Jajmau, Kanpur

Also called Jajesmow in the nineteenth century, the city of Jajmau is located on the suburban area of Kanpur on the bank of the river Ganga. Presently an industrial hub, the city, according to the Archaeological Survey of India, is the oldest human habitation in the region.

The tools, artefacts and earthen pottery discovered during the excavations take the history of the city back to 1300-1200 BCE. The ASI also found an ivory seal, which belongs to the period of Chandragupta Maurya. The exhibits are currently displayed in Kanpur Sangrahalaya.

The city is home to an old mosque called Jinnat Masjid. Situated on the top of a hill, it boasts of a marked architectural similarity to Taj Mahal because of its white colour.

A little distance away from the mosque, down the hill, is another popular shrine of Hazrat Makhdoom Shah Ala, a Sufi saint whose tomb was built by Feroze Shah Tughlaq in 1358.