Kanpur is situated on bank of river Ganga and has a population of 2.72 million as per the 2001 census with 1,483,000 males and 1,289,000 females. Kanpur has an area of about 1040 km² and is 126 meters above sea level. Languages spoken in and around Kanpur include Hindi, English, Urdu and some Bengali and Punjabi. All major religions are practiced in Kanpur 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 be founded
by king Hindu Singh of the erstwhile state of
Sachendi, Kanpur, it is believed by some, derived its name from Kanhiyapur, the town of Kanhiya
(Lord Krishna). In the course of time, Kanhiyapur
probably was abbreviated as Kanhapur and
subsequently as Kanpur (the anglicized spelling of
which was Cawnpore during the British rule). Others believe that the name is derived from Karnapur and is associated with Karna, one of the
heroes of Mahabharata. Duryodhana made Karna
a king, seeing him as a fitting match to Arjuna,
and gifted him this area; hence the name
Karnapur, which later became Kanpur. Historically,
Jajmau on the eastern outskirts of present day Kanpur is regarded as one of the most archaic
tounships of Kanpur district. Kanpur’s growth until the thirteenth century is shrouded in the mists of time. It is interesting to note that while 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 of the river 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 upstream of the river from
the IIT Campus. According to Hindu mythology, just after creating the universe, Lord Brahma performed the Ashvamedh Yajna (Horse Sacrifice) at Bithoor (also known as Brahmavart) and established a shivalingam there. Moving further to later times, another mythological site at Bithoor is the Valmiki Ashram, where the famous sage Valmiki is supposed to have written the Sanskrit epic 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. Some recent excavations on this mound tend to prove that the site is very ancient indeed, perhaps dating back to the Vedic age. Popular legends have it 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 Siddha Devi temple at Jajmau belong to the Buddhist period. The place for a while was known as Siddhpuri. click for Other Tourist Place In 1207 AD Raja Kanti Deo of Prayag who was attached 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 reins of Harsha Vardhan, Bhoj, Mihir, Jai Chand and early Muslim rulers. Later it came under the Jaunpur rulers and the Sur Dynasty. The first mention of Kanpur was made in 1579 during Sher Shah’s regime. Up to the 1st 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. From 1773 to 1801, it was part of the Oudh kingdom and then came into the hands of the British. 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 station of British India. It was declared a district on 24th 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 commenced in 1854.
