Meerut मेरठ میرٹھ
The Sports Capital of India
—  city  —
Meerut Location of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh and India
Coordinates	28°59′N 77°42′E / 28.99°N 77.70°E / 28.99; 77.70Coordinates: 28°59′N 77°42′E / 28.99°N 77.70°E / 28.99; 77.70
Country	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
District(s)	Meerut
Mayor	Smt. Madhu Gurjar(BJP)
Population • Density • Metro	1,309,023[1] (2011[update]) • 4,813 /km2 (12,466 /sq mi) • 1,424,908[2] (32nd)
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	272 square kilometres (105 sq mi) • 224.659 metres (737.07 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 250 0xx • Telephone • +91- 121- XXXX XXXX • Vehicle • UP-15
Website	meerut.nic.in

Meerut (Hindi: मेरठ, Urdu: میرٹھ) is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.^[3] It is an ancient city with settlements dating back to the Indus Valley civilization having been found in and around the area. The city lies 70 km (43 mi) northeast of the national capital New Delhi, and 453 km (281 mi) northwest of the state capital, Lucknow.^[4] It is the second largest city in the National Capital Region of India (the largest being Delhi), the 16th largest metropolitan area and 25^th largest city in India.^[5][6][7] It ranked 292 in 2006 and 242 in 2010 in the list of largest cities and urban areas in the world.^[8] The city covers an area of about 172 km² (66 sq mi) while the total area is 198 km² (76 sq mi), third largest in Uttar Pradesh after Kanpur and Lucknow . It has the 2^nd largest army cantonment in the country.^{[citation needed]} The city is one of the largest producers of sports goods, and the largest producer of musical instruments in India. The city is also an education hub in western Uttar Pradesh.

Etymology[link]

The city may have derived its name from Maya Rashtra, the capital of the kingdom of Mandodari's father and Ravana's father-in-law, Mayasura. This name may have mutated to Mairashtra, Mai-dant-ka-khera, Mairaath and eventually Meerut.^[9][10]

According to another version Maya, a distinguished architect, got from king Yudhisthira the land on which the city of Meerut now stands and he called this place Mayrashtra, a name which in course of time became shortened to Meerut. Tradition are so has it that the district formed part of the dominions of Mahipal, Gujjar king of Indraprashta and the word Meerut is associated with his name.

History[link]

After the archaeological excavations at ‘Vidura-ka-tila’, a collection of several mounds named after Vidura, in 1950–52, a site 37 km (23 miles) north-east of Meerut, it was concluded to be remains of the ancient city of Hastinapur, the capital of Kauravas and Pandavas of Mahabharata, which was washed away by Ganges floods.^[11][12][13]

Fragment of the 6th Ashoka Pillar in sandstone, with inscription or Edicts of Ashoka, in Brahmi, originally from Meerut, now at British Museum.

Meerut also contained a Harappan settlement known as Alamgirpur. It was also the Easternmost settlement of the Indus valley civilisation. Meerut had been a centre of Buddhism in the period of Mauryan Emperor Ashoka (r. 273 BC to 232 BC.), and remains of Buddhist structures were found near the Jama Masjid in the present day city.^[14] The Ashoka Pillar, at Delhi ridge, next to the ‘Bara Hindu Rao Hospital’, near Delhi University, was carried to Delhi from Meerut, by Firuz Shah Tughluq (r. 1351–1388),^[12][15][16] it was later damaged in a 1713 explosion, and restored in 1867.^[17]

In the eleventh century AD, the south-west part of the district was ruled by Har Dat, the Dor Raja of Bulandshahr who built a fort, which was long known for its strength and finds mention in Ain-i-Akbari.^[18] He was later defeated by Mahmud Ghazni in 1018. A prominent local landmark, the jama Masjid, dates from this period and is said to have been built by Mahmud's vizir. Shortly after its capture the city was regained by the local Hindu Raja and part of his fortifications, built for the city’s defence, survived until recent times. Though, the first big invasion on the city came later in 1192 AD, from Mohammad Ghori, when his general Qutb-ud-din Aybak attacked the city, a much worse fate lay ahead for the district, which came with the invasion of Timur in 1398, during which the Rajputs offered a tough resistance at the fort of Loni, where he fought the Sultan of Delhi, Muhammad Tughlaq. But, eventually they were all defeated and all the 1,00,000 prisoners his army had taken in since his invasion of India were massacred, according to Timur’s own accounts in Tuzk-e-Taimuri.^[19] Thereafter he went on to attack Delhi, where he again massacred the local population, and returned to attack Meerut town, then ruled by an Afghan chief, Ilias, and took the city in two days, leading to widespread devastation, before heading North once again.^[12]

