State: Uttar Pradesh

District: Meerut district

Main languages: Hindi and Urdu

 

History:

 

Meerut is an ancient city, which gets it's named from Ravana's wife Mandodari in Ramayana, because she hailed from Meerut. There is also legend that the town may have derived its name from "Maya Rashtra", which was the capital of the kingdom owned by Mandodari's father Mayasura. There had been archaeological excavations at 'Vidura-ka-tila', which were concluded to be remains of the ancient city of Hastinapur, the capital of Kauravas and Pandavas of Mahabharata. The city is also for being the 'sasural of Ravan' since his wife came from this time. It is said that city had been washed away by Ganges floods. The city has also been the centre of Buddhism in the period of Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka and remains of Buddhist structures have been found here. During the rule of Mughal Emperor, Akbar there was mint for copper coins here. Historical evidences show that in the eleventh century AD, the south-west part of district was ruled by Har Dat, the Dor Raja of Bulandshahr, who was later defeated by Mahmud Ghazni in 1018. In 1192 AD, Mohamed Ghori invaded the area when his general Qutb-ud-din Aybak attacked the city. At this time all the Hindu temples were converted to mosques. Then was the worse invasion of Timur. The city has also been associated with the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company and this emerged as the strongest freedom movement before independence. 

 

Geography and climate:

 

Meerut is located at 28°59′N 77°42′E /28.98, 77.7 and has an average elevation of 219 meters or 718 feet. Meerut has one of the hottest towns in the Northern Plains with the summers being stuffy and painfully congested. The usual temperatures can go beyond the 44°C mark and the humidity is appalling. There is scanty rainfall here during the monsoons and the region is basically semi arid. The winters are the best time to visit the city and temperatures usually hovers in the range of 7-8°C. 

 

Demographics:

 

Meerut City is also the headquarters of Meerut district and has population of around 3.44 million according to the 1991 census. Meerut has an average literacy rate of 58%, which is much lower than the national average.

 

Economy:

 

The city is known as the best gold marker for business in gold and there are also various other industries here. It also has various Pharmaceuticals and the manufacturer and there are various kinds of construction businesses emerging here.

 

Education:

 

The city has some of the best universities in the country and these include the Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Govt. Inter College Meerut and various other colleges.

 

Tourism:

 

The city has some of the oldest tourist spots in the country and one cannot help but get lost in the memories of the freedom fighters and the rich culture of the city. Some of the main attractions here are St. John's Church, Dargah of Shah Pir, Jami Masjid, Sardhana and many other tourist attractions also.

 

Transportation:

 

Meerut is only about 60 km away from the Indian capital, Delhi and is accessible via the national highway. The nearest airport is the Delhi international airport. The city has a railway station but even the Delhi station is accessed by most residents of the city.

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