Phool Bagh
Encyclopedia
Ganesh Vidyarthi Udyan / Phool Bagh (Hindi
: गणेश विद्यार्थी उद्यान / फूल बाग़, कानपुर ) is an urban
city park
in Kanpur city, the industrial hub of Uttar Pradesh
in North India
. It has been the location for many public meetings and political rallies in Kanpur from early twentieth century.
The traditional greenery of the park has been destroyed in recent years by local politicians and often it is used as a sewage
dumping ground.
King Edward
ruled Britain from 1901 to 1910. In 1876, as the Prince of Wales
, he had been the first British
royal prince to visit India on state visit, after the control of India passed from East India Company
hands to British Crown. During this trip to India, he had visited Kanpur as well.
merchant
s who had settled in Cawnpore, felt the need for a European style amusement center in Cawnpore.
On the death of King Edward in Britain, the hall was initially established as a memorial
to commemorate his 1876 visit to Cawnpore and was named as K. E. M Hall. The funds for the park were collected from European traders settled in Kanpur and Indian
merchants.
The K.E.M. (King Edward Memorial) Hall was initially planned as a wooden dancing floor for Western style, ball room dancing. Due to outbreak of World War I
in 1914, construction of the hall was interrupted. There was a regular hospital
in Kanpur Cantonment for soldiers injured in the World War
. As the facilities in this hospital were not adequate, the K.E.M. Hall was temporarily used to house wounded World War I British soldiers in the temporary hospital inside KEM Hall.
The hall construction was completed after the end of World War I in 1918. It was used by European settler
s in India for cultural activities. Occasionally it was rented to rich Indian merchants for marriage ceremonies.
After independence in 1947, KEM Hall was renamed as Gandhi Bhawan. A part of this Gandhi Bhawan now houses a Municipal library and the Kanpur Sangrahalaya
/ Kanpur Museum.
railway station, LIC Building and Nana Rao Park
.
, Indira Gandhi
, Ram Manohar Lohia
, Atal Bihari Vajpayee
have given public speeches inside this park.
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
: गणेश विद्यार्थी उद्यान / फूल बाग़, कानपुर ) is an urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
city park
City Park
City Park can refer to:Australia*Launceston City ParkCanada* City Park, Saskatoon, a neighbourhoodHungary* City Park Kenya* City Park, NairobiLuxembourg* City Park , a park in central Luxembourg CityUnited Kingdom...
in Kanpur city, the industrial hub of Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
in North India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It has been the location for many public meetings and political rallies in Kanpur from early twentieth century.
Importance
While the park was originally very well maintained, in recent years it has suffered decline as an enjoyable park and as one of the large open air living spaces of Kanpur city. Many politicians conduct their rallies here but the park is poorly maintained due to lack of public funds.The traditional greenery of the park has been destroyed in recent years by local politicians and often it is used as a sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
dumping ground.
Queen Victoria Park
During the reign of Queen Victoria in Britain, the park was named as Queen Victoria Garden.King Edward
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
ruled Britain from 1901 to 1910. In 1876, as the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
, he had been the first British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
royal prince to visit India on state visit, after the control of India passed from East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
hands to British Crown. During this trip to India, he had visited Kanpur as well.
Gandhi Bhawan
EuropeanEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
s who had settled in Cawnpore, felt the need for a European style amusement center in Cawnpore.
On the death of King Edward in Britain, the hall was initially established as a memorial
Memorial
A memorial is an object which serves as a focus for memory of something, usually a person or an event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or art objects such as sculptures, statues or fountains, and even entire parks....
to commemorate his 1876 visit to Cawnpore and was named as K. E. M Hall. The funds for the park were collected from European traders settled in Kanpur and Indian
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
merchants.
The K.E.M. (King Edward Memorial) Hall was initially planned as a wooden dancing floor for Western style, ball room dancing. Due to outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in 1914, construction of the hall was interrupted. There was a regular hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
in Kanpur Cantonment for soldiers injured in the World War
World war
A world war is a war affecting the majority of the world's most powerful and populous nations. World wars span multiple countries on multiple continents, with battles fought in multiple theaters....
. As the facilities in this hospital were not adequate, the K.E.M. Hall was temporarily used to house wounded World War I British soldiers in the temporary hospital inside KEM Hall.
The hall construction was completed after the end of World War I in 1918. It was used by European settler
Settler
A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. Settlers are generally people who take up residence on land and cultivate it, as opposed to nomads...
s in India for cultural activities. Occasionally it was rented to rich Indian merchants for marriage ceremonies.
After independence in 1947, KEM Hall was renamed as Gandhi Bhawan. A part of this Gandhi Bhawan now houses a Municipal library and the Kanpur Sangrahalaya
Kanpur Sangrahalaya
Kanpur Sangrahalaya / Kanpur Museum is a museum in Kanpur, the industrial hub of Uttar Pradesh in North India. It is the official museum in Kanpur...
/ Kanpur Museum.
Location
The park is located in the central area of Kanpur District and is close to Kanpur CentralKanpur Central
Kanpur Central is the major intercity rail station and a commuter rail hub in the Indian city of Kanpur. It falls is one of the most busiest stations in India. The Kanpur Central Railway Station is on the main Howrah - Delhi route broad gauge in Uttar Pradesh...
railway station, LIC Building and Nana Rao Park
Nana Rao Park
Nana Rao Park / Company Bagh is an public city park in Kanpur city, the industrial hub of Uttar Pradesh in North India...
.
Attractions
- Kanpur SangrahalayaKanpur SangrahalayaKanpur Sangrahalaya / Kanpur Museum is a museum in Kanpur, the industrial hub of Uttar Pradesh in North India. It is the official museum in Kanpur...
( Kanpur Museum ) is located in the park ground. - Cawnpore Union Club is located inside the precincts.
- A water pumping station supplying drinking waterDrinking waterDrinking water or potable water is water pure enough to be consumed or used with low risk of immediate or long term harm. In most developed countries, the water supplied to households, commerce and industry is all of drinking water standard, even though only a very small proportion is actually...
to Kanpur residents is located inside the grounds. - An enclosed sewage dumping ground has been created inside the park by the Kanpur Municipal Corporation authorities.
- It is located close to Nana Rao ParkNana Rao ParkNana Rao Park / Company Bagh is an public city park in Kanpur city, the industrial hub of Uttar Pradesh in North India...
.
Historical Awareness
People like Mahatma GandhiMahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
, Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
, Ram Manohar Lohia
Ram Manohar Lohia
Rammanohar Lohia was an Indian freedom fighter and a socialist political leader.-Early life:Lohia was born in a village Akbarpur in Ambedkar Nagar district, Uttar Pradesh, in India to Hira Lal, a nationalist and Chanda,a teacher. He was born to Marwari Maheshwari family. His mother died when he...
, Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Atal Bihari Vajpayee is an Indian statesman who served as the tenth Prime Minister of India three times – first for a brief term of 13 days in 1996, and then for two terms from 1998 to 2004. After his first brief period as Prime Minister in 1996, Vajpayee headed a coalition government from...
have given public speeches inside this park.