Civil Lines, Bareilly

The name Civil Lines comes from the time of the British Raj, when the city of Delhi was organized into separate areas where the British Military and Civilian buildings were located. Areas where civilians lived were demarcated as Civil Lines. Later most of the prominent North Indian cities, including Bareilly, adopted this name for their commercial areas.

The civil lines of Bareilly was settled between the old city and the cantonment in the late nineteenth century; only British officers used to live in the area then.[1] Apart from the cantonment, the police lines and the railway station were also located to the south of the civil lines, While the district prison was to its west and the circuit house was situated to its north-east, where several upper class bungalows were built.[1] A few years later, the Company Garden (now Gandhi Udyan) was constructed towards its east.[2]

After independence, the civil lines started expanding in the northeast direction, and it was at this time, that a residential colony named Rampur Garden started to settle on this side.[3] Most of the government offices in Bareilly are located in the Civil Lines or Rampur Garden.[3]

Showrooms at Ayub Khan Chouraha in Civil Lines, Bareilly.

Most of the brands having present on the street include Adidas, Levi's, United Colors of Benetton, Reebok, Van Heusen, Wrangler, Red Tape, BlackBerry, Woodland, U.S Polo, John Player and Nike, whereas Indian brands such as Roopam and Overall also have their showrooms on the street.

Civil Lines has a mix of restaurants and street food. Some of the restaurants include Amber, Swarn Tower, Pancham, The Host, Raj Darbar, 24-Carat, Hotel Sita-Kiran, Krishna Business Inn and Hotel Rohilla.

The area has four theatres, which are Prabha, Jagat, Prasad and Amba Theatre. All the theatres are quite old and house a single screen.

Hanuman Temple, Civil lines

Ancient Hanuman Mandir is one of the most popular temples of Bareilly with large crowds on Tuesday.

Kotwali or Principle Thana (Police Station) of Bareilly is also located on the street along with the Old Bareilly Roadways (Inter-city Bus Stand).