in 1778. Kanpur passed into British hands under the treaty of 1801 with Nawab Saadat Ali Khan of Awadh. This forms a turning point in the history of Kanpur, as it became one of the most important military stations of British India. It was declared a district on 24 March 1803. South of Parmat were the British infantry lines and the parade grounds. Indian infantry occupied the space from the present Chunniganj to the Christ Church College. The Company Bagh was laid in 1847 and the construction of the Ganga canal was completed in 1854.

The Kanpur Sangrahalaya/Kanpur Museum housing valuable artifacts from pre-colonial and colonial period, was established in 1999, in a section of KEM Hall, Phool Bagh Maidan.

Indian Rebellion 1857

Main article: Indian Rebellion of 1857

See also: Siege of Cawnpore

Charge of the Highlanders led by General Havelock, to relieve the besieged British troops held by Indian fighters.

1858 picture of Sati Chaura Ghat on the banks of the Ganges River, where on 27 June 1857 many British men lost their lives and the surviving women and children were taken prisoner by the rebels.

In the 19th century, Kanpur was an important British garrison with barracks for 7,000 soldiers. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, (known in the United Kingdom as the Indian Mutiny, known in India as the First War of Independence), 900 British were besieged in the fortifications for 22 days by rebels under Nana Sahib. They surrendered on the agreement that they would get safe passage to the nearby Satti Chaura Ghat whereupon they would board barges and be allowed to go by river to Allahabad.

Though controversy surrounds what exactly happened at the Satti Chaura Ghat, and who fired the first shot, it is known that soon afterwards, the departing British were shot at, by the rebel sepoys, and were either killed or captured. Some of the British officers later claimed that the rebels had placed the boats as high in the mud as possible, on purpose to cause delay. They also claimed that Nana Sahib's camp had previously arranged for the rebels to fire upon and kill all the English. Although the East India Company later accused Nana Sahib of betrayal and murder of innocent people, no evidence has ever been found to prove that Nana Sahib had pre-planned or ordered the massacre. Some historians believe that the Satti Chaura Ghat massacre was the result of confusion, and not of any plan implemented by Nana Sahib and his associates. Lieutenant Mowbray Thomson, one of the four male survivors of the massacre, believed that the rank-and-file sepoys who spoke to him did not know of the killing to come.

Many were killed and the remaining 200 British women and children were brought back to shore and sent to a building called the Bibighar (the ladies' home). After some time, the commanders of the rebels decided to execute their hostages. The rebel soldiers refused to carry out orders, and butchers from the nearby town were brought in to kill the hostages three days before the British entered the city on July 18. The dismembered bodies were thrown into a deep well nearby. The British under General Neill retook the city and committed a series of retaliations against the rebel Sepoys and those unfortunate civilians caught in the area, including women, children and old men. The Kanpur Massacre, as well as similar events elsewhere, were seen by the British as an occasion for unrestrained vengeance.[8]

The British dismantled the Bibighar and raised and a memorial railing and a cross at the site of the well. In 1862, they built a church called All Souls' Cathedral in memory of those killed; renamed the Kanpur Memorial Church. This Church still stands at what was the northeast corner of Wheeler’s entrenchment. The marble gothic screen with the famous `mournful seraph’ was transferred to the churchyard after independence in 1947, and in its place a bust of Tantya Tope installed at Nana Rao Park. The well is now bricked over, but the remains of a circular ridge and 'Boodha Bargad' (Old Banyan Tree) are still there.

Development of industries

A view of Lal Imli factory

After 1857, it became an important center of the leather and textile industries. The Government Harness and Saddler Factory was started in 1860 to supply the army with leather products, followed by Cooper Allen & Co. in 1880. The first cotton textile mill, the Elgin Mills, was started in 1862 and Muir Mills in 1882, and many others that followed in the next 40 years, such as Victoria Mills and Atherton West & Co. (Atherton Mills), made Cawnpore a major textile producer.The Elgin Mills of Cawnpore was famous for its Drill Khakhi during the early/mid Twentieth Century. The Khaki cloth was famous for its colour and durability. The man behind this was the Dyeing Master Gopal Sadashiv Gogate, who unfortunately died on 17 December 1942. Today he remains forgotten and unsung for all his efforts and perseverance that contributed to the success of the company. The British India Corporation (BIC) was headquartered here and led the development of many industries.[citation needed]

