Bulandshahr, formerly Baran, is a city and a

municipal board A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

Bulandshahr district Bulandshahr district (also spelled Bulandshahar) is a district in the Meerut region in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP), situated between the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. It is a part of the National Capital Region of India, and Bulandsh ...

in the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

, India. It is the administrative headquarters of Bulandshahr district and part of

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

NCR region. According to the Government of India, district Bulandshahr is one of the Minority Concentrated Districts of India on the basis of the 2011 census data on population, socio-economic indicators and basic amenities indicators.

Etymology

An early history of Bulandshahr and the origin of its name is given by British District magistrate and collector for the

Indian Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British Raj, British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 3 ...

, Frederic Salmon Growse, in a paper titled "Bulandshahr Antiquities" published in the '' Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal'' in 1879. Bulandshahr was founded as 'Baran' by the king Ahibaran. Since it was perched on a highland it came to be known as "high city", (), which translates as Bulandshahr in Persian language during the

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

era.

History

Early history

The history of Bulandshahr begins even before 1200 B.C. This region is nearer to the capital of

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

s – Indraprasth and

Hastinapur Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'' is described as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas; it is also mentioned in ancient Jain ...

. After the decline of Hastinapur, Ahar which is situated in the north east of district Bulandshahr became an important place for

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

. With the passage of time, the king Parmal's descendant Maharaja Ahibaran made a fort on this part of region and laid the foundation of a tower called Baran(Bulandshahr). Since it was perched on a highland it came to be known as high city which was translated into Persian language as Bulandshahr. At present this is called by this name. All evidences point it to being Varnavat as described in Mahabharat. Previously bulandshahr ruled by the Gaur rajput dynasty. The ancient ruins found at places Bhatora Veerpur, Ghalibpur etc. are symbolic of antiquity of Bulandshahr. There are several other important places in the District from where statues of medieval age and objects of ancient temples had been founded. Even today several historical and ancients objects such as coins, inscriptions etc. are preserved in Lucknow State Museum . The kingdom of Baran came to an end probably during the 12th century. It was being ruled by Dod Rajputs who were tributaries of the royal family of Baran, Baranwals and ruled under the royal family's name, the family was considered a direct descendant of Pandavas. In 1192 CE when Muhammad Ghauri conquered parts of India, his general Qutubuddin Aibak conquered Fort Baran; Raja Chandrasen Baran died fighting but not before killing Khwaja, the commander of the Aibak army, in whose memory a maqbara was built. The ancient ruins found at places in Bhatora Veerpur, Ghalibpur, etc. are indicative of the antiquity of Bulandshahr. There are several other important places in the District from where statues belonging to the medieval age and objects of ancient temples have been found. Even today, several of these historical and ancient objects such as coins, inscriptions etc. are preserved in the State Museum Lucknow.

British rule

Raja Lachhman Singh (1826–1896), who served the government from 1847 and wrote a ''Statistical Memoir of the Bulandshahr District'', moved to Bulandshahr following retirement. The first collector of Bulandshahr was Robert Lowther.

Indian Rebellion of 1857

A large number of

Gurjar The Gurjar (or Gujjar, Gujar, Gurjara) are an agricultural ethnic community, residing mainly in India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, divided internally into various clan groups. They were traditionally involved in agriculture, pastoral and nomadic ...

and

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

rulers, called

zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...

s, rebelled and attacked Bulandshahr itself on 21 May 1857. The Gurjars plundered multiple towns such as

Sikandrabad Sikandrabad is a village and a municipal board, just outside of Bulandshahr, Bulandshahr city in Bulandshahr district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh. It is part of the Delhi NCR region. Sikandrabad tehsil i ...

. They burnt down Telegraph lines and Dak Bungalows. The rebelling

Nawab Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kingdom of Saxony, Kings of ...

, Walidad Khan also belonged from Bulandshahr. The presence of Nawab Walidad Khan in Bulandshahr had completely paralysed the British about this time. Walidad Khan recruited a large number of Indian Muslims who had been serving in the Irregular Cavalry, such as Skinner's Horse. File:1st Regiment of Skinner's Horse returning from a General Review, 1828.jpg, Regiment of Skinner's Horse returning from a General Review File:Skinner's Horse at Exercise, 1840 (c).jpg, Skinner's Horse at Exercise, 1840 The

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

is generally associated with the surrounding areas, such as

Meerut Meerut (, ISO 15919, ISO: ''Mēraṭh'') is a city in the western region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Located in the Meerut district, it is northeast of the national capital, New Delhi, and is ...

and

Aligarh Aligarh (; formerly known as Koil) is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district and lies northwest of state capital Lucknow and approximately southeast of the capital, New Delhi. ...

