Mirzapur

Tehsil Mirzapur, District Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, Bharat

(Mir=Laxmi +Pur=City). Mirzapur is said to the the city of Goddess Laxmi.

Mirzapur is a city in the heart of North India, nearly 650 km between Delhi and Kolkata and also equidistant from Allahabad and Varanasi. Located in the state of Uttar Pradesh, Mirzapur has a population of a little over 205,264 (2001 census) and is renowned for its famous carpet and brassware industry. It is a city with several spots around it including many hills such as Rajdari, Devdari, Lakhaniyadari, and Windom fall range and Sirshi. It is the headquarter of Mirzapur District.

History-
Mirzapur was a commercial city, being situated on the banks of the river Ganges. These reports are backed by the Naar Ghat, a carved stone with rates of toll taxes of Ashokan times inscribed on it.

Most of the city was established by English officers, and so places are named after Englishmen like Wellesleyganj (Lord Wellesley), Mukeri Bazar (Lord Mercury), Dankeen Ganj (Mr. Danseen), and a famous waterfall of the city, Windham Water Fall (Mr. Windham). The Municipal Corporation building was also built by the English Government.

On the outskirts of the area, there is a patch of forest that contains ancient wall paintings, called Lekhania Dari and there are small rapids at the place. This has made it a popular picnic spot among residents of nearby cities. The forest area is still inhabited by some tribes. Possibly, ten tribes are still present in the region.

The indigenous ruler Sheikh Mirza was captured by the British government, and so the city was documented by the British as Mirzapur due to the name of its ruler. Some information about an ancient city near the local Kacchwa Bazar has also been found, but is awaiting concrete proof.

It is also locally believed that the town was founded by Raja Nanner and was known as Girijapur, but after the British conquest it came to be known as Mirzapur. The earliest mention of the town is found in the writings of Tieffenthaler, who drew up his description of the country between 1760 and 1770. He mentioned it under the name of Mirzapur, especially as a great mart. In the records of Jonathan Duncan, who was a resident of Varanasi, frequent mention is made of the place as Mirzapur. Before 1 April, 1989, Mirzapur was the largest district of India. Mirzapur is also a Naxalite hot spot.

Geography
Mirzapur is located at 25.15° N 82.58° E. It has an average elevation of 80 metres (265 feet).

Demographics
As of 2001 India censusGRIndia, Mirzapur had a population of 205,264. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Mirzapur has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 69%, and female literacy is 54%. In Mirzapur, 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Commerce
The main business in Mirzapur is carpet manufacturing. Manufacturers range from very small (with less than $100,000 in assets) to medium sized (with around $10M in assets). Most of the carpets are sold internationally as India has a limited market for carpets

Prashant Upadhyay (dibhu.com/)