Kanpur facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kanpur
City
From top, left to right: Kanpur Central, J. K. Temple, City Skyline, CSJM University, Kanpur Memorial Church, Cityscape in Krishna Nagar, Green Park Stadium
Nickname(s):  Heart of Uttar Pradesh, Leather City of the World Manchester of the East
Kanpur Location in Uttar Pradesh Show map of Uttar Pradesh Kanpur Location in India Show map of India
Country	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
Division	Kanpur
District	Kanpur Nagar
Named for	Raja Kanh Deo
Government
• Type	Municipal Corporation
• Body	Kanpur Municipal Corporation
Area
• City	403 km2 (156 sq mi)
• Metro	891 km2 (344 sq mi)
Elevation	126 m (413 ft)
Population  (2024)
• City	3,926,000 (estimated)
• Rank	12th
• Density	9,800/km2 (25,000/sq mi)
• Metro	5,100,000 (estimated)
• Metro Rank	11th
Demonym(s)	Kanpurite, Kanpuriya
Languages
• Official	Hindi
• Regional	Awadhi
Time zone	UTC+05:30 (IST)
PIN	2080XX and 2092XX
Area code(s)	+91-(0)512
Vehicle registration	UP-77, UP-78 and UP-35
GDP Nominal (Kanpur Nagar District)	₹49,700.65 crore (US$8.4 billion) (2020–21)
Climate	Cwa (Köppen)
GDP Per Capita	₹87,295.51 (US$1,500)
Sex ratio	855 ♀ / 1000 ♂
Literacy	82.42%
HDI	0.663 (Medium)
Domestic airport	Kanpur Airport
Rapid Transit	Kanpur Metro

Kanpur (/kɑːnˈpʊər/), formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is a large industrial city located in the central-eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in year 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations of British India. Kanpur is also the financial capital of Uttar Pradesh. Kanpur is often regarded as the heart of Uttar Pradesh. Kanpur has been the major financial and industrial centre of North India and also the ninth-largest urban economy in India. Today it is famous for its colonial architecture, gardens, sweets, dialect, IT parks and fine quality leather, plastic and textile products which are exported mainly to the West.

The city is home to historical monuments such as the Jajmau Ghat which dates back to 17th century AD. Kanpur is also home to several historical sites such as the Bithoor Museum, Bhitargaon Temple, European Cemetery and Nanarao Park.

It is the 12th most populous city and the 11th most populous urban agglomeration in India (Census of India, 2011). 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.

Some of the more popular places in Kanpur include J. K. Temple, Kanpur Central, ZSquare Mall, Atal Ghat, Green Park Stadium and Ganga Barrage.

According to 2011 Indian census, it is the most populous urban city and the largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh while the population of city and its suburb were around 5 million making it the eighth-most populous metropolitan area in India.

History

In 1207, Raja Kanha-deo of the Kanhpuriya clan of Rajputs established the city of Kanhpur and made it his capital, which later came to be known as Kanpur.

The area was ruled by several rulers of Kannauj, such as Harsha Vardhan, Jai Chand and Mihir Bhoja. It was also ruled by Muslim rulers of the Sur dynasty. In May 1765, Shuja-ud-daula, the Nawab of Awadh, was defeated by the British near Jajmau. From 1773 to 1801, Kanpur was part of the Oudh Kingdom, followed by the treaty of 1801 between Nawab Saadat Ali Khan of Awadh and the British, who realized the strategic importance. Several European businessmen established themselves in Kanpur, during this time.

With the first woollen mill of India, commonly known as the Lal Imli (lit. Red Tamarind, for a brand produced by the mill) by the British India Corporation established here in 1876 by Alexander MacRobert. The eastern and northern façades of the mill are reminiscent of the Palace of Westminster, due to their architecture, proximity to the Ganges river and with the north-east corner of the mill being topped by a clock tower similar to Big Ben in London. This similarity underscores the city's importance and prestige during the British times, which extends till date; making the Lal Imli — a great highlight of the city. The city is also widely regarded as the "Leather City of the World" and is predominantly nicknamed as the "Manchester of the East", for its chemical, textile and leather industries. Alexander MacRobert has an area named after him in the city, McRobertganj.

1857 Uprising

Kanpur from the river in 1858

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 Nana 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 Nana Sahib of betrayal and murder of innocent people, no evidence has ever been found to prove that Nana Sahib had 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 Nana Sahib or of his associates.

Many were killed and the remaining 200 British women and children were brought back to shore and sent to a building called the Bibighar (House of the Ladies). When the British entered the city on 18 July, all the hostages had been killed. 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. 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 situated on the right bank of the Ganges.

Kanpur is located at 26°27′00″N 80°19′55″E / 26.449923°N 80.331874°E / 26.449923; 80.331874 in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies at a distance of approx 475 km from national-capital New Delhi and approx 90 km from 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 318 m above sea level. The Ganges 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 (25 km northwards) 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 exist from the time of 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 (Cwa) bordering on a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) under the Köppen climate classification.

