Legends state that the region of Kalyanpur was originally ruled by the
Cheros who were later supplanted by the
Rajputs who in turn were replaced by the
Bhumihars who became the ancestors of the Hathwa Rajas. The earliest reference to the Hathwa chieftaincy is in 1539 when Emperor
Humayun sought refuge in Kalyanpur after his defeat at the
Battle of Chausa. The Raja of the time, Raja Jay Mal provided aid to Humayun by giving food to his troops. Because Jay Mal provided aid to his enemy,
Sher Shah Suri attempted to punish the Hathwa chieftain who in turn fled to the forests of
Gorakhpur to lead an insurgency. By the time Humayun had returned to the throne, he rewarded Jay Mal's grandson, Raja Jubraj Shahi, with a substantial amount of land. Jubraj Shahi also engaged in a conflict with Kabul Mohammad of Barharia, a neighbouring chieftain of
Afghan origin. Jubraj Shahi emerged victorious after he killed Kabul Mohammad and captured his fort and land. Because Kabul Mohammad was also rebelling against the Empire, Emperor
Akbar rewarded Jubraj Shahi with additional land. Due to its central location, Hathwa was the seat of the Raja's residential palace and its nearby villages housed most of the key retainers of the estate. In addition to the estate
Kachcheri (office), located in the Hathwa cluster of villages, were the estate manager's bungalow, the Diwan's house, the Hathwa Eden School, the post office, the Raj dispensary, the Durga medical hall and the temple called Gopal mandir. By the 1840s Hathwa was described as having large bazaars and bi-weekly markets. By the early nineteenth century, there were forts, palaces, and several temples constructed. An early twentieth-century account describes Hathwa as an impressive standard market, its shops offering a range of agricultural and consumer goods and its specialists providing a variety of services. The presence of schools and temples further accentuated its centrality in the locality. The estate collected money annually as professional tax from traders stationed at Hathwa. ==Durga Puja==