HBTI Kanpur administration building

The first Indian business house of Cawnpore was the firm NihalChand KishoriLal, which set up a trading facility in 1857. This firm was a leader in oil milling and had many oil mills spread across North India. The Juggilal Kamlapat Singhania family launched many factories between 1930 and 1970. The Jaipuria family contributed to the patriotic cause, by building the Swadeshi Cotton Mills in response to charges that the foreign rulers were raiding India of its cotton only to sell back textiles to the residents. Kanpur was known as the "Manchester of India" during the 20th century. The NihalChand KishoriLal group (also known as Kejriwal Group) over time diversified into flour milling, tea plantations and steel. They bought the Cawnpore Flour Mills in 1942, which had been established in 1886 by Edward Foy, a Scotsman. New Cawnpore Flour Mills is at present one of the larger flour mills of North India and still managed by the same family.[citation needed] In 1901, with a population of 1,258,868, second only to Allahabad, the district headquarters, Kanpur was the largest trading and manufacturing centre in the United Provinces[9]

The steel industry was first brought to Kanpur by Singh Engineering. The Kejriwals set up a ministeel mill on the outskirts of Kanpur, which is now a leading long products manufacturer. Kanpur is also an important center for India's leather industry. It is also one of the largest sugar producing areas in northern India. As of now, the city also owns many leather tanneries, and over a dozen Defence Ordnance Factories.[citation needed]

Recent years has brought a change to the area industry, with LML Automobiles, the largest Industry in the city slowing down production drastically and eventually shutting down. There has been some growth in the plastics and the 3-wheeler automotive industries.

Kanpur has been, for a long time neglected by the local state governments despite its huge contribution to the economy, it not only has the largest population in the state but also is the largest Industrial Hub in all of North India after New Delhi Region. Traditionally Kanpur has elected Indian National Congress Representatives, whereas the party has become very week in the state, causing the neglect of the city by the Regional Parties. The city suffers among other things, immense power cuts, even in the Industrial Zones. It requires an influx of funding and political support if it is to return to its former glory. The city has the potential to spear-head the development of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous but also one of the poorest states in the country[citation needed]

The British contributed to charitable causes in the city by building the Ursula Horsman Hospital, the Hallet Hospital, Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, by protecting the Allen Forest (now a zoo) and many other efforts. Most of these are now renamed, though a lot of residents still call them by their old names. The distortion of names is most visible at the railway crossing bridge next to the Railway Station, where the now-closed Murray Company is conveniently called Mare Company (Dead).[citation needed]

Due to the onset of leather industries, the pollution levels have risen dangerously high. Due to lack of proper planning, the city is equaling Delhi as a victim of congestion and overcrowding. Urban planning has yet to evolve. Agencies responsible for this have still a long way to go from selling plots of land to planning wholesome development. A recent article in the Time Asia magazine[10] says it all regarding the pollution in the city.

New industries such as detergent, saddlery, food processing, pan masala, tea packaging, plastics and packaging, jewellery manufacturing and exports, leather processing and goods, have developed in the city. Among them, the Pan Masala industry is the largest employer in the region as well as the largest source of tax for the government. The world famous brands -"Pan Bahaar" & "Pan Parag" among many originated in the city.

Kanpur, now a 'Town of Export Excellence'

The centre has announced Kanpur as 'Town of Export Excellence'

The announcement would now facilitate the city exporters with various extra facilities and concessions. Leather and other exporters have welcomed the news.

Cultural history

The Nana Sahib with his escort. Steel engraved print, published in History of the Indian Mutiny (late 1950s).

Kanpur Sangrahalaya

Nestled on the banks of the eternal Ganga, Kanpur stands as one of North India’s major industrial centres with its own historical, religious and commercial importance. Believed to have been founded by king Hindu Singh of the erstwhile state of Sachendi, Kanpur was originally known as "Kanhpur". Historically, Jajmau on the eastern outskirts of present day Kanpur is regarded as one of the most archaic townships of Kanpur district. Up to the first half of the 18th century, Kanpur continued to survive as an insignificant village. Its fate, however, took a new turn soon after. In May 1765, Shuja-ud-daula, the Nawab Wazir of Awadh, was defeated by the British near Jajmau. It was probably at this time that strategic importance of the site of Kanpur was realised by the British. European businessmen had by this time gradually started establishing themselves in Kanpur. In order to ensure protection to their lives and property, the "Awadh local forces" were shifted here in 1778. Kanpur passed into British hands under the treaty of 1801 with Nawab Saadat Ali Khan of Awadh. This forms a turning point in the history of Kanpur. Soon Kanpur became one of the most important military stations of British India. It was declared a district on 24 March 1803.