The United Provinces, in 1903

After that Meerut was ruled by Jats & then Marathas. Finally the British took meerut from Marathas. During the rule of Mughal Emperor, Akbar the Great (r. 1556–1605), there was a mint for copper coins here.^[14]

Statue of Kotwal Dhan Singh Gurjar at Meerut Chowk.

Meerut is famously associated with the Indian Rebellion of 1857 against the British East India Company.^[20] The famous slogan "Dilli Chalo" ("Let's march to Delhi!") was first raised here. Meerut cantonment is the place where the rebellion started when Hindu and Muslim soldiers were given rifle cartridges rumoured to have a coating made of animal fat. The bullet wrapping was to be opened by mouth before use, which affected the religious sensibilities of both Muslims and Hindus as the fat used was alleged to be derived from lard and tallow; cows are held sacred by Hindus and Muslims consider the pig unclean. Meerut soldiers set fire to the bungalows of English.

During this revolt, Meerut leapt into international prominence, when on 24 April 1857 eighty-five of the ninety troopers of the third cavalry refused to touch the cartridges and after court-martial were sentenced to ten years imprisonment. On Sunday, 10 May 1857, Kotwal Dhan Singh Gurjar opened the gates of prison. These soldiers, along with other improsoned soldiers escaped prison and declared themselves free, revolted, attacked and killed several British authorities to take the city in their control. This marked the beginning of a widespread revolt across northern India as these soldiers marched towards Delhi. 10 May is still celebrated as a local holiday in Meerut.^[21]

Meerut was also the venue of the controversial Meerut Conspiracy Case in March 1929, in which several trade unionists, including three Englishmen, were arrested for organising Indian-rail strike. This immediately caught attention back in England, inspired the 1932 play titled Meerut Prisoners, by Manchester street theatre group, the 'Red Megaphones', highlighting the detrimental effects of colonisation and industrialisation^[22] In the 1940s, Meerut cinemas had a "Don't Move" policy during playing of the British national anthem.^{[citation needed]}

The city and district also suffered from communal (Hindu-Sikh) riots in 1984^[23] and (Hindu-Muslim) riots in 1982^[24] and in 1987, during which the Hashimpura massacre took place, in May 1987, when personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) allegedly shot dead 42 Muslims, the trial of the case is still pending.^[25][26] In 2006, a fire at a consumer electronics "Brand India" fair in Victoria Park Stadium killed over 100 people. But, according to some unofficial sources,^[who?] the number of affected people is pegged at more than 200.

Mythology[link]

• Meerut was founded as Mayarashtra (lit. Maya's country) by Maya, who was the father of Mandodari, Ravana's wife in the Ramayana.^[27] Meerut was the capital of Maya.^[28] Thus the city is also known as 'Ravan Ki Sasural' literally meaning Ravana's wife's home.
• In the Ramayana, Shravan Kumar carried his feeble parents on his shoulders to all the pilgrimage sites in India, but it is believed that when he passed through Meerut, he put down his parents for a while to get rest and water. It was here that Lord Rama's father, King Dasharatha, mistook Shravan Kumar for a deer and shot him with an arrow by accident. Shravan Kumar's parents declared that the king's own first son would abandon him when he needed him the most.

