Kanpur

Kanpur spelled as Cawnpore before 1948, is the ninth most populous city in India and the largest 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. 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. [4] 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 ValmikiAshram, where the famous sage Valmiki is supposed to have written the Sanskrit epic, theRamayana. According to this epic, queen Seeta, on being exiled by King Ramachandra ofAyodhya, 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.

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.[5]

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. within the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the second largest city of the Hindi speaking belt after Delhi. It was formerly known as the "Manchester of the East", and remains one of the oldest industrial townships of North India, although it has not kept pace with industrial growth in the rest of India. It has an area of over 1300 km² and a population of 4,864,674 which is estimated to grow upto 6 million by 2011. 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) and GSVM Medical College. The status of the city was upgraded when it was included in the "Counter Magnets" of National Capital Region (NCR).