Hathras
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Hathras | |
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| Coordinates | 27°22′N 78°02′E / 27.36°N 78.03°E |
| Country |  India |
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
| District(s) | Hathras |
| Population | 123,243 (2001[update]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Area • Elevation |
• 185 m (607 ft) |
Hathras (Hindi: हाथरस, Urdu: ہاتھرس) is a city and a municipal board in Hathras district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the headquarters of the Hathras district.
The Hathras district, formerly known as Mahamaya Nagar, was created in 1997 by incorporating parts of the Aligarh, Mathura and Agra districts. It was given the alternative name Hathras district shortly after.
Hathras lies within the Brij region, associated with the epic Mahabharata and Hindu mythology. The principal spoken language is Hindi, whose dialect Brijbhasha is spoken in this region.
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[edit] History
HATHRAS, a town of British India, in the Aligarh district of the United Provinces, 29 m. N. of Agra. Pop. (1901), 42,578. At the end of the 18th century it was held by a Jat chieftain Indrajeet Singh Thainua, whose ruined fort still stands at the east end of the town (known as Quila, also broad gauge railway station: Quila Station), and was annexed by the British in 1803, but insubordination on the part of the chief necessitated the siege of the fort in 1817. Indrajeet Singh Thainua's descendants currently resides at a village called Pilkhuniya. Sarpanch Gulab Singh, grand grand son of Indrajeet Singh is the leading man in this village.
Since it came under British rule, Hathras has rapidly risen to commercial importance. Hathras is connected by a light railway with Mathura, and by a branch with Hathras junction, on the East Indian main line. While the history of the city dates back to ancient times, it also appears that there was an ancient fort in Hathras at the site of the ruins of the modern day fort. There are traces of ancient Jain sculptures also in Hathras.
[edit] Industries
Hathras was an industrial hub during the British Raj. Cotton milling, knives, asafoetida and Desi Ghee products were the main industries. The last two continue to thrive. The chief articles of commerce are sugar and grain. Hathras is now also notable for Readymade Garments, Chemicals, Carpet, Artificial Moonha-Moti, Hing, Brass, Artware and Hardware, Edible Oil, Beverage, Medicine, Pulse etc. Hathras's boora is exported to all parts of India.
[edit] Art & Culture
The important folk songs of the city are the - Rasiya while the traditional folk dance of the city is the Swang or Ras. The city has been a regular centre for the development of these arts and has thrived on its cultural richness. Hathras was also the home of the famous saint of 18th century Tulsi Sahib who's works consists of Shabdavali, Ratan Sagar & Ghat Ramayan. The other famous residents include the popular Hindi poet, musician and painter Kaka Hathrasi & Natharam Gaur, the master of the art of 'Swang & Nautanki', a form of dramatics. Swangs & Rasiya (local art forms of dramatics and music) are still organized regularly and very much cheered all over the district.
The 'Baghichis' or the gardens of the city are still popular rendezvous for evening sittings. A typical feature of almost every 'bagichi' is the 'Akhara' or the Wrestling Ring where juveniles and the grown ups practise various froms of wrestling. As such the city has been always there on the wrestling circuit of the country and has produced top notch wrestlers or the 'Pehalwaans' for the country time and again.
All throughout the year the city organizes various cultural fairs and events, the most popular of all is the historical Dauji Fair held in the vicinity of the 19th century ruined fort which has the famous Dauji temple at its top. The fifteen day fair hosts wrestling competitions, Poet Summits, 'Swangs' and 'Nautankis' besides other cultural programmes.
The city, owing to its historical cultural background, has numerous temples. Besides them a temple-cum-research complex -'Manglaytan' has been developed on the Agra road (Aligarh-Agra Highway). The 'Manglaytan' complex is one of the largest Jain religious centres of its kind in the country and houses a university, too.
[edit] Geography
Hathras is located at 27°36′N 78°03′E / 27.6°N 78.05°E[1]. It has an average elevation of 185 metres (606 feet).
[edit] Demographics
As of 2001[update] India census[2], Hathras had a population of 123,243. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Hathras has an average literacy rate of 60%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 66%, and female literacy is 53%. 14% of the population is under 6 years of age.
[edit] References
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Hathras
- ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
[edit] External links
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