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Nestled on the banks of the eternal Ganga, Kanpur stands as one
of North India's major industrial centers 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 'Kanhpur'.
Historically, Jajmau on the eastern outskirts of present day Kanpur
is regarded as one of the most archaic townships of Kanpur district.
Upto the 1st half of the 18th century Kanpur continued to survive
as an insignificant village. Its fate, however, took a new turn
soon after. In May, 1765, Shuja-ud-daula the Nawab Wazir of Awadh,
was defeated by the British near Jajmau. It was probably at his
time that strategic importance of the site of Kanpur was realized
by the British.
European businessmen had by this time gradually started establishing
themselves in Kanpur. In order to ensure protection to their lives
& property the 'Awadh local forces' were shifted here in 1778.
Kanpur passed into British hands under the treaty of 1801 with Nawab
Saadat Ali Khan of Awadh. This forms a turning point of the history
of Kanpur. Soon Kanpur became one of the most important military
stations of British India. It was declared a district on 24th March,
1803. Kanpur was soon to become the epicentre of the outbreak of
1857, as some of the leading luminaries of the War of Independence
hailed from here, namely - Nana Sahib, Tantiya Tope, Azimoolah Khan
& Brigadier Jwala Prasad. The three strategic events of the
1857 war at Kanpur were the fight at 'wheeler's entrenchment', the
'massacre at Sati Chaura Ghat' and the 'Bibighar massacre'. Nana
Sahib had declared independence on the 7th of June, 1857 at Kanpur.
The British under Commander Hugh Wheeler retreated into a shallow
earth entrenchment in the cantonment area, later known in history
as 'wheeler's entrenchment'. The English garrison surrendered in
the last week of June 1857 on terms of safe passage to Allahabad.
But when on the morning of 27th June, the soldiers along with the
women & children were about to embark into the boats at Sati
Chaura Ghat, fighting broke out and most of the men were killed.
The survivors, women & children were rescued who were imprisoned
into the Savada Kotihi & later shifted to Bibighar in the cantonment
magistrates' compound. But when it became clear that relieving force
under General Havelock were nearing the city and defeat was inevitable,
the captives-all women & children, were massacred and their
dismembered bodies buried in the well of the compound on 15th July,
1857. The Bibighar was dismantled by the British on reoccupation
of Kanpur and a 'memorial railing and a cross' raised at the site
of the well. The well is now bricked over. Only remains of a circular
ridge survive, which can be still seen at the Nana Tao park.
The Kanpur Memorial Church
'The all souls cathedral' was raised in honour of the fallen at
the northeast corner of wheeler's entrenchment in 1862 by the British.
The marble Gathic screen with famous 'mournful seraph' was transferred
to the churchyard of All Souls Church after independence in 1947,
and in its place a bust of Tantiya Tope installed and the Garden
renamed as Nana Rao Park'. After 1857, the development of Kanpur
was even more phenomenal. Government Harness and Saddlery Factory
was started for supplying leather material for the army in 1860,
followed by Cooper Allen & Co.in 1880. The first cotton textile
mill, the Elgin Mills were started in 1862 and Muir Mills in 1882.
Today besides being the most industrialist region of the state,
Kanpur is also an important educational centre, with institutions
like Harcourt Butler Technological Institute, Agricultural College,
National Sugar Institute & Govt. 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. A favorite centre of
activities of stalwarts like Nanarao Peshwa, Tantiya Tope, Sardar
Bhagat Signh and Chandrashekhar Azad among others, Kanpur is also
the birth place of Shyamlal Gupta 'Parshad', composer of the famous
patriotic ditty 'Vijayee Great Hindi leterateurs like Acharya Mahavir
Parasad Dwivedi, Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi, Pratap Narain Mishra,
Acharya Gaya Prasad Shukla 'Sanehi' and Balkrishna Sharma 'Navin'
having hailed from here.
Nestled on the banks of the eternal Ganga, Kanpur stands as one
of North India's major industrial centers 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 'Kanhpur'. 
