Meerut (Hindi: मेरठ, ) is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is an ancient city with settlements dating back to the Indus Valley civilization having been found in and around the area. The city lies 70 km (43 mi) northeast of the national capitalNew Delhi, and 453 km (281 mi) northwest of the state capital, Lucknow. It is the second largest city in the National Capital Region of India (the largest being Delhi), the 16th largest metropolitan area and 25th largest city in India. It ranked 292 in 2006 and 242 in 2010 in the list of largest cities and urban areas in the world. The city covers an area of about 172 km2 (66 sq mi) while the total area is 198 km2 (76 sq mi), third largest in Uttar Pradesh after Kanpur and Lucknow . It has the 2nd largest army cantonment in the country. The city is one of the largest producers of sports goods, and the largest producer of musical instruments in India. It is also the largest producers of bicycle rickshaw in world. The city is also an education hub in western Uttar Pradesh.
Etymology
Etymology
The city may have derived its name from Maya Rashtra, the capital of the kingdom of Mayasura, Mandodari's father and Ravana's father-in-law. This name may have mutated to Mairashtra, Mai-dant-ka-khera, Mairaath and eventually Meerut.
According to another version Maya, a distinguished architect, got from king Yudhisthira the land on which the city of Meerut now stands and he called this place Mayrashtra, a name which in course of time became shortened to Meerut. Tradition has it that the district formed part of the dominions of Mahipal, Gurjar king of Indraprashta, and the word Meerut is associated with his name.
History
Meerut also contained a Harappan settlement known as Alamgirpur. It was also the easternmost settlement of the Indus valley civilisation. Meerut had been a centre of Buddhism in the period ofMauryan 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 carried to Delhi from Meerut, by Firuz Shah Tughluq (r. 1351–1388); it was later damaged in a 1713 explosion, and restored in 1867.
Meerut is famously associated with the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company.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 bungalows of the English.
The city and district also suffered from communal (Hindu-Sikh) riots in 1984 and (Hindu-Muslim) riots in 1982 and in 1987, during which the Hashimpura massacre took place, in May 1987, when personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) allegedly shot dead 42 Muslims, the trial of the case is still pending. In 2006, a fire at a consumer electronics "Brand India" fair in Victoria Park Stadium killed over 100 people. But, according to some unofficial sources, the number of affected people is pegged at more than 200.
Soldiers from the cantonment have actively participated in the Battle of Ypres, both the 1st and 2nd Battles of El Alamein, France, Burma Campaign, the Indo-Pak Wars, Bangladesh Liberation War and Kargil War. Its battalions and officers have shown great courage and have got many honours.
Delhi-Meerut expressway is expected to be completed by 2013, although there have been several delays to this plan over the past decade. The Upper Ganga Canal Expressway is also under development. GAIL is also establishing its plant in Meerut and Muradnagar to supply cooking gas within the city. A five star hotel, in Greenwood City, at Baghpat road bypass crossing and a three star hotel at Delhi road near Rithani are under construction.
Meerut City is the headquarters of Meerut district which, according to the 2011 census, has a population of around 3.4 million. Males constitute 53.06% of the population and females 46.94%. The percentage decadal growth in 2001-2011 stands at 15.92%. The sex ratio in Meerut is 885, lower than the state average of 908; while the child sex ratio is 850, lower than the state average of 899. 14.16% of the population is under 6 years of age. The district has a density of 1347 persons/km 2. The overall literacy rate is 74.80%, higher than the state average of 69.72%.
After the archaeological excavations at ‘Vidura-ka-tila’, a collection of several mounds named after Vidura, in 1950–52, a site 37 km (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.
In the eleventh century AD, the south-west part of the district was ruled by Har Dat, the Dor Raja ofBulandshahr 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. A prominent local landmark, the Jama Masjid, dates from this period and is said to have been built by Mahmud's vizir. Shortly after its capture the city was regained by the local Hindu Raja and part of his fortifications, built for the city’s defence, survived until recent times. The first big invasion on the city came later in 1192 AD, fromMohammad Ghori, when his general Qutb-ud-din Aybak attacked the city, and a much worse fate lay ahead for the district, which came with the invasion of Timur in 1398, during which theRajputs 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.
After that Meerut was ruled by Jats & then Marathas from whome it was taken by the British. During the rule of Mughal Emperor, Akbar the Great (r. 1556–1605), there was a mint for copper coins here.
Meerut is famously associated with the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company.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 bungalows of the English.
The city and district also suffered from communal (Hindu-Sikh) riots in 1984 and (Hindu-Muslim) riots in 1982 and in 1987, during which the Hashimpura massacre took place, in May 1987, when personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) allegedly shot dead 42 Muslims, the trial of the case is still pending. In 2006, a fire at a consumer electronics "Brand India" fair in Victoria Park Stadium killed over 100 people. But, according to some unofficial sources, the number of affected people is pegged at more than 200.
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 organising 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 colonisation and industrialisation In the 1940s, Meerut cinemas had a "Don't Move" policy during playing of the British national anthem.
Mythology- Meerut was founded as Mayarashtra (lit. Maya's country) by Maya, who was the father of Mandodari, Ravana's wife in the Ramayana. Meerut was the capital of Maya. 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.
