Bulandshahr Town
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Bulandshahr Town
Head-quarters of the District and tahstl of the same name. United Provinces, situated in 28° 15' N. and 77° 52' E., on the grand trunk road, 10 miles east of the Chola station on the East Indian Railway. Population (1901), 18,959, of whom 9,139 are Hindus and 9,071 Musalmans. The old name of the town was Buran, and it received the nickname Unchanagar or Bulandshahr ('high town') from its elevated position on a bank near the Kali Nadl. It is a place of considerable antiquity, and is said to have been founded by a Tomar chief of Ahar named Parmal, or according to another account by a man named Ahibaran, from whom its name was derived. Buddhist remains of the fifth to seventh centuries have been found here, besides coins of much older date. In the eleventh century the town was the head-quarters of Har Dat, a Dor chieftain who ruled in this part of the Doab, with territory extending as far as Hapur and Meerut.
In 1018 Mahmud of Ghazni crossed the Jumna and reached Baran. In the words of the Persian historian, Har Dat ' reflected that his safety would be best secured by conforming to the religion of Islam, since God's sword was drawn from the scabbard and the whip of punishment was uplifted. He came forth, therefore, with 10,000 men, who all pro- claimed their anxiety for conversion and their rejection of idols.' The town was given back to Har Dat, but from a copperplate inscription the Dors appear to have been superseded for a time. They were restored ; and Chandra Sen, the last Hindu ruler, died while gallantly defend- ing his fort against Kutb-ud-din, the general of Muhammad Cihori, in 1193. The town is famous in later times as the birthplace of the historian, Zia-ud-din Barni, who flourished in the first half of the fourteenth century. There are a few tombs and mosques of the Mu- hammadan period, but none of importance. At the commencement of British rule, Bulandshahr was a small town. A few good houses stood on the elevation now known as the Balae Kot, and Chamars and Lodas lived in huts at the base. The establishment of the District head-quarters here caused a rapid growth ; and the town has been much improved by the energy and taste of its inhabitants, encouraged by several Collectors, especially the late Mr. F, S. Growse.
The Chaukor central market has been provided with a brick terrace and is adorned with carved stone, while the houses and shops surrounding it are elegant specimens of domestic architecture. The rich landlords of the District have also erected several fine houses and gateways and a town hall, all of which are remarkable for the excellence of the stonework they contain. Close to the courts is a handsome building called the Lowe Memorial, in memory of a former Collector, which is used as a shelter for people attending the courts. A fine bathing ghat has been made on the river bank at the eastern entrance of the town. A dispensary and a female hospital were built in 1895. Besides the ordinary District staff, an Executive Engineer of the Ganges Canal has his head-quarters here. There are also stations of the American Methodist, ('hurch Missionary Society, and Zanana Bible and Medical Missions.
Bulandshahr has been a municipality since 1865. During the ten years ending 1901 the income and expenditure averaged Rs. 18,000. In 1903-4 the income was Rs. 21,000, chiefly derived from octroi (Rs. 18,000) ; and the expenditure was Rs. 24,000. Wood-carving of some artistic merit is turned out. The distance from the railway has hitherto prevented the growth of trade, which is of local nature. A line is, however, now under construction. A high school contains more than 200 pupils and a tahslll school 230, w^hile four primary schools have 220 more.
Notable monuments
Qadri’s mini-Taj Mahal
From: Sandeep Rai, Bulandshahr’s Shah Jahan will be buried at his Taj, November 10, 2018: The Times of India
Faizul Hasan Qadri, an 82-year-old retired postman in Bulandshahr, who was known as ‘modernday Shah Jahan’ for building a replica of Taj Mahal for his late wife from his life’s savings, died in a hospital in Aligarh on Friday after he was hit by a motorcycle. He will now be buried next to his beloved ‘begum’ in the monument he built as a testimony to their love.
The cement and brick structure built by Qadri may boast of none of the grandeur of its white marble counterpart, but the lack of lustre is made up for in intent. The love story that inspired it is no less tragic than the one behind the original mausoleum, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.
Qadri lost his wife of 57 years, Tajamulli Begum, to throat cancer in 2011.Tajamulli’s tomb lies inside the main building and next to it, Qadri had dug his own grave where he will now be laid to rest. The octogenarian, who had no children, had donated four bighas of land to UP government for construction of a girl’s college near his mini Taj.
Speaking to TOI in 2015, he had said, “I am scripting a poor man’s love story. I don’t know whether my Taj Mahal will be as famous as Shah Jahan’s but I know that people can see it for free.” According to Qadri’s nephew Qadri had entrusted the mini Taj to the care of Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board.
