North India · Uttar Pradesh
Meerut, Uttar Pradesh
Sources: wikimedia
About Meerut
- Inland
Where it is
Meerut is a city in western Uttar Pradesh, in the Doab between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, about 80 km north-east of New Delhi and part of the National Capital Region.
History
Meerut's name is linked in legend to Mayarashtra, the kingdom of Mayasura, and the ancient city of Hastinapur of the Mahabharata lies in the same district. The British set up a cantonment here in 1806, and on 10 May 1857 sepoys in Meerut rose against their officers and marched on Delhi, starting the great uprising of 1857.
People
Meerut lies at the heart of the Khari Boli region, the dialect on which standard Hindi and Urdu are based, and both languages are spoken. Workshops of sports-goods makers, band-instrument craftsmen and scissor-smiths are a big part of city life, and the Nauchandi Mela draws crowds from across the region.
Known for
- Sports goods such as cricket bats and balls
- Brass band instruments
- Hand-made scissors with a GI tag
- The 1857 uprising and its memorials
- The spring Nauchandi Mela
Did you know?
One of Emperor Ashoka's pillars stood at Meerut until Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq had it carried to Delhi in the 14th century; it still stands on the Delhi Ridge.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.