Kanpur ( Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

after

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

. It was the primary financial and commercial centre of

northern India North India is a geographical region, loosely defined as a cultural region comprising the northern part of India (or historically, the Indian subcontinent) wherein Indo-Aryans (speaking Indo-Aryan languages) form the prominent majority populati ...

. Founded in the year 1207 by

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

ruler Raja Kanh Deo, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations of

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. Kanpur had been the major financial and industrial centre of

and also the ninth-largest urban economy in India. Today it is famous for its colonial architecture, gardens, sweets, dialect, and high-quality

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic polymers, synthetic or Semisynthesis, semisynthetic materials composed primarily of Polymer, polymers. Their defining characteristic, Plasticity (physics), plasticity, allows them to be Injection moulding ...

and

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

products which are exported mainly to the

West West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

. 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 (''Census of India, 2011''). Kanpur was an important British

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

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, Z Square Mall, Blue World Amusement Park, Atal Ghat, Green Park Stadium and Ganga Barrage. It was the most populous urban city in the 2011 Indian census and the largest urban agglomeration in

while the population of city and its suburbs 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

s 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 Kannauj (Hindustani language, Hindustani pronunciation: ) is an ancient city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar palika, Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Ut ...

, such as Harsha Vardhan, Jai Chand and Mihir Bhoja. It was also ruled by Muslim rulers of the

Sur dynasty The Sur Empire was an empire ruled by the Afghan (ethnonym), Afghan-origin Sur dynasty in North India, northern India for nearly 16 or 18 years, between 1538/1540 and 1556, with Sasaram (in modern-day Bihar) serving as its capital. It was fou ...

. In May 1765, Shuja-ud-daula, the

Nawab Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kingdom of Saxony, Kings of ...

Awadh Awadh (), known in British Raj historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a historical region in northern India and southern Nepal, now constituting the North-central portion of Uttar Pradesh. It is roughly synonymous with the ancient Kosala Regio ...

, 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 India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, commonly known as the Lal Imli (, for a brand produced by the mill) by the British India Corporation established here in 1876 by Alexander MacRobert. The eastern and northern

façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...

s of the mill are reminiscent of the

Palace of Westminster The Palace of Westminster is the meeting place of the Parliament of the United Kingdom and is located in London, England. It is commonly called the Houses of Parliament after the House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two legislative ch ...

, due to their architecture, proximity to the

Ganga The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary riv ...

river and with the north-east corner of the mill being topped by a clock tower similar to

Big Ben Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster, and, by extension, for the clock tower itself, which stands at the north end of the Palace of Westminster in London, England. Originally named the Clock Tower, it ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. This similarity underscores the city's importance and prestige during the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

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

In the 19th century, Cawnpore was an important British garrison with barracks for 7,000 soldiers. During the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

, 900 British men, women and children were besieged in the fortifications for 22 days by rebels under

Nana Sahib Nana Saheb Peshwa II (19 May 1824 – after 1857), born Dhondu Pant, was an Indian aristocrat and fighter who led the Siege of Cawnpore (Kanpur) during the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the East India Company. As the adopted son of the exi ...

. 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 Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...

. 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. 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 (''House of the Ladies''). 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

. The city lies at a distance of approx 484 km from national-capital

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

and approx 80 km from the state-capital

. It is a part of the historical region of

. Situated in the flat

Indo-Gangetic Plain The Indo-Gangetic Plain, also known as the Northern Plain or North Indian River Plain, is a fertile plain spanning across the northern and north-eastern part of the Indian subcontinent. It encompasses North India, northern and East India, easte ...

s, Kanpur has an average elevation of 318 m above sea level. The

flows by the city and several

ghat Ghat (), a term used in the Indian subcontinent, to refer to the series of steps leading down to a body of water or wharf, such as a bathing or cremation place along the banks of a river or pond, the Ghats in Varanasi, Dhobi Ghat or the Aap ...

s are located on its banks, notably the Sati Chaura Ghat and Sarsaiya Ghat. The Brahmavart Ghat located at

Bithoor Bithoor or Bithur is a town in Kanpur district, 25 km (15mi) by road north of the centre of Kanpur city, in Uttar Pradesh, India. Bithoor is situated on the right bank of the River Ganges, and is a centre of Hindu pilgrimage. Bithoor is also ...