Kanpur was a hotbed of change in the independence and literary movements during the 1900–1950 period. The largest shopping centre is named Navin Market, after the poet Bal Krishna Sharma aka "Navin". Later poets included Gopal Das "Niraj" who wrote songs for Bollywood movies. Kanpur is also the birthplace of Shyamlal Gupta `Parshad’, composer of the famous ditty Vijayee Vishwa Tiranga Pyara. The propagation and popularization of Hindi also owes much to this city, with great Hindu literatteurs such as Acharya Mahavir Parasad Dwivedi, Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, Pratap Narain Mishra and Acharya Gaya Prasad Shukla `Sanehi’. The Agricultural University is named after the revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad and the Medical College after Ganesh Shanker Vidyarthi; both men spent much time in Kanpur. While Chandrashekhar 'Azad' shot himself when surrounded by a huge posse of British soldiers at Alfred Park, Allahabad, Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi was killed during the Hindu-Muslim riots of 1931 at Machli Bazar in Kanpur.

About 25 km from Kanpur is Bithoor. Legend has it that Sita, the wife of Lord Rama came to live at the ashram of sage Valmiki, after Rama expelled her from Ayodhya. It was here that she gave birth to the twins Lava (Ramayana) and Kusha (Ramayana), and disappeared back into the earth (from where she was born) when confronted by a repentant Rama. Bithoor is also the site of the fort to which Nana Sahib escaped following the British retaking of Kanpur. Today, Bithoor is a tourist spot on the banks of the Ganges and Kanpur is expanding very fast with new residential complexes sprouting up everywhere. Among festivals Ganga Mela is a unique festival that is played only in kanpur, 7 days after the festival Holi. The festival is celebrated in the memories of revolutionaries who were released by British government who were held prisoners during 1857 revolution.

Geography

The city's coordinates are 26.4670° North and 80.3500° East. The Government of Uttar Pradesh has carved out the new district of Kanpur Dehat from the old Kanpur Rural district. Kanpur, along with Allahabad and Fatehpur, are part of the Lower Doab, which in antiquity was known as the Vatsa country. It is surrounded by two main rivers of India, the Ganges in the northeast and the Pandu River (Yamuna) in the south. The districts surrounding Kanpur are Hamirpur in the south and Unnao in the north-east. The arid region of Bundelkhand lies just south of Kanpur. Kanpur district along with Kanpur Dehat district lie between the fertile Doab region of Ganga and Yamuna rivers. The river Yamuna marks the boundary between the Avadh and Bundelkhand regions. Kanpur City comes under the Indo-Gangetic planes of India. There are facilities of clean drinking water. Water comes from Kanpur City by Ganga Barge and there are various pumping stations for providing water to Farmers for crops. Kanpur is situated on the left side of river Ganges and right side is Shuklaganj which is in Unnao District but is also the part of Kanpur.

Surrounding districts

Kanpur Dehat Kannauj Unnao

Kanpur Dehat Unnao

Kanpur

Fatehpur Hamirpur Unnao

Flora and fauna

Samtel Research and Development Building, at IIT Kanpur.

Kanpur is home to many residential and migratory birds. Most of them can be spotted at Bithoor, IIT Kanpur campus and areas alongside the Ganga Canal.In the I.I.T campus there are many peackocks and wild horses. The city has Asia's biggest (area wise) zoological garden. Exotic species of flora are present at the CSA campus.

The Kanpur zoo is famous for its cages designed to provide a natural habitat for the animals, and has a vast variety of animals. The water supply system of the zoo is a work of art, by an artist and engineer in the Sinchai Department of that time, Murari Sharan Saxena. The Zoo is a part of a lush green area - The Allen Forest Zoo, Nawabganj. The entry fee is minimal, making it the major picnic spot of the Kanpur region. Indira Nagar is the greenest and most pollution free residential area of the city.

Demography

[show]Kanpur population

Religions in Kanpur[12]

Religion Percent

Hindu

82.7%

Muslim

15.6%

Others

1.7%

Kanpur is situated on the banks of the river Ganga; the population was 2,551,337 as per the 2001 census. In the last decade, the population rose rapidly. One of the factors for this kind of growth can be a higher number of in-migration to Kanpur City from other areas. It ranked third after Lucknow and Varanasi in 1901, but by 1961 it assumed a position on top of the list. It has registered an increase of over five times in the course of six decades, from 197,170 in 1901 to 883,815 in 1961.[11] Kanpur has an area of about 1640 km² and is 126 meters above sea level. Languages spoken in and around Kanpur include Hindi, English, Urdu, Bengali and Punjabi. Hinduism is the most prominent religion in the city. There is a considerable number of Muslims mostly residing near Kanpur Central station and areas namely Parade, Bekanganj and Idgah colony. The Sikh community consists of immigrants who were displaced due to the Partition of India in 1947. They have since well established business in the city and reside in areas such as Govind Nagar, Gumti No.5, Ashok Nagar and 80 ft road. There are a small number of Christians also in Kanpur. Christ Church College and Methodist High School reflect British architecture.

Economy

Kanpur has a total GDP (PPP) of 17 billion US$[13] and it ranks as 10th among top 10 Industrial cities in India after Surat which has a GDP of around 22 billion USD.

Kanpur is one of the biggest producers of textile and leather products and they are exported in bulk. Apart from the leather and textile industries, the fertilizer, chemicals, two wheelers, soaps, pan masala, hosiery and engineering industries are also operating in the city. The private sector has also set up large units such as factories of the JK Industries group, Lohia machines, Duncans, etc.

The only unit of the Indian Institute of Pulse Research (an institute of ICAR) and one of the three units of the National Sugar Institute is situated in Kanpur which reflects the strong agrarian nature of industries here.

Kanpur was also infamous to a certain extent for being home to largest tanneries in India and the subsequent pollution they caused thereof. These tanneries were the initial source of industrial base in Kanpur during the colonial period. However owing to poor pollution record, lack of technologies and emergence of other avenues of employment has led to a slow and gradual death to these units.

Kanpur has also begun to find favour among the outsourcing sector as a favoured location with several new startups setting up shop here owing to cheaper costs and a readily available talent pool.

Kanpur has several locational advantages, i.e., location at a vantage point on two national highways, i.e., NH 2 and NH 25; raw material availability for many industries, viz. leather, food processing, plastics etc., proximity to large markets, availability of skilled manpower due to various institutes located within Kanpur (viz. Indian Institute of Technology, Chandr Shekhar Azad Agricultural University, Central Pulse Research Institute, Leather Institute etc.) and existing traditional industrial base attracting skilled workers to the city.

One of the Software Technology Parks of India is also situated in Kanpur in Awadhpuri locality.

In Kanpur (MC),the banking services were availed by only 61 percent of the households (Census 2001). About 8 percent of the households did not possess basic assets such as vehicles (bicycles, scooter, moped, car, jeep, etc.), televisions and radios.

In a recent report on city development plan for JNNURM[11] it was mentioned that Kanpur City is surviving because of the following:

Defence establishments like OEF, SAF and Ordnance Factory etc.

Tanneries, which have swelled from 170 nos in 1995 to 300 in 2006

Coaching industry for Engineering and Medical Entrance Examinations , NDA , IAS/IPS etc.

Trading activities

Civic administration

Kanpur City officials

Divisional Commissioner

Amit Ghosh

Mayor

Ravindra Patni[14]

District Magistrate

Mukesh Meshram[15]

Kanpur Development Authority Kanpur Development Authority (KDA) is a board for development of Kanpur.The Secretary of Kanpur Development Authority is Shakuntla Gautam. Kanpur Development Authority is responsible for making Governmental Building in Kanpur. It is also responsible for making flats etc.

Police The Kanpur City police (KCP) has six geographic zones, includes the Traffic Police, the City Armed Reserve, the Central Crime Branch and the City Crime Record Bureau and runs 73 police stations, including two all-women police stations.