Climate[link]

Meerut has a monsoon influenced humid subtropical climate characterised by very hot summers and cool winters. Summers last from early April to late June during and are extremely hot, with temperatures reaching 43 °C (109 °F).^[3] The monsoon arrives in late June and continues till the middle of September. Temperatures drop slightly, with plenty of cloud cover but with higher humidity. Temperatures rise again in October and the city then has a mild, dry winter season from late October to the middle of March^[3] Lowest temperature recorded is 0.5 °C (32.9 °F).^{[citation needed]} Rainfall is about 80 cm to 100 cm per annum, which is suitable for growing crops. Most of the rainfall is received during the monsoon. Humidity varies from 30 to 100%.^[3] The city receives no snow.

Geography[link]

Meerut lies between 28°57’ to 29°02’N latitude and 77°40’ to 77°45’E longitude in the Indo-Gangetic plains of India.^[3] It is bound on the north by Muzaffarnagar, in the south by Bulandshahr while Ghaziabad and Baghpat districts form the southern and western limits.^[4] The river Ganga forms the eastern boundary and separates the district from Moradabad and Bijnor.^[4] The Hindon forms the western boundary and separates the district from Baghpat.^[4] The ground is not rocky and there are no mountains. The soil is composed of pleistocene and sub-recent alluvial sediments transported and deposited by river action from the Himalayan region.^[3] These alluvial deposits are unconsolidated.^[3] Lithologically, sediments consist of clay, silt and fine to coarse sand.^[3] Land is very fertile for growing crops, especially wheat, sugarcane and vegetables.^[3] The city lies between the plains of the Ganges and Yamuna.

Meerut Cantonment[link]

Mall Road

Meerut Cantonment is the 2nd largest cantonment of India both in land area and population. It was established in 1803 by English East India Company.^[30] Meerut Cantonment was the place from where the revolt of 1857 started.^[4][30] The cantonment surrounds the city from 3 sides, from Pallavpuram to Sainik Vihar to Ganga Nagar.^[4]

Soldiers from the cantonment have actively participated in the Battle of Ypres^{[disambiguation needed ]}, both the 1st and 2nd Battles of El Alamein, France, Burma Campaign, the Indo-Pak Wars, Bangladesh Liberation War and Kargil War. Its battalions and officers have shown great courage and have got many honours.^{[citation needed]}

It has been the regimental centre of Punjab Regiment Corps of Signals, Jat Regiment, Sikh Regiment, Dogra Regiment in the past.

Development[link]

Atop an under-construction overpass

Meerut is the 63rd-fastest-growing urban area in the world.^[31] It is the 14th fastest developing city in India. A new report by U.S. financial services firm Morgan Stanley, "AlphaWise City Vibrancy Index: A Guide to India’s Urbanization," gave Meerut the 5th spot on the "vibrancy" index, ahead of Delhi and Mumbai. Meerut ranked second on both the financial penetration index, which measures things like the presence of ATMs and bank branches, and on the consumption index, indicating the city’s transformation into an urban town. While the city ranked in the bottom 10 in job creations, the report suggests that overall there are plenty of signs of "potential for urbanisation," including future employment opportunities.^[32] The infrastructure segment of Meerut is currently going through a boom phase with many new projects coming up in and around the city.^[33][34] There are many new buildings, shopping complexes, malls, roads, flyovers and apartments coming up.

Delhi-Meerut expressway is expected to be completed by 2013. The Upper Ganga Canal Expressway is also under development. GAIL is also establishing its plant in Meerut and Muradnagar to supply cooking gas within the city. A five star hotel, in Greenwood City, at Baghpat road bypass crossing and a three star hotel at Delhi road near Rithani are under construction.^{[citation needed]}

Economy[link]

Industry[link]

Meerut is one of the important industrial towns of western Uttar Pradesh.^[3] It is a rich agricultural area with such pockets of land that do not fit in for crop purpose. Being in the proximity of Delhi, it is ideal for industry. It is famous for handloom works and scissors industry from olden age.^[4] Meerut is home to 520 micro, small and medium scale industries.^[35] As of August 2006^[update], Meerut has about 23,471 industrial units, including 15,510 small-scale units and 7,922 cottage industries.^[4]

