| Bithoor | |
| Native Name: | Brahmavart |
| Settlement Type: | town |
| Pushpin Map: | India Uttar Pradesh |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Coordinates: | 26.6127°N 80.2719°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Uttar Pradesh |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kanpur Nagar |
| Government Type: | Local government |
| Governing Body: | Town Area |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Population Total: | 9647 |
| Population As Of: | 2001 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Leader Title: | MLA |
| Leader Name: | Abhijit Sanga Singh [1] |
| Demographics Type1: | Languages |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Hindi, English |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
| Area Code Type: | Telephone code |
| Area Code: | 0512 |
| Registration Plate: | UP-78 |
| Website: | Official Website |
Bithoor or Bithur is a town in Kanpur district, by road north of the centre of Kanpur city, in Uttar Pradesh, India. Bithoor is situated on the right bank of the River Ganges, and is a centre of Hindu pilgrimage. Bithoor is also the centre for War of Independence of 1857 as Nana Sahib, a popular freedom fighter who was based there. The city is enlisted as a municipality of Kanpur metropolitan area.
Bithur was listed in the Ain-i Akbari (1595) as a mahal under sarkar Kannauj. It was listed with an assessed revenue of 2,921,389 dams and was expected to supply 5,000 infantry and 300 cavalry to the Mughal army.[2]
Bithoor has been closely associated with the Indian independence movement, especially the Indian Rebellion of 1857. It was at one time home to many of the rebellion's most prominent participants including the Rani of Jhansi, Lakshmi Bai. During the British Raj, Bithoor used to be part of Cawnpore district (now Kanpur) in the United Provinces. The last of the Peshwas, Baji Rao II, was banished to Bithur; his adopted son, Nana Sahib, made the town his headquarters. Bithur was captured by General Havelock on 19 July 1857.[3] The town was subsequently attacked and occupied by the British, who razed Nana Sahib's palace and the temples in the town in retaliation for the brutal massacre of over 300 British men, women and children who had been lured out of their defences at Cawnpore by a group of Indian rebels with a promise of truce during the Siege of Cawnpore.[4] Angered British troops also carried out numerous reprisals against the citizenry of Bithoor, included anyone suspected of being involved in the rebellion. Numerous private houses in Bithoor were also looted and burnt.[5] [6] [7]
Bithoor is a Nagar Panchayat city in district of Kanpur Nagar, Uttar Pradesh. The Bithoor city is divided into 10 wards for which elections are held every 5 years. India census,[8] Bithoor had a population of 9647. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Bithoor has an average literacy rate of 62%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 70% and female literacy of 53%. 13% of the population is under 6 years of age. Bithoor Nagar Panchayat has population of 11,300 of which 6,088 are males while 5,212 are females as per report released by Census India 2011.Population of Children with age of 0-6 is 1337 which is 11.83% of total population of Bithoor (NP). In Bithoor Nagar Panchayat, Female Sex Ratio is of 856 against state average of 912. Moreover, Child Sex Ratio in Bithoor is around 860 compared to Uttar Pradesh state average of 902. Literacy rate of Bithoor city is 80.61% higher than state average of 67.68%. In Bithoor, Male literacy is around 86.01% while female literacy rate is 74.29%. Bithoor Nagar Panchayat has total administration over 1,999 houses to which it supplies basic amenities like water and sewerage. It is also authorized to build roads within Nagar Panchayat limits and impose taxes on properties coming under its jurisdiction.[9]
Religion
Hindus comprises the majority of the population of Bithoor, accounting for 89.54% of the total population, followed by Muslims who comprise 10.19%. Christians and Sikhs are in the minority and are only found in pockets of the city.
Ethnic communities
The majority of Bithoor people are from Uttar Pradesh, though there is a significant Marathi population in the city. The descendants of the migrant Marathi families settled at Bithoor have not only lived in Bithoor for more than three generations, but many of own sizable amounts of land and other immovable properties. The first five families, which came with Nana Saheb were: Moghe, Pinge, Sehajwalkar, Hardekar and Sapre. The majority of them settled in Bithoor or adjoining places.
ISKCON Temple, Kanpur is a part of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) movement.
Apart from these, there are some other landmarks as well, such as the Ram Janki temple, Lav-Kush temple, Sai Baba temple, Haridham Ashram, Jahangir Mosque and Nana Saheb Smarak.
Airways
The nearest airport is at Chakeri situated 44 kilometres from Bithoor and one and a half hours drive from Bithoor. The proposed Rasoolabad International Airport is at a distance of 33 km from Bithoor.
Railways
The Brahmavarta station situated near Ganges river. The nearest major railway station is Kanpur Central situated about 23 kilometres and one hours drive from Bithoor.
Roadways
Bithoor doesn't has its own Bus Station but KMBS connected it various localities of Kanpur.
Indian war of Independence by Savarkar, http://savarkar.org/en/encyc/2017/5/22/2_03_34_24_the_indian_war_of_independence_1857_with_publishers_note.v001.pdf_1.pdf