About Kanpur (Kanpur City Information)

Kanpur is the largest city in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is also a major business and industrial centre on the Ganges. 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 was originally known as `Kanpur’.

Today besides being the most industrialized region of the state, Kanpur is also an important educational centre, with institutions like Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, Agricultural College, Indian Institute of Technology, G.S.V.M. Medical College, National Sugar Institute and Government Textile Institute being located here.

Apart from playing a stellar role in the development of the country as a whole, Kanpur has also been instrumental in making an unforgettable contribution to the Indian freedom struggle. Kanpur is also the birth place of Shyamlal Gupta `Parshad’, composer of the famous patriotic ditty `Vijayee Vishwa Tiranga Pyara’. The propagation and popularization of Hindi also owes much to this city, with great Hindu literatures like Acharya Mahavir Parasad Dwivedi, Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, Pratap Narain Mishra, Acharya Gaya Prasad Shukla `Sanehi’ and Balkrishna Sharma `Navin’ having hailed from here.

Shopping
Kanpur is famous for leather goods. The main shopping centres in the city are; The Mall, Birhana Road, Gumti No. 5, Parade, Naveen Market, Meston road and P.P.N. Market. The city centre also offers the shopper a delightful array of State Emporia, viz. UPICA, UP Handloom Emporium, The Mall; Phulkari, Punjab Emporium and Manjusha, Bengal Emporium, The Mall.

Places to see

Nana Rao Park
It is situated to the west of Phool Bagh is located the Nana Rao Park. It is the site of the `Bibighar’ of 1857. The Park was renamed as Nana Rao Park after independence.

The Kanpur Memorial Church (All Soul’s Cathedral)
The Kanpur Memorial Church was built in 1875, in honor of the British who lost their lives in the war of 1857. The Church was designed by Walter Granville, architect of the east Bengal Railway. The complete Church in Lombardic gothic style is handsomely executed in bright red brick, with polychrome dressings. The interior contains monuments to the mutiny, including several memorial tablets. In the separate enclosure to the east of the church is the Memorial Garden, approached through two gateways. Here the handsome carved gothic screen, designed by Henry Yule, stands. Its centre is occupied by the beautiful carved figure of an angle by Baron Carlo Marochetti, with crossed arms, holding palons, symbol of peace. Originally the statue and the screen stood in the Municipal Gardens in the centre of the city, over the site of the Bibighar well. The memorials were relocated here after independence in 1948. The Military Cemetery on the edge of the cantonment contains a number of interesting graves from the late 19th century. Within the city the king Edward VII memorial hall is noteworthy and Christ Church building, built in 1840.

Harcourt Butler Technological Institute
The Harcourt Butler Technological Institute was established in 1920 at Kanpur and is engaged in imparting technical training and industrial research. Phone: 294851, 294852, 294853, 294854 & 294855. Indian Institute of Technology One of the five IIT’s, set up in 1959 at Kanpur, it provides education in the fields of engineering, technology, science and humanities. Phones: 250151 & 257878.

Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture & Technology
Established in 1957 to provide education of agriculture, animal husbandry and veterinary science for the benefit of rural people.

Jajmau
The mound of Jajmau, on the eastern end of the city occupies a high place among ancient cities of the region. Excavations of the mound were undertaken during 1957-58 which unearthed antiquities ranging from 600 BC to 1600 AD. Jajmau, known as Siddha Puri in ancient times, is supposed to have been the kingdom of Yayati, the Pauranic king and the high mound overhanging the Ganga is known as the site of his fort. Today, Jajmau houses the Siddhnath and Siddha Devi temples and the mausoleum of Makhdum Shah Ala-ul-Haq, the famous Sufi saint, built by Firoz Shah Tughlaq in 1358. A mosque built by Kulich Khan in 1679 also stands here.

Shri Radhakrishna Temple (J.K. Temple)
J.K. temple is a boon to the devotees. Built by J.K. Trust this architectural delight is a unique blend of ancient architecture with the modern. Among the five shrines that the temple has the central one is consecrated to Shri Radhakrishna and the other are adorned with idols of Shri Laxminarayan, Shri. Ardhanarishwar, Shri Narmadeshwar and Shri Hanuman.

Jain Glass Temple
It is situated in Maheshwari Mohal behind the Kamla Tower. It is a beautiful temple highly decorated with glass and enamel work.

Allen Forest Zoo
The Kanpur Zoo was opened in 1971 and ranks among one of the best zoos in the country. It is an ideal place for outdoor life and picnics amongst picturesque surroundings. Ph: 543678.

Kamla Retreat
Lies to the west of the Agricultural College in immediate neighborhood of the Allen Forest. It is under the possession of Singhania family and is a beauty spot of the city. There is a swimming tank with an equipment for producing artificial waves and suitable arrangement for lighting. Besides parks and a canal with facilities for boating, a zoo is also maintained. Kamla Retreat also houses a museum which has a good collection of historical and archaeological artifacts. Visitors are allowed only with prior permission from:; Deputy General Manager (Administration), Kamla Tower, Kamlanagar, Kanpur, UP. Phone: 311478 & 311479.

Phool Bagh
It is a beautiful park in the heart of the city on the Mall Road. In the centre of the park is a building known as Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial. After the first World War there was an Orthopedic Rehabilitation Hospital in this building. It is now known as Ganesh Udyan.