Existing industries in the city include tyres, textile, transformer, sugar, distillery, chemical, engineering, paper, publishing, and sports goods manufacture.^[4][35] Prospective industries include IT and ITES.^[4] Meerut is home to some prominent regional pharmaceuticals companies like Perk Pharmaceuticals Limited, Mankind Pharma & Bestochem.^[36] Meerut is one of the major manufacturing regions for sports goods in India.^[4][36][37] The city is especially famous for the manufacture of cricket goods with SG being the largest Indian cricket goods manufacturer and exporter operating in Meerut.^[38] Meerut is also the largest manufacturer of musical instruments in India.^[4][36] Meerut was one of the first cities in northern India where publishing was set up during the 19th century. It was a major center of commercial publishing during 1860s and 1870s.^[39]

Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC) has two industrial estates in the city, namely Partapur and Udyog Puram.^[40][41] Mohkampur industrial area is a private initiative. Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitran Nigam Ltd has unrestricted power at Partapur, Udyogpuram and Mohkampur industrial areas. Bhur Baral industrial area is under development. 1200 hectares of land is available for industrial development. Identified industrial areas are at Shatabdi nagar, Delhi road, Baghpat road, Roorkee road, Mawana road, Parikshitgarh (Kila) road, Garh road, Gagol road (identified by UPSIDC) and Hapur road. 2000 hectares of land is being proposed for industrial development near Delhi–Meerut expressway. Nipro Glass from Japan has set up a large glass plant for medical use. Investment from outside Meerut has started pouring in as Delhi–Mumbai freight corridor and east freight corridor will be intersecting very near to Meerut, making it a cost effective destination for setting up industries. GAIL Gas Ltd is laying infrastructure for piped CNG throughout the city for industrial, domestic and transport use.

Retail[link]

Melange Mall and multiplex at Pallavpuram

Aside shops representing a range of well-known brands, car showrooms, hotels, bars and clubs, the city's gold market is one of Asia’s largest, employing over 25,000 skilled craftsmen and processing around 60 kilograms of the precious metal per day.^[42] The city has over 40 BIS Hallmark showrooms.^{[clarification needed]}

According to statistics compiled by the Income Tax department, Meerut contributed a Rs.10,089 crore to the national treasury in 2007/08, outperforming Lucknow, Jaipur, Bhopal, Kochi and Bhubaneshwar.^[43]

Civic Administration[link]

Meerut is administered by Meerut Municipal Corporation. It is responsible for performing civic administrative functions. Infrastructure development of the city is looked after by the Meerut Development Authority (MDA).

Meerut it is the headquarter of NCR Zone and upwest zone A of Police. An ADG and a secretary level IAS officer cover west U.P.zone. Both the officers look after the legal and developmental condition and system of Western Uttar Pradesh from Meerut for 6 Division of western Uttar Pradesh, namely Meerut, Agra, Bareily Moradabad, Saharanpur and Aligarh under West Zone, and Meerut Division with Saharanpur is in NCR Zone. A DIG looks after Meerut for legal condition and law, Commissioner also looks for 6 district of Meerut Division.

The office of the Chief Commissioner, Customs & Central Excise, Meerut Zone, has jurisdiction over 13 districts of Uttrakhand and 14 districts of Uttar Pradesh. This jurisdiction was carved out of the Lucknow Zone. It comprises the erstwhile Customs & Central Excise Commissionerates of Meerut & Noida. The Meerut Commissionerate was bifurcated into two Commissionerates, namely, ‘Meerut-I and Ghaziabad’ and the Noida Commissionerate was bifurcated into ‘Noida and Meerut-II’. In addition, jurisdiction of Central Excise Division Bareilly was included in the jurisdiction of Meerut-II Commissionerate.^[44]

Transport[link]

Air[link]

The nearest airport is the Indira Gandhi International Airport which is about 80 km away. An international airport (Meerut Airport) is proposed by the state government in the city to reduce pressure on Delhi airport.^[45]

Road[link]

By road Meerut is well-connected to major cities like Delhi, Noida, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Haridwar, etc. A large number of people commute to Delhi, Noida, Greater Noida, Ghaziabad and Gurgaon every day for work. Three national highways (NH-58, NH-119 & NH-235) pass through Meerut. Upper Ganga Canal Expressway which passes through outskirts of the city is under development.

