Kanpur
Kanpur, originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Founded by Rajput ruler Hindu Singh Chandel, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations of British Raj.
The city is home to historical monuments such as the Jajmau Ghat which dates back to the 17th century AD. Kanpur is also home to several historical sites such as the Kanpur Museum, Bhitargaon Temple, European Cemetery and Nanarao Park.
It is the 12th most populous city and the 11th most populous urban agglomeration in India. Kanpur was an important British garrison town until 1947, when India gained independence. The urban district of Kanpur Nagar serves as the headquarters of the Kanpur division, Kanpur Range and Kanpur Zone.
It was the most populous urban city in the 2011 Indian census and the largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh, while the population of city and its suburbs were around 5 million, making it the eighth-most populous metropolitan area in India.
History
The city of Kanpur is widely believed to have been founded by Raja Hindu Singh Chandel of the Sachendi state. Its original name was Kanhpur, possibly derived from Kanhiyapur or established to commemorate the Kanhaiya Ashtam festival, a day the Raja considered auspicious. An alternative theory suggests the name is a variation of Karnapur, linking it to the Mahabharata character, Karna. In its early stages, Kanpur was a collection of smaller villages, including Patkapura, Kuraswam, Juhi, and Seesamau.The strategic importance of the area was recognized by the British following their victory over Shuja-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Awadh, near Jajmau in May 1765. Although Kanpur remained part of the Oudh Kingdom until 1801, a British military camp was established there as early as 1778.
The official transfer to British control occurred through the Treaty of 1801 with Nawab Saadat Ali Khan. This marked a turning point in Kanpur's history, as the British began to develop it into a major hub. Leveraging its strategic location on the banks of the Ganges, the East India Company initiated an indigo trade. The city's growth was further accelerated by major infrastructure projects, including the construction of the Grand Trunk Road in 1832 and the addition of roads connecting it to Lucknow and Kalpi in 1864.
1857 Uprising
In the 19th century, Cawnpore was an important British garrison with barracks for 7,000 soldiers. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, 900 British men, women and children 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 Sati Chaura Ghat whereupon they would board barges and be allowed to go by river to Allahabad.Though controversy surrounds what exactly happened at the Sati Chaura Ghat and who fired the first shot, it is known that soon afterwards the departing British were shot at by the sepoys and were either killed or captured. Some of the British officers later claimed that the sepoys had, on purpose, placed the boats as high in the mud as possible, to cause delay. They also claimed that Sahib's camp had previously arranged for the sepoys to fire upon and to kill all of the English. Although the East India Company later accused Sahib of betrayal and murder of innocent people, no evidence has ever been found to prove that he planned or ordered the massacre. Some historians believe that the Sati Chaura Ghat massacre was the result of confusion and not of any plan implemented by Sahib or 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. After some time, the commanders of the rebels decided to kill 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 18 July. 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 civilians caught in the area, including women, children and old men. The Cawnpore Massacre, as well as similar events elsewhere, were seen by the British as justification for unrestrained vengeance. "Remember Cawnpore" became a British war cry for the rest of the war.
Geography
Kanpur is located at in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies southeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and southwest of the state capital, Lucknow. It is a part of the historical region of Awadh.Situated in the flat Indo-Gangetic Plains, Kanpur has an average elevation of above sea level. The Ganga flows by the city and several ghats are located on its banks, notably the Sati Chaura Ghat and Sarsaiya Ghat. The Brahmavart Ghat located at Bithoor is another ghat of religious importance.
Several parks and recreational areas are located in Kanpur. Nana Rao Park and Phool Bagh are among the prominent parks in city that have existed from the time of the British Raj. The Moti Jheel, a rectangular lake, was originally developed as a drinking water reservoir. The lake has now been developed as a recreational area with a landscaped garden and a children's park. Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary is also located near Kanpur.
