Kakupur
| Author:Laxman Burdak, IFS (Retd.) |
Kakupur is an ancient village in Kanpur district in Uttar Pradesh.
Location
It is located near Bithur in Kanpur district. Kakupur is just 1 mile to the north of Seorajpoor, and 20 miles to the north-west of Kanpur.
Origin of the name
Kakas (काक) : Allahabad pillar inscription of Samudragupta (L, 22) tells Kaka was One of the tribes who paid homage to Samudragupta. The Kakas are mentioned in the Mahabharataand are associated with the Vidarbhas, a well-known people occupying tracts of territory in modern Madhya Pradesh. V.A. Smith connects them with Kakanada (काकनाद) near Sanchi; while the Bombay Gazetteer identifies them with Kakupur near Bithur. [1].
History
Ayuto was one of the Buddhist places visited by Xuan Zang in 636 AD. The place was situated between Kanoj and Hayamukha. M. Julien and M. de St. Martin have identified Ayuto with Ayodhya[2], but Alexander Cunningham identifies Ayuto at Kakupur[3] near Bithur in Kanpur district[4].
Alexander Cunningham[5] writes that I confess, however, that I am more inclined to adopt the former correction, which places the chief city of Ayuo at Kakupur, and the town of Hayamuka at Daundiakhera, as we know that the last was the capital of the Bais Rajputs for a considerable period. I am partly inclined to this opinion by a suspicion that the name of Kakupur may be connected with that of Bagud, or Vagud, of the Tibetan books.[6]
Kakupur is well known to the people of Kanoj, who affirm that it was once a large city with a Raja of its own. It is exactly 10 miles, or 5 kos, to the north-west of Bithur, and the land between the two places is called Panj-kosi bhitar utpalaranya, or the "five kos circuit of Utpalaranya." The ruined mound of Kakupur is said to be the remains of a fort named Chhatrpur, which was founded by Raja Chhatr Pal Chandel 900 years ago. Kakupur also possesses two famous temples dedicated to Kshireshwara Mahadeva, and Ashwatthama son of Drona, near which a large annual fair is held. These details are sufficient to show that the place must have been of some consequence in former days ; while the name of Aswatthama carries it back to the time of the Mahabharata. [7]
See also
References
- ↑ Tej Ram Sharma: Personal and geographical names in the Gupta inscriptions/Tribes,p.135
- ↑ The Ancient Geography of India: I. The Buddhist Period, Including the ...By Sir Alexander Cunningham, p.383
- ↑ The Ancient Geography of India: I. The Buddhist Period, Including the ...By Sir Alexander Cunningham, p.385
- ↑ Tej Ram Sharma: Personal and geographical names in the Gupta inscriptions/Tribes,p.135
- ↑ The Ancient Geography of India: I. The Buddhist Period, Including the ...By Sir Alexander Cunningham, p.385
- ↑ Bengal 'Asiatic Researches,' xx. 88.
- ↑ The Ancient Geography of India: I. The Buddhist Period, Including the ...By Sir Alexander Cunningham, p.386