Electricity and Water Supply Electricity in Kanpur is regulated through the Kanpur Electricity Supply Company (KESA) now KESCO, [47] while water supply and sanitation facilities are provided by the Kanpur Water Supply and Sewerage Board (KWSSB).

Climate

Main article: Climate of Uttar Pradesh

Kanpur features an atypical version of a humid subtropical climate that resembles the climate of Delhi to some degree. Unlike many other cities with a humid subtropical climate, Kanpur features long and very hot summers, mild and relatively short winters, dust storms and a monsoon season. Kanpur lies in northern plains of India, which witness extremes of temperature. It can drop to a minimum of 0.0°C in the winters while it goes up to 48°C in summers. Kanpur experiences severe fog in December and January, resulting in massive traffic and travel delays. In summer excessive dry heat is accompanied by dust storms and Loo, traits more commonly seen in desert climates. Rains appear between July and September almost at the end of regular monsoon season. Some rainfall is recorded during the harvest season of March–April. These extremes however, give the region an advantage of having three crops of versatile range of products. Best time to visit Kanpur is either October–November or February–March.Snowfall has never occurred in the city.There are some times Hailstones accompanied with rain in the winter season during the month of January but sometimes Hailstorms have also occurred in the months of March and April.In January 2002,the city witnessed a heavy hailstorm which left the city streets white with ice pieces and recently in 2009 when the last hailstorm was recorded.Dust storms are frequent during the months of April–June.These dust storms are sometimes accompanied with light drizzles.Such dusty winds raise the level of particulates in the atmosphere resulting in severe air pollution and increasing health hazards.Sometimes the speed of winds exceeds to more than 100 km/hr in the outer areas of the city.Kanpur City lies on left bank of the river Ganges which is elevated very high from the river, which is the reason that the city never floods. Some of the rural outskirts of the city lie on the flood prone areas of the Ganga river and it often floods the villages on its banks during the monsoon season.The Left bank sandy areas on the banks of river Ganga are cultivated to produce summer fruits like Watermelon.The dry and Hot Loo winds help the growth of watermelon which results in its great yield.The average rainfall recorded in the city is 885 mm.

[hide]Climate data for Kanpur

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year

Record high °C (°F) 29

(84) 35

(95) 42

(108) 46

(115) 47

(117) 48

(118) 42

(108) 39

(102) 38

(100) 37

(99) 32

(90) 28

(82) 48

(118)

Average high °C (°F) 18

(64) 24

(75) 33

(91) 42

(108) 44

(111) 45

(113) 36

(97) 34

(93) 35

(95) 34

(93) 25

(77) 20

(68) 33

(91)

Average low °C (°F) 7

(45) 10

(50) 16

(61) 22

(72) 27

(81) 29

(84) 27

(81) 26

(79) 25

(77) 20

(68) 12

(54) 8

(46) 15

(59)

Record low °C (°F) -3

(27) 6

(43) 10

(50) 15

(59) 20

(68) 25

(77) 22

(72) 23

(73) 21

(70) 17

(63) 9

(48) 2

(36) -3

(27)

Precipitation mm (inches) 23

(0.91) 16

(0.63) 9

(0.35) 5

(0.2) 6

(0.24) 68

(2.68) 208

(8.19) 286

(11.26) 202

(7.95) 43

(1.69) 7

(0.28) 8

(0.31) 881

(34.69)

Source: [16]

Media

Kanpur is home to the Dainik Jagran newspaper which is the most read Hindi Newspaper in India. The Dainik Jagran Group was founded in Kanpur and has now spread to whole of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Jharkand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan and Jammu. Other newspapers include Amar Ujala, Aaj, Hindustan, etc. The English dailies published are The Times of India, Hindustan Times, Economic Times, The Pioneer, etc. There is also the Hinglish Newspaper Tabloid I-NEXT which is also widely read.

There are currently six FM radio stations and one All India Radio Akashwani Station being broadcasted in Kanpur. The 6 FM Radio Stations are following:

IIT Kanpur F.M. 90.4 MHz

BIG FM 92.7 at 92.7 MHz

Red FM at 93.5 MHz

Radio Mirchi at 98.3 MHz

AIR FM Rainbow India at 103.4 MHz

Gyan Vani 105.6 MHz

Education

See Education in Kanpur File:Schools.jpg

Sports

Green Park Stadium, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. In the background, the river Ganges can be seen

Cricket is most popular sport in Kanpur. Green Park Stadium is a 45,000 capacity floodlit multi-purpose stadium located in Kanpur, and the home ground of the Uttar Pradesh cricket team. However, of late due to political and financial reasons, the ground has been rarely utilized. It is the only international cricket stadium in Uttar Pradesh that has hosted many international cricket matches of both Test and One Day format.

