Mirzapur
Mirzapur is a city in Uttar Pradesh, India, roughly 650 km from both Delhi and Kolkata, almost 84 km from Allahabad (now renamed to Prayagraj) and 59 km from Varanasi. It is known for its carpets and brassware industries. The city is surrounded by several hills and is the headquarters of Mirzapur district. It is famous for the holy shrine of Vindhyachal, Ashtbhuja and Kali khoh and also Devrahwa Baba ashram. It has many waterfalls and natural spots. Geography. Mirzapur is located at . It has an average elevation of 80 metres (265 feet). The District of Mirzapur lies between  the parallels of 23.52 & 25.32 North latitude and 82.7 and 83.33 East longitude. It forms a portion of the Varanasi district. On the north and north-east it is bounded by the Varanasi district; on the south bounded by Sonbhadra district; on the north-west by Allahabad district. The shape to the north and west is totally regular. In no direction, except for about 13 km. in the north-east where the Ganges separates the Tehsil of Chunar from the district of Varanasi, has Mirzapur a natural frontier. The Chanvar fields, considered to be one of the most fertile lands  tracts in India, are located on Gangetic floodplains of the district. Indian Standard Time is calculated on the basis of 82.5° E longitude, from a clock tower in Mirzapur. According to the Central Statistical Organisation, the district of Mirzapur had an area of 4521km. Some geographical locations around Mirzapur district are depicted below. Demographics. 2011 census, Mirzapur-cum-Vindhyachal municipality had a population of 233,691 and the urban agglomeration had a population of 245,817. The municipality had a sex ratio of 869 females per 1,000 males and 11.9% of the population were under six years old. Effective literacy  was 78.25%; male literacy was 83.85% and female literacy was 71.80%. Politics. A step towards the awareness for voting the District of Mirzapur came with the Guinness World Record for the biggest Rangoli (Alpana) created in an area of 39,125 m using approx 120,000 kg of color by across 3500 students and teachers from 50 schools on occasion of National Voters Day. This city is situated at bank of river Ganga. Commerce. The main business in Mirzapur is carpet manufacturing. Manufacturers range from very small (with less than $100,000 in assets) to medium-sized (with around $10M  in assets). Most of the carpets are sold internationally as India has a limited market for carpets. The second main business is of metal pots (brass). Indian Standard Time calculation. Indian Standard Time is calculated from the clock tower in Mirzapur nearly exactly on the reference longitude of Indian Standard Time at 82°30'E, within 4 angular minutes, a property shared by Tuni, a town in Andhra Pradesh. This is because there is a time lag of two hours between Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh. Hence, this was taken as the Standard Meridian for the whole country. Tourism. For quite  some years Mirzapur has been a destination for tourists, particularly for people from adjoining states, owing mainly to the ghats, temples, and the clock tower ("Ghanta Ghar") which are excellent examples of contemporary architecture. Vindhyachal. A few miles away from the city is a site of a pilgrimage for Hindus known as Vindhyachal where according to the mythology a part of Sati (an Avatar of Durga) fell. The river Ganges flows through this city. Other sites of pilgrimage include Kali Khoh (literally 'the cave of the Goddess Kali') where a statue of the Kali has a mouth formed in the  shape of a cave, hence the name. Very close to the city is a waterfall. The city itself has many Ghats (steps to a river). Ghanta Ghar (Clock Tower). The famous Ghanta Ghar of Mirzapur is located in the premises of city corporation, about 3 km from the Mirzapur Railway Station. Currently not functioning, it was constructed in the year 1891, with its entire structure made up of finely carved stone and a 1000 kg alloy bell hanging from the tall structure. The Ojhala Bridge was constructed by Mahant Parshuram Giri in "Vikram Samvat 1772". This valuable heritage connecting the  cities of Mirzapur and Vindhyachal, with fort like minarets and ramparts on the either side of the bridge, provide a fine instance of contemporary architecture. Another very popular ghat in Mirzapur is Pakka Ghat known for vide variety of shops on both side of staircases descending towards the Ganges. The shops include jewellery, makeup & beauty, clothing and footwear etc. Education. Mirzapur benefitted as University known as Rajiv Gandhi South Campus at Barkachha acquired by BHU, on lease in perpetuity from Bharat Mandal Trust in April 1979 with an area of 1104 hectare situated about 8 km South West of Mirzapur  City. At present RGSC (Rajiv Gandhi South Campus) is spread over 2700 acres and has been used to run special courses of Banaras Hindu University. Ambika Devi Senior Secondary School in Panwari Kalan is also located in Mizapur.