There are 2 main bus terminals, namely Bhainsali bus terminal and Sohrab Gate bus terminal from where Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) buses ply to cities all over the state and all nearby cities.

As Meerut has been declared a metropolitan city in 2007, JNNURM scheme has been put in place and many low floor city buses now run on the city roads.^[4] Low Floor City Buses, Normal City Buses, auto rickshaws and rickshaws are convenient public transport options to commute within the city. Many new transport infrastructure projects like inner ring road, outer ring road and construction of new flyovers are proposed.

An 8 lane expressway from Ghaziabad to Meerut is proposed under the NCR Transport Plan 2021 which will decrease travel time to Delhi by 60 minutes.^[46]

Railways[link]

Meerut has seven railway stations: Meerut City, Meerut Cantt, Partapur, Sakoti Tanda, Daurala, Mohiuddinnpur and Pabli Khas. Meerut City station is the busiest in the city. Meerut Cantt was founded in 1865 and serves as a secondary railway station. Meerut lies on the Delhi–Saharanpur railway line. The electrification of the line from Meerut to Ghaziabad has been started.

About 20,000 passengers travel daily to Delhi and back. Around 27 pairs of trains run between Meerut and Delhi, and four between Meerut and Khurja. Two trains are available for Lucknow daily, namely Nauchandi Express and Rajya Rani Express. A weekly train goes to Chennai and Kuchuvelli. Ahemdabad Mail connects the city to Gujrat, and Chattisgarh Express to Chattisgarh state.

A Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) has been proposed for operation between Meerut and Anand Vihar.^[47][48] The RRTS is a rail-based mass transit system that would connect distant areas of National Capital Region (NCR) to the Capital.^[49] Once completed it will take only 45 minutes to commute between the two places with the train having a peak speed of 150 km per hour. The proposed system is to have dedicated trains between Anand Vihar and Meerut, which stop nowhere in between, and trains which stop at stations to be constructed after a gap of 4–5 km.^[47] Anand Vihar, Sahibabad, Mohan Nagar, Ghaziabad, Guldhar, Duhai, Moradnagar, Modi Nagar, Meerut South, Shatabdi Nagar, Meerut Centre, Begum Bridge, Meerut North and Pallavpuram are the proposed halts.^[50] The high-speed rail project under rapid rail transit system in Delhi (NCR) will start with the Delhi-Meerut line. On 14 December 2010 the NCR Planning Board, Meerut Development Authority (MDA) and Nagar Nigam Meerut approved this system.^[51]

Demographics[link]

Change in the population of Meerut, 2001-2011

Proportion of Meerut in the population of Uttar Pradesh

Meerut City is the headquarters of Meerut district which, according to the 2011 census, has a population of around 3.4 million. Males constitute 53.06% of the population and females 46.94%. The percentage decadal growth in 2001-2011 stands at 15.92%. The sex ratio in Meerut is 885, lower than the state average of 908; while the child sex ratio is 850, lower than the state average of 899. 14.16% of the population is under 6 years of age. The district has a density of 1347 persons/km ². The overall literacy rate is 74.80%, higher than the state average of 69.72%.^[52]

As of 2009^[update], Meerut has a crime rate of 208.6, higher than the state average of 88.4 and the national average of 181.4.^[53]

According to the 2001 census, the city ranked 6th in terms of population density^[56] in Uttar Pradesh. The city also ranked 2nd in terms of population in NCR.^[57] Males constituted 53.43% of the population and females 46.56%.^[58] The city had an average literacy rate of 65.96%, higher than the national average of 64.8% and the state average of 57.36%.^[59][60][61] Male literacy was 76.31%, and female literacy was 54.12%.^[62] 16.66% of the population was under 6 years of age.^[62] Meerut has one of the largest Muslim populations among the cities of India (close to 32.5%).^[58] It is the largest Muslim city in Uttar Pradesh. The city had a sex ratio of 871, lower than the state average of 898 and the national average of 933.^[63][64]

According to the 1991 census, Meerut district consisted of 1,025 villages^{[citation needed]} with a population of around 2.4 million.^[66] This does not include the population of Baghpat district which was formed in 1998.^[66]

Gurjars and Jats are Big Population in Meerut .

