Mirzapur

Mirzapur, on the banks of the Ganga in southeastern Uttar Pradesh, grew where the Vindhya hills meet the Indo-Gangetic plain. Archaeological finds in the wider district show human presence since prehistoric times, but the modern city likely emerged in the 17th–18th centuries as a river port and trading town.

The British East India Company developed Mirzapur as a major commercial hub connecting central and western India with the Ganga route. Lord Wellesley is credited with formalising the town’s riverfront entrances, especially Bariya (Burrier) Ghat. By around 1800, Mirzapur had become one of northern India’s leading trading centres, handling cotton, silk and grain, though its prominence declined somewhat after the opening of the railway to Prayagraj in 1864.

Under British rule it served as the district headquarters in Benares Division and an important opium and carpet-weaving centre. After Independence, Mirzapur remained a district HQ in Uttar Pradesh. Today it is known for its carpet and brassware industries, Kajri folk music, and for nearby pilgrimage sites like Vindhyachal, while its clock tower stands close to the reference longitude used for Indian Standard Time, giving the city a unique place in modern India’s geography.