Unnao

For alleged gold treasure in Daundia Khera village, see Unnao gold treasure incident
Unnao
उन्नाव
city

Kanpur Institute of Management Studies on NH 25 in southern city
Nickname(s): City of Lakes[1]
Unnao

Location in Uttar Pradesh, India

Coordinates: 26°33′N 80°29′E / 26.55°N 80.49°E / 26.55; 80.49Coordinates: 26°33′N 80°29′E / 26.55°N 80.49°E / 26.55; 80.49
Country  India
State Uttar Pradesh
District Unnao
Founded by Owais Ahmad s/o Mr. Zaheer Ahmad
Government
  Member of Parliament Sakshi Maharaj BJP
Area
  Total 5,000 km2 (2,000 sq mi)
Elevation 98 m (322 ft)
Population (2011)[2]
  Total 177,658
  Density 36/km2 (92/sq mi)
Languages
  Official Hindi, Indian English
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 209801
Telephone code 91-515
Vehicle registration UP-35
Website www.unnao.nic.in

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 & 60 km from Lucknow. It is connected to these two cities by roadway as well as by railway. The nearest airport is at Chakeri Airport about 18 km from Unnao, and Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport, about 50 km from Unnao. Unnao district is a part of Central Ganges Plain of the state covering an area of 4558 km2. The city is enlisted as a municipality of Kanpur Metropolitan Area.

History

The town of Unnao gives its name to the district of which it forms a part. About 1200 years ago, the site of this town was covered with extensive forests. Prashan Singh Chauhan, a Chauhan Rajput, cleared the forests, probably in the third quarter of the 12th century, and founded a town called Sawai Godo, which shortly afterwards passed into the hands of the rulers of the Kannauj, who appointed Khande Singh as the Governor of the place. Unwant Singh, a Bisen Rajput and a lieutenant of the Governor, killed him and built a fort here, renaming the place as Unnao after himself. 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 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.

Surrounding towns

Geography

Location & Boundaries

The District is roughly a parallelogram in shape and lies between Latitude 26°8' N & 27°2' N and Longitude 80°3' E & 81°3' E. It is bounded on the North by District Hardoi, on the East by District Lucknow, on the South by District Rae Bareli and on the West by the Ganga which separates it from districts of Kanpur & Fatehpur.

River Systems & Water Resources

The Ganga, Kalyani and Sai are the main rivers of the district, the former making its western and southern boundaries and the latter, for the greater part of its course, forming its northern & eastern boundaries. Among the other mainstreams of the district are Kalyani, the Tanai, the Loni and the Morahi (Naurahi), all tributaries of the Ganga. These rivers generally run dry during the hot weather, but hold water during the greater part of the year and are utilized for irrigation.

Ganga

The only great river of the district is the Ganga which first touches the district near the village of Purwa Gahir, in pargana Bangarmau and flows south-eastward, separating this district from districts Kanpur and Fatehpur. Generally it flows from north-west to the south-east, but it makes several sharp bends such as those near Umriya Bhagwantpur, and Rustampur in tehsil Safipur, Rautapur in tehsil Unnao and Ratua Khera and Duli Khera in tehsil Purwa. The Ganga receives the Morahi near Baksar where it flows close to its old high bank. It leaves the district at a short distance from Baksar.

The river is not, however, put to much use either as a waterway or as a source of irrigation. There are several ferries for pedestrians and pilgrims but none of them approaches what may be termed a trade route. The river cannot, as a rule be utilised for irrigation owing to the height of the bank but certain of its small drainage channels or sotas, which run island for a considerable distance in some parganas, are sometimes used to irrigate crops grown in lowlying alluvial lands. Otherwise, cultivated lands lie at great distances and cannot be irrigated from the river whose water would, in order to irrigate these lands, have to be passed through the sands on the sides of the river, and in the process be greatly washed, if not altogether absorbed. The main channel of the river is subject to constant variation and the cultivation in its immediate neighbourhood is, therefore of a shifting kind.

