Visiting Places
| Places/institution available within 100Kms for study tour |
| KANNAUJ |
| WELCOME TO THE DISTRICT KANNAUJ WEBSITEKANNAUJ WAS CAPITAL OF THE KINGDOM OF GREAT EMPEROR HARSHWARDHAN Home History Geography District Origin District At a Glance District Map Freedom Fighter Industry Places of Interest Photogallery DM's Name Telephone Number HISTORY Kannauj is one among the most ancient place of India having rich archeological and cultural heritage, The ancient name of this place is Kanyakubja or Mahodya (as per Balmiki Ramayana, Mahabharat and Puran) later name kanyakubja was changed as Kannauj the present name of the District. The early history of the region now covered by the present district of Kannauj goes back to remote antiquity. During the Bronze age numerous pre historical weapons and tools were find here. Large numbers of stone statues are found here. Kannauj can claim great antiquity in sculpture. The Aryans settled in this region who were close allies of Kurus. The traditional history of the district from the earliest times till the end of The Mahabharata war is gleaned from the Puranas & Mahabharata 'Amavasu' founded a kingdom, the capital of which later was Kanyakubja (Kannauj). Jahnu was a powerful king since the river Ganga is said to have been named after him as Jahnaui. This region rose into great prominence during the Mahabharata period. Kampilya was the capital of South Panchala and it was here that the famous Svayamvara of Draupadi. The name Panchala being used for the entire region, of which Kampilya (Kampil) was the chief city which has till then been the capital of South Panchala. Panchala figures as the tenth in the list of the sixteen premier states (Mahajanpada) in the time of Mahavira and Buddha and is said to have comprised the region covered by the present districts of Bareily , Badaun and Farrukhabad. About the middle of the fourth century B.C., probably in the reign of Mahapadma, this territory was annexed to the Nanda empire of Magadha. Ashoka also built a monolithic pillar at Sankisa, which was noticed by the Chinese traveller, Fa-hien. A large number of coins were found at places like Mathura and Kannauj and in Panchala region which are supposed to be associated with the Mitra rulers. The basis of the coins are generally believed to have flourished between C.100 B.C. and C.200 A.D. Kannauj was a famous and important city in the second century is also attested to by its mention under the name of Kangora or Kanogiza by the geographer, Ptolemy (C.140 A.D.). The present district of Farrukhabad shared the fruits of the golden age of the Guptas and contributed much towards its peace and prosperity. Fa-hien, the Chinese pilgrim visited Kannauj between 399 and 414 A.D., during the reign of Chandragupta II. Fa-hien spent his retreat at the Dragon-Shrine and when it was over he travelled seven yojanas to the south-east, which brought him to Kannauj. Sankisa was one of the greatest Buddhist pilgrims centre at the time of Fa-hien's visit. Fa-hien remarks "This country is very productive and the people are flourishing and happy beyond compare. When man of other nations come, care is taken of all of them and they are provided with what they require". There was a renewed invasion of the Hunas with far greater success. After this, Harivarman appears to have been the founder of the Maukhari house of Kannauj. Harsha also advanced towards Kannauj. The Chinese pilgrim, Hiuen Tsang, visited Kannauj in 643 A.D.. There were 100 Buddhist Monasteries with more than 10000 priests. A religious assembly was also held here by Harsha. Hiuen Tsang mentions Kah-Pi-Ta (Kapitha, identified with Sankisa) as the other important place of the district. The close of the 10th century was marked by the Muslim invasion of India. Rajyapala was the ruler of Kannauj when Mahmud of Ghazni attacked India. After sacking Mathura, Mahmud proceeded towards Kannauj in 1018 A.D. He saw "a city which raised its head to the skies and which in strength and beauty might boast of being unrivalled." Mahmud captured all the seven forts of Kannauj in 1019 A.D. An inscription of the Chalukya dynasty of Lata, dated 1050 A.D. associates the Rashtrakuta dynasty with Kannauj. During 1089-90 A.D. Chandradeva the first Gahadavala king of Kannauj ruled and have protected the sacred places of Kushika (Kannauj). Kannauj once more recovered a large measure of its old importance during 1114 A.D. to 1154 . During the reign of Chauhans (1170-1194 A.D.) Kannauj became powerful and annexed to Delhi. Kannauj (Jaichandra's capital) was the scene of Svayamvara of his daughter Samyogita, who was carried off by Prithviraj III. Mohammad Ghauri invaded India and killed Jaichandra in 1193 A.D. Jaichand's son, Harichandra continued to occupy Kannauj even after 1193 A.D. The Muslim supremacy over the kingdom was perplexing or abhorrent to him and so he discreetly omitted any specific reference to Harichandra or his Muslims overlord. In 1233-34 Iltutmish ordered the Kannauj Garrison to join the imperial forces in an expedition against Kalinjar. In 1244, The district of Kannauj was conferred by the dissolute Alauddin Masaud on his uncle Jalaluddin for his maintenance. The royal forces reached Kannauj and besieged the fort of Balsandah. This fortress was very strong and the royal forces returned with immense booty. Ghiasuddin Balban, who then possessed the Delhi throne, (1268-87) marched towards this region and divided the whole area into a number of military commands. At each of these place he erected forts,garrisoned with seasoned Afghan troops. Balban himself remained in the vicinity for many months. Ziauddin Barani writes "Sixty years have passed since these events, but the roads have ever since been free from robbers." In 1290 Jalaluddin Firoz Khalji visited the fort of Bhojapur and is believed to have built bridge across the Ganga near the fort. In 1346-47 Muhammad Tughlaq went on another expedition on to this region and reach Sargdaori. In 1392, after a gap of about forty five years, this region was once again up in arms against the imperial authority of this area. In collusion with the Chauhans and Solankhis of the surrounding tracts, the Rajputs of this area broke out in open rebellion. In 1394, the suspected outbreak of another rebellion in this region, the sultan conferred on Khwaja Jahan the title of Malik-ul-Sharq "and appointed him governor of Hindustan from Kannauj to Bihar devolving upon him full power." Malik-ul-Sharq died in 1399 and his adopted son, Mubarak Shah became the virtual ruler at Delhi and reached Kannauj. In 1414, Khizr Khan (whom Timur had left in charge of his possessions in India) occupied the throne of Delhi and inaugurated the rule of Saiyid dynasty. Immediately after his accession in 1423, Mubarak Shah Saiyid marched to Kampil to suppress the Rajputs of the place. On Sikandar Lodhi's death in 1517, his son, Ibrahim, became emperor. He reached Kannauj where he was greeted by Azam Humayun Sarvani, the governor of Kannauj. The result was that several Afghan chiefs willingly joined and Kannauj became a fief under the sovereignty of the Mughals. Kannauj appears to have been recovered by Afghans. In 1527 Babar mobilised his forces against the rebel chief of Chanderi. Babar now captured Chanderi but lost Kannauj and Shamsabad to the Afghans. Kannauj became a dependency of the rebels who found themselves at the head of Muslims and Rajputs. Humayan's continued occupation in the north and gave the ambitious Sher Shah Suri a free hand to prosecute his designs in the east. In July 1537, he entrusted the government of Kannauj to his brother-in-law Nur-ud-din Mohammad. Sher Shah Suri now cut off Humayun's communication with Delhi while the desertion of Hindal and Nur-ud-din (governor of Kannauj) completely blocked Humayun from all sides. Humayun fled across the river to Mainpuri and later in 1543 left India for Kandahar. It appears that immediately after the capture of Kannauj Sher Shah destroyed the old city and built a fort of burnt brick there "and on the spot of gaining victory he built a city Sher Sur." In 1555 the Afghans were over thrown and the power of the Mughals was once again established by Humayun, who returned India after 12 years but he died soon in January 1556 and he was succeeded by his son Akbar. Kannauj was the headquarter of a Sirkar containing 30 Mahals. Kampil, Saurikh, Sakrawa, Sakatpur and Kannauj of Akbar's time have also retained their old names except Kannauj. In 1592 Kannauj was given to Muzaffar Hussain Mirza, but he proved to be a drunkard and was soon deprived. In 1610, Jahangir (1605-27) granted the government of Kannauj to Abdurrahim, the son of great Bairam. Web Site Designed & Maintained By : District Unit Kannauj National Informatics Centre Phone : (05694) 237394 Contact Us |
| Unnao |
