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Bithur, a wee town of Uttar Pradesh, hardly figures on any tourist map. Or even on any large map for that matter. But this charming settlement was once on the crossroads of history. We inaugurated this series with an overview of Tranquebar, then offered the Orissa beach resort, Gopalpur-on-Sea, and the hill towns of Mirik and Kurseong, south of Darjeeling. We followed up with the historical Rajasthani town of Chittaurgarh, beautiful Sarahan in eastern Himachal, forgotten Orchha in Madhya Pradesh, lush green Chikhaldhara in eastern Maharashtra, holy Gaya and wet, wet, wet Cherrapunjee Bithur
Head for Bithur, just 20 km west of Kanpur and an overnight ride by train from New Delhi. A town of ghats and sacred ceremonies, Bithur is located in prosperous and green western UP, along the banks of the Ganga.
The town has several claims to fame. Its main ghat, in the heart of the town, is dedicated to Brahma and there are very few pilgrimage spots in India that honour Brahma. While pilgrims do not descend on this town in droves, the principle ghat, however, is the site of a variety of pujas and the home to a clan of pandas, who assist in these high ceremonies. Bithur does receive quite some pilgrim crowds in November for Kartik Purnima when it holds a chota mela or fair. In fact, the river hamlet is an atmospheric place to be during this happy, full moon day fair. Sita, the wife of Ram, is believed to have borne Luv and Kush here and died in this town. According to Hindu mythology, the earth's jaws apparently snapped open in Bithur and swallowed her up. Bithur was also the home town of Nana Sahib, who played a major role in the 1857 Mutiny. Nana Sahib was a disgruntled member of Indian royalty in the 1850s because the British administration deprived him of most of his kingdom, except for the few acres of Bithur. In fact, with the downfall of the Marathas, Nana Sahib had even been deprived of a pension from Her Majesty's government and subsisted on his earnings from Bithur. At the start of the Mutiny, Nana played friend and ally and offered General Sir Hugh Wheeler, the commanding officer of the Cawnpore cantonment, assistance. When the sepoys turned on the British, Nana led the band. At the height of the three week siege, Nana promised General Wheeler and his soldiers, wives and children safe passage down the Ganga by boat from the ghats of Kanpur to Allahabad. That never happened. The moment the British started downstream, Nana and his soldiers massacred the men. The women and children were lead away to Bibi-Ghar and hacked to bits. The British eventually regained Kanpur and Bithur and exacted their own blood-chilling revenge, but Nana Sahib was never brought to book. He vanished and died someplace unknown.
In the aftermath of the Mutiny, Bithur was bombed out by the British and a number of century old ghats were reclaimed by the Ganga. And should you amble along the river you would be able to witness this devastation. And feel a shiver down your back as you re-live history for a moment.
The best time to visit Bithur is during Kartik Purnima on November 1 when the fair is on or in winter from November to early March.
It is advisable to make a visit to Bithur a day trip from Kanpur. Accommodation in Kanpur is, of course, plentiful.
Bithur is not even an hour away from Kanpur. But public transport takes long circuitous routes to get you there. Trains come up to Brahmavart which is still 2 km from Bithur. And bus services connect Kanpur with Mandhana, a little away from Bithur. Best option: hire a taxi or autorick. Hundreds of trains pull into Kanpur Central in a week from all major destinations in India. The Shatabdi pulls into Kanpur weekdays from New Delhi. The Rajdhani, daily from Calcutta and New Delhi. | ||
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Meera Inn, The Mall, Kanpur. Tel # 0512-319972: Comfy 'air-cooled' rooms. Rs 275 for a single room. Rs 300 for a double room.
