Kanpur - History

In 1207 AD Raja Kanti Deo of Prayag who was attached to the throne of Kannauj established the village Kohna, which later came to be known as Kanpur. Kanpur continued its association with Kannauj during the reins of Harsha Vardhan, Bhoj, Mihir, Jai Chand and early Muslim rulers. Later it came under the Jaunpur rulers and the Sur Dynasty. The first mention of Kanpur was made in 1579 during Sher Shah's regime.

Upto the 1^st half of the 18^th century it continued to survive as an insignificant village. Its fate, however, took a new turn soon after. The city passed into British hands under the treaty of 1801 with Nawab Saadat Ali Khan of Awadh. This forms a turning point in the history of Kanpur. Soon it became one of the most important military station of British India. Kanpur was declared a district on 24^th March 1803.

After 1857, the development of Kanpur was phenomenal. Government Harnes and Saddlery Factory were started for supplying leather material for army in 1860, followed by Cooper Allen & Co. in 1880.

Kanpur municipality came into existence in 1884 and became a municipal corporation in 1959. In 1975 the State Government established a Development Authority. The city has also made significant contribution in the literature and fine arts. The legendary Birbal, a minister in the court of Akbar and known for his wit and wisdom was born in a village, Takuapur, of Kanpur District. Hindi literature reveals various names of writers and poets that belonged to this area. Kanpur had been the centre of patriotic Hindi magazines and newspapers such as Brahman, Saraswati, Vishwamitra, Veer Arjun and Pratap.