Meerut (,

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in

Meerut district Meerut district, is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Meerut is the district headquarters. Meerut district is also a part of the Meerut division. The administrative head of district of Meerut is a District Magistrat ...

of the western part of the Indian state of

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...

. The city lies northeast of the national capital

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Hous ...

, within the

National Capital Region A capital region, also called a capital district or capital territory, is a region or district surrounding a capital city. It is not always the official term for the region, but may sometimes be used as an informal synonym. Capital regions can exis ...

and west of the state capital

Lucknow Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divis ...

. , Meerut is the 33rd most populous urban agglomeration and the 26th most populous city in India. It ranked 292nd in 2006 and is projected to rank 242nd in 2020 in the list of largest cities and urban areas in the world. The municipal area (as of 2016) is . The city is one of the largest producers of sports goods, and the largest producer of musical instruments in India. The city is also an education hub in western Uttar Pradesh, and is also known as the "Sports City Of India". The city is famous for being the starting point of the 1857 rebellion against

Company rule in India Company rule in India (sometimes, Company ''Raj'', from hi, rāj, lit=rule) refers to the rule of the British East India Company on the Indian subcontinent. This is variously taken to have commenced in 1757, after the Battle of Plassey, whe ...

Origin of the name

The city may have derived its name from 'Mayarashtra' (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...

: मयराष्ट्र), the capital of the kingdom of

Mayasura In Hindu scriptures, Maya ( sa, मय) or Mayāsura () was a great ancient king of the Asura, Daitya, Danava and Rākṣasa races. Maya was known for his brilliant architecture. In ''Mahabharata'', Mayasabha – the hall of illusions – wa ...

, Mandodari's father and

Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic '' Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He ...

's father-in-law. This name may have mutated to Mairashtra, Mai-dant-ka-khera, Mairaath and eventually Meerut.Homepage
''Meerut'' Official website. According to another version, Maya(sura), being a distinguished architect, received from King

Yudhishthira ''Yudhishthira'' ( Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his fir ...

the land on which the city of Meerut now stands and he called this place Maharashtra, a name which in the course of time became shortened to Meerut. Tradition also has it that the city formed a part of the dominions of Mahipala, the king of Indraprastha, and the word Meerut is associated with his name. The meaning of मय is alcohol. It is a production centre of alcohol with factories (sugar Mills) producing alcohol, hence the name मय is added from a alcohol production city.
Mawana Sugar Distillary
. Maykhana is also a word which means Bar in Hindi. All alcohol was sent to capital Delhi and exported all over India. In India, cities are named on their popular produce. Hence Meerut as a production house of alcohol (मय) is called Meerut.

History

Ancient era

Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages ...

, It was known as 'Maydant Ka Kheda', the capital of May danav. It was hometown of

Mandodari Mandodari ( sa, मंदोदरी, , lit. "soft-bellied";) was the queen consort of Ravana, the king of Lanka, according to the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. The ''Ramayana'' describes Mandodari as beautiful, pious, and righteous. She is extol ...

, wife of Ravana. After the archaeological excavations at Vidura-ka-tila, a collection of several mounds named after Vidura, in 1950–52, a site north-east of Meerut, it was concluded to be remains of the ancient city of

Hastinapur Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'', described in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom, is also mentioned in ancient Jain texts. ...

, the capital of Kauravas and

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledge ...

of ''

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the '' Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the K ...

'', which was washed away by

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

floods.

Meerut also contained a Harappan settlement known as Alamgirpur. It was also the easternmost settlement of the

Indus Valley civilisation The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900& ...

. Meerut had been a centre of

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

in the period of

Mauryan The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...

Emperor

Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, s ...

(r. 273 BC to 232 BC.), and remains of

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

structures were found near the Jama Masjid in the present day city. The Ashoka Pillar, at Delhi ridge, next to the ‘Bara

Hindu Rao Raja Hindu Rao was a Maratha nobleman, the brother-in-law of Maharaja Daulat Rao Scindia of Gwalior State, Gwalior, and the brother of Baiza Bai, the regent of the Indian princely state of Gwalior. Following the Revolt of 1857, he shifted to Delh ...

Hospital’, near

Delhi University Delhi University (DU), formally the University of Delhi, is a collegiate central university located in New Delhi, India. It was founded in 1922 by an Act of the Central Legislative Assembly and is recognized as an Institute of Eminence (IoE) ...

, was carried to

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...

from Meerut, by

Firuz Shah Tughluq Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1309 – 20 September 1388) was a Muslim ruler from the Tughlaq dynasty, who reigned over the Sultanate of Delhi from 1351 to 1388.

(r. 1351–1388); it was later damaged in a 1713 explosion, and restored in 1867.

Muslim conquests

In the eleventh century AD, the region to the south-west of the city was ruled by Har Dat, the ''Dor Raja'' of Bulandshahr who built a fort, which was long known for its strength and finds mention in ''

Ain-i-Akbari The ''Ain-i-Akbari'' ( fa, ) or the "Administration of Akbar", is a 16th-century detailed document recording the administration of the Mughal Empire under Emperor Akbar, written by his court historian, Abu'l Fazl in the Persian language. It for ...

''. He was later defeated by

Mahmud of Ghazni Yamīn-ud-Dawla Abul-Qāṣim Maḥmūd ibn Sebüktegīn ( fa, ; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi ( fa, ), was the founder of the Turkic Ghaznavid dynasty, ruling from 998 to 1030. At t ...

in 1018, surrendering along with his forces to Mahmud. The prominent local landmark known as the Jama Masjid, dates from this period and is said to have been built by Mahmud's vizir. Shortly after its capture the city was regained by the local Hindu Raja and part of his fortifications, built for the city's defence, survived until recent times. Muhammad of Ghor's

mamluk Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...

general

Qutb-ud-din Aybak Qutb ud-Din Aibak ( fa, قطب‌الدین ایبک), (1150 – 14 November 1210) was a Turkic general of the Ghurid king Muhammad Ghori. He was in charge of the Ghurid territories in northern India, and after Muhammad Ghori's assassination in ...

who went on to establish the

Delhi Sultanate The Delhi Sultanate was an Islamic empire based in Delhi that stretched over large parts of the Indian subcontinent for 320 years (1206–1526).

in 1206, attacked and captured Meerut in 1193.

Timur Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kü ...

in 1399 attacked and sacked Meerut. It was held by Ilyas Afghan and his son Maula Muhammad Thaneswari who was assisted by non-Muslims led by Safi. Timur tried to negotiate a surrender, to which the inhabitants of the fort replied by stating that Tarmashirin had tried to capture it in the past but failed. Incensed, he set forth with 10,000 cavalry. The forces scaled the walls and Safi was killed in the battle. The inhabitants were killed and their wives and children enslaved. The fortifications and houses were razed to the ground with prisoners ordered to be flayed alive. The city then came under the rule of the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

and saw a period of relative tranquility. During the rule of

Mughal Emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled ...

Akbar the Great Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...

(r. 1556–1605), there was a mint for copper coins here.The Hindu temples on the plains near Meerut
''

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the Briti ...

''. Also occurring during the reign of Akbar, Meerut was listed in the

as a

pargana Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...

under Delhi sarkar, producing a revenue of 4,391,996 dams for the imperial treasury and supplying a force of 300 infantry and 100 cavalry. Bada Darwaza of Kot Fort

Major part of the Meerut was in the control of

Sayyid ''Sayyid'' (, ; ar, سيد ; ; meaning 'sir', 'Lord', 'Master'; Arabic plural: ; feminine: ; ) is a surname of people descending from the Islamic prophet Muhammad through his grandsons, Hasan ibn Ali and Husayn ibn Ali, sons of Muhamm ...

Jagirdars of

Abdullapur Meerut Abdullapur is a settlement situated in the eastern outskirts of Meerut, just to the south of Ganga Nagar, Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also known as Abdullapur Sadaat. It was founded by Syed Mir Abdullah Naqvi Al Bukhari. Kot Kil ...

from 16th to late 18th century, Sayyed Mir Abdulla Naqvi Al Bukhari built Kot Fort in Abdullapur in 16th century, this place was his main residence. The descendants of Syed Sadarudin Shah Kabir Naqvi Al Kannauji Bukhari still present in this town, Sadarudin was a chief advisor of Sikandar Lodi and the father of great saint

Shah Jewna Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

. Famous Pakistani writer Syed Qudrat Naqvi Al Bukhari was born in Meerut. Nawab Mansab Ali Khan was one of the most influential personality of this city, he built famous Karbala and Masjid known as Mansabiya in 1882. The city saw Sikh and Maratha invasions in the 18th century, with interruptions by Jats and Rohillas. Walter Reinhardt, an English soldier, established himself at

Sardhana Sardhana is a city and a municipal board in Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is northeast of New Delhi and 13 mi from Meerut. It is 5 km from Meerut Karnal National Highway and 12 km from National Highway ...

and some parts of the district came under his rule. Upon his death, they came into the hands of

Begum Samru Joanna Nobilis Sombre (– 27 January 1836), popularly known as Begum Samru (née Farzana Zeb un-Nissa),. a convert Catholic Christian started her career as a nautch (dancing) girl in 18th century India, and eventually became the ruler of Sard ...