(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 A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(''Cwa'') bordering on a

hot semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

(''BSh'') under the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

. Kanpur sees an annual precipitation of 864.5 mm. Southwest Monsoon enters around 20/23rd June and total precipitation from monsoon is around 750-760 mm. 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 The Parsis or Parsees () are a Zoroastrian ethnic group in the Indian subcontinent. They are descended from Persian refugees who migrated to the Indian subcontinent during and after the Arab-Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century, w ...

in Kanpur with their

Fire temple A fire temple (; ) is a place of worship for Zoroastrians. In Zoroastrian doctrine, ''atar'' and '' aban'' (fire and water) are agents of ritual purity. Clean, white "ash for the purification ceremonies sregarded as the basis of ritual lif ...

at The Mall. Hinduism is a majority in Kanpur with a sizeable minority of

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

. Sikhs, Christians and Buddhists are below 2%. 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 Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

and

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

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 defined under JNNURM by Kanpur Nagar Nigam, includes the Kanpur Nagar Nigam area, 8 kilometres around KNN boundary and newly included 47 villages of Unnao district on the north-eastern side, it extends to Murtaza Nagar, in the west its limit is up to Akbarpur, Kanpur Dehat Nagar Panchayat limit, on the eastern side the limit has been expanded on the road leading to Fatehpur and in extended up to. The metropolitan region area includes the area of Shuklaganj Municipal Committee (Nagar Palika), Unnao Municipal Committee (Nagar Palika), Akbarpur Village Authority (Nagar Panchayat) and

Village Authority (Nagar Panchayat) area. In 1997–98, total metropolitan region area has increased to 89131.15 hectare out of which 4,743.9 hectare (5.31%) was non-defined (prohibited area) and rest 29,683 hectare and 54,704 hectare (61.39%) was urban and rural area respectively.

Administration

General administration

Kanpur division which consists of six districts, and is headed by the

divisional commissioner A Divisional Commissioner, also known as Commissioner of division, is an Indian Administrative Service officer who serves as the administrator of a division of a state in India. The post is referred to as regional commissioner in Karnataka ...

of Kanpur, who is an

Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. The IAS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian ...

(IAS) officer of high seniority, the

commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to incl ...

is the head of local government institutions (including municipal corporations) in the division, is in charge of infrastructure development in his division, and is also responsible for maintaining law and order in the division. The

district magistrate The district magistrate, also known as the district collector or deputy commissioner, is a career civil servant who serves as the executive head of a district's administration in India. The specific name depends on the state or union territo ...

of Kanpur reports to the

. The current

is Shri Amit Gupta. Kanpur district administration is headed by the

of Kanpur, who is an IAS officer. The DM is in charge of property records and revenue collection for the central government and oversees the

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

held in the city. The DM is also responsible for maintaining law and order in the city. The DM is assisted by a chief development officer; four additional district magistrates for finance/revenue, city, land acquisition, and civil supply; one city magistrat; and seven additional city magistrates. The district has four

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...

s viz. Sadar, Bilhaur, Ghatampur and Narwal, each headed by a

sub-divisional magistrate A sub-divisional magistrate, also known as assistant collector, sub collector, revenue divisional officer, or assistant commissioner, is the administrative head of a sub-division in an Indian district, exercising executive, revenue, and magist ...

. The current DM is Mr. Rakesh Kumar Singh.

Civic administration

Kanpur municipality was established on 22 November 1861, and was upgraded to a municipal corporation in 1959. The local government of Kanpur is governed under the Municipal act for the state, Uttar Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act, 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 Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. In general, it refers to physical and emotional well-being, especially that associated with normal functioning of the human body, absent of disease, p ...

, 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 (KDA), which comes under the Housing Department of Uttar Pradesh government. The

of Kanpur acts as the ''

ex-officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, or council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term ''List of Latin phrases (E)#ex officio, ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the off ...

'' 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, grants from state government etc.

Law and order

The Kanpur District Court is headed by the

district judge District Judge may refer to: * A United States federal judge, appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate * A judge in a state court (United States), where the state is divided into judicial districts * * A judge in the district courts ...

of Kanpur, who is assisted by numerous additional district judges, civil judges (senior division) and additional civil judges. Kanpur is a notified metropolitan area by UP Government under

Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 The Code of Criminal Procedure, commonly called Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), was the main legislation on procedure for administration of substantive criminal law in India. It was enacted in 1973 and came into force on 1 April 1974. It provi ...

, and therefore has a chief metropolitan magistrate, who is assisted by several metropolitan magistrates. The district judge is Shri Pradeep Kumar Singh, and the chief metropolitan magistrate was Shri Sushil Kumar Singh.

Police administration

Kanpur Nagar police administration is headed by a Commissioner of Police which is an IPS officer of the rank of Additional Director General of Uttar Pradesh Police. Present Police Commissioner of Kanpur Nagar is Shri Akhil kumar, who is assisted by an Addl. Commissioner, a Joint Commissioner and several Dy. Commissioners, Addl. Dy. Commissioners, Assistant Commissioners of police who are either IPS officers or Provincial Police Service (PPS) officers. Each of the several police circles is headed by an Assistant Commissioner of Police in the rank of deputy superintendent of police.

Politics

Local politics

The city is divided into six zones and 110 wards with a ward population range of 19,000 to 26,000 and 110 corporators directly elected from each ward. As mandated by the 74th constitutional amendment, there were 11 ward committees in Kanpur municipal corporation in 1991. Local elections were last held in 2022, when the mayor, Pramila Pandey from the BJP, was re-elected. The previous mayor had been Captain (retired) Jagatvir Singh Drona. As of 2006, Kanpur Municipal Council has an elected mayor-in-council system.

State politics

Kanpur Nagar district encompasses one Lok Sabha constituency and ten Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha constituencies. The city of Kanpur has one representative member of parliament in

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, also known as the House of the People, is the lower house of Parliament of India which is Bicameralism, bicameral, where the upper house is Rajya Sabha. Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by a ...

for

Kanpur Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...

, Satyadev Pachauri.

Civic utilities

The first development plan of the city was created by the Kanpur Development Board in 1943. This was followed by the masterplan being designed by the Town and Country Planning Department from 1962 to 1991, which was adopted after the establishment of the Kanpur Development Authority in 1974. The most recent masterplan is the Draft Master Plan of 2021 . Electricity is supplied to the city by Kanpur Electricity Supply Company (KESCO), which is under the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Ltd (UPPCL). Fire services are under the state, Uttar Pradesh Fire Service. Water supply, sewerage is done by the Jal Kal vibhag of KMC. Infrastructure development and maintenance is done by the state's body, UP Jal Nigam. The piped water supply of Kanpur City was started in 1892. After construction of Ganga Barrage on the river, a permanent and reliable source for the water supply got available to provide 1600 mld raw water. The city also receives water from the catchment areas of rivers Ganga and Pandu. However, while the total water supply requirement is 600 mld only 385 mld of potable water is being supplied. The city loses water due to leaky pipes and contamination of natural water sources. There is a severe water crisis in Kanpur. In 2015, Ganga Pollution Control Unit in Kanpur got about Rs 200 crores to make four STPs functional. The city then reported having three STPs for domestic waste. In 2017, there was only one sewage treatment plant for waste from tanneries, biggest source of industrial pollution to the Ganga, was to be replaced by a newer one costing 400 cr as the old one could only treat 9 MLD at the most. 823.1 MLD of untreated sewage and 212.42 MLD of industrial effluent flow into the river. In 2019, another STP costing worth Rs 816.25 was to be set up. As of 2020, While the government has stopped pollution from Kanpur's biggest drain, Sishamau, of Kanpur's 48 drains, eight still have no devices to stop effluents. Solid waste management is handled by the KMC. As of 2015, Kanpur generates 1,500 tonnes of solid wastes from domestic and industrial sources, 64,000 tonnes of

hazardous waste Hazardous waste is waste that must be handled properly to avoid damaging human health or the environment. Waste can be hazardous because it is Toxicity, toxic, Chemical reaction, reacts violently with other chemicals, or is Corrosion, corrosive, ...

annually which includes metals and waste generated by tanneries, dye industries and chemical industries; while coal ash produced in Kanpur amounts to 71,000 tonnes per annum.

