city, south-central Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. It lies southwest of Lucknow, on the Ganges (Ganga) River (Ganges River). Kanpur was only a village when it and the surrounding territory were acquired in 1801 by the British, who made it one of their frontier stations. In 1857, during the Indian Mutiny, the British troops in the town were massacred by native forces. The survivors are said to have been thrown into a well, where a memorial has since been built.

The largest city of Uttar Pradesh and one of the largest in India, Kanpur has an area of more than 100 square miles (260 square km). It is an important road and rail hub and a major commercial and industrial centre. The city proper lies northwest of the cantonment; most of its industry is still farther northwest. The urban area also includes three railway colonies and Armapur, a suburb. There is a military airfield nearby. Kanpur has a university; colleges of medicine, law, and education; the Indian Institute of Technology; and a government experimental farm. Notable buildings include a sacred Hindu glass temple and Kamla Retreat, a rest house on a small lake. There are several museums.

The surrounding region is a fertile stretch of alluvial plain between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. It is watered by tributaries of the two rivers and by the Lower Ganges Canal. Crops include wheat, gram (chickpeas), jowar (grain sorghum), and barley. There are mango and mahua (Madhuca latifolia, a medium to large deciduous tree that produces oilseeds) groves and a dhak (Butea frondosa) forest. Bithur, a ruined town, is a Hindu holy place; the region contains many small temples built between the 6th and 9th centuries. Pop. (2001) 2,551,337.