Nana Rao Park / Company Bagh (

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 ...

: नाना राव पार्क / कम्पनी बाग़, कानपुर ) is a public

city park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a municipal park (North America) or a public park, public open space, or municipal gardens ( UK), is a park in cities and other incorporated places that offer recreation and green space to resi ...

Kanpur Kanpur or Cawnpore ( /kɑːnˈpʊər/ pronunciation (help·info)) is an industrial city in the central-western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Founded in 1207, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations o ...

, the industrial hub 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 1950 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, built after Indian independence in honor of

Nana Sahib Nana Saheb Peshwa II (19 May 1824 – 24 September 1859), born as Dhondu Pant, was an Indian Peshwa of the Maratha empire, aristocrat and fighter, who led the rebellion in Kanpur (Cawnpore) during the Great Revolt of 1857. As the adopted so ...

. Prior to Indian Independence the location was known as Memorial Well and commemorated the

massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

of British women and children during 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 ...

History

Bibighar massacre (1857)

The park is of immense historical significance as the location of the massacre of around 200

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

women and children, allegedly on the instigation of a courtesan in

's court, followed by the punitive actions by British soldiers of the

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 ...

during the 1857

Indian rebellion 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 ...

Memorial Well (1858 to 1947)

The location was originally called Memorial Well after the memorial was raised to commemorate the dead. The memorial had a large railing, a marble gothic screen with "mournful seraph" and a cross at the site of the well. The inhabitants of Cawnpore were forced to pay £30,000 for the creation of the memorial; this was partially their punishment for not coming to the aid of the women and children.

Post Indian independence in 1947

After Indian independence in 1947 the memorial was demolished. A park was built in its place with statues of leaders of the Indian freedom struggle, and named in honor of

for his role in the Indian freedom struggle. The marble gothic screen was transferred to the churchyard of the All Souls Memorial Church. The remains of a circular ridge of the well can still be seen in the park today.

Nana Rao Park today

The park is located in the central area of Kanpur District and is close to

Phool Bagh Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Udyan / Phool Bagh (Hindi: गणेश शंकर विद्यार्थी उद्यान / फूल बाग़, कानपुर ), ''earlier'' Queen's Park, is an urban city park in Kanpur, the i ...

, LIC Building. The park is well maintained and is popular with many fitness groups. Presently, the park is one of the favorite

parks frequented by early morning and evening visitors. For many people in Kanpur, the park serves as an outdoor location for the start of the day. This includes brisk walking, jogging, swimming, badminton and yoga. The park currently is under the charge of Kanpur Municipal Corporation and is well maintained. There is a public swimming pool. A plant nursery is located inside the park. It has a number of beautiful plants. The park has a lot of greenery. Nana Rao Park is a favorite resting place for many types of local birds and bats. The park is replete with statues of eminent people who played a part in the Indian independence struggle. The statues include those of

Rani Lakshmi Bai Lakshmibai, the Rani of Jhansi (; 19 November 1828 — 18 June 1858),Though the day of the month is regarded as certain historians disagree about the year: among those suggested are 1827 and 1835. was an Indian queen, the Maharani consort of ...

Lala Lajpat Rai Lala Lajpat Rai (28 January 1865 - 17 November 1928) was an Indian author, freedom fighter, and politician. He played a vital role in the Indian Independence movement. He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari. He was one of the three members of ...

, Ajizan Bai &

Tatya Tope Tantia Tope (also spelled Tatya Tope, : ̪aːt̪ʲa ʈoːpe 6 January 1814 – 18 April 1859) was a general in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and one of its notable leaders. Despite lacking formal military training, Tantia Tope is widely consi ...

who is believed to have played a part in the massacre. Boodhha Bargad, (

: बूढ़ा बरगद, कानपुर ) an old

banyan tree A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as a ...

, with great historical significance to

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

, is located in the park ground. There is a traditional vyayamshala inside the park

References

{{Coord, 26.471044, N, 80.360935, E, type:landmark, display=title Kanpur Parks in India Tourist attractions in Kanpur