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Moradabad was founded in 1625 and named after a son of the Mughal Emperor, Shah
Jahan. The ruins of a fort built in 1625 lie to the northern part of the city.
It is believed that the brassware industry traces its roots to Moradabad and has
now spread to the rest of the country. Although the art of brassware developed
in the period of Mughals only, but evidence suggests that Indians, from around
3000 B.C., knew the process of metallurgy. The discovery of a bronze statue of
‘Dancing Girl’ in the Harappa excavation proves this.
The brassware industry in Moradabad saw its boom during the early 19th century
and Britishers carried the art of making brassware to foreign markets. Artisans
from Banaras, Lucknow, Agra and Jalesar formed the current cluster of brassware
industry in Moradabad. In 1980, various other metalwares like brass, EPNS, iron,
aluminium, etc., were introduced to the art industry of Moradabad. New
technologies like electroplating, lacquering, powder coating, etc., also found
its way to the industry.
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It has all along been a hub of commercial activities, and is called ‘Brass
City’. There are several hundreds of units engaged in the manufacturing and
export of brass products. Almost all the major retail chains like Walmart, IKEA,
Target, etc., purchase brass products from Moradabad itself. Average annual
export of brassware and handicraft items from Moradabad to rest of the world is
to the tune of Rs. 3,000 crores, which constitutes 40% of total exports from
India under this category. Moradabad city is a designated Special Economic Zone
(SEZ) of the Government of India.
Over the years, Moradabad has grown in terms of population, business,
infrastructure and administrative setup. Presently, the city has a population of
12 lacs and administratively is the commissionery headquarter of Moradabad,
Jyotiba Phule Nagar, Rampur and Bijnor districts. The civil amenities of the
city are managed by Municipal Corporation headed by the Mayor. Further to
augment development process of the city, the government has created Moradabad
Development Authority.
The city is connected to seven state capitals and as many as 16 other industrial
towns and large urban business centres. Delhi is only 140 kms away. The famous
hill stations of Nainital and Mussoorie are within 200 kms from Moradabad city.
Hastinapur, the holy city for Jains is 120 kms. away from Moradabad.
The city is surrounded by industrial hubs like Rudrapur, Hardwar, Roorkee,
Meerut, Kashipur, Noida and Delhi, providing ample opportunities to the
graduating students to get trained and absorbed both in Indian and multinational
companies. |
