BareillyThe Rohilla capital of the four Shivas — zari-and-furniture workshops, cane-research labs and the Ramganga belt
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Bareilly in one minute
Bareilly — live weather, population, hidden places and cost of living, auto-updated.
Bareilly, Rohilkhand’s capital, is Nath nagri — the city of the four Nath Shiva shrines (Alaknath, Trivatinath, Dhopeshwar, Madhinath) drawing Sawan pilgrims for centuries. It grew as the Rohilla seat and the colonial cantonment between the Ramganga and the terai edge. Census 2011 counted about 9.3 lakh in the city, 10.2 lakh in the UA.
The workshops define it — zari embroidery feeding the wedding trade, the furniture-and-cotton markets of the doab edge, and IISR’s sugarcane-research labs that breed the country’s cane. The Rampur-road mosques, the Fun City belt and the Chowk food lanes keep the Rohilla character intact.
Fast facts
| Status | Municipal corporation |
| District | Bareilly (HQ) |
| Division | Bareilly |
| District population (2011) | 44,48,535 |
| City population (2011) | 9,32,968 (corp) — UA 9,85,752 |
| Density | ≈10,800 / km² (city) |
| Elevation | ≈168 m (Rohilkhand plain) |
| Languages | Hindi · Urdu · English |
| Main stations | Bareilly Jn (BE) — divisional HQ |
| Nearest airport | Bareilly (BEK) — Trishul airbase, ~8 km |
| River | Ramganga · Nakatia |
| Heritage tag | Nath nagri — the four Shiva shrines |
| District literacy | 58.5% (2011) |
| Famous for | Zari work · Nath temples · cane research (IISR) |
City map
Demographics CENSUS 2011
Last official census — 2021 census deferred, estimates update on release.
9,85,752 residents
per 1,000 males
municipal area (2011)
≈1,08,433 children (est.)
🌟 Hidden & heritage places
Bareilly beyond the postcards — quiet places and lanes most guides skip.
Alaknath Temple
The Shiva seat of the Nath order — the Sawan kanwar lines, the akhara courtyards and the bell walls.
Directions ↗Trivatinath & Dhopeshwar
The twin shrines of the city’s Nath circuit — the Trivati-tree legend and the Dhopeshwar tank mornings.
Directions ↗St Stephen’s & the old cantonment
The 19th-c cantonment churches and the wide Civil Lines — the Rohilla-capital’s colonial spine.
Directions ↗Zari-work bazaars
The gold-thread workshops — tilla embroidery frames, the wedding-dupatta rows and the export counters.
Directions ↗IISR Lucknow Road
The Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research — cane-varieties field labs, the museum and the extension plots.
Directions ↗Fun City & Phool Bagh
The amusement park of the Ramganga belt plus the Phool Bagh gardens — the family evening circuit.
Directions ↗Chowk & Bada Bazaar
The old-city trading core — brassware, khadi houses and the sweet lanes of the Chowk.
Directions ↗Bhojipura & the river farms
The Ramganga-side farmlands — mustard winters, mango orchards and the fishing-village stops.
Directions ↗Weekend getaways
Approximate road distances from Bareilly.
Cost of living
Indicative monthly estimates for a single person — verify locally before deciding.
| 1 BHK rent (city) | ₹3,000 – 6,000 / mo |
| 2 BHK rent (city) | ₹6,000 – 11,000 / mo |
| Meal at a local eatery | ₹70 – 150 |
| Groceries (single, month) | ₹3,500 – 5,500 |
| Utilities (basic) | ₹1,200 – 2,500 |
| Monthly total (est.) | ₹10,000 – 17,000 |
Estimates only · tier-2 city · updated with market data over time
Top industries
What actually runs Bareilly.
Zari & tilla embroidery
The gold-thread trade — Bareilly’s zari houses feed the wedding-saree markets of the whole belt.
Handloom ↗Sugarcane & IISR research
The cane-belt economy — IISR’s variety labs, the sugar mills of the district and the jaggery yards.
Agro ↗Furniture & woodwork
The furniture-making clusters — sheesham workshops, plywood units and the mandi-road yards.
Wood ↗Cotton & wool spinning
The spinning mills and the cotton-belt ginning units of the Rohilkhand plains.
Textiles ↗Cantonment & airbase
The Trishul airbase and the cantonment economy — the garrison city’s service layer.
Defence ↗Bareilly College & MJPRU
The 1837 Bareilly College and MJP Rohilkhand University — the region’s academic anchor.
Education ↗Glass & bangle units
The glass-bangle and bottle units of the district — Firozabad-adjacent craft spillover.
Craft ↗Top restaurants & food
Where locals actually eat — local counters, classics and street institutions.
Chowk food lanes
The old-city line — bedmi-aloo mornings, samosa-chaat and the jalebi carts of the Chowk.
Directions ↗Rohilla kebab houses
The Awadh-Rohilla grill belt — seekh kebabs, shami rolls and the biryani pots of the old quarter.
Directions ↗Rohilkhand mithai houses
The milk-sweet line — pedas, gud-rewri and the balushahi tins of the halwai bazaars.
Directions ↗Thali & bhojanalaya belt
The doab thali — dal-fry, seasonal sabzi and the tandoori-roti plates of the cantonment kitchens.
Directions ↗Civil Lines cafe strip
The new-city cafe mile — coffee houses, momos and the evening student crowds.
Directions ↗Style-verified from local guides · Sep 2026 · hours change — call ahead
Markets & shopping
Chowk & Bada Bazaar
The Rohilla-era trading core — zari shops, brassware and the general-goods arcades.
Directions ↗Civil Lines & Butler Plaza
The modern retail belt — showrooms, malls and the cantonment-facing boutiques.
Directions ↗Mandi & cane yards
The cane-and-grain mandi floors — the Rohilkhand harvest’s pricing desks.
Directions ↗Festival & fair calendar
Nath shrines kanwar season
The Shiva month — kanwar lines to all four Nath shrines and the Sawan fairs of the city.
Deepawali
The lamps of Rohilkhand — zari-bazaar glow and the chowki nights of the mohallas.
Bareilly Mahotsav
The district’s culture week — folk stages, craft stalls and the exhibition grounds.
Holi & the Ganga fairs orbit
The colour festival plus the Ramganga-side spring fairs.
October – March
The doab winter — hill-run windows, food walks and the cane-crushing season.
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FAQ
What is Bareilly famous for?
Nath nagri’s four Shiva shrines, Rohilla-history capital, zari-and-tilla embroidery, India’s sugarcane-research institute and the furniture markets.
What is the population of Bareilly?
Census 2011: about 9,32,968 in the corporation city and 9,85,752 in the UA; Bareilly district counted 44,48,535.
What is the pincode of Bareilly?
The city starts at 243001; Bareilly spans 243001–243502 including the cantonment and IISR belts.
Which places should I visit there?
The four Nath shrines, the Chowk food lanes, IISR’s campus — with Nainital and Pilibhit’s tiger reserve as the weekend runs.