Meerut

Meerut Meerut
city
Nickname:  The Sports City of India
Government
• M.P.	Rajendra Aggarwal
Population  (2010)
• Total	221,871
Website	meerut.nic.in

Meerut is a metropolitan city and a municipal corporation in Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is an ancient city located 56 km (35 mi) north-east of New Delhi. It is a part of the National Capital Region of India. It is the 16th largest metropolitan area in India and the 17th largest city in India. It ranked 292 in 2006 and 242 in 2020 in the list of largest cities and urban areas in the world. Meerut is the 63rd fastest growing urban area in the world. It is also the fastest developing city of Uttar Pradesh after Noida and Ghaziabad. It is spread about 172 square km. It is the 14th fastest developing city of India. The total metropolitian area is 198 km which is third in Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow and Kanpur. It has the 2^nd largest army cantonment of the country. The city is famous for its scissors, Handloom Cloths, gold jewellery, sports goods (especially cricket goods), Gazak and Rewri; and is sometimes called the city of scissors or the sports capital of India. Most of all, the city is famous for the Revolt of 1857, also called India's First War of Independence, which began here. With the cheap availability of land as compared to Delhi, and being in the proximity of Delhi, the city is fast developing as an industrial and education hub in Western Uttar Pradesh.

Etymology

The city may have derived its name from Maya Rashtra, the capital of the kingdom of Mandodari's father, Ravana's father-in-law, Mayasura. This name may have mutated to Mairashtra, Mai-dant-ka-khera, Mairaath and eventually Meerut.

History

After the archaeological excavations at ‘Vidura-ka-tila’, a collection of several mounds, in 1950-52, a site 23 miles north-east of Meerut, it was concluded to be remains of the ancient city of Hastinapur, the capital of Kauravas and Pandavas of Mahabharata, which was washed away by Ganges floods.

Fragment of the 6th Ashoka Pillar in sandstone, with inscription or Edicts of Ashoka, in Brahmi, originally from Meerut, now at British Museum.

However, even before the vedic period, Meerut contained a Harappan settlement known as Alamgirpur. It was also the Easternmost settlement of the Indus valley civilization. Meerut had been a centre of Buddhism in the period of Mauryan Emperor Ashoka (r. 273 BC to 232 BC.), and remains of Buddhist structures were found near the Jama Masjid in the present day city. The Ashoka Pillar, at Delhi ridge, next to the ‘Bara Hindu Rao Hospital’, near Delhi University, was brought to Delhi, by Firuz Shah Tughluq (r. 1351 - 1388), it was later damaged in a 1713 explosion, and restored in 1867.

In the eleventh century AD, the south-west part of the district was ruled by Har Dat, the Dor Raja of Bulandshahr who built a fort, which was long known for its strength and finds mention in Ain-i-Akbari. He was later defeated by Mahmud Ghazni in 1018. Though, the first big invasion on the city came later in 1192 AD, from Mohammad Ghori, when his general Qutb-ud-din Aybak attacked the city, and converted all the Hindu temples into mosques. However, a much worse fate lay ahead for the district, which came with the invasion of Timur in 1398, during which the Rajputs offered a tough resistance at the fort of Loni, where he fought the Sultan of Delhi, Muhammad Tughlaq. But, eventually they were all defeated and all the 1,00,000 prisoners his army had taken in since his invasion of India were massacred, according to Timur’s own accounts in Tuzk-e-Taimuri. Thereafter he went on to attack Delhi, where he again massacred the local population, and returned to attack Meerut town, then ruled by an Afghan chief, Ilias, and took the city in two days, leading to widespread devastation, before heading North once again.

During the rule of Mughal Emperor, Akbar the Great (r. 1556-1605), there was a mint for copper coins here.

1857 Mutineers' Mosque

Meerut is famously associated with the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company, known as The Sepoy Mutiny or First Indian War of Independence. The famous slogan "Dilli Chalo" ("Let's march to Delhi!") was first raised here. Meerut cantonment is the place where the rebellion started when Hindu and Muslim soldiers were given rifle cartridges rumoured to have a coating made of animal fat. The bullet wrapping was to be opened by mouth before use, which affected the religious sensibilities of both Muslims and Hindus as the fat used was alleged to be derived from lard and tallow; cows are held sacred by Hindus and Muslims consider the pig unclean.Meerut soldiers set fire to the bunglows of English.From the city of Meerut the revolt started in all India.