. During this time, the southern part of the district had remained under Marathas rule.Meerut District – History
'' The Imperial Gazetteer of India'', 1909, v. 17, p. 256-257, 261.

Colonial era

In 1803, with the fall of Delhi, Daulat Rao Scindia of the Marathas ceded the territory to the British

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sou ...

(EIC). The cantonment of Meerut was set up in 1806 with particular key interests including its closeness to Delhi and its area inside the rich

– Yamuna doab. With time Meerut advanced into one of the biggest and most vital military stations of India. The city was made headquarters of the eponymous district in 1818. 1857 mutineers mosque meerut2

Meerut is famously associated with the 1857 rebellion against

. The famous slogan "''Dilli Chalo''" ("Let's march to Delhi!") was first spoken in the city, and the Meerut

cantonment A cantonment (, , or ) is a military quarters. In Bangladesh, India and other parts of South Asia, a ''cantonment'' refers to a permanent military station (a term from the British India, colonial-era). In military of the United States, United Stat ...

was the place where the rebellion started. The revolt, which catapulted Meerut into international prominence, started in March 1857 at Barrackpore, Bengal. Indian sepoy Mangal Pandey shot at two of his commanding officers, missed, made an unsuccessful attempt to commit

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and ...

and was executed. By April, the fire of Pandey's Uprising scorched north India and reached Meerut, the second-largest East India Company garrison. Here, Europeans and native sepoys were evenly balanced, with a little more than 2,000 on each side. The European cantonment was separated from the Indian one. Close by were Sadar Bazar and Lal Kurti Bazar, the latter named after the red uniforms worn by the

Presidency armies The presidency armies were the armies of the three presidencies of the East India Company's rule in India, later the forces of the British Crown in India, composed primarily of Indian sepoys. The presidency armies were named after the presiden ...

. On 24 April 1857, Meerut's commander, Colonel Carmichael Smyth, paraded 90 Indian sepoys of the Bengal Cavalry, most of whom had come from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He ordered them to fire the new Enfield cartridges- 85 refused. The cartridges were covered with paper that had to be torn off; Muslim soldiers believed the paper was greased with pig fat and Hindus, with cow fat. All 85 soldiers were stripped of their uniforms,

court-martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...

ed; they were all sentenced to a decade in prison. The prisoners, who were upper-class members of a

cavalry regiment Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who Horses in warfare, fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating a ...

, were shocked at the harsh sentences handed down to them. On 10 May 1857, Kotwal Dhan Singh Gurjar opened the gates of the prison. These soldiers, along with the other imprisoned soldiers, escaped prison and declared themselves free, mutinied, attacked and killed several Company officials in the city in order to bring it under their control. This marked the beginning of a widespread revolt across northern India as these soldiers marched towards Delhi. 10 May is still celebrated as a local holiday in Meerut. United Provinces 1903

Meerut was also the venue of the

Meerut Conspiracy Case The Meerut Conspiracy Case was a controversial court case that was initiated in British Raj in March 1929 and decided in 1933. Several trade unionists, including three Englishmen, were arrested for organizing an Indian railway strike. The Bri ...

in March 1929, in which several

trade union A trade union (labor union in American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers intent on "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment", ch. I such as attaining better wages and benefits ( ...

ists, including three Englishmen, were arrested by the colonial authorities for organising a railway

strike action Strike action, also called labor strike, labour strike, or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to Labor (economics), work. A strike usually takes place in response to grievance (labour), employee grievance ...

. The case quickly became the subject of attention in England, inspiring a 1932 play titled ''Meerut Prisoners'' by left-wing

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 ...

street theatre group the ''Red Megaphones'', which highlighted the detrimental effects of

capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for Profit (economics), profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, pric ...

and

industrialisation Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...

. Electricity was first introduced to Meerut in 1931. In the 1940s, during the height of the

Indian independence movement The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

, cinema-goers in Meerut had an unofficial policy of refusing to stand up when ''

God Save the Queen "God Save the King" is the national and/or royal anthem of the United Kingdom, most of the Commonwealth realms, their territories, and the British Crown Dependencies. The author of the tune is unknown and it may originate in plainchant, bu ...

'' played before the film was shown. The last session of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...

(INC) prior to the

independence of India The Indian independence movement was a series of historic events with the ultimate aim of ending British Raj, British rule in India. It lasted from 1857 to 1947. The first nationalistic revolutionary movement for Indian independence emerged ...

in 1947 was held at Victoria Park in Meerut on 26 November 1946. It was in this session that the Constitution-making committee was constituted.

Post-independence era

The city and district also suffered from communal (

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

Sikh Sikhs ( or ; pa, ਸਿੱਖ, ' ) are people who adhere to Sikhism, Sikhism (Sikhi), a Monotheism, monotheistic religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Gu ...

) riots in 1984 and (Hindu-Muslim) riots in 1982 and in 1987, during which the Hashimpura massacre took place, in May 1987, when personnel of the

Provincial Armed Constabulary Provincial may refer to: Government & Administration * Provincial capitals, an administrative sub-national capital of a country * Provincial city (disambiguation) * Provincial minister (disambiguation) * Provincial Secretary, a position in Can ...

(PAC) shot dead 42 Muslims, the trial of the case is still pending. In 2006, a

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition ...

at a consumer electronics "Brand India" fair in Victoria Park Stadium killed at least 100 people, with authorities already confirming 45 fatalities, although a specific figure on a toll was difficult to put and was predicted to be much higher.

Climate

Meerut has a

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal oscil ...

influenced

humid subtropical A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

climate characterised by hot summers and cooler winters. Summers last from early April to late June during and are extremely hot, with temperatures reaching . The monsoon arrives in late June and continues till the middle of September. Temperatures drop slightly, with plenty of cloud cover but with higher humidity. Temperatures rise again in October and the city then has a mild, dry winter season from November to the middle of March The lowest temperature ever recorded is , recorded on Sunday, 6 January 2013. Rainfall is about per annum, which is suitable for growing crops. Most of the rainfall is received during the

. Humidity varies from 30 to 100%. The city receives no snow.

Geography

Meerut is the largest city in NCR after Delhi also known as sports city of India. Meerut lies between the plains of the

and those of the

Yamuna The Yamuna (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in List of major rivers of India, India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a ...

. In area Meerut district covers 2,522 km² (974 sq mi), which is larger than Delhi (Delhi covers an area of 1,484 km² 73 sq mi. However, Meerut's population is three times less than that of Delhi (Current population of Meerut is 3,443,689).

Administration

General Administration

Meerut division which consists of six districts, and is headed by the Divisional Commissioner of Meerut, who is an

IAS officer The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. Considered the premier civil service of India, the IAS is one of the three arms of the All India Services along with the Indian ...

of high seniority, the

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

is the head of local government institutions (including Municipal Corporations) in the division, is in charge of infrastructural development in his division. The

District Magistrate A District Collector-cum-District Magistrate (also known as Deputy Commissioner in some states) is an All India Service officer of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) cadre who is responsible for ''land revenue collection'', ''canal reve ...

of Meerut reports to the Divisional Commissioner. The current Commissioner is Surendra Singh. Meerut district administration is headed by the

of Meerut, who is an

. The DM is in charge of property records and revenue collection for the central government and oversees the

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold Public administration, public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative ...

held in the city. The district is subdivided into three

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

s, namely Meerut, Mawana and Sardhana, each headed by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate. The tehsils are further divided into 12 blocks. The current District Magistrate of Meerut is Depak Meena.

Police Administration

Meerut district comes under Meerut police zone and Meerut police range of

Uttar Pradesh Police The Uttar Pradesh Police (UP Police), (IAST: ), is the primary law enforcement agency within the Uttar Pradesh state of India. Established in 1863 as the Office of the Inspector General of Police, United Provinces under the ''Police Act, 1861'' ...

