Meerut

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?Meerut Uttar Pradesh • India
Meerut
Coordinates: 28°59′N 77°42′E / 28.99, 77.7
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 219 m (719 ft)
Division	Meerut
District(s)	Meerut district
Population • Density	1,074,229 (2001) • 419 /km² (1,085 /sq mi)
Mayor
Codes • Pincode • Telephone • Vehicle	• 2500xx • +0121 • UP-15
Website: http://meerutdistrict.com/

Coordinates: 28°59′N 77°42′E / 28.99, 77.7

Meerut (Hindi: मेरठ, Urdu: میرٹھ) pronunciation (help·info) is a city and a municipal corporation in Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is an ancient city located 72 km (44 miles) north-east of New Delhi. Meerut also has one of the major army garrisons/cantonments in this part of the country.

[edit] Name Etymology

Ravana's wife Mandodari (in Ramayana) hailed from Meerut. The town may have derived its name from "Maya Rashtra", the capital of the kingdom owned by Mandodari's father Mayasura.

[edit] History

Image of "The mall", Meerut. 19th century photograph.

Meerut is famously associated with the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company, when chants of popular Hindi slogan "Dilli Chalo" ("Let's march to Delhi!") were 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 religious sensibilities of both Muslims and Hindus as the animal coating was alleged to be composed of pig and cow since cow was the sacred animal for hindus and pig was untouchable animal for muslims. Meerut leapt into international prominence during the revolt of 1857, when on 24 April, 1857, eighty-five troopers out of ninety 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 general movement of freedom from the British yoke, with the support of the civilian populace. Meerut is also famous in Indian history as one of the famous controversial case happened in India which is known as Meerut Conspiracy Case in the year 1929.

[edit] Geography

Meerut is located at 28.98° N 77.7° E^[1]. It has an average elevation of 219 meters (718 feet).

Near-by cities are New Delhi, Roorkee, Dehradoon, Aligarh, Noida etc.

The map of Meerut can be found at Meerut Map

[edit] Demographics

Meerut City is also the headquarters of Meerut district which consists of 1,025 villages with a population of around (3.44 million) according to the 1991 census. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Meerut has an average literacy rate of 58%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 64%, and female literacy is 52%. In Meerut, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Meerut has one of the largest Muslim populations among the major cities of India(close to 45%). There is also a significant Christian population. Meerut was the site of one of India's worst communal riots during the 1980's. For details on Meerut riots please see

• Reliving a communal horror, 20 years later
• On twentieth anniversary justice still eludes Hashimpura massacre victims

[edit] Industry

Meerut Gold Market is No. 1 in Asia ...in term of Business of Gold . Meerut City is famous for many types of industries. Meerut has seen a boom in the construction business as this city now has many buildings, shopping complexes and apartments. Meerut is the largest supplier of sports goods and also the largest manufacturer of musical instruments in India.in sports goods (cricket bats/balls ) manufactured M/S Lachman Sports Ind. Drycleaning industries are also quite a boom with specialists such as Sunrise Dyers and Drycleaners, Begum Pul.

According to statistics compiled by the Income Tax department, Meerut contributed a handsome Rs 10,089 crore to the national treasury in 2007-08, performing better than Lucknow, Jaipur, Bhopal, Kochi and Bhubaneshwar.^[2]

[edit] 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 to show programs focused on crime. As media centers are situated in Meerut, this city getting a good amount of publicity on national platform. The situation of law and order in recent past has improved a lot and media has an important role in it.

[edit] Press Club

In the Election of Press Club concluded on 13th April 2008, the total number of journos in city was counted around 500. This include journalists from all class of newspapers and news channels. After this proper constitution of Press Club Journalists are hoping a better future of Media in Meerut. President: Rajender Singh, Senior Vice President: Ravi Kumar Vishnoi, General Secretory: Lokesh Pandit,

By: Kamran Zuberi

[edit] Education

In Meerut there is 31 Engg. & Management College .

Meerut is becoming an important center for education in Uttar Pradesh, especially in Western UP. Students from all over U.P. and other states come to Meerut to study in programs leading to B.Tech., M.Tech., MBBS, MD, B.A., M.A., B.Com, M.Com, B.Sc. M.Sc., BBA, BCA, MBA, MCA, L.Lb., L.LM, B.Pharma, BHMCT & various other degrees in Para Medical Sciences. Also, a large number of government & private institutes provide education in these fields.

The city's young graduates today are contributing to the Indian Information Technology industry boom. Many of them are working for the topmost companies around the world.

[edit] Mythological significance

• Lakshagrah(लाक्षागृह) (home of lac) described in the Mahabharata — designed in conspiracy to burn Pandavas alive by Kauravas — was situated here.This place is now called Barnawa. It is situated along the Meerut - Baraut road.
• In the great Hindu epic, 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 was filled with evil feelings and put down his parents for some time to get some rest and water. It was here that Lord Rama's father, the king, 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 most needed him.
• Meerut is also called as 'Ravan Ki Sasural' Ravan's Wife's home town.
• Meerut was know as Maya Rashtra(Maya was the father of Ravan's wife Mandodri).
• Meerut (1933)is also a name of a play that highlights the First Indian War of Independence and the detrimental effects of colonisation and industrialisation.

[edit] Trivia

• On December 21, 2005, Meerut was in the national media when police officers clamped down on couples who were holding hands publicly, something which is unacceptable in this backward part of the country, as part of Operation Majnu. This "operation" targeted young couples out on a date. This event gained media attention- the actions of Meerut Police attracted scrutiny from state officials. After this event, the local police has become notoriously infamous.
• 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 theatres had a "Don't Move" policy during playing of the British national anthem.
• In 2006 a fire in Meerut killed over 225 (official counting) people at a consumer electronics fair, held in Victoria park stadium. But, according to some unofficial sources, it was said that the number of affected people is more than 1000. This was followed by fire at Multiplex Cinema named as PVS Mall.
• Meerut is famous for its sports goods(especially cricket goods),which are used all over the globe
• Meerut is also known as the sports capital of India.
• Having close proximity to the national capital of India, it's experiencing rapid growth in all sectors
• 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 'spritual echo'.
• Meerut is also famous for its scissors and is famous as "city of scissors"

[edit] See also

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

[edit] References

1. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Meerut
2. ^ Meerut 9th in top 10 tax paying cities

[edit] External links

• Insights into British era Meerut, plus a look at contemporary Meerut city