Kanpur

Overview

Kanpur is a major industrial city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Situated on the southern bank of the river Ganges, it is one of the largest cities in northern India and serves as the administrative headquarters of Kanpur Nagar district and the Kanpur division. Historically known as Cawnpore during the British period, the city emerged in the nineteenth century as an important military cantonment and centre of the leather and textile industries, earning the epithet "Manchester of the East".

Geography

Kanpur lies in the Indo-Gangetic plain at an average elevation of around 126 metres above sea level. The Ganges flows along the city's northern edge, while the Pandu river, a tributary of the Yamuna, passes to the south. The terrain is largely flat and alluvial, supporting intensive agriculture in the surrounding region. The climate is humid subtropical, with hot summers, a monsoon season from July to September, and cool winters that can experience dense fog.

History

The early settlement of Kanpur is traditionally associated with the rulers of the Sachendi state, and folk tradition links the name to the legendary figure of Karna of the Mahabharata, from "Karnapur". The area came under Mughal authority and later passed to the Nawabs of Awadh.

Following the Treaty of 1801 between Nawab Saadat Ali Khan II and the British East India Company, Cawnpore was ceded to the Company and developed into a major military cantonment guarding the frontier with Awadh. By the mid nineteenth century it was one of the largest British garrisons in northern India.

During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Cawnpore was the scene of a prolonged siege under Major General Sir Hugh Wheeler and the subsequent killings at Bibighar, events that left a lasting imprint on the colonial memory of the city. The British recaptured the town later the same year under Sir Colin Campbell.

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Kanpur grew into a leading industrial centre. The opening of the Cawnpore Woollen Mills (Lal Imli) in 1876, the Elgin Mills, the Cooper Allen leather works and other enterprises gave the city its industrial character. After independence in 1947, the name was officially rendered as Kanpur.

Timeline

• 1801 – Cawnpore ceded to the British East India Company.
• 1832 – Cawnpore made the headquarters of a district.
• 1857 – Siege of Cawnpore and the Bibighar episode during the Indian Rebellion.
• 1860 – Establishment of the Cawnpore Tannery, an early leather works.
• 1876 – Opening of the Cawnpore Woollen Mills (Lal Imli).
• 1925 – The Indian Communist Conference held in the city.
• 1947 – City renamed Kanpur after Indian independence.
• 1959 – Establishment of the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.

Economy

Kanpur has a long-standing industrial base centred on leather, textiles, chemicals, fertilisers, plastics, and engineering goods. The leather industry, concentrated around Jajmau on the banks of the Ganges, is among the largest in India and a significant exporter of finished leather and footwear. Public sector undertakings such as the Ordnance Factory Kanpur, Small Arms Factory, Field Gun Factory and the Indian Ordnance Factories establishments have historically been important employers. The British India Corporation, owner of the Lal Imli woollen mills, was once one of the largest industrial groups in the country.

Education and research

Kanpur is an important centre of higher education and technical training in northern India. Major institutions include:

• Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur), established in 1959, located at Kalyanpur.
• Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, formerly Kanpur University, founded in 1966.
• Harcourt Butler Technical University, with origins in the Government Technological Institute of 1921.
• Chandra Shekhar Az