| The
common apprehension that Uttar Pradesh lost its natural beauty
after the formation of Uttaranchal may be proved wrong in
the days to come as a district of eastern UP gears up to restore
the old glory.
Situated on the banks of holy
Ganga and in the valley of Vindhyan hills, Mirzapur, which
also has streams of Son and many other rainy season rivers
running through it, is being developed to attract not only
the picnic goers but also tourists from other parts of the
country and foreigners. Not only are the natural sites being
are the natural sites being re-explored to develop tourism
industry in the district, but a large number of historical
sites are being pruned. Water scooters and Para-gliding facilities
will also be introduced in Mirzapur for those who want adventure.
This will be done with the help of private companies.
According to mythology, the
original name of this town was derived from the goddess Parvati
{Girija}, Who sacrificed her life in a yajna in this city.
It I locally believed that the town was founded by king Baunar
and was named Girijapur. The present name of the district
is derived from goddess Lakshami, who emerged from the sea.
The word mirja is formed from two words mir {sea} and JA {outcomes}
with the additional pur, standing for ‘place.’ Several
legends are connected with this region. During ancient times
this town was ruled by many dynasties including Matsyas, Kasis,
Chedis, Panchalas, Bhojas, Kannauj , Ujjain Magadh, Saila,
Pala and others.
Later, in the medieval period
the Mughals and Afghans ruled the place before it became a
part of Banaras state in the year 1775. The sovereignty of
the place was rendered to East India Company by the Nawabs
of Awadh but the ruler of Banaras retained the managing administration,
till 1794 in 1861, a separate district of Mirzapur came into
existence, as the largest district of the United Province,.
In April, 1989 Sonebhadra was separated from the district
and in 1997 it became the headquarter of the Vindhya division.
Divided into six geological
types, namely, the alluvial Ganga plain,. The Vindhyan table
–land, the Kanpur hills, the son valley, the hilly tract
south of the son and the singrauly basin, the district has
also been known for rich natural resources and minerals. Three
centuries back the town started developing as a big centre
of trade and commerce o northern India. The advent of woolen
carpet weaving industry and non-ferrous metal utensil manufacturing,
added to the glory of the city as a trade centre. After the
construction of rail, road links the city came to be identified
as a major trade centre of India. The agriculture and forest
yields of the entire Vindhya a Kaimoor plateau, which lies
in the southern part of the then Mirzapur and Central Province,
were transported down to the market o Mirapur for further
transportation to the port city of Calcutta through river
cargo. Green revolution brought a drastic change in the districts
agro-economic scenario. Construction of a number of dams and
canal network considerably helped in the rise of farm outcome.
The district which has a vast
green cover also has a large population of tribunals, specially
Koles. |
| Air
The nearest airport is Babatpur
Airport of Varanasi and Bamrauli Airport of Allahabad. Tourists
can get direct flights for Delhi, Mumbi, Lucknow, Patna, Khajurho
and Kathmandu from Babatpur.
Train
The railway stations of Mirzapur and Vindhyachal are situated
on the main track of the North-Eastern Railway. Direct trains
for stations falling enroute to Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata
are available round the clock.
ROAD
The district is situaterd on
the Varanasi-Allahabad highway. Besides, it is also linked
with nation highway connecting the area with Madhya Pradesh. |