It appears from its old high bank that the river has a general tendency to shift its course to the west. In the days of Akbar, the river skirted the village of Ghatampur but has since then so altered its course that it now runs about 8 km to the south-west of this village.

Lakes

There is unusually large number of swamps & lakes of great size and value, particularly in the southern & eastern parts of the district. The larger lakes, which hold water all the year round, are the Kundra Samundar near Jhalotar, the lake near Nawalganj, the wide expanse of water near Kantha and the long chain of lakes in pargana Mauranwan. In Tehsil Safipur, the more important tanks are those at Mawai-Bhari and Kursat and the Harial Tal near Mustafabad. In Tehsil Hasanganj, besides the Kundra Samundar at Mawai, there are the Kulli Bani and Jalesar tanks near Ajgain and the chain of lakes called Basaha, which it seems, partakes of certain characteristics of a stream also, travelling a distance of 96 km in the district and eventually leaving it for district Rae Bareli where it is reckoned as a tributary of the river Sai. In the western part of the Tehsil are the Katgari lake near Asiwan and the stretches of water at Amarpur, Sambha, Sheothana, Marenda & Asakhera, but in its northern and eastern parts, there are only small and very shallow tanks which dry up when rainfall is deficient. In Tehsil Unnao there are no important lakes, but a number of very shallow depressions, which get filled up with water during the rains and yield excellent crop of rice.

In Tehsil Purwa there are many lakes, situated in a well defined belt stretching along the whole length of the tehsil. The main among them are the lakes at Kantha, Bhadain, Unchagaon, Qila, Akhori, Miri, Zorawarganj and Sarwan. The Barhna tank near Sagauli, the Mohan and Sukrar lakes near Mauranwan, and several others, like the Bharda lake, skirting district Rae Bareli. Besides these, there are the tanks at Sahrawan, the Bhundi tank at Gulariha, and the Kumbha tank at Bhagwantnagar. The lakes at Kantha, Sagauli, and Barela contain water all the year round, while the others generally provide irrigation for the Rabi crops only, drying up in the years of drought.These lakes and tanks abound in fish, and singhara (water chestnut) is very extensively grown in them.

Geology

Geologically the district forms part of the vast Indo-Gangetic alluvial tract, of which the origin is attributed to a sag in the earth's crust, formed, in the upper eocene times, between the northwardly drifting Gondwanaland and the rising Himalayan belt, and gradually filled in by sediments so as to constitute a level plane with a very gentle seaward slope. The alluvium formation of the district, comprising sand, silt & clay with occasional gravel, is of the early quaternary to sub-recent age. The older alluvium called bhangar, forms slightly elevated terraces usually above the flood levels. It is rather dark in colour generally rich in concretions and nodules of impure calcium carbonate, locally known as kankar. The newer alluvium, called khandar, forming the lowlands between the Ganga and Bhangar, is light coloured, poor in calcarious contain and composed of lenticular beds of sand, gravel and clays. The economic minerals found in the district are kankar, reh and sand.

Topology

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. The district is bounded by river Ganges in the west and the river Sai in the east. The entire district falling in Sai Sub-basin of the Ganges basin represents flat topography. The irrigation in the district takes place through Sharda Canal network system and tubewells. About 92% of the district area is under cultivation.[3] The district has a subtropical climate. The district is mainly drained by the river Ganges and its tributaries Kalyani, Khar, Loni and Marahai in the western part of the district, and by Sai river in the eastern part of the district. All these rivers are perennial in nature. About 87% area of the net sown area (3,00,000 hectares) is irrigated both by surface water (Sharda Canal network system) and ground water through shallow and moderately deep tubewells. The share of surface water irrigation is 48% while that of ground water is 52%. The economy of the district mainly depends on agriculture.[3]