Football is also a popular sport in the city and many schools and colleges organise Football Tournaments. Other sports include basketball, hockey, athletics, volleyball etc. The most popular sports in the rural areas near the city are Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Gilli Danda, Akhada wrestling, etc.

The game of Gully cricket also known as Street Cricket is popular among the youth in the city. Children as well as teenagers play the game of cricket in alleys and lanes.

Other Important Stadiums present in the city are:

OEF Stadium (A Big Stadium with Ability to operate 2 matches simultaneously).

J K Cricket Ground(Also known as Kamla Club).

Palika Stadium and South Stadium are also available for district level tournament.

Notable locations

"Newly constructed Ganga Barrage, which is part NH-91 By-pass,"

Amusement park

Dream World

Jungle Park

Micky House

Mogli Park

Parks

Rhinoceros at the zoo

Green Park Stadium and its Modi Stadium, a cricket stadium

Moti Jheel

Nanarao Park

Mahatma Gandhi Park

Kidwai Nagar Park

Jungle Water Park, Bithoor road

Company Bagh, Mall road

Phool Bagh, Mall road

Katehri Bagh, Cantt

Allen Forest Zoo

Historical

JK Temple in artificial lights

Massacre Ghat

Gora Kabristan, an old graveyard of Britishers now managed by ASI

Radha-Krishna Mandir, or J K Temple, a temple constructed of white marble dedicated to Lord Krishna

Kherepati Temple, a well known temple of Lord Vishnu and Sheshnag.

Anandeshwar Temple, situated on the banks of Ganga at Parmat

ISKON Temple, Bithur

Bithoor, a center of Hindu pilgrimage

Lav Kush Barrage, a barrage(weir) on the river Ganga, also known as Ganga Barrage.

Kanpur Memorial Church

Gandhi Hall

Kanpur Sangrahalaya

Kanpur Memorial Church

Gandhii Hall

Kanpur Sangrahalaya, a museum

Jama-ul-ulum Madarsa & Masjid, Patkapur

Habiba Masjid, Jajmau

Jajmau Tila

Kanpur Central

Musanagar tila

Bhitargaon Temple

Sarsaiyya Ghat

Massacre Ghat

Saja ud daulah Mosque, Bithur

Nanarao Fort, Bithur

Jajmau Siddhant Ghat

Baradevi Temple, the oldest temple of kanpur

Boodha Bargad (Banyan) tree, a tree on which 144 Indian freedom fighters were hanged in the later part of the Indian Rebellion of 1857

Water bodies

Moti Jheel

Sher shah suri talab

Ganges

Entertainment

Z Square Mall

Rave@Moti

Rave 3

Mega Mall

SouthX Mall

And 16 other Talkies

And 30 other supermarkets

Eminent people associated with Kanpur

Atal Bihari Vajpayee, 11th Prime Minister of India, is a DAV College alumnus

Prem Bajpai famous novel writer of India and Asia.

Harish-Chandra (1923–1983), mathematician, fellow of Royal Society, who worked in the field of Representation Theory.

Poonam Dhillon, Hindi film actress, studied in Air Force School Kanpur for a few years.

Shriprakash Jaiswal,Cabinet Minister, Member of Parliament and Minister Of State (Independent Charge) holding dual charges of Coal and Statistics And Programme Implementation.

Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi (1890–1931), freedom fighter and journalist, after whom the medical college is named

Apurva Agnihotri, film actor of Pardes fame.

Lakshmi Sahgal (b. 1914), ex-officer of the Indian National Army, Minister of Women's affairs in the Azad Hind Government, and Padma Vibhushan recipient

Subhashini Ali, politician who represented Kanpur in the 1991 Lok Sabha

Raju Srivastava, film actor and stand-up comedian born and brought up in Kanpur

Bob Woolmer, born in Kanpur, went on to play cricket for England and coached South Africa and Pakistan

Mohammad Kaif international cricketer learn and sharp his skill under Green park guidance.