. Meerut zone is headed by an

IPS officer The Indian Police Service ( IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became independent from the British Raj. Along with the Indian Administrative Service (IA ...

in the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADG), whereas Meerut range is headed by an

in the rank of

Inspector General of Police An Inspector General of Police is a senior police officer in the police force or police service of several nations. The rank usually refers to the head of a large regional command within a police service, and in many countries refers to the most se ...

(IG). The Current ADG, Meerut Zone is Rajeev Sabharwal, whereas the current IG, Meerut Range is Praveen Kumar. District Police of Meerut is headed by the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) who is an

IPS IPS, ips, or iPS may refer to: Science and technology Biology and medicine * ''Ips'' (genus), a genus of bark beetle * Induced pluripotent stem cell or iPS cells * Intermittent photic stimulation, a neuroimaging technique * Intraparietal sulcus, ...

officer. He is assisted by four Superintendents of Police (SP)/

Additional Superintendent of Police Police ranks of India Superintendent of police (SP) is a senior rank in the Indian Police Service (IPS). They wear a star and an Ashoka emblem on their epaulettes with 'IPS' below. The larger and more important districts in India are headed by ...

(Addl. SP) (City, Rural Area, Traffic and Crime). The Meerut district is divided into numerous police circles, each headed by a Circle Officer in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police. SP (Traffic) and SP (Crime) are assisted by one Circle Officer in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police each. The current SSP is Rohit Singh Sajwan.

Infrastructure and Civic Administration

The development of infrastructure in the city is overseen by the Meerut Development Authority (MDA), which comes under the Housing Department of

Uttar Pradesh government The Government of Uttar Pradesh (ISO: Uttar Pradesh Sarkār; often abbreviated as GoUP) is the subnational government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh with the governor as its appointed constitutional head of the state by the President of I ...

. The Divisional Commissioner of Meerut acts as the ''ex-officio'' Chairman of MDA, whereas a vice-chairman, a government-appointed

, looks after the daily matters of the authority. The current vice-chairman of Meerut Development Authority is Sita Ram Yadav. The city is administered by

Meerut Municipal Corporation The Meerut Nagar Nigam (MNN) also known as Meerut Municipal Corporation (MMC) is the civic body that governs Meerut city. Established under the Uttar Pradesh Municipal Corporation Act-1959, it is responsible for the civic infrastructure and adm ...

, which is responsible for performing civic administrative functions administered by Municipal Commissioner (PCS Officer) whereas Mayor is ceremonial head of the corporation. The current Municipal Commissioner of Meerut Municipal Corporation is Manoj Kumar Chauhan.

Central Government Offices

The office of the Chief Commissioner, Customs & Central Excise, Meerut Zone, has jurisdiction over 13 districts of Uttrakhand and 14 districts of

. This jurisdiction was carved out of the Lucknow Zone. It comprises the erstwhile Customs & Central Excise Commissionerates of Meerut & Noida. The Meerut Commissionerate was bifurcated into two Commissionerates, namely, ‘Meerut-I and Ghaziabad’ and the Noida Commissionerate was bifurcated into ‘Noida and Meerut-II’. In addition, jurisdiction of Central Excise Division Bareilly was included in the jurisdiction of Meerut-II Commissionerate. CGHS department of Meerut provides comprehensive health care facilities for the central govt employees and pensioners and their dependents residing in this city.

District management

*The Janikhurd Block is established on 1 October 1962. *The Rohta block is established on 1 October 1959. *The Daurala block is established on 1 October 1962. *The Rajpura block is established on 1 October 1959. *The Kharkhoda block is established on 1 October 1959. *The Mawana block is established on 1 April 1957. *The Meerut block is established on 1 April 1957. *The Hastinapur block is established on 1 April 1963. *The Sardhana block is established on 26 January 1955. *The Saroorpur khurd block is established on 1 April 1959. *The Machchhara block is established on 1 October 1961. *The Parikshitgarh block is established on 1 April 1958.

Meerut Cantonment

Meerut Cantonment was established by the

British East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southea ...

in 1803 after the

Battle of Laswari The Battle of Laswari took place on 1 November 1803 near Laswari village, Alwar. It was part of the Second Anglo-Maratha War. The British under Gerard Lake were anxious to finish the war by neutralizing the last substantial force that the Marat ...

. It is the one of the largest cantonment of India both in land area and population of 93684 (civil + military) people as per 2011 census. The

Revolt of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

started from "Kali Paltan" in Meerut Cantonment and

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

soldiers stationed here actively participated in the rebellion. The cantonment surrounds the old city from 3 sides – from Pallavpuram to Sainik Vihar to Ganga Nagar. It is well connected with the rest of country by roads as well as by rail. The Delhi Niti Paas Road (State Highway No. 45) passes through Meerut Cantonment. Meerut cantonment was the divisional headquarters of the 7th (Meerut) Division of the

British Indian Army The British Indian Army, commonly referred to as the Indian Army, was the main military of the British Raj before its dissolution in 1947. It was responsible for the defence of the British Indian Empire, including the princely states, which co ...

from 1829 to 1920. Soldiers from the cantonment have actively participated in the

First Battle of Ypres The First Battle of Ypres (french: Première Bataille des Flandres; german: Erste Flandernschlacht – was a battle of the First World War, fought on the Western Front around Ypres, in West Flanders, Belgium. The battle was part of the Firs ...

, both the 1st and 2nd Battles of El Alamein,

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

, Burma Campaign, the

Indo-Pakistani Wars Since the Partition of India, Partition of British India in 1947 and subsequent creation of the dominions of Dominion of India, India and Dominion of Pakistan, Pakistan, the two countries have been involved in a number of wars, conflicts, and m ...

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and War, armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Benga ...

and

Kargil War The Kargil War, also known as the Kargil conflict, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Jammu and Kashmir and elsewhere along the Line of Control (LoC). In India, the conflict is also referr ...

. It has been the regimental center of

Punjab Regiment Punjab Regiment may refer to the following existing units: *Punjab Regiment (India) *Punjab Regiment (Pakistan) From 1922 to 1947, the British Indian Army included 6 numbered Punjab Regiments: *1st Punjab Regiment * 2nd Punjab Regiment *8th Punj ...

Corps of Signals,

Jat Regiment The Jat Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army, of which it is one of the longest-serving regiments.Sikh Regiment The Sikh Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. Sikh regiment is the highest decorated regiment of the Indian Army and in 1979, the 1st battalion was the Commonwealth's most decorated battalion with 245 pre-independence and 8 ...

and

Dogra Regiment The Dogra Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Indian Army. The regiment traces its roots directly from the 17th Dogra Regiment of the British Indian Army. When transferred to the Indian Army like its sister regiments, the numeral prefix ...

Development

Under-Construction Flyover on NH-58 Sardhana Road Crossing in Meerut

Meerut is the 63rd-fastest-growing urban area in the world. It is the 14th fastest developing city in India. A June 2011 report by US financial services firm

Morgan Stanley Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...

gave Meerut the 5th spot on the "vibrancy" index, ahead of Delhi and Mumbai. Meerut ranked second on both the financial penetration index, which measures things like the presence of ATMs and bank branches, and on the consumption index, indicating the city's transformation into an urban town. While the city ranked in the bottom 10 in job creations, the report suggests that overall there are plenty of signs of "potential for urbanisation," including future employment opportunities. The infrastructure segment of Meerut is currently going through a boom phase with many new projects coming up in and around the city. There are many new buildings, shopping complexes, malls, roads, flyovers and apartments coming up. The Upper Ganga Canal Expressway is also under development. On the India City Competitiveness Index, the city ranked 45th in 2010, 37th in 2011 and 39th in 2012.

Economy

Industry

Meerut is one of the important industrial towns of western Uttar Pradesh with several traditional and modern industries. It is traditionally known for

handloom A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but t ...

works and

scissors Scissors are hand-operated shearing tools. A pair of scissors consists of a pair of metal blades pivoted so that the sharpened edges slide against each other when the handles (bows) opposite to the pivot are closed. Scissors are used for cutti ...

industry. Meerut was one of the first cities in northern India where publishing was set up during the 19th century. It was a major center of commercial publishing during the 1860s and 1870s. Meerut is a rich agricultural area, which also contains land that is not suitable for harvest.. Being in the proximity of Delhi, it is ideal for industry. It is home to 520 micro, small and medium scale industries. , Meerut has about 23,471 industrial units, including 15,510 small-scale units and 7,922 cottage industries. Existing industries in the city include tyres, textile, transformer, sugar, distillery, chemical, engineering, paper, publishing, and sports goods manufacture. Prospective industries include IT and

ITES ''Ites'' is a genus of longhorn beetles of the subfamily Lamiinae,Biolib.cz - ''Ites''
Retrieved on 8 September 20 ...

. Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC) has two industrial estates in the city, namely Partapur and Udyog Puram.

Revenue generation

Meerut has shown healthy numbers in terms of revenue generation. In 2005–06, Meerut occupied the fifth slot and contributed Rs 10,306 crore to the direct tax collection. It slipped to number six in 2006–07 when the revenue collection at Rs 11,203 crore was 18% lower than the target of Rs 13,627 crore. According to statistics compiled by the Income Tax department, Meerut contributed a Rs.10,089 crore to the national treasury in 2007/08, overall it was ranked 9th outperforming Lucknow, Jaipur, Bhopal, Kochi and Bhubaneshwar.

Transport

Air

The nearest airport is the

Indira Gandhi International Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of , is situated in Palam, Delhi, southwest of the New De ...

which is about 100 km away. The Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar Airport is located at Partapur. It was proposed by the state government that the airstrip be converted to an international airport to reduce pressure on Delhi airport. However, Plans to expand the Domestic airport were called off after protests against land acquisition started in other parts of the state. Following an accident in May 2012, the city administration barred private flights from using the airstrip.

Road

Meerut is well-connected by road to major cities like

Noida Noida, short for New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, is a planned city located in Gautam Buddha Nagar district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Noida is a satellite city of Delhi and is a part of the National Capital Region (NCR) o ...

Faridabad Faridabad is the most populous city in the Indian state of Haryana and a part of Delhi National Capital Region. It is one of the major satellite cities around Delhi and is located 284 kilometres south of the state capital Chandigarh. The ri ...

Ghaziabad Ghaziabad () is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and a part of Delhi NCR. It is the administrative headquarters of Ghaziabad district and is the largest city in western Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 1,729,000. Ghaziabad Mun ...

Haridwar Haridwar (; ) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is situated on the righ ...

, Bulandshahr etc. A large number of people commute to Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurgaon every day for work. Three national highways ( NH-58, NH-119 & NH-235) pass through Meerut. The

Delhi–Meerut Expressway Delhi–Meerut Expressway or National Expressway 3 is India's widest 96 km long controlled-access expressway, connecting Delhi with Meerut via Dasna in Ghaziabad in India. The 8 lanes old stretch of National Highway 9 (NH-9) up to Dasna ...

- a 90 km long controlled-access expressway connects Meerut with Delhi via

Dasna Dasna is a town, near Ghaziabad city and a nagar panchayat in Ghaziabad district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Geography Dasna is located at . It has an average elevation of 207 metres (679 feet). There are other prominent l ...

Ghaziabad district Ghaziabad () is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and a part of Delhi NCR. It is the administrative headquarters of Ghaziabad district and is the largest city in western Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 1,729,000. Ghaziabad Mun ...

. Prime Minister

Narendra Modi Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament from ...

laid the foundation stone for the expressway on 31 December 2015, and the expressway was completed and opened for public on 1 April 2021. The

Upper Ganga Canal Expressway Upper Ganges Canal Expressway, also known as Hindon Expressway, is a planned eight-lane expressway. It is planned to stretch from Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh to Haridwar, Uttarakhand through Muzaffarnagar Muzaffarnagar is a city under Mu ...

which passes through outskirts of the city is under development. There are 2 main bus terminals, namely Bhainsali bus terminal and Sohrab Gate bus terminal from where

Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation The Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) is a public sector passenger road transport corporation which services Uttar Pradesh, India, and adjoining states of North India. It operates as a state and interstate bus service and ...

(UPSRTC) buses ply to cities all over the state and all nearby cities. A

JNNURM Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) was a massive city-modernization scheme launched by the Government of India under the Ministry of Urban Development. It envisaged a total investment of over $20 billion over seven years. ...

scheme was put in place.

Low Floor Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...

City Buses (under JNNURM), Normal City Buses, auto rickshaws and rickshaws are convenient public transport options to commute within the city. Many new transport infrastructure projects like inner ring road, outer ring road and construction of new flyovers are proposed.

Railways

Meerut lies on the Delhi–Saharanpur electrified railway line and has five railway stations: Meerut City, Meerut Cantt, Partapur, Mohiuddinpur and Pabli Khas. Meerut City railway station is the busiest. The railway line between Delhi and Meerut was constructed in 1864 and the Meerut Cantt station, which serves as a secondary railway station was founded in 1865. About 20,000 passengers travel daily to Delhi and back. Around 27 pairs of trains run between Meerut and Delhi, and four between Meerut and Khurja. Two trains are available for Lucknow daily, namely

Nauchandi Express The 14511/14512 Nauchandi Express is an express train belonging to Indian Railways that runs between Prayagraj Sangam railway station and Saharanpur Junction railway station, Saharanpur Junction in India. It operates as train number 14511 from ...

and

Rajya Rani Express Rajya Rani trains are a series of express trains operated by Indian Railways to connect state capitals with other cities important for tourism, pilgrimage or business. History The word "Rajya" means "State" and the word "Rani" means Queen in ...

. A weekly train goes to Chennai and Kuchuvelli. Daily trains connect Meerut to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...

Jaipur Jaipur (; Hindi Language, Hindi: ''Jayapura''), formerly Jeypore, is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Rajasthan. , the city had a pop ...

, Rajkot and cities in other states. Meerut-City-Railway-Station

;Metro Project ; On 30 December 2014, the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet had approved the proposed Metro Rail projects in Meerut, to boost the urban mass transport infrastructure in Meerut. The state government has nominated RITES Limited and Uttar Pradesh Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) for preparing the respective detailed project report (DPR) and as coordinator, respectively. The development authorities would be nodal agencies for DPR. The metro project got the green signal from the divisional commissioner. It was decided in the meeting that the project would be along two corridors - Partapur to Pallavpuram Phase 2 and Rajban Market to Gokalpur village. The main stations on the first corridor will be Partapur, Panchwati Enclave, Rithani, Rithani West, Shatabdi Nagar, Devlok, Madhavpuram, Meerut Railway Station Road, Lajpat Bazaar, Begampul, Gandhi Bagh, Lekha Nagar, Pallavpuram Dorli, Ansal City and Pallavpuram Phase 2. While the corridor in the Partapur-Pallavpuram Phase 2 route will cover 20 km and will have a total number of 18 stations in between, the 10 km-long route from Rajban Market to Gokalpur village will have nine stations. ;Rapid Rail ; The NCR Transport Plan 2021 proposed a rail-based mass transit system called Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) between Delhi to Meerut with the Shahdara-Ghaziabad section scheduled for construction during 2001-11 and the Ghaziabad-Meerut section scheduled for 2011–21. In September 2010, the RRTS was reported to be proposed between Anand Vihar and Meerut with the project in its initial stages. The cost was projected to be around with the expected time of the journey being 45 minutes. In November 2010, the train speed was proposed to be between 130 and 160 kmph with stations at Anand Vihar, Sahibabad, Mohan Nagar, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai, Moradnagar, Modinagar, Meerut South, Shatabdi Nagar, Meerut Centre, Begumpul, Meerut North, Pallavpuram. On 14 December 2010, the NCR Planning Board, Meerut Development Authority (MDA) and Meerut Nagar Nigam approved this system. In August 2011, it was reported that the project tender had been awarded to Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System (DIMTS). The proposed system was to have dedicated trains between Anand Vihar and Meerut, which stop nowhere in between, and trains which stop at stations to be constructed after a gap of 4–5 km. The reported stations were Anand Vihar, Vaishali, Mohan Nagar, Meerut Road (Airtel Cut) Morta, Duhai, Muradnagar, Gang Nahar, Modi Nagar, Mohiuddinpur, Meerut Bypass Cut and Pallavpuram with completion expected in 2017. The track between Anand Vihar to Dabur was proposed to be underground with the rest of the track overhead. On 11 July 2013, the Union Cabinet of India approved the formation of the National Capital Region Transport Corporation Limited (NCRTCL) with a seed capital of . The corporation is to take up the construction of the 90 km-long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor on a priority basis (along with two other corridors) with planned completion in 2016. It was reported that the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the three corridors were under the process of finalisation. In December 2013, problems were reported in the proposed alignment of the Delhi-Meerut corridor. In January 2014, it was reported that the proposed alignment had to be changed due to objections by

NHAI The National Highways Authority of India or NHAI (Hindi: भारतीय राष्ट्रीय राजमार्ग प्राधिकरण) is an autonomous agency of the Government of India, set up in 1995 (Act 1988) and i ...

and the feasibility report had to be prepared again. The new proposed alignment increased the length from 90 km to 106 km.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, the Meerut Urban Agglomeration (Meerut UA) has a population of around 1.42 million, (comparable to kingdom of

Bahrain Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

) with the municipality contributing roughly 1.31 million of it. The Meerut Urban Agglomeration consists of area falling under Meerut Municipal Corporation, Meerut Cantonment Board and 4

census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...

s of Sindhawali, Amehra Adipur, Aminagar Urf Bhurbaral and Mohiuddinpur. This makes Meerut the 33rd most populous

urban agglomeration An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...

and the 28th most populous city in India. The sex ratio in Meerut UA is 887, lower than the state average of 908; while the child sex ratio is 845, lower than the state average of 899. 12.99% of the population is under 6 years of age. The overall literacy rate is 76.28%, higher than the state average of 69.72%. , Meerut ranks 328 (based on population), 189 (based on population density), 648 (based on built-up area) among world's urban areas. According to the 2001 census, the city ranked 2nd in terms of population in NCR and 25th in India.

