Cultural Documentation of River Ganga from Gaumukh to Ganga Sagar – Kanpur District

This Namami Gange project is being undertaken for the Jal Shakti Ministry, Government of India, under the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) scheme. INTACH is assisting the Ministry in the capacity of a knowledge partner. Three divisions of INTACH namely; Natural Heritage (NH), Architectural Heritage (AH) and Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) divisions have been engaged in the cultural mapping project, of three aspects natural, tangible and intangible assets along Ganga.
The objective of the project is to conduct field investigation and document existing cultural assets on either side of the river Ganga (within a radius of 5Kms, starting from its source, i.e. Gangotri, down to its point of dispersal at Ganga Sagar) and to produce for the ministry a detailed, illustrated report based on the primary and secondary resources available.

Kanpur District

The history, festivals, local folklore, performing arts, personalities, language, literature and cuisine of this region have been highlighted in the report. Special focus of the report is on the Leather crafts of the region. Kanpur is known for fine quality leather tanned by the numerous tanneries in the region. The leather goes through various pre tanning and post tanning stages and processes like liming, bating, drenching, pickling, shaving, spitting, dyeing and more. 

The city of Kanpur offers an incredibly rich history and cultural heritage. One of the most prominent centres in Kanpur are the Ganga ghats that touch the city, and the living traditions, crafts, festivals and rituals that are celebrated at this site. The ghat is a primary pilgrimage centre for Hindus and is set against the backdrop of the mighty Ganga. The report also features places of historical and cultural importance like Bithoor, Bhitargaon, kanpur memorial church, Lal Imli, ghats of kanpur and so on.

Check out more on the INTACH ICH Archive:
https://icharchive.intach.org/Detail/collections/81