Kanpur, formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was the primary financial and commercial cā¦Kanpur, formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was the primary financial and commercial centre of Northern India. Founded in the year 1207 by a Rajput ruler Raja Kanh Deo, Kanpur became one of the most important commercial and military stations of British India. Kanpur is often regarded as the heart of Uttar Pradesh. Kanpur had been the major financial and industrial centre of North India and also the ninth-largest urban economy in India. Today it is famous for its colonial architecture, gardens, sweets, dialect, IT parks and fine quality leather, plastic and textile products which are exported mainly to the West. Kanpur is also the financial capital of Uttar Pradesh.