Anupshahr is a town and a municipal board in the Bulandshahr district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Situated on the right bank of the river Ganga, the town is known as a place of Hindu pilgrimage and is sometimes referred to as the Chhoti Kashi of western Uttar Pradesh on account of its riverside ghats and temples. It also serves as the headquarters of the Anupshahr tehsil within Bulandshahr district.
| Name | Anupshahr |
|---|---|
| Type | Town and municipal board (Nagar Palika Parishad) |
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
| District | Bulandshahr |
| Tehsil | Anupshahr |
| River | Ganga |
| Region | Doab, western Uttar Pradesh |
| Languages | Hindi, Urdu |
Anupshahr lies in the Upper Ganga–Yamuna Doab, on the western bank of the Ganga. The town stands on slightly elevated ground above the river's flood plain, and a series of ghats descend from the town to the water. It is connected by road to Bulandshahr to the west and to Narora and Debai in the surrounding region. Narora, a short distance downstream, is the location of the Narora Atomic Power Station and the Narora barrage on the Ganga.
According to local tradition, the town was founded during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar by a Rajput chieftain named Raja Anup Rai, after whom it is named. Anup Rai is said to have been granted lands in the area in recognition of service at the Mughal court, and the settlement that grew around his establishment came to be called Anupshahr.
During the colonial period, Anupshahr was part of the Bulandshahr district of the North-Western Provinces, later the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, under British India. It functioned as a local market town and a riverside crossing point on the Ganga, with a tehsil headquarters and a small civil station. The town features in nineteenth-century district gazetteers of Bulandshahr as a place of religious importance and modest commercial activity.
After Indian independence in 1947, Anupshahr continued as a tehsil headquarters within Bulandshahr district in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Local administration is carried out through a municipal board responsible for civic services within the town.
The town is best known for its ghats along the Ganga, which attract pilgrims, particularly during festivals such as Kartik Purnima, Ganga Dussehra, and the bathing days associated with the Hindu lunar calendar. Several temples are located along the riverfront, and ritual bathing in the Ganga at Anupshahr is regarded by devotees as religiously meritorious. Cremation grounds along the river are also used by people from neighbouring areas.
The economy of Anupshahr and its surrounding rural area is largely agricultural. The fertile alluvial soil of the Doab supports cultivation of sugarcane, wheat, paddy, mustard, and vegetables. The town serves as a local market (mandi) for agricultural produce from nearby villages, and supports allied trades such as grain milling, dairying, and small-scale retail. Tourism and pilgrimage contribute to seasonal economic activity.
Anupshahr is connected by state highways to Bulandshahr, Khurja, Narora, and other towns in the region. Road transport, including state-run and private bus services, is the principal means of access. The nearest railway connectivity is available through stations in the wider Bulandshahr–Aligarh region, and the area falls within the broader catchment of road links leading towards the National Capital Region.
Anupshahr has a mixed population of Hindus and Muslims, with smaller numbers of other communities. Hindi is the principal language of administration and education, while Urdu and the local Khari Boli dialect are also widely spoken.