Kasganj 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.
Kasganj Town
Head-quarters of the tahsil of the same name in Etah District, United Provinces, situated in 27 degree 48' N. and 78 degree 39' E., on the Cawnpore-Achhnera Railway, and also on the road from Muttra to Bareilly. A short branch railway connects Kasganj with Soron near the Ganges, and an extension to Bareilly is under construction. This is the chief trade centre of the District, and population is increasing : (1891) 16,050, (1901) 19,686. The town is said to have been founded by Yakut Khan, a eunuch in the service of Muhammad Khan, Nawab of Farrukhabad. It afterwards came into the hands of Colonel James Gardner, who was in the employ of the Marathas, and later in British service. He raised a regiment, now known as Gardner's Horse, and acquired a large property which was dissipated by his descendants. Part of the property fell into the hands of Dilsukh Rai, once an agent to the Gardner family, and one of his descendants has built a magnifi- cent residence near the town. Kasganj stands on an elevated site, its drainage flowing towards the Kali Nadi, which runs about a mile south- east of the town.
A new drainage scheme has recently been completed. The town contains two fine bazars crossing each other at right angles. At the junction a fine octagonal building, consisting of shops, forms a suitable centre to the town. The chief public buildings are the town hall, dispensary tahsil, and munsifi. There are also branches of the Church Missionary Society and the American Methodist Mission. Close to the railway station is a considerable colony of railway employes. The town was constituted a municipality in 1868. During the ten years ending 1901 the income and expenditure averaged Rs. 15,000. In 1903-4 the income was Rs. 22,000, chiefly derived from octroi (Rs. 16,000); and the expenditure was Rs. 23,000. Kasganj is becoming an important centre for the collection and distribution of country produce, especially grain, sugar, and cotton. Sugar-refining is a growing industry, and there were two cotton-gins and a cotton- press which employed 788 hands in 1903, while another ginning factory was opened in 1004. The town school has about 190 pupils, and 16 other schools aided by the municipality have 420 pupils.