During this revolt, Meerut leapt into international prominence, when on 24 April 1857 eighty-five of the ninety troopers of the third cavalry refused to touch the cartridges and after court-martial were sentenced to ten years imprisonment. This marked the beginning of a widespread revolt across northern India.

Meerut was also the venue of the controversial Meerut Conspiracy Case in March 1929, in which several trade unionists, including three Englishmen, were arrested for organizing Indian-rail strike. This immediately caught attention back in England, inspired the 1932 play titled Meerut Prisoners, by Manchester street theatre group, the 'Red Megaphones', highlighting the detrimental effects of colonization and industrialization

The city and district also suffered from communal (Hindu-Sikh) riots in 1984 and (Hindu-Muslim) riots in 1982 and 1987. In 2006, a fire at a consumer electronics "Brand India" fair in Victoria Park Stadium killed over 50(official counting) people. But, according to some unofficial sources, the number of affected people is pegged at more than 200.

Climate

Meerut has very hot summers and very cold winters. Temperature in summers can reach 48 degree Celsius. Summers last from April to July. Visibility is almost zero during November to January due to fog. Lowest temperature recorded is 0.5 degrees. Rainfall is good and about 80cm to 100cm per annum, which is suitable for growing crops.

Geography

Meerut lies between 28.2 latitudes and 77.7 longitudes in the northern plains of India. The ground is not rocky and there are no mountains. Land is suitable for growing crops. Meerut lies between plains of rivers Ganga and Yamuna, there is no water scarcity as ground water is present.

Mythology

• Ravana's wife Mandodari (in Ramayana) hailed from Meerut. Thus the city is also known as 'Ravan Ki Sasural' literally meaning Ravana's wife's home.
• In the Ramayana, Shravan Kumar carried his feeble parents on his shoulders to all the pilgrimage sites in India, but it is believed that when he passed through Meerut, he put down his parents for a while to get rest and water. It was here that Lord Rama's father, King Dasharatha, mistook Shravan Kumar for a deer and shot him with an arrow by accident. Shravan Kumar's parents declared that the king's own first son would abandon him when he needed him the most.
• Lakshagrah (लाक्षागृह) (home of lac) described in the Mahabharata — designed in conspiracy to burn Pandavas alive by Kauravas — was situated here. The place is now known as barnawa and is situated along the Meerut - Baraut road,where today also the light structure of mahal is left.

Meerut Cantonment

Meerut Cantonment is 2^nd largest cantonment of India both in land area and population. It is the cleanest part of city and is most beautiful sight at night in Meerut. Meerut Cantonment is the place where riots of 1857 started. Mall road is one of the most beautiful roads of Meerut. It is surrounded with cleaned footpaths and statues and trees. A tank of Pakistan army is standing as a exception in cantonment. Meerut's one of the most convenient club wheelers club is situated in cantonment. Meerut Cantonment railway station is one of the 4 stations that serve Meerut. It was built in 1865 during the rule of Britishers. Meerut Cantt covers the city from 3 sides from Sainik Vihar to Pallavpuram to Ganga Nagar. Race course, Golf course and RVC center are also in Meerut Cantt.

Demographics

Meerut City is the headquarters of Meerut district which, according to the 1991 census, consists of 1,025 villages with a population of around (3.44 million) .

District population(1991 census)

District	Male	Female	Total
Urban	681,209	595,348	1,276,557
Rural	1,180,533	990,822	2,171,355
Total	1,861,742	1,586,170	3,447,812

According to the 2001 census, the city ranks 17th in terms of population and 6th in terms of population density in Uttar Pradesh. The city also ranks 2nd in terms of population in NCR. Males constitute 53.43% of the population and females 46.56%. The city has an average literacy rate of 83.96%, higher than the national average of 59.8%. Male literacy is 86.31%, and female literacy is 82.12%. 16.66% of the population is under 6 years of age. Meerut has one of the largest Muslim populations among the cities of India(close to 32.5%).It is the largest Muslim city in uttar pradesh(more than lucknow).Meerut cantonment is the second largest cantt in India both in area and population.Meerut has crime rate of 576 which is more than other cities in Uttar Pradesh.Hindu-Muslims riots are common in Meerut.