Climate
Like most of lowland northern India, Kanpur has a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate bordering on a hot semi-arid climate under the Köppen climate classification. Kanpur sees an annual precipitation of. The southwest monsoon enters around 20–23 June, and total precipitation from the monsoon is. Southwest monsoon withdrawal takes place generally between the last week of September and the first week of October. The month of October saw heavy monsoon rains in the years 1971, 1985, 1999, 2013, and 2022, and 2024.Annual precipitation reached at least in 2008, 2010, 2013, 2018–2022 and 2024.
Kanpur has been ranked the fifth best National Clean Air City in India under Category 1 by the Central Pollution Control Board.
Demographics
As per the provisional results of the 2011 census, Kanpur Nagar district has a population of 4,581,000. The literacy rate was 79.65 per cent and the sex ratio was 862. There are 35 Parsis in Kanpur with their fire temple at The Mall. Hinduism is the majority religion in Kanpur with a sizeable minority of Muslims. Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists are below 2% combined.Although final 2023 census data is yet to be declared, the population of Kanpur Nagar district is projected to be 6,367,963 in 2023.
As per the 2011 census, the population of Kanpur city and its suburbs was 3,015,645, making it the largest urban agglomeration of Uttar Pradesh. Thereafter, the urban area of Kanpur city has expanded to a large extent. However, the official limits of the area are still pending approval by the Government. Tentatively, the population of Kanpur city and Kanpur metropolitan area in 2024 are projected as 3,926,000 and 5,100,000 respectively as per available data.
Hindi and Urdu are the predominant languages in the city. Punjabi is spoken by 1.25%, while Bengali is spoken by over 11,000 people in the city.
Government and politics
Urban infrastructure
The metropolitan region includes Kanpur Nagar Nigam, 8 kilometres around the KNN boundary, and 47 villages of Unnao district. On the northeastern side it extends to Murtaza Nagar, in the west its limit is Akbarpur, Kanpur Dehat, and the eastern limit has been expanded to the road leading to Fatehpur. The metropolitan region includes the areas of Shuklaganj Municipal Committee, Unnao Municipal Committee, Akbarpur Village Authority and Bithoor Village Authority.Administration
General administration
consists of six districts and is headed by the divisional commissioner of Kanpur, an Indian Administrative Service officer. The commissioner is the head of local government institutions in charge of infrastructure development and maintaining law and order in the division. The district magistrate of Kanpur reports to the divisional commissioner. The current commissioner is Shri Amit Gupta.Kanpur district administration is headed by the district magistrate of Kanpur, an IAS officer. The DM is in charge of property records and revenue collection for the central government, oversees city elections, and is also responsible for maintaining law and order. The DM is assisted by a chief development officer; four district magistrates for finance/revenue, city, land acquisition, and civil supply; and eight city magistrates. The district has four tehsils viz. Sadar, Bilhaur, Ghatampur and Narwal, each headed by a sub-divisional magistrate. The current DM is Mr. Rakesh Kumar Singh.
Civic administration
was established on 22 November 1861, and was upgraded to a municipal corporation in 1959.The area under the municipal limits of Kanpur city, or Kanpur Municipal Corporation, is spread over an area of 403 square km. It oversees civic activities in the city. The head of the corporation is the mayor, but the executive and administration of the corporation are the responsibility of the municipal commissioner, who is an IAS officer. The executive wing is headed by municipal commissioner, Sudhir Kumar, and has the following departments: Revenue, City Cleansing, Engineering, Marg Prakash, Health, Accounts, Personnel/HRD, Swasthya Vibhag, Education, Mukya Nagar Lekha Vibhag, Pariyojna, Udyan Vibhag, Chikitsa Vibhag, Encroachment & Cattle Catching Department. There is also an executive committee present in the city.
The development of infrastructure in the city is overseen by Kanpur Development Authority, which comes under the Housing Department of Uttar Pradesh government. The divisional commissioner of Kanpur acts as the ex-officio Chairman of KDA, whereas a vice chairperson, a government-appointed IAS officer, looks after the daily matters of the authority. The current vice-chairman of Kanpur Development Authority is Shri Madan Singh Garbyal.
The municipality receives revenue from general tax, advertisement tax, income from municipal properties, and grants from state government.