Khurja Town
Khurja Town, 1908
Head-quarters of the tahsil of the same name in Bulandshahr District, United Provinces, situated in 28 degree 15' N. and 77 degree 51' E., near the grand trunk road, and 4 miles from Khurja station on the East Indian Railway. Population (1901), 29,277, of whom 15,878 are Hindus and 12,923 Musalmans. The town is said to derive its name from kharija ('revenue free'), as it was built by the Bhale Sultan Rajputs on a revenue-free grant made by Firoz Shah Tughlak. The descendants of the original grantees retained possession of their hold- ings till they were resumed partly by Suraj Mai, Raja of Bharatpur, in 1740, and partly by Daulat Rao Sindhia towards the close of the eighteenth century. There is only one ancient building, the tomb of Makhdiim Sahib, near the grand trunk road, which is about 400 years old. The chief public buildings are the fahsili, dispensary, and town hall. The principal inhabitants are Kheshgl Pathans and Churuwal Banias ; the latter, who are Jain by religion, are an enterprising and wealthy class, carrying on banking all over India and taking a leading share in the trade of the place. Thirty years ago they built a magni- ficent domed temple, which cost more than a lakh and is adorned with a profusion of stone carving of fine execution. The interior is a blaze of gold and colour, the vault of the dome being painted and decorated in the most florid style of indigenous art. The market-place, bazar, and dharmsala, all adorned with handsome gateways of carved stone, also owe much to the munificence of the Jain traders. There are branches of the American Methodist and the Zanana Bible and Medical Missions.
Khurja has been a municipality since 1866. The receipts and expenditure during the ten years ending 1901 averaged Rs. 27,500. In 1903-4 the income was Rs. 38,000, chiefly derived from octroi (Rs. 28,000); and the expenditure was Rs. 42,000. The town is the chief commercial centre of the District, and contains seven cotton-gins and presses, which employed 444 hands in 1903. Cotton-ginning by hand is important, and there is a very large export of grain, besides a smaller trade in indigo, sugar, and gki. The pottery of Khurja resembles that made at Multan and in the Rampur State, and has some reputation. English cotton cloth, metals, and brass utensils are the chief articles imported. There are eight schools with about 600 pupils.
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.