Culture

Most traditional Indian festivals, including

Holi Holi (), also known as the Festival of Colours, the Festival of Spring, and the Festival of Love,The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...". is an ancient Hindu religious festival ...

Dussehra Vijayadashami ( sa, विजयदशमी, Vijayadaśamī, translit-std=IAST), also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu ...

Diwali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is ...

, Eid among others are celebrated with fervor in the city. Notably, a fair by the name of ''Nauchandi Fair'' is held two weeks after Holi every year. The fair, which started in 1672, continues for about 15 days and is attended by

lakh A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2,2,3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. For ex ...

s of people. It includes events such as poetry recitations in Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi etc.

Khariboli Kauravi ( hi, कौरवी, ur, ), also known as Khaṛībolī is a set of Western Hindi varieties of Shauraseni Prakrit mainly spoken in Northwestern Uttar Pradesh. Standard Hindi and Urdu are based on Khariboli, specifically on its De ...

is the local dialect with official business conducted in either

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Meerut Diocese, which covers the districts of Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Dehradun, Haridwar, Moradabad, Rampur, Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Ghaziabad, Baghpat and Dhampur Tehsil of Bijnor district.

Nauchandi Mela (Fair)

The Nauchandi Mela is an annual

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

held at Nauchandi Ground in Meerut. The fair stretches for about a month and is organized by the Municipal Corporation of Meerut. It generally starts from the second Sunday after

. The main exhibits are the artistic and religious rituals followed in rustic Uttar Pradesh. The fair witness more than 50,000 visitors every year. The

Indian Railways Indian Railways (IR) is a statutory body under the ownership of Ministry of Railways, Government of India that operates India's national railway system. It manages the fourth largest national railway system in the world by size, with a tot ...

train is named after this fair. The fair has a prominent history dating back several hundreds of years. It started in the year 1672 AD as a one-day cattle trading fair. The fair has been held every year, excluding 1858, the year after 1857 revolt, which started from Meerut. Since then cattle trading has been replaced by a number of other activities. The fair feature shops for

's Chikan work,

Moradabad Moradabad () is a city, commissionary and municipal corporation in Moradabad district of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Moradabad is situated on the banks of the Ramganga river, at a distance of from the national capital, New Delhi and 344 ...

's brassware,

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

's carpets, rugs and silk sarees,

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is ...

's footwear,

Meerut Meerut (, IAST: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies northeast of the national capital New Delhi, within the National Capital Region and west of the state capital ...

's leather items, etc. Meerut's own products like sports goods, scissors,

gajak Gajak (also ''gachak'') is a dessert or confection originating in north-central India. It is a dry sweet made of sesame seeds (''til'') or peanuts and jaggery. The ''til'' is cooked in the raw sugar syrup and set in thin layers, which can be sto ...

s, nan-khatai are also sold. Giant

rides Amusement rides, sometimes called carnival rides, are mechanical devices or structures that move people especially kids to create fun and enjoyment. Rides are often perceived by many as being scary or more dangerous than they actually are. This ...

wheels A wheel is a circular component that is intended to rotate on an axle bearing. The wheel is one of the key components of the wheel and axle which is one of the six simple machines. Wheels, in conjunction with axles, allow heavy objects to be ...

, circus and various other recreational arenas where artists perform stunts, remains a big attraction of the fair.

Film and television

Meerut is home to a film industry, which has a following in Western Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. The films are usually folklore stories or comedies or localised versions of Bollywood hits. The films which have been shot here include

Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety ''Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety'' () is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed and written by Luv Ranjan whose banner Luv Films co-produced it along with T-Series. The film was jointly distributed by T-Series, Amazon Prime Video and AA ...

Zero 0 (zero) is a number representing an empty quantity. In place-value notation Positional notation (or place-value notation, or positional numeral system) usually denotes the extension to any base of the Hindu–Arabic numeral system (or ...

, and

Rajma Chawal ''Rajma Chawal'' () is a 2018 Hindi-language Indian comedy-drama film directed by Leena Yadav, produced by Gulab Singh Tanwar and Aseem Bajaj, which stars Rishi Kapoor, Anirudh Tanwar and Amyra Dastur in the lead. The film revolves around a ...

. Notable people from Meerut in the film and television industry include

Bharat Bhushan ''Bharatbhushan Bhalla'' better known as ''Bharat Bhushan'' (14 June 1920 – 27 January 1992) was an Indian actor in Hindi language films, scriptwriter and producer, who is best remembered for playing Baiju Bawra in the 1952 film of the s ...

Aziz Mian Aziz Mian Qawwal ( ur, عزیز میاں قوال) (17 April 1942 – 6 December 2000) was a Pakistani traditional qawwal famous for singing ghazals in his own style of qawwali and is considered one of the greatest qawwals in South Asia. He ...

, Mandakini,

Achint Kaur Achint Kaur is an Indian television and Cinema actresses and is best known for playing the antagonists ''Mandira'' and ''Pallavi'' in Ekta Kapoor's Indian soap operas ''Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi'' and ''Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii'', respectivel ...

Kailash Kher Kailash Kher (born 7 July 1973) is an Indian music composer and singer. He sings songs with a music style influenced by Indian folk music and Sufi music. He was inspired by the classical musicians' Pandit Kumar Gandharva, Pandit Hridaynath Ma ...

Chitrangada Singh Chitrangda Singh (born 30 August) is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi cinema. She made her acting debut in 2005 with '' Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi'' for which she won Bollywood Movie Award – Best Female Debut. Singh has starred in ...

Vishal Bhardwaj Vishal Bhardwaj (born 4 August 1965) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, music composer and playback singer. He is known for his work in Hindi cinema, and is the recipient of seven National Film Awards and a Filmfare Award. Bha ...

Deepti Bhatnagar Deepti Bhatnagar (born 30 September 1967) is a former Indian actress and model who worked predominantly in Hindi films, in addition to Telugu films. Her first film role came in Sanjay Gupta's ''Ram Shastra''. She has also appeared in the Telugu ...

and

Pravesh Rana Pravesh Rana (born 26 February 1983) is an Indian actor, television host and model. He has walked the ramp for various top designers and also won the title of Mr. India in 2008. He was a participant in the reality television show ''Bigg Boss'' ...

Education

Administrative Block CCS University, Meerut

Meerut is an education hub of Western Uttar Pradesh with near about four or five universities, approximately 50 engineering colleges, 23 management colleges, seven pharmacy colleges, four colleges offering hotel management, one college offering fashion design, over 150 academic colleges and over 50 schools. The city is home to Chaudhary Charan Singh University (formerly Meerut University),

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology (SVPUAT) is an agricultural university at Meerut in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 20 ...

, Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Shobhit Institute of Engineering & Technology and IIMT University. The city has one government-run engineering college, Sir Chhotu Ram Institute of Engineering and Technology, a constituent college of Chaudhary Charan Singh University. There are schools affiliated to recognized boards such as ICSE, CBSE, IB and the state board. One such school is the St. John's Sr. Sec School (established by

) which is over 130 years old, also the first IB school in Uttar Pradesh was Vidya Global school. Shobhit Institute of Engineering & Technology is the only Deemed-to-be University in Meerut district. It was notified in 2006 by Ministry of HRD, Government of India u/s 3 of UGC Act 1956.

Shri Venkateshwara University Shri Venkateshwara University (SVU) is a private university located in Gajraula, Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated st ...

recognized by UGC, located in Amroha near Meerut. IIMT Engineering College which is now called IIMT University is the oldest engineering institute of Meerut district. It was established in 1997. Chaudhary Charan Singh University (CCSU) is a public and state university which has many degree colleges affiliated to it. They fall in two divisions:

Saharanpur Saharanpur is a city and a municipal corporation in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also the administrative headquarters of Saharanpur district. Saharanpur city's name was given after the Saint Shah Haroon Chishti. Saharanpur is declared as on ...

and Meerut with nine districts including

, Meerut,

Muzaffarnagar Muzaffarnagar is a city under Muzaffarnagar District in the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated midway on the Delhi - Haridwar/ Dehradun National Highway (NH 58) and is also well connected with the national railway network. It is ...

