Hathras

Hathras is the home town of Shri Nathji’s legendry devotees; the Kasera Brothers. Shri Nathji went many times to Hathras and stayed at their large house in the city at Moti Bazar. Shri Nathji went to Hathras first time to attend  the wedding of Nand Kishore, Devki Nandan's son, in 1945 at their invitation.

Hathras  is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Hathras lies within the Braj region in Central or Middle Doab, associated with the epic Mahabharata and Hindu theology. The principal spoken language is Hindi. Its dialect Braj Bhasha which is closely related to Khariboli is spoken in this region. Another name for Hathras is “Braj Ki Dehri. ” It is situated on Agra - Aligarh and Mathura- Bareilly Highways crossing.

No documentary proof is available for when this town was built and who populated it. The Kushan, the Gupta, Rajput and Maratha rulers ruled over the region. In 1716 CE nearby Jaat ruler Raja Nandram’s son Bhoj Singh took over the rule of Hathras and established it a s his capital. After Bhoj Singh, his son Sadan Singh became the ruler of Hathras followed by his son Bhoori Singh. It is believed that during the reign of Bhoori Singh the temple of the Lord Balarama was built in the fort of Hathras.  Real great history of Hathras begins after Shri Bhoori Singh when his son Raja Dayaram was crowned in 1775 CE. In 1784 Scindia ruler Madhavrao Scindia established his regime around Hathras. The region was annexed by the British in 1803, but insubordination on the part of the chief necessitated the siege of the Hathras fort in 1817. Every year “Lakkhi mela” is celebrated on “Dev Chatt” at the famous Lord Balram temple popularly known as "Dau Baba". It is a the most popular festival of Hathras. The fifteen day fair hosts wrestling competitions, Poet Summits(kavi sammelan), 'Swangs' and 'Nautankis' besides other cultural programmes.

After coming under British rule, Hathras rapidly rose to commercial importance. On October 19, 1875, first train ran between Hathras Road and Mathura Cantonment. Hathras was an industrial hub during the British Raj. Cotton milling, knives, asafoetida (hing) and Desi Ghee products were the main industries.