Abhijeet Bhattacharya, Bollywood singer, born and brought up in Kanpur

Gopaldas Neeraj, poet and author, Padma Bhushan recipient

Sir Peter de Noronha (1897–1970), businessman, philanthropist and civil servant of Kanpur. He was knighted by Pope Paul VI in 1965 with the Order of St. Gregory the Great for his work for the Christian community in India.

Iftekhar, famous Actor in 70s particularly for Police officer in Don (1978 film)

Shaad Ali, famous Film Director. He directed Saathiya and Bunty aur Bubbly. He is son of Subhashini Ali and grand son of Ct. Lakshmi Sahgal.

Field Marshal Lord Roberts (1832–1914), the famous British Army commander, was born in the city into an Anglo-Irish family.

Abhay Bhushan, author of the File Transfer Protocol and the early versions of email protocols.

Irshad Mirza, recipient of padma shree award, chairman mirza tanners.

Transportation

KMBS

A Low Floor Bus on the road of Kanpur.

A 105 KM Ring Road has been proposed for construction by the state government for easing traffic woes within the city. It has been decided that the arterial road would connect Panki Bhau Singh via Sarsiya Ghat to Sarai Bhauti. Kanpur Metropolitan Bus Service is also one of the cheapest mean of transportation for commuting within the city. However, it is not planned to service most parts of the city and only a few selected routes are facilitated.

Things however are set to change with the Central Government providing the Kanpur city administration with 300 buses under JNNURM. Central Government will bear 50% cost while State Government and Nagar Nigam will bear 20% and 30% cost respectively.

Another very popular mode of transportation are the three wheeler Tempos, like in any other city. As a measure to curb pollution compress natural gas Tempos have been recently introduced. The government is also considering a proposal to introduce metro railway system in Kanpur as a part of its agenda to introduce metro rails in cities with over one million people.

Suburban bus service

The suburban bus service is run by Kanpur upnagariya parivahan sewa. Its fleet is around 120 buses. These buses cater the need of suburban towns and tehsils in Kanpur and neighbouring districts. Suburban services is from Shahid Major Salman Khan Bus Station and Rawatpur. Towns connected by Shahid Major Salman Khan Bus Station are Unnao, Fatehpur, Akbarpur, Jajmau, Chakeri, Sarsaul, Maharajpur.Towns connected by Bithoor are Bilhaur, Mandhana, Chobepur, Shivrajpur, , nayi jail.[17] It is a division of Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation.

Inter-state bus service

One of Kanpur's major bus terminals is Shahid Major Salman Khan bus station at Jhakarkatti. It has very modern facilities and is the main inter- and intrastate terminal in Kanpur. Another important bus station is at Rawatpur. Earlier, another bus terminal operated at Govind Puri, directly in front of the main railway station, but this has now been reestablished as a City bus depot. The move was taken to remove congestion in front of the railway station. Kanpur Lucknow Roadways Service is a very important service for commuters. The cities outside Uttar Pradesh that are covered by bus service are Jaipur, New Delhi, Gwalior, Bharatpur, Singrauli, Faridabad, Gurgaon and Dausa.

Railways

Kanpur Central (CNB) is the largest railway station of North Central Railways

Served by Indian Railways, Kanpur is connected by trains to Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Indore, Bhopal, Farrukhabad, Jabalpur, Srinagar, Jaipur, Gorakhpur, Gwalior, Pune, Surat, Lucknow and Nagpur.

Kanpur has twelve railway stations with in its city limits: Kanpur Central, Kanpur Anwarganj, Govindpuri (Kanpur South), Panki, Kanpur, Chakeri, Chandari, Rawatpur, Kalianpur (Kalyanpur), Mandhana Jn., Kanpur Bridge Left Bank and Kanpur SMU CBSA. There was one more station called "Purana Kanpur" from which the first train ran in Northern India in 1859 however now it is defunct.

Kanpur Central is the main station of Kanpur and is the largest station of North Central Railways. Kanpur Central lies as one of the most important railway stations on Delhi-Howrah Trunk Line of Indian Railways. The first Rajdhani Express of India ran via this station.

World History Channel

Thursday, March 17, 2011

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