Shamli Shamli is a city and the headquarters of Shamli district, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is a part of Delhi NCR and is an administrative subdivision under Saharanpur division. History According to the mythological story, in Dawpar yug ...

Gautam Budh Nagar Gautam Buddha Nagar district is a district of Uttar Pradesh, named after Gautama Buddha. It is a part of Delhi NCR and is divided into 4 sub-divisions i.e. Noida, Greater Noida, Dadri and Jewar. Greater Noida is the administrative headquarters o ...

Bagpat Baghpat is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Bagpat district, which was established in 1997. It is part of the National Capital Region. Etymology The original name of the city was ''Vyaghrap ...

Hapur Hapur is a city in, as well as the headquarters of, Hapur district, in Uttar Pradesh, India. Located about east of New Delhi, the city is part of the Delhi National Capital Region (NCR). National Highway 9 passes through the city, connecting i ...

, Bulandshahr and

administered by Vice-Chancellor and Registrar (PCS officer). The Indian Film and Television Institute is located at the western bypass of the city. The city has three medical colleges:

Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College or LLRMC is a state-run Medical College located in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is named after the Arya Samaj leader, Lala Lajpat Rai. The college is affiliated with Chaudhary Charan Singh Universit ...

Subharti Medical College Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Subharti Medical College is an Indian medical school located at Meerut in the state Uttar Pradesh. It is a constituent of Swami Vivekanand Subharti University. The college was earlier affiliated to Dr. Bhimrao Ambed ...

and Mulayam Singh Yadav Medical College & Hospital.

Notable Schools

* St. Mary's Academy, Meerut * St. Thomas' English Medium School

Media

Meerut is becoming a media centre, as journalists from all over

and other Indian states are working in Meerut. Radio stations shared with Delhi are Radio City 91.1 MHz, Big FM 92.7 MHz, Red FM 93.5 MHz, Radio One 94.3 MHz, Hit 95 (95 MHz),

Radio Mirchi Radio Mirchi (also known as 98.3 Mirchi) is a nationwide network of private FM radio stations in India. It is owned by the EntertainmentNetwork India Ltd (ENIL), which is one of the subsidiaries of The Times Group. ''Mirchi'' is Hindi for re ...

98.3 MHz,

AIR FM Rainbow AIR FM Rainbow is a group of FM radio channels across India. The group of stations was previously called FM Metro, but the name was changed to FM Rainbow in 2002. The group is run by All India Radio, or AIR, a government owned enterprise. It ...

102.6 MHz,

Meow FM Ishq FM, branded as Ishq 104.8 FM, (formerly Meow FM and OYE FM) is a romantic music FM Radio Channel in India that broadcasts in the major cities: Delhi, Mumbai, & Kolkata. It was initially launched as Meow FM, which was a talk-based channel ...

104.8 MHz,

AIR FM Gold AIR FM Gold is an FM radio channel in Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai, India. It is run by the All India Radio, a government owned enterprise, a division of Prasar Bharati. In Mumbai, it features Hindi songs, and English songs along with hou ...

106.4 MHz. Radio IIMT (90.4 MHz) Radio IIMT is the only radio station located in the city. The Hindi-language daily newspapers

Hindustan (newspaper) ''Hindustan'' or ''Hindustan Dainik'' is an Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper. According to Audit Bureau of Circulations, it is ranked 13th in the world by circulation and 6th in India. Madan Mohan Malaviya launched it in 1936. It is ...

Rajasthan Patrika ''Rajasthan Patrika'' is an Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper. It was founded by Karpoor Chandra Kulish in 1956 and published as ''Rajasthan Patrika'' in Delhi and Rajasthan, and as ''Patrika'' in 9 other states. As per Indian Readership S ...

Dainik Jagran ''Dainik Jagran'' ( Hi:दैनिक जागरन , , ) is an Indian Hindi language daily newspaper. It was ranked 5th in the world and 2nd in India by circulation in 2016. In 2019 Quarter 4, according to Indian Readership Survey, Daini ...

Amar Ujala ''Amar Ujala'' is a Hindi-language daily newspaper published in India which was founded in 1948. It has 21 editions in six states and two union territories covering 180 districts. It has a circulation of around two million copies. The 2017 Ind ...

, Dainik Janwani, The Hindu, Rashtrasewa, Dainik Jagran iNext are published from the city. The English daily

Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, t ...

, Meerut edition and the English language supplement HT City, Meerut with

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Lyall ...

is also published there. Moneymakers, an English daily is also published there. Asian Express, Hindi newspaper and news magazine Citizen of the World are also published there.

Sports Industries

Meerut is one of the prominent Center in the country besides

Jalandhar Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...

for the manufacture of sports goods. There are numerous sports companies in the city especially for cricket namely SS, SF, SG, RM Sports, BDM, GEM etc. Players like MS Dhoni,

Virender Sehwag Virender Sehwag (born 20 October 1978) is a former Indian cricketer who represented India from 1999 to 2013. Widely regarded as one of the most destructive opener, he played for Delhi Capitals in IPL and Delhi and Haryana in Indian domestic c ...

Yuvraj Singh Yuvraj Singh (born 12 December 1981) is a former Indian international cricketer who played in all formats of the game. He is an all-rounder who batted left-handed in the middle order and bowled slow left-arm orthodox . He has won 7 Player of ...

Kieron Pollard Kieron Adrian Pollard (born 12 May 1987) is a Trinidadian who is a former West Indies cricketer. He has captained the West Indies cricket team in limited overs cricket. He currently plays in various T20 leagues around the globe as an all-rounde ...

Virat Kohli Virat Kohli (; born 5 November 1988) is an Indian international cricketer and former captain of the India national cricket team. Widely regarded as one of the greatest batsmen of all time, Kohli plays as a right-handed Batting (cricket), batte ...

Kumar Sangakkara Kumara Chokshananda Sangakkara ( si, කුමාර් චොක්ශනාද සංගක්කාර; born 27 October 1977) is a Sri Lankan cricket commentator, former professional cricketer, businessman, ICC Hall of Fame inductee and the ...

and many others have used bats made in Meerut. 40,000-capacity

Kailash Prakash Stadium Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; Standard Tibetan, Tibetan: གངས་རིན་པོ་ཆེ; ; sa, कैलास, ), is a mountain in the Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It h ...

is located in Meerut.

Tourist destinations

Statue of Mangal Pandey at Shaheed Smarak Meerut

Tourist destinations in and around Meerut include: *

Digamber Jain Bada Mandir Hastinapur Shri Digamber Jain Prachin Bada Mandir is a Jain temple complex in located in Hastinapur, Uttar Pradesh. It is the oldest Jain temple in Hastinapur dedicated to Shri Shantinatha, the 16th Jain Tirthankara. History Hastinapur ''Teerth Kshetr ...

– Located on the banks of the old ravine of Ganges, Hastinapur NCR is considered one of the holiest places on earth by Jains. It is believed to be the birthplace of three Jain Tirthankaras. There are many ancient Jain temples in Hastinapur NCR. Shri Digamber Jain Mandir, Jambudweep, Kailash Parvat Rachna, Shwetambar Jain Temple are the main and famous temples in Hastinapur NCR. Apart from Jain temples, Pandeshwar temple, Historical Gurdwara and

Hastinapur Sanctuary Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in the Gangetic plains of Uttar Pradesh, India. It was established in 1986 and covers across Meerut, Muzzafarnagar, Ghaziabad, Bijnor, Meerut and Amroha districts. This area has not enjoyed prote ...

are worth being seen.
Government Freedom Struggle Museum and Shaheed Smarak
- Government Freedom Struggle Museum, Meerut was established in 1997. It is located in the Shaheed Smarak compound on Delhi Road, about 6 km north-east from the city railway station and at a distance of about 200 meters from the Delhi Bus Station. Visitors can stay in various guesthouses, private lodges and hotels.The Museum’s main aim is the collection, preservation, documentation and exhibition of cultural property and to make it available for educational activities as well as for creation of awareness about our glorious past.Some postal stamps, pictures, post cards, memorial coins related to the events of 1857 and latter coins are also in the collection of the museum. The museum is in the developing stages and efforts are being made to collect more specimens. The museum organises educational programs such as lectures, seminars and competitions related to history, culture, philosophy, the freedom struggle and religion.It also aims at coordinating with other cultural and educational organizations for disseminating Indian culture and particularly the events related to the long drawn freedom struggle of India. Museum Timings : 10:30 AM. to 4:30 PM. Open on all days except Monday, Sunday following 2nd Saturday of the month and public holidays. *

Shahi Jama Masjid Shahi may refer to: Dynasties *Adil Shahi dynasty *Barid Shahi dynasty, which ruled the Bidar Sultanate *Hussain Shahi dynasty *Ilyas Shahi dynasty *Imad Shahi dynasty, which ruled the Berar Sultanate * Kabul Shahi (disambiguation) dynasty **Tu ...

