Kannauj is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is an evolved form of the classical name Kanyakubja. It was also known as Mahodaya during the time of Mihira Bhoja. It is situated 104 kilometres west of the state capital, Lucknow.

Kannauj district is an administrative district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India, along the river Ganges. The historic town of Kannauj, northwest of Kanpur, is the administrative center. The district was carved out of Farrukhabad district on 18 September 1997. The native dialect of this district is Kannauji.