Meerut lies between 28°57’ to 29°02’N latitude and 77°40’ to 77°45’E longitude in the Indo-Gangetic plains of India. It is bound on the north by Muzaffarnagar, in the south by Bulandshahr while Ghaziabad and Baghpat districts form the southern and western limits. The river Ganga forms the eastern boundary and separates the district from Moradabad and Bijnor. The Hindon forms the western boundary and separates the district from Baghpat. The ground is not rocky and there are no mountains. The soil is composed of pleistocene and sub-recent alluvial sediments transported and deposited by river action from the Himalayan region. These alluvial deposits are unconsolidated. Lithologically, sediments consist of clay, silt and fine to coarse sand. Land is very fertile for growing crops, especially wheat, sugarcane and vegetables. The city lies between the plains of the Ganges and Yamuna.
Meerut CantonmentSoldiers from the cantonment have actively participated in the Battle of Ypres, both the 1st and 2nd Battles of El Alamein, France, Burma Campaign, the Indo-Pak Wars, Bangladesh Liberation War and Kargil War. Its battalions and officers have shown great courage and have got many honours.
Meerut Cantonment was established by the British East India Company in 1803 after the Battle of Laswari. It is the second largest cantonment of India both in land area (3568.06 hectares) and population (90521 people as per 2001 census). The Revolt of 1857 started from “Kali Paltan" in Meerut Cantonment and Indian soldiers stationed here actively participated in the rebellian. The cantonment surrounds the city from 3 sides - from Pallavpuram to Sainik Vihar to Ganga Nagar. It is well connected with the rest of country by roads as well as by rail. The Delhi Niti Paas Road (State Highway No. 45) passes through Meerut Cantonment.
It has been the regimental centre of Punjab Regiment Corps of Signals, Jat Regiment, Sikh Regiment, Dogra Regiment in the past.
DevelopmentDelhi-Meerut expressway is expected to be completed by 2013, although there have been several delays to this plan over the past decade. The Upper Ganga Canal Expressway is also under development. GAIL is also establishing its plant in Meerut and Muradnagar to supply cooking gas within the city. A five star hotel, in Greenwood City, at Baghpat road bypass crossing and a three star hotel at Delhi road near Rithani are under construction.
Meerut is the 63rd-fastest-growing urban area in the world. It is the 14th fastest developing city in India. A new report by U.S. financial services firm Morgan Stanley, "AlphaWise City Vibrancy Index: A Guide to India’s Urbanization" gave Meerut the 5th spot on the "vibrancy" index, ahead of Delhi and Mumbai. Meerut ranked second on both the financial penetration index, which measures things like the presence of ATMs and bank branches, and on the consumption index, indicating the city’s transformation into an urban town. While the city ranked in the bottom 10 in job creations, the report suggests that overall there are plenty of signs of "potential for urbanisation," including future employment opportunities. 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.
DemographicsMeerut City is the headquarters of Meerut district which, according to the 2011 census, has a population of around 3.4 million. Males constitute 53.06% of the population and females 46.94%. The percentage decadal growth in 2001-2011 stands at 15.92%. The sex ratio in Meerut is 885, lower than the state average of 908; while the child sex ratio is 850, lower than the state average of 899. 14.16% of the population is under 6 years of age. The district has a density of 1347 persons/km 2. The overall literacy rate is 74.80%, higher than the state average of 69.72%.
As of 2009, Meerut has a crime rate of 208.6, higher than the state average of 88.4 and the national average of 181.4.
According to the 2001 census, the city ranked 6th in terms of population density in Uttar Pradesh. The city also ranked 2nd in terms of population in NCR. Males constituted 53.43% of the population and females 46.56%. The city had an average literacy rate of 65.96%, higher than the national average of 64.8% and the state average of 57.36%. Male literacy was 76.31%, and female literacy was 54.12%. 16.66% of the population was 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. The city had a sex ratio of 871, lower than the state average of 898 and the national average of 933. According to the 1991 census, Meerut district consisted of 1,025 villages with a population of around 2.4 million. This does not include the population of Baghpat district which was formed in 1998.
Culture
Most traditional Indian festivals, including Holi, Dussehra, Diwali, Eid among others are celebrated with fervor in the city. Notably, a fair by the name of Nauchandi Fair is held two weeks after Holi every year. The fair, which started in 1672, continues for about 15 days and is attended by lakhs of people. It includes events such as poetry recitations in Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi etc.
Meerut is the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Meerut Diocese, which covers the districts of Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Dehradun, Haridwar, Moradabad, Rampur, Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Ghaziabad, Baghpat and Dhampur Tehsil of Bijnor district
Education
Meerut is an education hub of Western Uttar Pradesh with four universities, approx. 50 engineering colleges, 23 management colleges, seven pharmacy colleges, four colleges offering hotel management, one college offering fashion design, over 150 academic colleges and over 50 schools. The city is home to Chaudhary Charan Singh University (formerly Meerut University), Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Swami Vivekanand Subharti University and Shobhit University. The city has one government-run engineering college, Sir Chhotu Ram Institute of Engineering and Technology, which is a constituent college of Chaudhary Charan Singh University. The Indian Film and Television Institute is located at the western bypass of the city. The city has two medical colleges: Subharti Medical College and Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College. The city has many madrasahs which provide religious education as well as modern education with computer learning. The city also has coaching institutions for preparing students for entrance exams of engineering and medical fields. By the attempts of local jewelers and Zila Udyog Kendra, a jewel and gem training centre will soon be established in the city.