– The Jama Masjid was built by Hasan Mahdi, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi's Wazir (=Chief Minister) in 1019 AD (older than the

Qutb Minar The Qutb Minar, also spelled Qutub Minar and Qutab Minar, is a minaret and "victory tower" that forms part of the Qutb complex, which lies at the site of Delhi’s oldest fortified city, Lal Kot, founded by the Tomar Rajputs. It is a UNESCO Worl ...

). It is considered the first Masjid in

North India North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

. Although it was restored by

Humayun Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad ( fa, ) (; 6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), better known by his regnal name, Humāyūn; (), was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern ...

, it is one of the oldest mosques in India. Some believe that the first North Indian Mosque is Quwwat/Qubbat ul Islam in Delhi and then

Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra Adhai Din Ka Jhonpra (literally "shed of 2½ days") is a historical mosque in the city of Ajmer in Rajasthan, India. It is one of the oldest mosques in India, and the oldest surviving monument in Ajmer. Commissioned by Qutb-ud-Din-Aibak in 1192 ...

in Ajmer. *

St. John's Church St. John's Church, Church of St. John, or variants, thereof, (Saint John or St. John usually refers to John the Baptist, but also, sometimes, to John the Apostle or John the Evangelist) may refer to the following churches, former churches or other ...

– This church was established by Chaplain the Reverend Henry Fisher on behalf of the

in 1819 in the cantonment area and was completed in 1822. It is considered one of the oldest churches in North India. The Church was dedicated to the people by Bishop Wilson. It has a

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

of 10,000 people. During the war of 1857, this church was the scene of heavy fighting between Indians and the British forces. * Augarnath Temple – This temple (also known as Kalipaltan Mandir locally) is located at the site where the soldiers of the war of 1857 planned their operations. The temple also houses a memorial built to honour the martyrs of the

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

. The old temple has been replaced by a modern version. * Mansabiya Karbala – Mansabiya's Mosque and Karbala was built by Nawab Mansab Ali Khan in 1882. * Martyr's Memorial (''Shaheed Smarak''): The memorial is a high pillar of marble situated at Bhainsali. Functions are organised at the memorial around the national holidays of India. The memorial complex also houses the Government Freedom Struggle Museum which is dedicated to the first war of Indian independence. An Entrance to Gandhi Bagh Meerut Cantt

* Shahpeer's Mausoleum (''Shahpeer ki Dargah'') – This is a Mughal mausoleum erected by the empress

Nur Jahan Nur Jahan, born Mehr-un-Nissa P ersian: نورجهان (; – 18 December 1645) was the wife and chief consort of the Mughal emperor Jahangir from 1620 until his death in 1627. Nur Jahan was born Mehr-un-Nissa, as the daughter of a Mirza Ghi ...

in 1628 in honour of a local Muslim Hazrat Shahpeer. It is a red stone structure that was partly built and is incomplete till date. The tomb is adorned by intricate Nakkashi (stone painting). There is no roof on the main tomb. It is said that Shahpeer was the teacher of Mughal Emperor

Jehangir Nur-ud-Din Muhammad Salim (30 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir (; ), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until he died in 1627. He was named after the Indian Sufi saint, Salim Chishti. Ear ...

. The tomb is listed by the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexande ...

as a national heritage monument. *

Parikshitgarh Fort Parikshitgarh is a town and a Nagar Panchayat in Meerut district in the Indian State, Uttar Pradesh. Demographics India census, Parikshitgarh had a population of 17,399. Males constitute 62% of the population and females 38%. Parikshitgarh has ...

– The place is associated with and derives its name from King Parikshit of Hastinapur NCR (the grandson of Arjuna). The fort was built by Parikshit and restored by

Gurjar Gurjar or Gujjar (also transliterated as ''Gujar, Gurjara and Gujjer'') is an ethnic nomadic, agricultural and pastoral community, spread mainly in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were tra ...

Raja Nain Singh Raja Nain Singh Nagar ( hi, राजा नैन सिंह नागर) also known as Raja Nain Singh Gurjar of Parichhatgarh was a notable Gurjar king of Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'N ...

in the eighteenth century. *

Dargah of Baley Miyan A dargah ( fa, درگاه ''dargâh'' or ''dargah'', Turkish: ''dergâh'', Hindustani: ''dargah'' दरगाह درگاہ, bn, দরগাহ ''dorgah'') is a shrine or tomb built over the grave of a revered religious figure, often ...

(''Bale Miyan ki Dargah'') – This dargah was built by

in 1194 in the memory of

Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud Ghazi Salar Masud or Ghazi Miyan (1014 – 1034 CE) was a semi-legendary Muslim figure from India. By the 12th century, he had become reputed as a warrior, and his tomb (''dargah'') at Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, India, had become a place of pilgrim ...

(known locally as Baley Miyan). An ''urs'' is organised annually at the Dargah during the Nauchandi fair. It is adjacent to the Chandi Devi Mandir, which signifies the Hindu-Muslim unity. Other places of interest include Mansa Devi Temple, Baleni,

Basilica of Our Lady of Graces Basilica of Our Lady of Graces is a Roman Catholic Church in Sardhana, 19 km north-west of Meerut, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Overview Basilica of Our Lady of Graces, also known as ''Churches among the Churches'', is dedicate ...

and the Chandi Devi Temple which was built by

Holkar The Holkar (Pronunciation: �o(ː)ɭkəɾ dynasty was a Maratha clan of Dhangar origin in India. The Holkars were generals under Peshwa Baji Rao I, and later became Maharajas of Indore in Central India as an independent member of the Marat ...

queen Devi Ahiliyabai Holkar.

Notable people

Indian Rebellion of 1857

* Dhan Singh Gurjar *

Kadam Singh Kadam Singh was a leader of a group of Gurjars who fought against the British East India Company during the Indian Rebellion of 1857. During the rebellion, he was the raja of Parikshitgarh and Mawana in Meerut district Meerut district, is on ...

, leader of a group of

s who fought against the

during the

Films and music

Ayananka Bose Ayananka Bose is an Indian cinematographer of Bollywood movies. He studied cinematography at the Film and Television Institute of Tamil Nadu, Chennai. He won the best cinematographer of Zee Cine Awards for the movie Kites in 2011. Early life ...

Arun Govil Arun Govil ( ; born 12 January 1958) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films and television. He is best known for portraying the role of Lord Rama in Ramanand Sagar's epic Television Series '' Ramayan'' and King Vikramāditya in ''Vikram ...

* Mitakshara Kumar *

Popular Meeruthi Syed Aijazuddin Shah (Popular Meeruthi) (Urdu: پاپولرمیرٹھی, hi, पॉपुलर मेरठी) is an Urdu and Hindi humorist, satirist and poet. He has been performing Mushaira and Kavi Sammelan for the last 45 years all over ...

Kings and monarchs

* Nain Singh Nagar, king of Meerut district in the 18th century *

Maharaja Surajmal Suraj Mal (13 February 1707 – 25 December 1763) was a Jat ruler of Bharatpur in present-day state of Rajasthan. Under him, the Jat rule covered the present-day districts of Agra, Aligarh, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Etawa, Hathras, Mainpuri, ...

, meerut was under his kingdom during 17th century.

Politics

Rajendra Agrawal Rajendra Agrawal (born 2 October 1951) is an Indian politician and a member of the 17th Lok Sabha of India. He represents the Meerut (Lok Sabha constituency) of Uttar Pradesh and is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). He has been elec ...

, Member of Parliament, for Meerut *

Mohammed Shahid Akhlaq Mohammed Shahid Akhlaq (born 12 December 1969) is an Indian politician, a former member of the Indian Parliament from Meerut Meerut (, IAST: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Prad ...

* Dr.

Laxmikant Bajpai Laxmikant Bajpai (born 20 July 1951) is an Indian politician and former State President of BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit. He was elected four times as member of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Meerut assembly constituency. Education He ...