| District Unnao Situated between the cities of Lucknow & Kanpur, Unnao has a rich heritage of sword and pen, having produced great freedom fighters, poets and writers. The freedom struggle of 1857-1858 was followed by the transfer of power from the East India Company to the British Crown. As soon as order had been restored, the civil administration was re-established in the district which was named district Unnao, with headquarters at Unnao. The size of the district was however small till 1869, when it assumed its present form. The same year the town of Unnao was constituted a Municipality.Hiuen Tsang, the famous chinese pilgrim to India, stayed at Kannauj for 3 months in 636 AD. From here he journeyed adistance of about 26 kms and reached the city of Na-fo-ti-po-ku-lo (Navadevakula) which stood on the eastern bank of Ganga. The city was about 5 km in circumference and had in or about it, a magnificent Deva Temple, several Buddhist Monasteries and Stupas. |
| IIT Kanpur |
| The Institute is located on the Grand Trunk Road in the outskirts of the industrial town of Kanpur. Rail Link Kanpur is well connected by trains from all parts of India and a mere five hours by train from New Delhi. I.I.T. Kanpur is around 16 kilometers away from the Kanpur central railway station. Taxi (Rs 150) and auto (Rs 100) services are available from the railway station on hire. To find train from different cities towards Kanpur visit http://www.indianrail.gov.in/ Air Link The nearest airport is at Lucknow (95 km). Direct air link from Delhi or Mumbai to Lucknow are available. There are several flights that connect New Delhi and Lucknow (1 hr. flight). Reaching IITK From station: One can take an auto-rikshaw from the pre-paid booth. The fair is Rs 100/-. The cheaper way is to take a rikshaw from Ghantaghar (city side railway station) to Bara Chouraha. The rikshaw fair is Rs 8/-. From Bara Chouraha, pick up a shared auto directly to IIT. The fair is Rs 8/-. |
| IIT Kanpur |
| IITK Saga The Time a Final Examination Was Postponed In 1996, a "boat race" was part of the third design course in mechanical engineering. Students designed and built model boats powered by small steam engines, then raced them for glory (grades). That year, the boat race was held in the cooling pond in front of the P.K. Kelkar Library. The race had just begun, the judges were strutting back and forth with their sheaves of scoring sheets, when pandemonium broke loose. In the heat of the moment, everybody had forgotten the large bee hives that hung from the concrete sun shades of the Library. The fumes from the kerosene-burning steam engines had agitated the bees and they swooped down on the assemblage of contestants and spectators. Students ran leaving their boats, the judges their score sheets, and Prof P.K. Das, the instructor of the course, just ran away, no one knew where to. In more ways than one this event was a first. Never before had an IITK exam ended in such chaos and, of course, bolting faculty may never be seen again! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- IITK is writing its story. To most people who have been associated with IITK, this institute is special in many ways. We hope to bring out this unique flavour in the book and, for that, we need contributions from everybody who has a story to tell. Irrespective of the nature of your association with IITK, you must remember at least one story --- anecdotes from the classroom, the playing fields, the hostels and the offices of the faculty and staff. Before these are lost or forgotten and before the photos in your old albums fade away, the Institute hopes to record them. Your Institute asks you to delve deep into your bag of memories and pull out those reminiscences. You can contribute in many ways: Perhaps you have an anecdote or a photograph that illustrates life on campus or the essence of the IITK experience, or is related to some significant development on campus. Perhaps you were among the students who contributed labour to the construction of the swimming pool or took the first glider flight, or brought out the first student journal. Perhaps you were on campus when "the strike" took place. If you have been on the faculty, perhaps you remember something special about your first reactions; perhaps you have an interesting story from your interactions with students, inside or outside the class, or from your experiences as a family man on campus. Or, you may like to share your personal views on the spirit of IITK or the contributions this Institute has made. Send your contributions by e-mail to history@iitk.ac.in or write to: B.N.Banerjee Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering I.I.T. Kanpur Kanpur 208 016 e-mail: bnb@iitk.ac.in |
| Bithoor |
| Ganga Ghats, Bithoor The quiet and beautiful township of Bithoor is situated on the Kannauj Road, 27 km from Kanpur. Situated on the banks of the Ganga, this tranquil spot is of considerable historical and religious importance. According to Hindu scriptures Lord Brahma came to Utpalaranya, as it was known then, for the creation of mankind. The place which first witnessed the creation of mankind came to be known as Brahmavarta or the seat of Brahma. Later Brahma installed a Shivalinga which is still worshipped as Brahmeshwar Mahadeva at the principal Ghat of Bithoor, The Brahmavarta Ghat. A nail of the horse shoe which is embedded in the steps of the Ghat is an object of special reverence for devotees, considered to be of Brahma’s horse, while going for Ashwamedha Yajna. On the completion of the Yajna, the forests of Utpalaranya, became known as Brahmavarta, from which the popular name, Bithoor is derived. In later centuries Brahmavarta flourished as the capital of the kingdom of Utpalaranya, over which ruled the emperor Uttanpad. His son Dhruva penanced here in order to please Brahma. The place is pointed out to be Dhruva Teela. There is a small pool inside Valmiki Ashram, famous as Sita-Kund. Sita ‘Rasoi’ is still preserved, near which stands ‘Swarga Naseinee’ or Deep Malika Stambha, studded with niches all around for illumination. The tower has about 48 steps leading to its top which is surmounted by a cupola, from where one can have a panoramic view of the entire area. The existing Valmiki temple is said to have been rebuilt by Baji Rao Peshwa in the 19th century. Later Brahmavarta fell into obscurity, only to regain prominence in the 18th century. During 1753-75 under the rule of Nawab Shuja-ud-daula, the administration of Bithoor was entrusted to Almas Ali Khan, who erected a mosque near Lakshman Ghat on the right bank of Ganga. Bithoor was the capital of the Pargana from 1811 to 1819. After the departure of the courts, the place was assigned as a residence to Baji Rao, the deposed Peshwa. The palace of Nana Sahib was reduced to rubble by the British in 1857 and the only traces remaining of it are some large well heads and broken palace walls. The historic town of Bithoor, once famous by the name of ‘Bavan Ghaton ki Nagri’, (city of 52 Ghats) today left with only 29 Ghats. Area: 05 sq. km Population: 7665 (1991 census) Altitude: 126 mtrs. Above sea level Season: October-March Clothing: (Summer) Cottons, (Winter Woolens) Transport: Tempo/Taxi/Rickshaw/Tonga Language: Hindi Festivals: Kartik Poornima Magh Poornima, Makar Sankranti Mela STD: 0512-712 Valmiki Ashram This ashram is located at a height and accessible by a flight of stairs known as the "stairway to heaven". A panoramic vie of Bithoor can be enjoyed from this ashram. Brahmavart Ghat This is considered the holiest Ghat of Bithoor. Devotees of Lord Brahma pray at the altar of the "Wooden Slippers" after a ritual dip in the Ganga. Patthar Ghat The foundation stone of this red sandstone Ghat was laid by Tikait Rai, a minister of Awadh State. There is a massive temple her dedicated to Lord Shiva. The shivlinga in the temple is made of "Kasauti" or the philosopher's stone. Dhruva teela This marks the place where the child Dhruva meditated single mindedly as he stood on one leg. As a reward, God granted Dhruva the divine boon to shine for all time as a star. Other places of interest include Ram Janki temple, Luv-Kush temple, Haridham Ashram and Nana Rao Smarak. Air Nearest airports are chakuri Airport, Kanpur. The latter has become operational since Januari 1996 and is serviced by , Archana Airways and other private airlines. Rail Kalyanpur is the nearest station, but serviced only by passenger trains, Kanpur Junction is the most suitable station for Bithoor. Some important trains that pass through Kanpur central railway station. Road Major road distances are : Kanpur - 22 km, Lucknow - 109 km, Agra - 308 km, Kannauj - 103 km, Sankisa - 166 km, Delhi - 430 km, Allahabad - 224 km, Ayodhya - 252 km. Nearest UP Tourism Accommodation Tatyaganj (12 km) Tourist Motel Fatehpur Roshnai (Rania) 24 km Tourist Bungalow Only local eateries available that serve vegetarian Indian food. Only souvenir items are available on the Ghats on the banks of the river Ganga for shopping at Bithoor |