History of Kanpur is alive due to its statues
Statues of great men have always been a source of inspiration. The history of any city is reflected in the statues of great men established there. From the first freedom struggle to independence, Kanpur was the main center of revolutionaries. Bithoor, where Nana Sahab Peshwas, Rani Laxmibai, and Tatyatope have stories of warriors, while in the city Chandrashekhar Azad and his revolutionary companions burnt the torch of independence. Apart from this, those who have done something for the city after Independence, their history also preserved these sculptures. Even though the current generation has forgotten many great men, but idols will always be reminded of the works done by them.
Oldest sculptures
There is no clarity about the oldest statue in history in the city. It is said that the idol of Bharat Mata, which is established in Bharat Mata Temple and situated in Birma Road, is the oldest. This idol is of before independence.
Sculptures after Independence
After Independence, in the 70th decade of the twentieth-century sculptures were made in the city. Statue of Revolutionary Shaligram Shukla established in DAV College was established in the year 1963. Shaligram Shukla was a companion of Amar Shahid Chandrasekhar Azad and used to study at DAV College. He was Kanpur Chief of Hindustan Republican Army, founded by Azad. In December 1930, he was martyred while protecting Chandrasekhar Azad. On the crossroads of Kotwali Road is the statue of freedom fighter Fighter, Dr. Murari Lal. On April 3, 1966, the statue was unveiled by the Chief Minister of the UP State, Chandrabhan Gupta.
Chandrashekhar Azad’s statue is everywhere
Amar Shahid Chandrasekhar Azad has a deep connection with Kanpur. A dozen of his statues are located in the city. Recently, a huge statue of Azad has been installed in Chandrasekhar Azad Agriculture University. They have two more statues in the university. Apart from these, statues of Chandrashekhar Azad could be seen in the round crossroads, Nawabganj, DPS Nawabganj, Govindnagar, Sirki Mohal, Tezaab Mill and Dada Nagar. After Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar, if the statue of a great person is established in the city, then it is Chandrasekhar Azad.
Statue of Nana Sahib missing from Nanarav Park
One can witness the statues of great people in Nanarav Park which is situated in Phulbag. But it is surprising to see that the person whom after the park is being named has no statue. The statues of Tatyetope, Ajizan Bai, Jhalakari Bai, Manindra Nath Banerjee, Mangal Pandey, Shaligram Shukla, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Dr. Ambedkar are established in the park except for Nana Sahib. All the idols were established in the last 25 years. Pandit Badri Narayan Tiwari played an important role in the establishment of the statue.
Statues of these great men could also be witnessed
The main statue of Mahatma Gandhi could be seen in Phulbag. Apart from this, there are statues of Jawaharlal Nehru in Sarasia Ghat and Bumaghhar, the statue of Indira Gandhi’s in Naruna Chaurah and Masten Road and the statue of Rajiv Gandhi’s in Motijil. Swami Vivekananda’s giant statue is also set in Motijil.
Bithoor reminds of first freedom struggle
As soon as entering Bithoor, the statue of Rani Laxmibai is seen. This statue was established by the Kanpur Development Authority in the year 2008. After this, beautification of Nanarav Park was done in collaboration with then time government. Nana Sahab Peshwa, Tatyetope, Ajimulla Khan and Rani Laxmibai statues were set up in Nanarav Park on November 2009. Looking at these statues, it is easy to guess that Bithoor has been a major contributor to the first freedom struggle.
