Unnao
Unnao
Unnao | |
|---|---|
city | |
| Government | |
| • District Magistrate | Anita Meshram |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 144,917 |
The town of Unnao (Hindi: उन्नाव, Urdu: اناو) is the headquarters of Unnao District in Uttar Pradesh, India between Kanpur and Lucknow. It is approximately 18 km from Kanpur. It is connected to these two cities by roadway as well as by railway. The nearest airport is at Amausi about 50 km from Unnao.
History
In ancient times, the area which comprises Unnao, formed part of the Kosala Mahajanapada. It was later included in Oudh. This region has been inhabited since antiquity as traces from ancient times remain at some places in the district.
After the First War of Indian Independence in 1857, power was transferred from the British East India Company to the British Crown, by the Queen's Proclamation of 1858. Once the order was restored, the civil administration was re-established in the district which was named Unnao, with headquarters at Unnao. It assumed its present size in 1869. The same year the town of Unnao was constituted a Municipality.
There are various historical articles available on Unnao. The latest one is still in progress by Mr. Shaheer A. Mirza who is tracking the history of early Mughal settlements in a village called Jalalabad (settled by one Mirza Jalal Beg during the reign of Humayun) around Qasba Asiwan of Hasanganj Tehseel.
There are shrines of Sufi saints in the Qasba of Safipur where people of both Muslim and Hindu communities pay their homage.
Personalities
One of the most famous personalities of Unnao is Maulana Hasrat Mohani, who was born in 1881 at Mohan. He was a freedom fighter and Urdu poet. After his graduation in 1903, he threw himself into the freedom struggle, inspired by Rao Ram Bux Singh. He took up the editing of the newspaper Urdu-A-Muallah in 1913 and continued his struggle through his articles. As a consequence, he was imprisoned from 1914 to 1918 but continued to write while in jail. He was nominated a member of the State Assembly in 1946. He died at Lucknow on 15 May 1951.
Among other noted personalities from Unnao are Chandrashekhar Azad, Surya Kant Tripathi 'Nirala', Pandit Vishwambhar Dayal Tripathi, Dr. Ram Vilas Sharma, Shivmangal Singh 'Suman', Bhagwati Charan Verma,Raja Rao Ram Baksha, Dr. Nishith Chaturvedi, and Shamshulullema Mohammad Abdul Jalil Usmani[citation needed]. Chaudhry Syed Qasim Husain Zaidi, the Taluqdar of Unnao and the first Chairman of the Municipal Board of Unnao, and Dwarika Prasad Mishra, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, hailed from Padri Khurd, a village in Unnao district. His son Brijesh Mishra was security advisor to Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the former Prime Minister of India. The father-in-law of Sheila Dixit, present chief minister of Delhi, was Uma Shankar Dixit, originally from Ugu, a village in Unnao. Sheila Dixit fought parliamentary election from Unnao, but was heavily defeated. Veteran Bollywood actor Pran also spent his early years in Unnao.Tanya mishra is also one of the known personalities.
Geography
Unnao is located at 26°32′N 80°30′E / 26.53°N 80.5°E[1]. It has an average elevation of 127 metres (416 ft). Unnao lies in the great plains of the Ganges and hence the land is highly fertile. The soil is mostly alluvial. The Ganges separates Unnao from Kanpur district.
Administration and politics
Unnao district is divided into 5 tehsils: Hasanganj, Safipur, Purwa, and Bighapur. There are 16 development blocks: Ganj Moradabad, Bangarmau, Fatehpur Chaurasi, Safipur, Miyanganj, Auras, Hasanganj, Nawabganj, Purwa, Asoha, Hilauli, Bighapur, Sumerpur, Bichia, Sikandarpur Sirausi, and Sikandarpur Karan.
The current elected representative from Unnao to the Lok Sabha in the Parliament of India is Annu Tandon. The district also has 7 Vidhan Sabha seats, namely Unnao, Purwa, Bhagwantnagar, Hasanganj, Safipur, Harha and Bangarmau. Other prominent Qasba of Unnao include Safipur, Asiwan, Bangarmau, Mohaan, Purwa, Maurawan, and Neotani. The district magistrate is Anita Meshram, IAS.
The Unnao Lok Sabha Constituency has the highest number of registered voters for the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, post de-limitation, with about 19 lakh voters.
Shuklaganj
Shuklaganj is the most prominent town area in the district of Unnao. Because of its proximity to Kanpur city, Shuklaganj is mainly connected to Kanpur rather than Unnao, which is 10 km away.
It has got a small railway station called Kanpur Bridge Left Bank.
Demographics
As of 2001 India census[2], Unnao had a population of 144,917. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Unnao has an average literacy rate of 68%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 63%. In Unnao, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Healthcare and industry
Unaao is a popular destination for patients in nearby villages. The Uma Shankar Dixit hospital is a government-run hospital located near Ram Lila Maidaan. Another government hospital, which serves women, is located near the Unnao railway station.
Tanning is the biggest industry in Unnao. Unnao is well known for its leather industry and its leather goods. Superhouse Group, Mirza Tanners, Rahman Exports, and Zamzam Tanners,Mahavir Spinfab Pvt. Ltd., Parash Nathtech Garments Pvt. Ltd. have large factories in Unnao.
Unnao is famous for its samosas and kaalajaams of Chakalwansi, which are very popular Indian food items. The main local market is Sadar Bazar.
Education
Unnao has a number of educational institutions:
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Unnao also has several English language schools such as Sir Syed Public School (Unnao), St. Jude's Inter College, Ben-Hur Public School, St. Lawrence English Medium Inter College, Kingson Inter College, and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya.