Kashipur Town
Kashipur Town, 1908
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.
Head-quarters of the Kashipur tahsil of
Nairn Tal District, United Provinces, situated in 29 degree 13' N. and 78 degree 58'
E., on a road from Moradabad : a railway from the same place has been
projected. Population (1901), 12,023. Near the town are extensive
ruins of forts and temples, which were identified by General Cunning-
ham with the capital of the kingdom of Govisana, visited by the Chinese
pilgrim in the seventh century. There are several tanks in the neigh-
bourhood, one of which is called after Drona, the tutor of the Pandava
brothers. A brick inscribed in characters of the third or fourth century
a. d. was recently found here. The modern town is named after its
founder, Kashi Nath, the governor of the pargana in the sixteenth or
seventeenth century.
In the latter half of the eighteenth century Nand Ram, the governor, became practically independent of the Chand Raja of Almora ; and his nephew, Shib Lai, was in possession at the date of the cession to the British in 1801. Kashipur contains a fair-sized bazar with brick-built houses ; but outside of this the houses are chiefly of mud. The largest building is the residence of the Raja, who is descended from an illegitimate branch of the Chand Rajas of Almora. Besides the usual courts there is a dispensary. Kashipur has been a municipality since 1872. During the ten years ending 1901 the in- come and expenditure averaged Rs. 11,000. In 1903-4 the income was Rs. 14,000, chiefly from tolls (Rs. 5,000) and a tax on circumstances and property (Rs. 3,000); and the expenditure was Rs. 12,000. There is a flourishing trade in cloth, metal vessels, and hill produce. The municipality supports a school with 75 pupils.
Nakhasa Bazaar
As of 2025
Aakash Ahuja TNN, April 1, 2025: The Times of India
Rudrapur : The annual ‘Nakhasa Bazaar,’ a 170-yearold tradition of the Chaiti fair in Udham Singh Nagar’s Kashipur, which is held during the Navratras, has been cancelled this year due to unavailability of land. Known for rare horse breeds, the market once drew traders from across India. According to local lore, even bandits like Sultana Daku and Phoolan Devi “blended into the crowd to buy horses”.
The market’s abrupt closure marks the end of an era, as per locals. The two-acre land that once hosted this bustling bazaar has been divided among the Panda family, custodians of the fair, who informed traders that it was no longer available for hosting the market.
Believed to have been established by Hussain Baksh, a prominent horse trader from UP’s Rampur in 1855, the Nakhasa market was once a thriving hub for traders from Afghanistan, Pun- jab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. In recent years, however, the number of participating regions dwindled, with traders primarily coming from Punjab, Gujarat, UP, and Haryana, selling horses in a price range of Rs 40,000 to Rs 40 lakh. Over 50 horses were sold every year.
“Around 10 to 12 breeds of horses would arrive each year for sale,” said local historian Rupesh Singh. Prized breeds like Marwari, Sindhi, Kathiawadi, Spiti and Manipuri, which are valued for their speed, were star attractions. “The significance of the market went beyond commerce. This was a living relic of our past, where his- tory and trade intertwined. It was a cultural institution that reflected the socio-economic dynamics of the region. Its closure is a loss not just for Kashipur but for the entire region,” Singh said.
In recent years, the dwindling number of buyers had cast a shadow over the market’s existence. The news of the bazaar’s closure came as a shock for many traders who had travelled long distances, expecting another successful season. On Sunday morning, around 100 horses arrived from cities across UP and Rajasthan, only to be turned away. “We were ready to set up shop, but there was no space available,” said a trader, his voice heavy with frustration.
Chief priest of Ma Bal Sundari Devi temple, Krishna Gopal Agnihotri, told TOI: “We had no choice but to ask the horse traders to return.” As traders packed up their horses and began the long journey home, the dust settled on an empty field that had once pulsed with life.
