Kanpur

Kanpur, anglicised as Cawnpore before Indian independence, is the ninth most populous city in India and the largest within the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the second largest city of the entire Hindi speaking belt after Delhi. Once the "Manchester of the East" and the economic capital of Uttar Pradesh, Kanpur is an important industrial centre. Regrettably, Kanpur has not kept pace with the industrial growth in the rest of India and many of its young and brightest have left for other cities in the 1990s. Kanpur is located on the banks of the river Ganga and has an area of over 1300 km² with a population expected to reach 6 million by 2011.

Where to Stay:
Kanpur has enough accommodation for all visitors, but mainly budget class. Among better hotels, Little Chef Hotel, Kanha International, The Landmark Hotel, Hotel Paradise, KD Palace, Geet Hotel and Hotel Mandakini are recommended. All hotels have online or telephone booking, so do make use of this facility and get yourself picked up from the Airport or the Railway Station.

What to See:
Allen Forest Zoo, a must-see site; Jajmau, where archeologists dug up antiquities ranging from 700 BC to 1600 CE; Kanpur Memorial Church; Shri Radha Krisha Temple; Kanpur
Memorial Church; Shri Radha Krisha Temple; Gautam Buddha Park; Nana Rao Park, the site of the Cawnpore massacre during the Indian War of Independence of 1857 and Bithoor, 25 km away, where you can cross the Ganga by boat.

Where to Eat:
For a range of multi cuisine restaurants vist The Mall, Naveen Market, Civil Lines, Sarvodaya Nagar (Moti Rave) and Swaroop Nagar. Restaurants remain open to 11PM. Check out Aromas in Swaroop Nagar for some awesome burgers. Try the mushroom burger, you will not be disappointed. No meal in Kanpur can be completed without eating paan, hence, if you are near the Cantt, the Mall road, near Phool Bagh gives you excellent paan options. Paan shops remain open up to 2 am. Try Chin mi for authentic Chinese food; Energy Point; Kwality, Mall Road, an old, popular and charming diner which serves au gratin/baked vegetables as a delicacy, and where tutti frutti and its famous pudding essentially close a meal. Little Chef, Civil Lines, for fast food; one of first restaurants to have started the fast food craze, it still offers wonderful ice-creams; Thaggu ke Ladu, a small shop selling ladoos (balls of dried milk) and icecream. Although high in calories, the ladoos are delicious. Banarsi ke ladoo; serves the best boondi ladoos, which are world famous and exported.

Miscellaneous:
Kanpur is now a 'Town of Export Excellence'. The Centre has announced Kanpur will be a 'Town of Export Excellence'. The announcement would now provide exporters with various extra facilities and concessions. Leather and other exporters have welcomed the news.