Climate data for Unnao
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 28
(82)
32
(90)
40
(104)
44
(111)
46
(115)
48
(118)
41
(106)
38
(100)
38
(100)
36
(97)
32
(90)
28
(82)
48
(118)
Average high °C (°F) 18
(64)
24
(75)
29
(84)
35
(95)
40
(104)
41
(106)
35
(95)
34
(93)
32
(90)
30
(86)
25
(77)
20
(68)
33
(91)
Average low °C (°F) 6
(43)
12
(54)
14
(57)
20
(68)
22
(72)
25
(77)
26
(79)
23
(73)
22
(72)
16
(61)
12
(54)
7
(45)
15
(59)
Record low °C (°F) −3
(27)
6
(43)
7
(45)
15
(59)
17
(63)
20
(68)
21
(70)
18
(64)
19
(66)
15
(59)
9
(48)
0
(32)
−3
(27)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 23
(0.91)
16
(0.63)
9
(0.35)
5
(0.2)
6
(0.24)
68
(2.68)
208
(8.19)
286
(11.26)
202
(7.95)
43
(1.69)
7
(0.28)
8
(0.31)
881
(34.69)
Source: [4]

City area

The City area of Unnao consists of area and population of Unnao City, Karowan (bk), Shuklaganj Town, Magarwara Town, Unnao Industrial Area and Magarwara Industrial Area. Population as of 2011 census is 270,517. The area of Unnao city Area is 70 km sq.. There are four Railway Stations in Unnao city Area name-Shuklaganj, Magarwara, Unnao Junction and Unnao Rural near Unnao Industrial Area. The main localities of different city and town are- Kanchan Nagar (Shuklaganj), Industrial Area(Magarwara), Civil Lines (Unnao), Unnao Industrial Area (Village),Fatehpur chaurasi town, Unnao

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1991105,281    
2001144,917+37.6%
2011177,658+22.6%
* = population estimate. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01. 

As per provisional data of 2011 census, Unnao had a population of 178,681, out of which males were 94,080 and females were 84,601. The literacy rate was 83.72 per cent.[5]

Religions in Unnao
Religion Percent
Hindus
 
58%
Muslims
 
39%
Jains
 
1.7%
Others†
 
1.3%
Distribution of religions
Includes Sikhs (0.2%), Buddhists (<0.2%).

Healthcare, Industry and Education

Unnao City Government Hospital
Unnao Railway Station

Unnao hospital serves patients from nearby villages. The Uma Shankar Dikshit hospital is a government-run hospital located in A.B. Nagar near Ram Lila Ground. Another government hospital, which serves women, is located near the Unnao railway station. Medical College in the city is proposed.[6] Trauma Center is proposed in government hospital.[7]
There are 538 government health care facilities in the district, as can be seen from the table given below:

Category of Hospitals Number of Hospital Available
District Hospital 01
Community Health Center 01
Primary Health Center 1
Additional Primary Health Center 4
Sub - Center 1
Female Hospitals 1
Ayurvedic Hospitals 4
Homeopathic Hospitals 0
Urban Health Post / Maternity Centers 01
Any Other Govt. Health Training Institute 01

Industries

Tanning is the biggest industry in Unnao. Unnao is known for its leather industry and leather goods. Superhouse Group, Mirza Tanners, Rahman Exports, and Zamzam Tanners, Mahavir Spinfab Pvt. Ltd., Parash Nathtech Garments Pvt. Ltd., Real enterprises (part of Baqai exports gujrat) have large factories in Unnao. Unnao is known for printing & dyeing for 'Lihaf'(Quilts) and mosquito net production and major producers are Haq and sons dyeing and printing company and other major producers include F.R dyeing and printing works.

Food

Unnao is known for its Samosas (of Kachaudi Gali, Unnao) and kalajamuns of Chakalwansi Chauraha (18 km. from district centre).The street food is available and eaten by people of all ages. There are five big restaurants like Awasthi Restaurant, B.N. Bakers, Classic Restaurant, Pooja Bakers, Hotel Silver Heights and Restaurants, Fun Galaxy, Manoranjan Foods and Sweet Shop, Vishal Restaurant. Uma Shanker Aloo Chana, Ram Babu chat, Munna Chat House and Munni Chat House are very famous Chat Shops. Suruchi Egg Roll and Kamal Egg Roll centre are also popular. For non-vegetarian food, shops near IBP Chauraha, Bus stop, Qasai chauraha serve chicken biryani and other stuff. Spicy veg and non-veg food can be eaten at the popular dhabas across Lucknow-Unnao-Kanpur Highway.

