Bithoor Brahmavart | |
|---|---|
town | |
 Brahmavart Ghat Picture taken onShivaratri day shows the pilgrims about to start their two-day austerity trek. | |
  Bithoor Location in Uttar Pradesh, India | |
| Coordinates:26°36′46″N80°16′19″E / 26.6127°N 80.2719°E /26.6127; 80.2719 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
| District | Kanpur Nagar |
| Government | |
| • Type | Local government |
| • Body | Town Area |
| • MLA | Abhijit Sanga Singh[1] |
| Population (2025) | |
• Total | 49,647 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Hindi,English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Telephone code | 0512 |
| Vehicle registration | UP-78 |
| Website | Official Website |
Bithoor orBithur is a town inKanpur district, 25 km (15mi) by road north of the centre ofKanpur city, inUttar Pradesh,India. Bithoor is situated on the right bank of the RiverGanges, and is a centre ofHindupilgrimage. Bithoor is also the centre forWar of Independence of 1857 asNana Sahib, a popular freedom fighter who was based there. The city is enlisted as a municipality of Kanpur metropolitan area.
Bithur was listed in theAin-i Akbari (c. 1595) as amahal undersarkarKannauj. It was listed with an assessed revenue of 2,921,389dams and was expected to supply 5,000 infantry and 300 cavalry to the Mughal army.[2]: 185
Bithoor has been closely associated with the Indian independence movement, especially theIndian Rebellion of 1857. It was at one time home to many of the rebellion's most prominent participants including the Rani of Jhansi,Lakshmi Bai. During theBritish Raj, Bithoor used to be part of Cawnpore district (nowKanpur) in theUnited Provinces. The last of thePeshwas,Baji Rao II, was banished to Bithur; his adopted son,Nana Sahib, made the town his headquarters. Bithur was captured byGeneral Havelock on 19 July 1857.[3] The town was subsequently attacked and occupied by theBritish, who razed Nana Sahib's palace and the temples in the town in retaliation for the brutal massacre of over 300 British men, women and children who had been lured out of their defences at Cawnpore by a group of Indian rebels with a promise of truce during theSiege of Cawnpore.[4][5] Angered British troops also carried out numerous reprisals against the citizenry of Bithoor, included anyone suspected of being involved in the rebellion. Numerous private houses in Bithoor were also looted and burnt.[6][7][8]
Bithoor is a Nagar Panchayat city in district of Kanpur Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. The Bithoor city is divided into 10 wards for which elections are held every 5 years. As of 2001[update] Indiacensus,[9] Bithoor had a population of 9647. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Bithoor has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 70% and female literacy of 53%. 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. Bithoor Nagar Panchayat has population of 11,300 of which 6,088 are males while 5,212 are females as per report released by Census India 2011.The population of children aged 0-6 is 1337 which is 11.83% of total population of Bithoor (NP). In Bithoor Nagar Panchayat, the female sex ratio is 856 against state average of 912. Moreover, the child sex ratio in Bithoor is around 860 compared to Uttar Pradesh state average of 902. The literacy rate of Bithoor city is 80.61% higher than the state average of 67.68%. In Bithoor, male literacy is around 86.01% while the female literacy rate is 74.29%. Bithoor Nagar Panchayat has total administration over 1,999 houses to which it supplies basic amenities like water and sewerage. It is also authorized to build roads within Nagar Panchayat limits and impose taxes on properties coming under its jurisdiction.[10]
Religion
Hindus comprises the majority of the population of Bithoor, accounting for 89.54% of the total population, followed by Muslims who comprise 10.19%. Christians and Sikhs are in the minority and are only found in pockets of the city.
Ethnic communities
The majority of Bithoor people are from Uttar Pradesh, though there is a significantMarathi population in the city. The descendants of the migrant Marathi families settled at Bithoor have not only lived in Bithoor for more than three generations, but many of own sizable amounts of land and other immovable properties. The first five families, which came withNana Saheb were: Moghe, Pinge, Sehajwalkar, Hardekar and Sapre. The majority of them settled in Bithoor or adjoining places.
Some of the most significant moments of Hindu religion and mythology are said to be created here, as being the place of the forest-rendezvous of Sita after Lord Rama left her, the birthplace of Lav and Kush, the site where the Ramayana was written.
This is the holiest of the holy ghats of Bithoor. The disciples of Lord Brahma pray at the altar of the 'Wooden Slippers' after a ritual bath. Later Brahma installed a Shiva-linga which is still worshipped as Brahmeshwar Mahadeva at the principal ghat of Bithoor, the Brahmavarta Ghat. A nail of the horse shoe 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. This is also known as the place from where Lord Brahma started mankind according to Hindu mythology On the completion of the yajna, the forests of Utpalaranya became known as Brahmavarta, from which the popular name, Bithoor is derived.
The redstone ghat whose foundation stone was laid by the minister of Avadh, Tikait Rai, is a symbol of incomparable art and architecture. There is a massive Shiv temple where the Shivling is made of 'Kasaauti' stone.
In later centuries Brahmavarta flourished as a capital of the kingdom of Utpalaranya, over which ruled the emperor Uttanpad. His son Dhruva penanced here in order to please LordVishnu. Lord God was so pleased that he not only appeared but granted him a divine boon—to shine for all time to come as a star. The place is pointed out to be Dhruva Teela.
ISKCON Temple, Kanpur is a part of theInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) movement.
Siddidham Ashram, also known asSudhanshu ji Maharaj Ashram, is under "Vishva Shanti Mission", an organisation run by Sudhanshu ji Maharaj. It is situated on Bithoor road. The ashram has a big campus. There is also a Radha Krishna temple and an artificialKailash Mountain.
Apart from these, there are some other landmarks as well, such as the Ram Janki temple, Lav-Kush temple, Sai Baba temple, Haridham Ashram, Jahangir Mosque and Nana Saheb Smarak.
Airways
The nearest airport is atChakeri situated 44 kilometres from Bithoor and one and a half hours drive from Bithoor. The proposedRasoolabad International Airport is at a distance of 33 km from Bithoor.
Railways
The Brahmavarta station situated near Ganges river. The nearest major railway station isKanpur Central situated about 23 kilometres and one hours drive from Bithoor.
Roadways
Bithoor doesn't has its own Bus Station butKMBS connected it various localities of Kanpur.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Bithur".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
Media related toBithoor at Wikimedia Commons