District Population(2001 census)

District	Male	Female	Total
Urban	774,670	677,313	1,451,983
Rural	826,908	718,470	1,545,378
Total	1,601,578	1,395,783	2,997,361
Literacy	76.31%	54.12%	65.96%

Development

Meerut is 63^rd fastest growing urban area in the world. It is 14^th fastest developing city in India out performing Bhopal, Lucknow, Mumbai etc. About 100 builders have poured into the city for building townships, IT parks, malls, hospitals etc. Supertech builder has already made townships like palm greens and many other projects have been announced. Sports city is being built by Supertech in Pitampura near Pallavpuram, Roorkee road (NH58). Shoprixx mall being is built by supertech. Many world class brands is associated with this project. Ansal builders has also announced townships in Meerut. Ansal courtyard, Ansal city are taking shape on western bypass. Ansal Plaza is also taking shape on western bypass at Ansal's Shushant city. Delhi-Meerut expressway is expected to get completed by 2013. Meerut airport will be developed to international level for reducing pressure at Indira Gandhi Airport,New Delhi. Upper Ganga canal expreesway is also under development. GAIL is also establishing its plant in Meerut and Muradnagar to supply cooking gas within the city. Main roads like Garh road, Begam Bridge Road, Mawana road will be widen and lights and gardens will be put around them.

Many new malls being also constructed in and around the city. Meerut presently has 9 malls and by 2012 there will 20 malls surrounding the city. Many new malls are under constructed including Shopprix mall, Ansal Plaza at Meerut bypass, MSX mall at NH 119(Mawana road ), Alpha one mall Modipuram (NH 58)and many other.

Economy

Meerut is famous as an industrial city. It is a rich agriculture area with such pockets of land that do not fit in for crop purpose. Being in the proximity of Delhi, it is ideal for industry. Existing industries: Textile, Transformer, Sugar, Distillery, Chemical, Engineering, Paper, Sports Goods Manufacturing; Prospective Industries: IT, ITES.

Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC) already has two industrial estates in Meerut, namely Partapur and Udyog Puram. Mohkampur industrial area is a private initiative. Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd has unrestricted power at Partapur, Udyogpuram and Mohkampur industrial areas.

Bhur Baral industrial area is under development. Another industrial area has been identified by UPSIDC at Gagol road adjacent to Delhi road. 1200 hectares of land is available for industrial development. Identified industrial areas are at Shatabdi nagar, Delhi road, Baghpat road, Roorkee road, Mawana road, Parikshitgarh(Kila) road, Garh road and Hapur road. Further 2000 hectares land is being proposed for industrial development near Delhi-Meerut expressway.

The infrastructure segment of Meerut is currently going through a boom phase with many new projects coming up in and around the city. There are many new buildings, shopping complexes, malls, roads, flyovers and apartments coming up. Many malls have recently been built by major developers of the country. These include Mellange at Pallav Puram, PVS Mall at Shastri Nagar, Rap Magnum Mall and Era Mall at Delhi Road. Many more malls are under construction, namely Ansal Plaza at weatern By-pass road, Phoenix Mall at Delhi Road, MCP Mall(Grand Savy Mall) at EK Road,MSX mall and TDI mall at mawana road.