, Former State President, BJP, Uttar Pradesh. *

Ravindra Kumar Bhadana Ravindra Kumar Bhadana is an Indian politician and a member of the 16th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh of India. He represents the Meerut South (Assembly constituency), Meerut South constituency of Uttar Pradesh and is a member of the Bha ...

, politician *

Hemlata Chaudhary Hemlata Chaudhary (born 30 December 1969) is an Indian politician and a member of the 16th Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh of India. She represents the Bagpat constituency of Uttar Pradesh and is a member of the Bahujan Samaj Party politica ...

, politician *

Lakhi Ram Nagar Lakhi Ram Nagar is an Indian businessman and politician from the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. He has been a Minister for Irrigation and a member of the Bahujan Samaj Party, representing the Kharkhoda, Meerut, Meerut Meerut (, IAST: '' ...

, businessman and politician *

Malook Nagar Malook Nagar (born 3 July 1964) is an Indian politician and businessman who is a Member of Parliament in the 17th Lok Sabha from Bijnor. He unsuccessfully contested Meerut and Bijnor Lok Sabha constituencies of Uttar Pradesh in 2009 and 2014 res ...

, businessman and politician *

Rubab Sayda Rubab Sayda (born 15 June 1950) is an List of political parties in India, Indian politician from Bahraich (Lok Sabha constituency), Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh. Sayda is retired as Principal of Tara Girls Inter College. She is mother of Yasar Sha ...

Yashwant Singh Yashwant Singh may refer to: * Yashwant Singh (Lok Sabha member), member of the Lok Sabha from Uttar Pradesh * Yashwant Singh (Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council member) * Yashwant Singh (scientist), Indian theoretical physicist {{hndis, Sing ...

* Somendra Tomar,

Member of the Legislative Assembly A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. S ...

for Meerut South *

Vijaypal Singh Tomar Vijaypal Singh Tomar is an Indian politician and Member of Parliament in Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most popu ...

Seema Upadhyay Seema Upadhayay is an Indian politician, belonging from the Bharatiya Janata Party. In the 2009 election she was elected to the Lok Sabha from Fatehpur Sikri constituency in Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a ...

Sports

Vivek Agarwal Vivek Agarwal (3 January 1962 – 26 April 1993) was an Indian cricketer. He was a right-handed batsman who played for Haryana. He was born in Meerut (Uttar Pradesh). Agarwal made a single first-class appearance for the side, during the 1982� ...

, cricketer * Mohd Asab, shooter *

Manu Attri Manu Attri (born 31 December 1992) is an Indian badminton player who currently plays men's and mixed doubles. He partners with Jishnu Sanyal for men's doubles events and previously partnered with B. Sumeeth Reddy. For mixed doubles events, he p ...

, badminton player * Shapath Bharadwaj, shooter *

Garima Chaudhary Garima Chaudhary (born 2 April 1990) is an Indian judoka. She was India's sole judoka at the 2012 London Olympics, competing in the Women's (63 kg) category . Childhood and early training Born to parents hailing from a middle class fa ...

, judoka *

Saurabh Chaudhary Saurabh Chaudhary (born 12 May 2002) is an Indian sport shooter. He won the gold medal at the 2018 Asian Games in 10 m Air Pistol. He was the youngest Indian gold medalist at the Asian Games. He had earlier won gold medals and set a new junior ...

, shooter *

Dharampal Singh Gudha Dharampal Singh Gudha, also known as Dharam Pal Singh or Dharampal Singh Gujjar, is an Indian runner who has controversially claimed to be the world's oldest marathon runner at 120.

, oldest Gurjar athlete * Praveen Gupta, cricketer * Romeo James, field hockey player * Paramjeet Kaur, athlete *

Muzzaffaruddin Khalid Muzzaffaruddin Khalid (born 25 November 1990) is an Indian first-class cricketer who played for Services Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the bo ...

, cricketer *

Ashok Kumar Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family. He ...

, field hockey player *

Bhuvneshwar Kumar Bhuvneshwar Kumar Singh (born 5 February 1990) is an Indian international cricketer who is playing for the Indian cricket team. He currently plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League and Uttar Pradesh in domestic cricket. He is ...

, cricketer *

Praveen Kumar Praveen Kumar (, born 2 October 1986) is a former Indian cricketer who bowled right-hand medium-pace. In first-class cricket, he played for Uttar Pradesh cricket team. He relied on his ability to swing the ball both ways along with line and le ...

, cricketer *

Raman Lamba Raman Lamba (; 2 January 1960 – 23 February 1998) was an Indian cricketer. Raman had played in four Tests and 32 One Day Internationals, mainly as a batsman. He was a popular player in Bangladesh's Dhaka Premier League and has also represent ...

, cricketer *

Shivam Mavi Shivam Mavi (born 26 November 1998) is an Indian international cricketer, who is a right-arm fast-medium bowler. He made his international debut for the Indian cricket team in January 2023. Domestic and T20 franchise career In January 2018, he ...

, cricketer * Arvind Panwar, cyclist *

Annu Rani Annu Rani Dharayan (born 28 August 1992) is an Indian javelin thrower from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. She was the first Indian to reach the finals of the women's javelin throw event in the World Athletics Championships, Doha, 2019. Annu had qualifi ...

, athlete *

Sameer Rizvi Sameer Rizvi (born 6 December 2003) is an Indian cricketer. He made his first-class debut on 27 January 2020, for Uttar Pradesh in the 2019–20 Ranji Trophy. He made his List A debut on 11 December 2021, for Uttar Pradesh in the 2021–22 Vija ...

, cricketer * Shahzar Rizvi, shooter *

Karn Sharma Karn Vinod Sharma (born 23 October 1987) is an Indian cricketer. He lives in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. He plays as an all-rounder for the Railways cricket team. He is a left-hand batsman and leg break bowler. He made his Twenty20 International de ...

, cricketer * Umang Sharma, cricketer *

Mohinder Pal Singh Mohinder Pal Singh (born 16 October 1962) is an Indian field hockey player. He competed in the men's tournament at the 1988 Summer Olympics The 1988 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad () and commonly k ...

, field hockey player * Parvinder Singh, cricketer *

Shardul Vihan Shardul Vihan (born 11 January 2003) is an Indian sport shooter. He won the silver medal at the 2018 Asian Games The 2018 Asian Games ( id, Pesta Olahraga Asia 2018 or ''Asian Games 2018''), officially known as the 18th Asian Games and also ...

, sport shooter

Scholars

*Sir

Ziauddin Ahmed Sir Ziauddin Ahmad (born Ziauddin Ahmed Zuberi; 13 February 1873 – 23 December 1947) was an Indian mathematician, parliamentarian, logician, natural philosopher, politician, political theorist, educationist and a scholar.Satish Chandra Satish Chandra is a given name of Hindu origin, and may refer to, * Satish Chandra (politician), Indian National Congress leader * Satish Chandra (historian), Indian academic * Satish Chandra Agarwal, Indian politician * Satish Chandra Basumatary, ...

, Indian historian *

Anu Garg Anu Garg (born April 5, 1967) is an American author and speaker. He is also the founder of Wordsmith.org, an online community comprising word lovers from an estimated 195 countries. His books explore the joy of words. He has authored several book ...

, educationist and author *

K. P. S. Mahalwar Krishan Pal Singh Mahalwar (born 1955) is an Indian legal education administrator, jurist presently working in National Law University, Delhi as visiting professor. Education Mahalwar was awarded a Ph.D. in 1987 by M.D. University (Rohtak). ...

, legal educationist and administrator * Zayn al-Abidin Sajjad Meerthi, Indian Islamic scholar and historian * Sheikh Abdul Aleem Siddiqui Qadri Meerathi, Islamic scholar and writer *

Manu Prakash Manu Prakash is an Indian scientist who is a professor of bioengineering at Stanford University. Manu was born in Meerut, India. He is best known for his contributions to the Foldscope and Paperfuge. Prakash received the MacArthur Fellowship ...

, scientist and MacArthur Fellowship awardee

References

Sources

* * *

External links

Old Village Mahadeo
*
Government Freedom Struggle Museum, Meerut

Meerut City Portal
{{Authority control Metropolitan cities in India Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2001 All articles containing potentially dated statements Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2009 Cities and towns in Meerut district Cities in Uttar Pradesh

Origin of the name

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Demographics

Culture

Nauchandi Mela (Fair)

Film and television

Education

Notable Schools

Media

Sports Industries

Tourist destinations

Notable people

Indian Rebellion of 1857

Films and music

Kings and monarchs

Politics

Sports

Scholars

See also

References

Sources

Further reading

External links