Meerut [key], city (1991 pop. 849,799), Uttar Pradesh state, N central India. An agricultural market, it processes flour, sugar, cotton, and vegetable oil. It is also an industrial center, with manufacturing and smelting concerns. Meerut was conquered by Muslims in 1192, ravaged by Timur in 1399, and became part of the Mughal empire. An important town of the Jat Bharatpur kingdom (mid 18th cent.), it subsequently fell to the British, who made it a major military cantonment. The first outbreak of the Indian Mutiny occurred in Meerut in May, 1857, but the British held the city.
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