Culture[link]

Most traditional Indian festivals, including Holi, Dussehra, Diwali, Eid among others are celebrated with fervor in the city. Notably, a fair by the name of Nauchandi Fair is held two weeks after Holi every year.^[68] The fair, which started in 1672,^[69] continues for about 15 days and is attended by lakhs of people. It includes events such as poetry recitations in Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi etc.^[70]

Notable people from Meerut include actresses Mandakini,^[71], Achint Kaur^[72] and Chitrangada Singh^[73] and the film director Vishal Bhardwaj.^[74][73]

Education[link]

Meerut is an education hub of Western Uttar Pradesh with four universities, 32 engineering colleges, 23 management colleges, seven pharmacy colleges, four colleges offering hotel management, one college offering fashion design, over 150 academic colleges and over 50 schools. The city is home to Chaudhary Charan Singh University (formerly Meerut University), Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel University of Agriculture and Technology, Swami Vivekanand Subharti University and Shobhit University. The city has one government-run engineering college, Sir Chhotu Ram Institute of Engineering and Technology, which is a constituent college of Chaudhary Charan Singh University. The Indian Film and Television Institute is located at the western bypass of the city. The city has two medical colleges: Subharti Medical College and Lala Lajpat Rai Memorial Medical College. The city has many madrasahs which provide religious education as well as modern education with computer learning. The city also has coaching institutions for preparing students for entrance exams of engineering and medical fields. By the attempts of local jewelers and Zila Udyog Kendra, a jewel and gem training centre will soon be established in the city.^{[citation needed]}

Media[link]

Meerut is becoming an important media center, as journalists from all over Uttar Pradesh and other Indian states are working in Meerut. As media centres are situated in Meerut, the city is getting a good amount of publicity on the national platform. The law and order situation has improved a lot in the recent past and media has had an important role to play in it. Radio stations shared with Delhi are Radio City 91.1 MHz, Big FM 92.7 MHz, Red FM 93.5 MHz, Radio One 94.3 MHz, Hit 95 (95 MHz), Radio Mirchi 98.3 MHz, AIR FM Rainbow 102.6 MHz, Meow FM 104.8 MHz, AIR FM Gold 106.4 MHz. Radio IIMT (90.4 MHz)^[75] is the only radio station located in the city. The Hindi-language daily newspapers Dainik Jagran,^[76] Amar Ujala, Dainik Hindustan, Janwani, DLA, I-Next, Compact, a fortnightly English tabloid lifestyle newspaper Pulse of Markets promoting local business^[77] are published from the city.

Tourist destinations[link]

St. John's Church

Augarnath Temple at 2nd Navratri night

Tourist destinations in and around Meerut include:

• Jain temples of Hastinapur – According to Jain tradition, Hastinapur was one of the earliest Indian cities like Ayodhya and Kashi and came into existence during the time of Rishabhadeva (the first tirthankara) whose grandson, Somaprabha, was the first ruler of the place. It is also said to be the birth place of three Jain tirthankars, Shantinatha, Kunthunath and Arahanatha.^[78]
• St. John's Church – This church was established by Chaplin Reverend Henry Fisher on behalf of the East India Company in 1819 in the cantonment area and was completed in 1822.^[69][11] It is considered one of the oldest churches in North India. The Church was dedicated to the people by Bishop Wilson. It has a seating capacity of 10,000 people.^[11] During the war of 1857, this church was the scene of heavy fighting between Indians and the British forces.^[79]
• Augarnath Temple – This temple (also known as Kalipaltan Mandir locally) is located at the site where the soldiers of the war of 1857 planned their operations. The temple also houses a memorial built to honour the martyrs of the revolt of 1857. The old temple has been replaced by a modern version.^[80]
• Jama Masjid - The Jama Masjid was built by Hasan Mahdi, Sultan Mahmud Ghaznavi's Wazir (chief minister) in 1019 AD (older than the Qutb Minar).^[11] That makes it the first Masjid in North India. And although it was restored by Humayun,^[11] it is one of the oldest Muslim mosques in India.
• Martyr's Memorial (Hindi: शहीद स्मारक Shaheed Smarak): The memorial is a 30 metres (98 feet) high pillar of marble situated at Bhainsali. Functions are organised at the memorial around the national holidays of India.^[13] The memorial complex also houses the First Freedom Struggle museum which is dedicated to the first war of Indian independence.^[81]

