Nana Rao Park / Company Bagh (Hindi

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...

: नाना राव पार्क / कम्पनी बाग़, कानपुर ) is an public 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 was earlier known as Memorial Well and commemorated the British women and children who had been massacred in a building on the site and their bodies dumped into a well in the grounds during the Indian Rebellion of 1857

Indian Rebellion of 1857

The Indian Rebellion of 1857 began as a mutiny of sepoys of the British East India Company's army on 10 May 1857, in the town of Meerut, and soon escalated into other mutinies and civilian rebellions largely in the upper Gangetic plain and central India, with the major hostilities confined to...

.

Bibighar massacre (1857)

The park is of immense historical significance as the location of the massacre of around 200 British

British people

The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...

 women and children by the Nana Sahib

Nana Sahib

Nana Sahib , born as Dhondu Pant, was an Indian leader during the Rebellion of 1857. As the adopted son of the exiled Maratha Peshwa Baji Rao II, he sought to restore the Maratha confederacy and the Peshwa tradition....

's forces in the 1857 Indian rebellion. The women and children had surrendered to Nana Sahib, after receiving his oath that they would be allowed to leave Kanpur (then Cawnpore) safely. The bodies were then dumped down a nearby well. Due to the massacre the area within sight of the well was used for punitive actions by British soldiers of the 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...

.

Memorial Well (1858 to 1947)

Originally the park was first called Memorial Well after the memorial which was subsequently raised to commemorate the dead. The memorial had a large railing, a marble gothic screen with "mournful seraph" and a cross at the site of the well. The inhabitants of Cawnpore were forced to pay £30,000 for the creation of the memorial; this was partially their punishment for not coming to the aid of the women and children.

Post Indian independence in 1947

After Indian independence in 1947 the marble gothic screen was transferred to the churchyard of the All Souls Memorial Church

Kanpur Memorial Church

The Kanpur Memorial Church, originally called the All Soul's Cathedral is a church in Kanpur, India. It was built in 1875 in honour of the British who lost their lives during the Siege of Cawnpore . The Church was designed by Walter Granville, architect of east Bengal Railway...

, the rest of the memorial was crushed. The remains of a circular ridge of the well can still be seen in the park today.

Importance

The park is well maintained and is a favorite haunt of many fitness groups. Presently, the park is one of the favorite Kanpur parks frequented by early morning and evening visitors.

For many people in Kanpur, the park serves as an outdoor location for the start of a healthy day. this includes brisk walking, jogging, swimming, badminton and yoga.

Location

The park is located in the central area of Kanpur District and is close to Phool Bagh

Phool Bagh

Ganesh Vidyarthi Udyan / Phool Bagh is an urban city park in Kanpur city, the industrial hub of Uttar Pradesh in North India...

, LIC Building.

Statues

The park is replete with statues of eminent people who played a part in the Indian independence struggle. The statues include those of Tatya Tope

Tatya Tope

Ramachandra Pandurang Tope , popularly known as Tatya Tope , was an Indian leader in the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and one of its finest generals. He was a personal adherent of Nana Sahib of Kanpur. He progressed with the Gwalior contingent after the British reoccupation of Kanpur and forced...

, Rani Lakshmi Bai, Lala Lajpat Rai

Lala Lajpat Rai

Lala Lajpat Rai was an Indian author, freedom fighter and politician who is chiefly remembered as a leader in the Indian fight for freedom from the British Raj. He was popularly known as Punjab Kesari or Sher-e-Punjab meaning the samem and was part of the Lal Bal Pal trio...

, Ajizan Bai.

Attractions

• Boodhha Bargad, (Hindi
  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...
  
  : बूढ़ा बरगद, कानपुर ) an old banyan tree, with great historical significance to Indian Independence struggle, is located in the park ground.
• There is a traditional vyayamshala inside the park
• There is a public swimming pool.

Maintenance and sponsors

• The park currently is under the charge of Kanpur Nagar Mahapalika and is well maintained.