Once a centre of development, Taksar Bazaar of Bhojpur now loses its lustre

By Gokul Bhujel Bhojpur, July 11: Situated in Ward No. 12 of Bhojpur Municipality, Taksar Bazaar is an area with great industrial, historical and cultural importance. 

Taksar began its industrial journey in 1870 B.S. after mines of copper and iron were found in Sirise and Dhodlekhani in the west and Khanikhola in the east. Taksar was the centre of processing the mined metals.

Soon, Taksar didn’t only process metals mined from the nearby areas. It even processed metals brought from areas up to Bahadur River in the west, Mechi River in the east, Himalaya region in the north and the Indian border in the south. 

After Prithvi Narayan Shah unified Nepal, the then King Girban Yudhha Bikram Shah and General Bhimsen Thapa in 1872 B.S. had established a Department of Mint in Taksar and started minting Doli coins of One Paisa and Two Paisa. Doli coin used to have a hole in the centre. 

As per the historical details provided by Historian Ganesh Bajracharya, artisans from Patan were taken to Taksar for the purpose of minting the coins. Artisan Devdutta Shakya and his family from Okubahal, Patan, was the first to arrive in Taksar. Until 2000 B.S., the area had around 200 houses mostly of people from Newari communities like Shakya, Bajracharya, Udas, Tamrakar, Shrestha, Dhangu, Nau and Kau.

The artisans then not only minted coins in Taksar but also started producing utensils and tools from the copper, iron and glasses.

By 1990 B.S. Taksar Bazaar had been established as a well-managed industrial centre. The locals had then formed a good commercial connection with businessmen from Siliguri, Darjeeling and Calcutta (now Kolkata) in India and Bhutan. 

In 2013 B.S., late King Mahendra had reached Taksar during his trip to eastern Nepal. He was delighted with Taksar's business and established Sagarmatha Zonal Office of Cottage Industry to train individuals in handicrafts. It led Taksar to be established as a major commercial and industrial hub.

Several temples, viharas, inns and spouts were constructed in Taksar. Until four decades ago, Taksar used to stay awake all night and celebrate Krishna Astami and also celebrated different jatras (street festivals).

It is also said that Theravada and Shakyamuni Boudha Viharas were constructed in Taksar for the first time in 1993 B.S. The Vihara of Thera sect built in Taksar is said to be the first in Nepal where Buddha Jayanti was celebrated.

By 2005 B.S., locals of Taksar had operated an English school which was later renamed as Shree Bidhyadhari Middle School in 2005 A.D. and taught up to class 8. Citing the need of a high school, Bidhyadhari had coordinated with Udaya Middle School and upgraded into Prajatantra Shikshya Bhawan in 2007 B.S. 

Locals informed that Taksar was once self-reliant in several sectors as it was a centre for industrial, cultural, historical as well as educational development. However, in the last four decades, lifestyle of Taksar has been affected as locals as well as government authorities turned a deaf ear to its development and conservation.

Nowadays, locals of Taksar are deserting the area. Locals say that the lack of metals, increasing trend of import and change in lifestyle have made them stray away from their ancestral occupation. 

If the trend continues, locals and historians stressed that Taksar will lose its history soon. They have urged concerned authorities to be serious about saving and reviving reality of Taksar.