Meerut has innumerable hotels. Hotel Naveen Deluxe, Hotel Crystal Palace and Hotel Samrat Heavens are the biggest hotels in the city, while, Hotal Mayur Deluxe and Hotel Yadu Residency are other hotels. A five star hotel at Baghpat road bypass crossing and a three star hotel at Delhi road near Rithani are under construction. Popular restaurants include the Blue Lagoon in Hotel Crystal Palace, Delhi Darbar at Hapur Road, Al Kareem restaurent at Ghanta Ghar, Alfa, Cream Bell Ice Cream parlour at Abu Lane, McDonald's, Pizza Hut, Dominoe's, Nirula's, Cafe Coffee Day, Barista Coffee, Coffee Delight, Bikanerwala, and Maanchow with KFC on its way. Famous bars of Meerut are Cellar in Hotel Crystal palace (boundary road), Bottoms Up (Hotel Mukut Mahal - Delhi Road), Indiana (near mall road), Rajmahal (Abu lane). The city also boasts of many clubs, like Wheeler's club, Alexender club etc. Meerut is home to showrooms of several internationally known clothing and sports brands such as Adidas, Reebok, Nike, Inc., Puma AG, Killer, levi's, Spykar, Pepe Jeans, UCB, Cotton County, Koutons, Peter England and many more.

The gold market of Meerut is one of Asia’s largest; it employs over 25,000 skilled craftsmen and around 60 kilograms of the precious metal is processed here everyday. Meerut is the largest supplier of sports goods with SG [2] being the largest Indian cricket goods manufacturer and exporter operating in Meerut. Also big is the musical instrument industry. One of the leading Pharmaceuticals manufacturer, Perk Pharmaceuticals Ltd., is also located here.

According to statistics compiled by the Income Tax department, Meerut contributed a handsome Rs.10,089 crore to the national treasury in 2007-08, outperforming Lucknow, Jaipur, Bhopal, Kochi and Bhubaneshwar.

Media

Meerut is becoming an important media center, as journalists from all over Uttar Pradesh and other Indian states are working in Meerut. Recently a lot of news channels have started showing programs. As media centers are situated in Meerut, the city is getting a good amount of publicity on the national platform. The law and order situation has improved a lot in the recent past and media has had an important role to play in it. Radio stations shared with Delhi are Radio City 91.1 MHz, Big FM 92.7 MHz, Red FM 93.5 MHz, Radio One 94.3 MHz, Hit 95(95 MHz), Radio Mirchi 98.3 MHz, AIR FM Rainbow 102.6 MHz, Meow FM 104.8 MHz, AIR FM Gold 106.4 MHz. RADIO IIMT (90.4 MHz) is the only radio station located in the city. Many popular Bollywood artists hailed from Meerut. Some of them are Mandakini (actress), Vishal Bhardwaj, Chitrangada Singh, Achint Kaur, Deepti Bhatnagar, and the internationally acclaimed actor Naseeruddin Shah. Meerut is also the birthplace of famous Bollywood singer Kailash Kher and Arun Govil who played the character of Rama in India's most popular religious Telivison serial Ramayana.

Meerut also shelters some of the most renowned writers of India who have given a major contribution in education, like M.L. Khanna, R.S. Aggarwal, S K Agarwal, O.P. Aggarwal and Dr.B.Raman as well as internationally famous art historian R. A. Aggarwal. It has some of the most popular publication houses like Arihant Prakashan, Bharti Bhawan publications, Chitra Prakashan, Jai Prakash Publications, Bharat Bharti Publications, Rastogi Publications, and Vidya Publications.

Education

Meerut is an education hub of Western Uttar Pradesh having a total of 4 universities, 50 Engineering colleges, 27 other colleges and countless institutions and schools. Meerut has always remained great attraction for IIT coaching for Western U.P. students after Delhi. The city is home to the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel University of Agriculture & Technology and Chaudhary Charan Singh University (earlier known as Meerut University), Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, and Shobhit University.

Few well-known engineering colleges of Meerut are Vidya College of Engineering, Sir Chhotu Ram Institute of Engineering & Technology,College of Engineering & Rural Technology(C.E.R.T.), Forte Institute of Technology (F.I.T.), Indian Institute of Management and Technology (I.I.M.T), Master School of Management (MSM), Bharat Institute of Technology (B.I.T), Radha Govind Engineering College(RGEC) , Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology (M.I.E.T), and Deewan V.S. Institute of Engineering & Technology. The city currently has two medical colleges, namely Subharti Medical College and the Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College. The city's prominent academic colleges are Meerut College, D.N. College, Faiz-E-Aam Degree College, Ismail National Girls P.G. College, R.G Degree College and N.A.S College. Some Reputed schools of the city are St. John's Sr. Sec. School,Guru Tegh Bahadur Public School, Meerut Public School, MPGS, Sophia, St. Mary's, Deewan Public School, D.A.V. Public school and St Thomas.