An entrance to Gandhi Bagh

Basilica of Our Lady of Graces, Sardhana

• Gandhi Bagh – This centrally located garden has a very beautiful and serene environment. Locally known as "Company Garden", it has been present since before independence, when it got renamed to its current name. It runs a musical fountain show every evening. Earlier, the garden used to have multiple entrances like the one shown on the right, which were always kept open, and there was no entry fee. But now, only one entrance is kept open and a ticketing system with nominal charges has been put in place.
• Shahpeer's Mausoleum (Hindi: शाहपीर की दरगाह Shahpeer ki dargah) – This is a Mughal mausoleum erected by the empress Nur Jahan in 1620 in honour of a local Muslim Hazrat Shahpeer.^[82] It is a red stone structure that was partly built and is incomplete till date.^[82] The tomb is adorned by intricate nakashi (stone painting). There is no roof on the main tomb. People^[who?] say that Shahpeer was the teacher of Mughal Emperor Jehangir. The tomb is listed by the Archaeological Survey of India as a national heritage monument.^[83][81] Shahpeer gate was built in 1829 by a local Jagirdar "Raja Ji".
• Shahi Eid Gaah (Hindi: शाही ईदगाह) – It was built by Nasir ud din Mahmud, the youngest son of Iltutmish, and the eighth Sultan of the Delhi Sultanate. It is about six hundred years old and has a capacity of about one lac people to offer prayers (Namaz) on Eid. There is Nakkashi on the walls of Eidgah which reflect the Sulatani Gulam era.
• Parikshitgarh – The place is associated with and derives its name from King Parikshit of Hastinapur (the grandson of Arjuna). The fort was built by Parikshit and restored by Gurjar King Nain Singh in the eighteenth century.^[9][11]
• Dargah of Baley Miyan (Hindi: बले मियाँ की दरगाह Bale Miyan ki Dargah) - This dargah was built by Qutb-ud-din Aybak in 1194 in the memory of Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud (known locally as Baley Miyan).^[11][84] An Urs is organized annually at the Dargah during the Nauchandi fair.^[11]

Other places of interest include Suraj Kund, Mansa Devi Temple, Baleni, Basilica of Our Lady of Graces, Sardhana and the Chandi Devi Temple which was built by holkar queen Devi Ahiliyabai Holkar Gayatri Shaktipeeth (Center for Gayatri Consciousness) Kalyan Nagar Garh Road.^[13][11]

See also[link]

• 2006 Meerut fire
• Meerut division

Notes[link]

Further reading[link]

• Service and Adventure with the Khakee Ressalah; Or, Meerut Volunteer Horse, During the Mutinies of 1857–58, by Robert Henry Wallace Dunlop, Pub. R. Bentley, 1858.
• The Chaplain's Narrative of the Siege of Delhi: From the Outbreak at Meerut to the Capture of Delhi, by John Edward Wharton Rotton. Pub. Smith, Elder, 1858.
• Nevill, Henry Riven (1904). Meerut: A District Gazetteers of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, Vol. 4. Government Press. http://www.archive.org/stream/districtgazette00indgoog#page/n5/mode/1up. 
• The Mutiny outbreak at Meerut in 1857, by Julian Arthur Beaufort Palmer. Cambridge University Press, 1966. ISBN 0-521-05901-1.
• Mutiny in Meerut, by Vivian Stuart. Aidan Ellis Publishing, 1991. ISBN 0-85628-210-3.
• Flashman In The Great Game, by George MacDonald Fraser, 1975.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Meerut

• Official website of Meerut city