Transport

Air

Kanpur Airport Kanpur Airport (), is a domestic airport and an Indian Air Force base that serves the city of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located at Chakeri, about from the city centre, and operates from a new civil terminal. It provides connectivit ...

is a domestic airport and has direct scheduled commercial non-stop flights to

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

and

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

. The nearest international airport to the city is the

Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport Chowdhury (also: Choudhuri, Chaudhuri, Choudhury, Chaudhri, Chaudhary) is a title of honour, usually hereditary, originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is an adaption from Sanskrit. During the Mughal rule, it was a title awarded to eminen ...

, which is around 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 The North Central Railway (abbreviated NCR) is one of the 19 Indian Railways, railway zones in India. The largest railway station in NCR is Prayagraj Junction & Kanpur Central as busiest. It is headquartered at Prayagraj Junction railway stat ...

Indian Railways Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...

. 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 The Kanpur Metro is a Rapid transit, mass rapid transit (MRT) system in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. The metro is owned and operated by the Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) and it partially opened within two years of construction ma ...

is a mass rapid transit 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 The Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT- Kanpur or IIT-K) is a public institute of technology located in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. As an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), it was declared an Institute of National Importance by th ...

to Motijheel, was inaugurated by Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician who has served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India since 2014. Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Par ...

on 28 December 2021.

Road

The city has the historically important

Grand Trunk Road Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sadak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sadak, and Long Walk) is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. It r ...

which serves as the lifeline of the city. There are several important national highways and expressways that pass through and adround 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 A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...

: In 2011, it was reported by

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...

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 an important economic center in India with a GDP of ~$9Bn. There was a time when Kanpur was very prosperous but over time it lagged behind other big cities due to continuous negligence from both the Central and State government, as they were diverting funds to other cities, which hampered its growth. According to GDP per capita, it ranks 9th in Uttar Pradesh.

Noida Noida (), short for New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (ISO: ), is a city located in Gautam Buddha Nagar district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. As per provisional reports of Census of India, the population of Noida in 2011 was ...

and

Meerut Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...

rank 1st and 2nd notably. While the state capital

ranks 7th in the state in GDP per capita.

Education and research

Higher education

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.Private University Uttar Pradesh; http://www.ugc.ac.in/privateuniversitylist.aspx?id=33&Unitype=3 There are several private technical and management institutions in the city such as Pranveer Singh Institute of Technology, Axis Institute of Technology And Management, which are affiliated by Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University.

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. Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital in Kanpur is commonly known as "Hallet" because of its origins. It was initially established during the British colonial period and named after a British civil surgeon, Dr. George Henry Hallet, who served in the United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) and contributed to the field of public health. Although the hospital was later renamed to honor Lala Lajpat Rai, a prominent Indian freedom fighter, the original name, "Hallet," continued to be widely used by locals. The hospital, along with Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial (GSVM) Medical College, is still known colloquially as "Hallet Hospital," a testament to its historical roots and Dr. Hallet's influence during the colonial era.

Notable people

* Lala Kamlapat Singhania, industrialist * Padampat Singhania, industrialist *

Kuldeep Yadav Kuldeep Yadav (born 14 December 1994) is an Indian international cricketer. A left-arm unorthodox spinner, he plays for Uttar Pradesh cricket team, Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket and Delhi Capitals in the 2022 Indian Premier League, Indian ...

, cricketer *

Harish-Chandra Harish-Chandra (né Harishchandra) FRS (11 October 1923 – 16 October 1983) was an Indian-American mathematician and physicist who did fundamental work in representation theory, especially harmonic analysis on semisimple Lie groups. Early ...

, mathematician * Giriraj Kishore, novelist * Irshad Mirza, industrialist *

Gaurav Khanna Gaurav Khanna (born 11 December 1981) is an Indian television actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Anuj Kapadia in Star Plus's ''Anupamaa'', for which he won the Indian Telly Award for Best Actor (Editorial). In 2025, he won the first s ...

, actor * Rajeev Shukla, political commentator and former journalist *

Kamal Nath Kamal Nath (born 18 November 1946; ) is an Indian politician who served as the List of chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, 18th Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh for approximately 15 months and resigned after a 2020 Madhya Pradesh political crisis ...

, politician * Tanmay Srivastava

References

External links

Kanpur city portal
{{Authority control Cities in Uttar Pradesh Metropolitan cities in India Smart cities in India