Moti Jheel is a lake and drinking water
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
in the
Benajhabar area of
Kanpur
Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations o ...
, which together with its adjoining gardens and children's park is an important tourist attraction. Built during the British Raj, today along with Kamala Retreat and Moti Park, it is an important recreational place in the bustling industrial city of Kanpur, once known as the "
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
of the
East
East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth.
Etymology
As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...
".
[ Singh, p. 24]
''Moti'' means
pearl
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle) of a living shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pearl is composed of calcium carb ...
and ''jheel'' means
lake
A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...
, thus giving its name Pearl Lake. The park is often referred to as the '
Lungs
The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of th ...
of Kanpur'.
History
The rectangular lake was originally developed during the
British Raj
The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent;
*
* it is also called Crown rule in India,
*
*
*
*
or Direct rule in India,
* Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...
, as a drinking water
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
of the Kanpur Waterworks, and called Septic Tank. Later, as an important urban planning measure by the city administration, it was developed as a public place and a recreational area, with a landscaped garden and a children's park.
[ Singh, p. 157]
It is flanked on one side by the campus of Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital
Lala Lajpat Rai Hospital is a government hospital in Swaroop Nagar, Kanpur, which was earlier called Hallet Hospital, and its campus stand adjacent to the Moti Jheel lake and is spread across 960 acres.
It is associated with GSVM Medical Col ...
and on the other several important Kanpur Municipal Corporation (Kanpur Municipal Corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally owne ...
) buildings are situated, as is the Kanpur Development Authority (KDA)'s water treatment plant
Water treatment is any process that improves the quality of water to make it appropriate for a specific end-use. The end use may be drinking, industrial water supply, irrigation, river flow maintenance, water recreation or many other uses, includ ...
.
Major spots
Offices
*Kanpur Municipal Corporation Town Hall
*Kanpur Development Authority
Entertainment Place
*Lajpat Bhawan
*Lake
*Amusement Park
*Gardens
*Japanese Garden
*Seasonal Fairs and Festivals
Connectivity
One can catch city buses to various routes of the city from Moti Jheel Bus Stop situated on Mall Road. The nearest railway station is at Rawatpur
Rawatpur is a suburb in North Kanpur, India, situated about 10 km from Kanpur on the NH 91 to Delhi. The population was 110,000 at the 2001 census. It has 84% of literacy and is 5 km from Kalyanpur. It also Comes under Kanpur metropo ...
while the nearest major railhead is Kanpur Central
Kanpur Central (formerly known as Cawnpore North Barracks, station code: CNB) is a central and junction railway station in the city of Kanpur and is one of the five central Indian railway stations. It is third busiest in country after Howrah ...
which is around 10 kilometres from Moti Jheel. Kanpur Airport
Kanpur Airport (), proposed to be renamed as Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Airport, is a domestic airport and an Indian Air Force Base that serves the city of Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India. It provides easier connectivity to major tourist and hist ...
is the nearest domestic airport.
Notes
References
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*
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External links
Moti-Jheel and Park
at ''wikimapia
Wikimapia is a geographic online encyclopedia project. The project implements an interactive "clickable" web map that utilizes Google Maps with a geographically-referenced wiki system, with the aim to mark and describe all geographical objects ...
''
Lakes of Uttar Pradesh
Tourist attractions in Kanpur
Reservoirs in India
{{Kanpur-geo-stub