Sports

Meerut has given many international players in many sports. Praveen Kumar (aka PK) and Raman Lamba, Indian cricket players, belong to Meerut. There are three sports stadiums in Meerut namely Kailash Prakash sports stadium, Kulwant Singh Stadium at Dogra Lines and Victoria Park (Bhama Shah Park) cricket stadium. Meerut is the top producer of sports goods (specially cricket goods) all over India. SG, BDM are the leading cricket goods manufacturer in India. Vats sports is a well-known goods producer. Meerut organises many sports tournaments. Kailash Praksah Sports Stadium boasts of a National level Synthetic Basketball court and swimming pool.

Transport

Meerut is the biggest city in NCR after Delhi.The nearest airport is the Indira Gandhi International Airport which is about 80 km away. An international airport is proposed by the state government in city to reduce pressure in Delhi airport.

Road Transport:

By road Meerut is well-connected to major cities like Delhi, Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Haridwar, etc. A large number of people commute to Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurgaon every day for work. Two national highway (NH-58 & NH-119) pass through Meerut. An expressway from Delhi to Meerut and Upper Ganga Canal Expressway which passes through outskirts of the city are under development.

There are 2 main bus terminals, namely Bhainsali bus terminal and Sohrab Gate bus terminal from where Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation(UPSRTC) buses ply to cities all over the state.

As Meerut has announced a metropolitan city in 2007, JNNURM scheme has been taken place and many low floor city buses are running over the city roads. Low Floor City Buses, Normal City Buses, auto rickshaws and rickshaws are convenient public transport options to commute within the city. Many new transport infrastructure projects like inner ring road, outer ring road and construction of new flyovers are proposed.

Railways:

Meerut has four railway stations- Meerut City , Meerut Cantt, Partapur, and Pabli Khas. Meerut City station is busiest station in the city. Meerut cantt station was founded in 1865 and serves as a secondary railway station. Meerut lies on Delhi - Saharanpur railway line.

Tourist destinations

Augarnath Temple at 2nd Navratri night

Meerut, with its imminent history and luxuriant picturesque backdrop, has a well-developed tourism sector. The notable tourist destinations include:

• Jain temples of Hastinapur - According to Jain tradition, Hastinapur was one of the earliest Indian cities like Ayodhya and Kashi and came into existence during the time of Rishabhadeva (the first tirthankara) whose grandson, Somaprabha, was the first ruler of the place. It is also said to be the birth place of three Jain tirthankars, Shantinatha, Kunthnnath and Arahanatha.
• Jain Temple at Mohalla Teergaran - It is the oldest Jain temple of Meerut amongst 40 Jain temples. Its main statue is of Jain tirthanker Shantinath, which was built at the same time when the main statue of Jain Temple, Hastinapur was built. This temple is preserved by the Indian government for its old art work. The Digumber statues in the temple are really fascinating. Its full name is 'Shri Shantinath Digamber Jain Madir - Teergaran (Meerut)'.
• St. John's Church - This church was established by Chaplin Reverend Henry Fisher on behalf of the East India Company in 1819 in the cantonment area and was completed in 1822. It is considered one of the oldest churches in North India. The Church was dedicated to the people by Bishop Wilson. It has a seating capacity of 10,000 people. During the war of 1857, this church was the scene of heavy fighting between Indians and the British forces.
• Augarnath Temple - This grand temple is located at the site where the soldiers of the war of 1857 planned their operations. The old temple has been replaced by a modern version.
• The Jama Masjid was built by Hasan Mahdi, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi's Wazir (chief minister) in 1019 AD (older than the Qutb Minar). That makes it the first Masjid in North India. And although it was restored by Humayun, it is one of the oldest Muslim mosques in India. The Tomb of Shah Pir was erected by the empress Nur Jahan in honour of a local Muslim saint. Qutb-ud-din Aybak is believed to have built the Maqbara of Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud (Baley Miyan). There are other mausoleams and mosques indicating the strong Muslim presence in Meerut.
• Martyr's Memorial (Shaheed Smarak)
• Gandhi Bagh (Company Garden)
• Suraj Kund
• Chandi Devi Temple
• Mansa Devi Temple
• Bale Miyan ki Dargah
• Shahpeer Sahab ki Dargah
• Jama Masjid (Built in 11th Century)
• Shahi Eid Gaah (Capacity of 1,00,000 Namazi)
• Basilica of Our Lady of Graces, Sardhana (Sardhana Church)
• Parikshitgarh
• Baleni
• Barnawa
• Meerut cantonment- It is second largest cantt of India after Kanpur. It has a population of 96,989 and covers the city from almost three sides. Meerut cantonment railway station was built in 1865.