. On 20 May 1857, the 9th regiment of Bulandshahr looted the treasury at Bulandshahr. Sir Alfred Comyn Lyall was subsequently appointed assistant magistrate of Bulandshahr, and Lord Roberts was also present in the district.

Park

Raja Babu Park had been constructed in Bulandshahr in 1837, and a statue of

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

was placed there in 1901, when the park was renamed ‘Maharani Victoria Park’."Census of India 2011: Bulandshahr village and town directory"
Series 10, PART XII-A.

Development under Frederick Growse

Growse, district magistrate and collector of Bulandshahr from 1876 to 1884, resided at Collector's House. In 1884 he published ''Bulandshahr; or, Sketches of an Indian district; social, historical and architectural''. File:Garden Gate, Bulandshahr (1880s).jpg, Garden Gate: entrance to Town Hall and Moti Bagh (1880s) File:Town Hall Bulandshahr. North Verandah. Photograph by Chunni Lál.jpg,

Town Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

. North Verandah (Chunni Lál) File:Collector's House, Bulandshahr.jpg, Old Collector's House (1886) File:Bathing ghat Bulandshahr 1880.png, Bathing ghat at Kali Nadi

Post-independence

Following India's independence, ‘Maharani Victoria Park’ was renamed after Rajeshwar Dayal Saxena, president of the Civil Bar Association and later president of Municipal Board, Bulandshahar. Later it was renamed again back to 'Raja Babu Park'. In 1969 a bust of Mahatma Gandhi was established in the park.

Geography

The distance between Bulandshahr and

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

is 68 km. It lies in the Bulandshahr District on the Agra to Delhi Road, and is surrounded by

Moradabad Moradabad () is an industrial city, commissionerate, and municipal corporation in Moradabad district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated on the banks of the Ramganga river, at a distance of from the national capital, New Del ...

, Badaun and

Demographics

As per provisional data of 2011 census, Bulandshahr urban agglomeration had a population of 235,310, out of which males were 125,549 and females were 111,761. Population in the age groups of 0 to 6 years was 30,886. The total number of literates were 160,203, of which 90,761 were males and 69,442 were females. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population was 78.37%.

Administration and politics

Bulandshahr is one of seven administrative sub-divisions of the District of Bulandshahr.

Buildings

Bulandshahr has four gates; Bunford Club Gate, Fatehganj Gate, Growseganj Gate and Moti Bagh Gate.

Events

The town hosts an annual exhibition known as ' numaish'.

Attractions

Clock Tower

The Clock Tower at Malka Park is a historical landmark from the

Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...

located at the centre of

in Raja Babu Park or Malka Park which was constructed during the British period in 1837. In 1901, a statue of

was placed in this park and the park was named as 'Maharani Victoria Park'. After the independence of the country, it was renamed as 'Raja Babu Park'. In 1969, a statue of

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

was established inside the tower. File:Statue of Mahatma Gandhi, Malika park, Bulandshahr.tif, Clock tower at Malka park

Kuchesar Fort

Kuchesar Fort Kuchesar Fort, (alternatively known as Rao Raj Vilas Kuchesar Fort) is located at Kuchesar, in Bulandshahr, Uttar Pradesh, India, approximately 84.3 kilometers (52.4 miles) east of Delhi. The fort served as the erstwhile seat of the Jat Kingdom ...

(alternatively known as 'Rao Raj Vilas Kuchesar Fort') is located at

Kuchesar Kuchesar was a Zamindari estate of Dalal Jats during the British Raj. It is situated off the NH 24 in what is now of Bulandshahr district, Uttar Pradesh, India, from Delhi. Part of the Kuchesar Fort, built 1734, became a heritage hotel in 199 ...

, in Bulandshahr,

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

, approximately 84.3 kilometres (52.4 miles) east of

. The fort served as the erstwhile seat of the Jat Kingdom of Uttar Pradesh. File:Kuchesar Mud Fort.jpg, Mud Fort at Kuchesar

MiG-27 Fighter Aircraft

Mikoyan MiG-27 The Mikoyan MiG-27 (; NATO reporting name: Flogger-D/J) is a variable-sweep wing, variable-sweep attack aircraft, ground-attack aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan, Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union and later licence-pro ...

