Early history The history of Bulandshahr begins even before 1200 B.C. This region is nearer to the capital of
Pandavas –
Indraprasth and
Hastinapur. After the decline of Hastinapur, Ahar which is situated in the north east of district Bulandshahr became an important place for
Pandavas. 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. 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 and
Rajput rulers, called
zamindars, rebelled and attacked Bulandshahr itself on 21 May 1857. The Gurjars plundered multiple towns such as
Sikandrabad. They burnt down Telegraph lines and Dak Bungalows. The rebelling
Nawab, 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 is generally associated with the surrounding areas, such as
Meerut,
Delhi and
Aligarh. 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 was placed there in 1901, when the park was renamed ‘Maharani Victoria Park’.
Development under Frederick Growse Growse,
district magistrate and collector of Bulandshahr from 1876 to 1884, resided at Collector's House. 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. North Verandah (Chunni Lál) ==Post-independence==