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Kanpur

Metropolis in Uttar Pradesh, India

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J.K. Temple Kanpur
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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 (2011 census). 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.

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

History

The city of Kanpur is widely believed to have been founded by Raja Hindu Singh Chandel of the Sachendi state. Its original name was Kanhpur, possibly derived from Kanhiyapur or established to commemorate the Kanhaiya Ashtam festival, a day the Raja considered auspicious. An alternative theory suggests the name is a variation of Karnapur, linking it to the Mahabharata character, Karna. In its early stages, Kanpur was a collection of smaller villages, including Patkapura, Kuraswam, Juhi, and Seesamau.

The strategic importance of the area was recognized by the British following their victory over Shuja-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Awadh, near Jajmau in May 1765. Although Kanpur remained part of the Oudh Kingdom until 1801, a British military camp was established there as early as 1778.

The official transfer to British control occurred through the Treaty of 1801 with Nawab Saadat Ali Khan. This marked a turning point in Kanpur's history, as the British began to develop it into a major hub. Leveraging its strategic location on the banks of the Ganges, the East India Company initiated an indigo trade. The city's growth was further accelerated by major infrastructure projects, including the construction of the Grand Trunk Road in 1832 and the addition of roads connecting it to Lucknow and Kalpi in 1864.

1857 Uprising

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 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 Sahib of betrayal and murder of innocent people, no evidence has ever been found to prove that he 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 Sahib or 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.

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