Bakhshiwala (Bijnor)

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Bakhshiwala - Founded in 1768 CE as Fatepur Noabad by the Bakhshi (Paymaster) of Ahmad Shah Durrani's Viceregal garrison in Moradabad, the settlement has seen its ups and downs. During the chaos of 1800-1805, the fort of Bakhshiwala was successfully stormed, its gates removed, and then reinstalled by the Raja of Haldaur in his fort, 10 miles SE. A part of the southern wall (running NW-SE direction) is still standing. The official name of this village is Fatehpur Noabad.
The south west border marks a portion of the Chakkar Sarak (Ring Road), an ancient road coming to us through the mists of time. Legend has it that the royal princes and nobles of Hastinapur, from the epic Mahabharata, trained their horses on the Chakkar Sarak.
My grandfather, Abd ul Rehmani, among the first graduates of Roorkee College (now IIT, Rookee) helped build the Upper Ganga Canal from Haridwar to Kanpur. He enlarged the main mosque in Fatehpur Noabad in 1869. The mosque was renamed as Rehmani Masjid in 1985.