Small towns are always taken as the best place to relax from the hectic lives of industrial towns and cities. One such place is Mirzapur, a district in the heart of the northern part of India. The place has been in news this year all because of the documentary “Smile Pinki”, which bagged an Oscar. The story moves around a cleft-lipped girl living in the village of Mirzapur. Hats off to American filmmaker, Megan Mylan for bringing this small city into the limelight through her documentary.
Situated on the banks of the river Ganges this city is at the centre of Allahabad and Varanasi. Mirzapur was once known as commercial city. This fact is confirmed from the carved stone on which the rates of toll taxes belonging to the times of Ashoka have been inscribed. This stone can still be found at Naar Ghat in the city.The picturesque beauty, dams, waterfalls and various fairs are some of the major attractions of Mirzapur.
The city is of immense historical importance. On the outskirts of Mirzapur i.e., at Lakhania Dari one can find ancient paintings on walls. The rock-cut caves here are decorated with primitive paintings and line-drawing scenes. These are indications of the city being inhabited by primitive man. The paintings have a connection with the famous rock-cut paintings of Cogul (Spain). These caves affirm that Mirzapur was a hub for the earliest cultural development in the East. Microliths and pottery of stone ages depict that this place is one of the oldest inhabited places of the world.
It has been said that this city has been named after its ruler Sheikh Mirza. This has been documented by the Kacchwa bazaar findings. The city captured by the British has its areas named after the names of Englishmen e.g. Wellesleyganj (Lord Wellesley), Mukeri Bazaar (Lord Mercury), Windham Water Fall (Mr. Windham).
Mirzapur is widely surrounded by hills and thus, we are bound to focus on its picturesque beauty. Several spots like Rajdari, Devdari, Lakhaniya Dari, and Windham fall, Sirsi, Sidhnath dari, Bara Dari and Khajuri have a breathtaking view. The waterfalls and ghats capture the eyes of people here and one feels the ultimate essence of nature.
On the outskirts is an ancient town, Chunar which is famous for its fort. The fort was established by the king of Ujjain named Vikramaditya. The main attractions of the fort are Sonva Mandap, Raja Bhartihari Samadhi, Bavan Khamba and Solar watch. The place could be reached through Babatpur airport (Varanasi). Shakteshgarh fort which lay 28 kms from Chunar, is now in ruins, but one can find natural beauty surrounding the area. Jirgo dam also could be reached through Chunar as it is only 14 kms from Chunar.
The next important place of Mirzapur is Vindhyachal. This place is better known for pilgrimage. To read more Please click here
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