Markets

The main local markets are Sadar Bazar & Chhota Chauraha. Unnao is known for printing & dying for 'Lihaf'(Quilts) and mosquito net production. VD market is biggest shopping center popular among ladies.

Education

The city consists of many Hindi and English Medium schools. Majority of them are affiliated to Uttar Pradesh Board but there are some which have affiliations to ICSE-ISC and CBSE.

List of Educational Institutes located in Unnao City:

Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Rajivpuram, Kali mitti Unnao

Ram Kumar Dixit Inter College Bhumbhuwar Korari

Government Inter College for Boys (GIC)

Government Girls Inter College (GGIC)

Raja Shankar Sahay Inter College for Boys (RSS)

Rani Shankar Sahay Inter College for Girls

Dr. G. Nath G. Dayal Inter College for Girls

Kendriya Vidyalaya ( kvunnao.ac.in) (CBSE)

Ben Hur Inter College (co-ed)

St. Jude's College (ICSE, co-ed)

St. Lawrence School (ICSE, co-ed)

Sir Syed Public School (ICSE, co-ed)

Patriot Inter College (co-ed)

Brilliant Public School (co-ed)

Ahuja International School (co-ed)

JN Shah Memorial School (co-ed)

St. Peter's School (co-ed)

Degree Colleges in Unnao

Dayanand Subhash National (DSN) is the oldest, largest post graduate, co-ed college located in Unnao city. Shri Narain PG College for girls, Harivansh Rai Bachhan Degree College, Maha Pran Nirala Degree College, Government Degree College (Bakhakhera) are some of the popular degree colleges. Lately many other degree colleges have come up in the rural areas. All these degree colleges come under Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University (Kanpur University). Currently CSJM University lists 23 degree colleges located in Unnao district.

There are two main libraries in the city which have good collection of books from diverse areas. One of them is Shri Vishwambhar Dayalu Tripathi District Library.[8]

Transport

Unnao Bypass Gate near Nirala Nagar

Rail

Unnao is seamlessly connected through Indian Railways. Unnao railway station is the junction point for Rae Bareli, Allahabad, Hardoi, Balamau situated at Lucknow-Kanpur stretch. Trains for major cities like Agra, Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Nagpur, Vijaywada, Chennai, Coimbatore, Palakkad, Bhubaneswar, Bhadrak, Cuttak, Chennai,Chandigarh,Chitrakoot, Cochin,Delhi, Gorakhpur, Ernakulam, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Jammu Tawi, Jhansi, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Panipat, Gorakhpur, Gwalior, Darbhanga, Kota, Mumbai, Nagpur, Patna, Puri, Surat, Trivandrum, Vadodara, Ujjain, Varanasi, Vadodara, can be boarded here.

Road

The major national highway NH 25 passes through Unnao which has bypass from Unnao. The State Highway which is 78 km encompasses Unnao is in good condition. Lucknow-Agra Expressway which will be India's longest access-controlled expressway will pass through Unnao district and the work is under construction. It will be a six lane expressway.[9]

Air

The nearest airport is Lucknow International Airport towards east (approx. 50 km) and Kanpur Airport towards west(approx. 25 km),

Inner City Transport

The city has transport likes auto-rickshaw (By-Pass to Tempo Stand (Kanpur), Pedal rickshaws and Sub Metropolitan city buses and economical cross overs like Endeavour, Scorpio, Innova, Bolero etc. which are privately run.

Famous Personalities from Unnao

Unnao has been known as the land of pen (kalam) and sword (talwaar). It has been the land of Progressive Hindi writers, freedom fighters etc.

Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala'

Bhagwati Charan Verma

Shivmangal Singh 'Suman'

Maulana Hasrat Mohani

Vishwambhar Dayal Tripathi[10]

Ram Vilas Sharma

Dwarka Prasad Mishra[11]

References

https://www.facebook.com/UnnaoDistroyed/

External links

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