Meerut

History

Archaeological excavations conducted between 1950 and 1952 at Vidura-ka-Tila, a collection of several mounds named after Vidura northeast of Meerut, concluded that Meerut contains the remains of the ancient city of Hastinapur, the capital of the Kauravas and Pandavas of Mahabharata, which was washed away by floods from the Ganges. Meerut also contained a Harappan settlement known as Alamgirpur, the easternmost settlement of the Indus Valley civilisation. Meerut was a centre of Buddhism during the reign of Mauryan emperor Ashoka (r. 273 BC to 232 BC.), and remains of Buddhist structures were found near the congregational mosque in the present day city. The Ashoka Pillar, at Delhi Ridge, was carried to Delhi from Meerut by Firuz Shah Tughluq (r. 1351–1388). It was later damaged in a 1713 explosion and restored in 1867. In Hindu mythology, Meerut has a strong connection to the Mahabharata. One of the main characters in the epic, Draupadi, is believed by the locals to have been born here. In the eleventh century AD, the region to the south-west of the city was ruled by Har Dat, the Dor Raja of Bulandshahr. He built a fort, which was long known for its strength and was mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari. He was later defeated by Mahmud of Ghazni in 1018 and surrendered along with his forces to Mahmud. The Jama Masjid (Congregational mosque), a prominent local landmark, was said to be built by Mahmud's vizier in this period. Shortly after its capture, the city was regained by the local Hindu raja and part of his fortifications, built for the city's defence, survived into modern times. Muhammad of Ghor's mamluk general Qutb-ud-din Aybak attacked and captured Meerut in 1193. Timur attacked and sacked Meerut in 1399. The city was held by Ilyas Afghan and his son Maula Muhammad…

Geography

description of the geography of the district|Meerut district#Geography}} Meerut lies between the plains of the Ganges and the Yamuna in the Doab region. By land area, Meerut district covers 2,522km2 (974 sq mi), which is larger than Delhi (Delhi covers an area of 1,484km2 [573 sq mi]). Meerut has a monsoon influenced humid subtropical climate characterised by hot summers and cooler winters. Summers last from early April to late June and are extremely hot, with temperatures reaching up to . The monsoon arrives in late June and continues till the middle of September. Temperatures drop slightly, with increased cloud cover and higher humidity. Temperatures rise again in October and the city then has a mild, dry winter season from November to the middle of March. The rainfall averages about per annum, which is suitable for crop cultivation. Most of the rainfall is received during the monsoon. The humidity varies from 30 to 100%.

Most-observed species

• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  113
• Red-vented Bulbul

  Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  99
• Red Silk Cottontree

  Bombax ceiba L. · Magnoliopsida
  99
• Spanish Cherry

  Mimusops elengi L. · Magnoliopsida
  96
• Common Myna

  Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  95
• Rose-ringed Parakeet

  Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) · Aves
  92
• Jaggery Palm

  Caryota urens L. · Liliopsida
  90
• Purple Sunbird

  Cinnyris asiaticus (Latham, 1790) · Aves
  80

Most recent

• M 4.1 — 2025-07-11
  10 km NW of Kharkhauda, India
• M 4.2 — 2025-02-17
  10 km SSE of Nāngloi Jāt, India
• M 3.9 — 2021-07-05
  7 km WNW of Kharkhauda, India
• M 3.8 — 2020-12-17
  5 km ENE of Deoli, India
• M 4.2 — 2020-05-29
  Uttar Pradesh, India
• M 3.7 — 2020-05-10
  6 km ESE of Loni, India