Famous Personalities from Meerut

Meerut has given many named super stars and political leaders. Ch. Charan Singh ,who was the Prime Minister of India belongs to this city. [[Praveen Kumar[[ (aka PK) and Raman Lamba, Indian cricket players, belong to Meerut. Renowned singer Kailash Kher, actress Deepti Bhatnagar, Chitrangada Singh and famous director Vishal Bharadwaj hails from this city. Pravesh Rana (Mr.India 2008 and Bigg Boss 3 runner up) and Raja Choudhary[Bigg Boss 2 Runner's Up] are from Meerut.

Meerut 2006 fire

Fire broke out in Meerut at Victoria park at 10 April 2006. During a fair a large crowd got gathered at electronic shop at that fair. Due to short circuit the fire broke out in whole fair. As there was only one gate for entrance and for going out people got trapped inside that fair. Due to this about 50 people got killed and more than 150 injured.

Trivia

• Mall Road is a wide road in Meerut near what was originally a British Military cantonment. Raghbir Sarang was known to have raced horses and buggies on this road and was whipped for having beaten up an Englishman.
• In the 1940s, Meerut movie theaters had a "Don't Move" policy during playing of the British national anthem.
• Historic 'nauchandi Mela' is famous as a symbol of Hindu-Muslim Unity. Dargah of 'Hazrat Bale Mian' and the Temple of 'Navchandi Devi' are situated facing each other. During this 'mela' , sound of the temple bells and the Azan from the mosque situated at the shrine of Bale mian creates a 'spiritual echo'. Nauchandi mela is also famous for its favourite dish "Halwa Parantha".
• Shahpeer's Tomb is also famous. People say that Shahpeer was the Teacher of Mughal Emperor Jehangir. Before his death Jahangeer's wife queen Noorjahan built a tomb in the memory of Shahpeer in 24 hours. That's why the tomb is incomplete. According to the scholors A colony of Meerut city also called Shahpeer gate in the name of Muslim saint Shahpeer.

Further reading

• Service and Adventure with the Khakee Ressalah; Or, Meerut Volunteer Horse, During the Mutinies of 1857-58, by Robert Henry Wallace Dunlop, Pub. R. Bentley, 1858.
• The Chaplain's Narrative of the Siege of Delhi: From the Outbreak at Meerut to the Capture of Delhi, by John Edward Wharton Rotton. Pub. Smith, Elder, 1858.
• The Mutiny outbreak at Meerut in 1857, by Julian Arthur Beaufort Palmer. Cambridge University Press, 1966. ISBN 0-521-05901-1.
• Mutiny in Meerut, by Vivian Stuart. Aidan Ellis Publishing, 1991. ISBN 0-85628-210-3.
• Flashman In The Great Game, by George MacDonald Fraser, 1975.

See also

• Indian Rebellion of 1857
• 2006 Meerut fire
• Meerut district
• Meerut division
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Meerut
• Hastinapur

References

MAWANA CITY

External links

• Official website of Meerut city
• Official Meerut district website
• First local search engine of Meerut city
• Insights into British era Meerut, plus a look at contemporary Meerut city
• Meerut City Travel Guide, News
• Meerut Institute of Engineering and Technology(M.I.E.T) Official Website
• Bharat Institute of Technology(B.I.T) Official Website
• Vidya College Of Engineering Official Website