Prakul Sardana

CR4001

The city of Kanpur lies on the south bank of the river Ganges in Yamuna Gange's doab. The city has been witness to numerous historic events of which the major one was the Revolt of 1857. The city has also seen a shift from being a high ground for battles to an important industrial hub specifically for leather tanneries and cotton mills. The ghats illustrate aesthetic, historic, scientific, social, and spiritual value, as illustrated above, and herein lies its significance. The river ghats have been an essential part of this transformation of historic periods as they form one of the earliest settlements from where the expansion of the city started. It also reflects the political importance of capturing these ghats for dominance in battles, and the continuity of rituals and practices that takes place with a belief in the holy river Ganges by the Hindu religion. These river ghats are an exceptional example of sustained beliefs among a religion, post-independence military activities, and sustenance of livelihoods through rivers and floodplains.