Kanpur has been ranked 5th best “National Clean Air City” (under Category 1 >10L Population cities) in India.

Demographics

As per the provisional results of 2011 census, Kanpur Nagar district has a population of 4,581,000. The literacy rate was 79.65 per cent and sex ratio was 862. There are 35 Parsis in Kanpur with their Fire temple at The Mall. Hinduism is a majority in Kanpur with a sizeable minority of Muslims. Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists are below 2 percent.

Although final data of census 2023 is yet to be declared, population of Kanpur Nagar District is projected as 63,67,963 in year 2023 (estimation as per aadhar ‘UIDAI’ data).

As per 2011 Census, population of Kanpur City and its suburbs was 30,15,645 making it the largest urban agglomeration of Uttar Pradesh. Thereafter, urban area of Kanpur City has expanded to a large extent. However, limits of its urban area are still pending for approval by the Government. Tentatively population of Kanpur City and Kanpur metropolitan area in 2024 is projected as 39,26,000 and 51,00,000 respectively as per the data available so far.

Awadhi is the native dialect. 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.

Transport

Kanpur Central Railway Station

IIT Kanpur metro station

Air

Kanpur Airport is a domestic airport and has direct scheduled commercial non-stop flights to New Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore. The nearest international airport to the city is the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow, which is around 77.1 kilometres (47.9 mi) away.

Rail

Indian Railways: Kanpur Central is a major railhead and is among the busiest railway stations in the country. Rail routes connect it to all major cities in the state and the country. It is an A-1 category railway station that comes under the Prayagraj railway division of North Central Railway zone of Indian Railways. Around 300 trains pass through it daily. The city of Kanpur has eleven railway stations in addition to the main Kanpur Central:

Metro: The Kanpur Metro is a mass rapid transit (MRT) system in Kanpur. The metro is owned and operated by the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC). It consists of two lines- Orange Line and Blue Line. The priority corridor of the Orange Line, which connects IIT Kanpur to Motijheel, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 28 December 2021.

Road

The city has had chronic problems with maintaining local roads. There are several important national highways that pass through Kanpur.

The UPSRTC inter state bus station (ISBT) of Kanpur is officially named as the "Shaheed Major Salman Khan bus station", and is locally known as the "Jhakarkati Bus Station". It provides buses to many important cities of India. Other important bus stations are the Chunniganj bus stand for Farrukhabad, Bareilly and Uttarakhand routes, and the Naubasta bus stand for Hamirpur route. Fazalganj is another hub for private carriers.

Ring road: In 2011, it was reported by The Indian Express that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) planned to develop a four-lane outer ring road along the periphery of Kanpur with an aim to prevent traffic congestion in the city caused by long-distance heavy vehicles. The new road, which would help heavy vehicles to bypass the city, would be developed on Built, Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis under the phase-VII of National Highways Development Programme (NHDP).

Economy

Kanpur is an important economic and industrial center in India.

Kanpur is one of the important economic centers in India. According to GDP per capita, it ranks 9th in Uttar Pradesh. Noida and Meerut rank 1st and 2nd notably. While the state capital Lucknow ranks 7th in the state in GDP per capita.

Education and research

Higher education

Faculty Building, IIT Kanpur

Aerial view of Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University

The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) is a public technical and research university located in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was established in 1959 as one of the first Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs), with the assistance of a consortium of nine US research universities as part of the Kanpur Indo-American Programme (KIAP).

Other educational institutions in the city include three state universities. Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University is one of the largest universities in northern India catering to urban and rural students offering professional and academic courses in the disciplines of Arts, Science, Commerce, Law, Engineering, Biotechnology, Computer Applications, Management and Medicine.

Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology is an agricultural university named after the Indian revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad which caters to the needs of the farming community of 29 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

Harcourt Butler Technical University (HBTU) offers Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral programs in engineering, as well as Masters programs in Business Administration, and Computer Applications. Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Technology for Handicapped, an institution to provide technical education to specially-abled students inaugurated by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1997, is also situated in Kanpur.

National Sugar Institute (NSI) is involved in research, training and advisory services to the sugar and allied industry, and functions under the Department of Food and Public Distribution of the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

There are also private universities in the city such as Rama University, which is part of the Rama Group. There are several private technical and management institutions in the city.

Medical education

Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College (GSVM Medical College) is a state-run medical college in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. It was founded in 1956 and named after Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, a freedom fighter and journalist from Kanpur. Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital, which is also known as Hallet Hospital, is associated with GSVM, Kanpur.

Notable people

• Lala Kamlapat Singhania, industrialist
• Padampat Singhania, industrialist
• Kuldeep Yadav, cricketer
• Harish-Chandra, mathematician
• Giriraj Kishore, novelist
• Irshad Mirza, industrialist
• Gaurav Khanna, actor
• Rajeev Shukla, political commentator and former journalist
• Kamal Nath, politician