Hapur 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.
Hapur Town
(or Hapar). -Head-quarters of tiie /ahsi/ oi the same name in Meerut District, United Provinces, situated in 28° 43' N. and 77'"' 47' E., on the metalled road from Meerut to Bulandshahr, and on the Moradabad-l^elhi branch of the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway. The population rose from 14,977 in 1891 to 17,796 in 1901. Hindus number 10,038 and Musalmans 7,518. The town is said to have been called Harlpur after Har Dat, the Dor chieftain who founded it late in the tenth century ; but another derivation is from hdpar, meaning 'the orchard.' It formed i)art of the jCii^ir of Perron, the French general in the service of the Maratha chief Sindhia. He estahhshed a system of grants for his disabled veterans, wliich was maintained l)y the British for many years. In 1805 Ibrahim All, the fahsihidr, defended the place against Amir Khan, the Pindari freebooter.
During the Mutiny, Walldad Khan of Malagarh threatened Hapur, but was obliged to retire by the loyal Jats of Bhatauna. The town is sur- rounded liy several fine groves, and the site in the centre near the Jama Masjid, which was built during the reign of Aurangzeb, stands high. Around the town are numerous small excavations often full of stagnant water, and the largest of these is connected with the Chhoiya Nala, a tributary of the Kau Nadi (East), which drains most of the town. The drainage system has been greatly improved of late years. The principal public offices are the tahsUi, a dispensary, and an Anglo-vernacular school. The Church Missionary Society and the American Methodist Mission have branches here. Hapur was con- stituted a municipality in 1872. During the ten years ending igoi the income and expenditure averaged Rs. 17,000. In 1903-4 the income was Rs. 25,000, chiefly derived from octroi (Rs. 17,000); and the expenditure was Rs. 22,000. There is considerable local trade in sugar, grain, cotton, bamboos, and brass vessels. Two steam cotton- gins employ 263 hands. In 1904 there were 11 schools with 408 pupils.
