Ghaziabad, India

Ghaziabad
Metropolis
Crossing Republik Ghaziabad on NH 24
Ghaziabad
Coordinates: 28°40′N 77°25′E / 28.67°N 77.42°E / 28.67; 77.42Coordinates: 28°40′N 77°25′E / 28.67°N 77.42°E / 28.67; 77.42
Country	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
District	Ghaziabad District
Founded by	Ghazi-ud-din
Named for	Ghazi-ud-din
Government
• Body	Municipal Corporation
• Mayor	Dr. Raju Singh Nagar
Area
• Total	133.3 km2 (51.5 sq mi)
Elevation	214 m (702 ft)
Population (2011 census provisional data)
• Total	2,381,452
• Density	18,000/km2 (46,000/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Ghaziabadi
Languages
• Official	Hindi, Urdu
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	201 xxx
Telephone code	91-120
Vehicle registration	UP-14
Website	ghaziabad.nic.in

Ghaziabad (Hindustani pronunciation: [ɣaːziːaːbaːd̪]) is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is sometimes referred to as the "Gateway of UP" because it is close to New Delhi, on the main route into Uttar Pradesh. It is a part of the National Capital Region of Delhi. It is a large and planned industrial city, with a population of 2,381,452. Well connected by roads and railways, and is the administrative headquarters of Ghaziabad District as well as being the primary commercial, industrial and educational centre of western Uttar Pradesh and a major rail junction for North India. Recent construction works have led to the city being described by a City Mayors Foundation survey as the second fastest-growing in the world. Situated in the Upper Gangetic Plains, the city has two major divisions separated by the Hindon River, namely: Trans-Hindon on the west and Cis-Hindon on the east side.

Excavations carried out at the mound of Kaseri, at the banks of river Hindon, some 2 km north of Mohan Nagar, have shown that civilisation existed there as early as 2500 BC. Mythologically, some neighbouring towns and villages of the city including Garhmukteshwar, Pooth Village and Ahar region have been associated with the Mahabharata and the fort at Loni, is associated with the legend of Lavanasura of the Ramayana period. According to the Gazetteer, the fort, "Loni" is named after Lavanasura. The city and its surrounding region have historically witnessed major wars and battles over the last many centuries. In AD 1313, the entire region including present day Ghaziabad became a huge battlefield, when Taimur laid siege on the area during Muhammad bin Tughluq's reign. During the Anglo- Maratha War, Sir General Lake and the Royal Maratha army fought here circa. Altama Religion was started from Ghaziabad in 1803. The name "Ghaziuddinnagar" was shortened to its present form, i.e. "Ghaziabad" with the opening of the Railways in 1864. Establishment of the Scientific Society here, during the same period is considered as a milestone of the educational movement launched by Sir Syed Ahmad Khan. The Ghaziabad Municipality came into existence in 1868. The Sind, Punjab and Delhi Railway, connecting Delhi and Lahore, up till Ambala through Ghaziabad was opened in the same year. With the completion of the Amritsar-Saharanpur-Ghaziabad line of the Sind, Punjab and Delhi Railway in 1870, Delhi was connected to Multan through Ghaziabad, and Ghaziabad became the junction of the East Indian Railway and Sind, Punjab and Delhi Railway.