, a

supersonic Supersonic speed is the speed of an object that exceeds the speed of sound (Mach 1). For objects traveling in dry air of a temperature of 20 °C (68 °F) at sea level, this speed is approximately . Speeds greater than five times ...

swing-wing A variable-sweep wing, colloquially known as a "swing wing", is an airplane wing, or set of wings, that may be modified during flight, swept back and then returned to its previous straight position. Because it allows the aircraft's shape to ...

fighter aircraft is placed on static display at Veteran's Air Force School in Ganganagar, Bulandshahr. This is the first

MiG-27 The Mikoyan MiG-27 (; NATO reporting name: Flogger-D/J) is a variable-sweep ground-attack aircraft, originally built by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union and later licence-produced in India by Hindustan Aeronautics as t ...

to be preserved and publicly displayed in

. The

Kargil War The Kargil War, was fought between India and Pakistan from May to July 1999 in the Kargil district of Ladakh, then part of the Indian-administered state of Jammu and Kashmir (state), Jammu and Kashmir and along the Line of Control (LoC). In In ...

veteran has also featured on 'Warbirds of India' by PVS Jagan Mohan, a military historian who authored The India-Pakistan Air War of 1965. File:Veteran's Air Force School Bulandshahr.png, MiG-27 at Veteran's Air force School

Notable people

* Capt. Abbas Ali * Ahibaran, legendary founder of the city *

Ziauddin Barani Ziauddin Barani (‎; 1285–1357) was an Indian political thinker of the Delhi Sultanate located in present-day Northern India during Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Firuz Shah's reign. He was best known for composing the ''Tarikh-i-Firoz Shahi'' ...

, Indian historian * Kay Baxter, dramatist, journalist and teacher *

Amit Bhadana Amit Bhadana () (born 7 September 1994) is an Indian comedian, writer, actor, director, and YouTuber, from Delhi, India. He started creating Hindi language comedy videos in 2017 and was the first Indian YouTuber to hit 20 million subscribers. ...

, YouTuber and comedian * Ashiq Ilahi Bulandshahri, Indian Islamic scholar * Sonal Chauhan * Banarasi Das * Jaiprakash Gaur * Saloni Gaur * Masroor Hosain, Indian-Pakistani fighter pilot *

Arif Mohammad Khan Arif Mohammad Khan (born 18 November 1951) is an Indian politician currently serving as Governor of Bihar since 2025. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and previously served as Governor of Kerala from 2022 to 2025, and as a ...

* Bhuvneshwar Kumar, fast bowler in the Indian cricket team. *

Satish Kumar Satish Kumar (born 9 August 1936) is an Indian British activist and speaker. He has been a Jainism, Jain monk, nuclear disarmament advocate and pacifist.'' ''Now living in England, Kumar is founder and Director of Programmes of the Schumacher ...

* Hitesh Kumari, former minister of UP irrigation department, and MLA from Debai assembly constituency. *

Gajendra Pal Singh Raghava Gajendra Pal Singh Raghava is an Indian bio-informatician and head of computational biology at the Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology. Personal Early years and education Raghava was born in village Nagla Karan, Bulandshahr dist ...

, scientist expert in bioinformatics, winner of awards including Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology *

Arfa Khanum Sherwani Arfa Khanum Sherwani (born 1 November 1980) is an Indian journalist and the senior editor of ''The Wire (India), The Wire''. She is an alumna of Chaudhary Charan Singh University, Aligarh Muslim University and Jamia Millia Islamia. She has rece ...

, Indian journalist * Kushal Pal Singh, CEO of DLF Limited, India's largest real estate developer. * Neera Yadav, ex-officer of the

Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. The IAS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian ...

. * Yogendra Singh Yadav, youngest ever

Param Vir Chakra The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest Awards and Decorations of the Indian Armed Forces, military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime. Param Vir Chakra translates roughly as the "Wheel of Supre ...

winner. * Zafar H. Zaidi, scientist

Gallery

File:Bulandshahr Railway Station.jpg, Bulandshahr Railway Station File:Bulandshahr street frontage.png, Bulandshahr street frontages 2012 File:Sunaro wali gali, Bulandshahr.jpg, Sunaro wali galli File:Maman road, Bulandshahr .jpg, Maman road, Bulandshahr File:Bulandshahr vegetable market.jpg, Bulandshahr vegetable market

References

External links

''Bulandshahr: Or, Sketches of an Indian District: Social, Historical and Architectural''
Frederic Salmon Growse, Benares (1884). {{Authority control Cities in Uttar Pradesh