Bardhaman
Bardhaman
Burdwan | |
---|---|
City | |
UTC+5:30 (IST) | |
PIN | 713101, 713102, 713103, 713104 713141,713149. |
Telephone code | +91-342 |
Vehicle registration | WB-41, WB-42 |
Website | burdwanmunicipality |
Bardhaman (
Etymology
The history of Burdwan is known from about 5000 BC (the Mesolithic or Late Stone Age).[citation needed] The origin of this name dates back to the sixth century BCE and is ascribed to Vardhamāna or Mahāvīra (599-527 BCE), the 24th Tīrthāṅkara of Jainism, who spent some time in Astikagrama, according to the Jain scripture of Kalpa Sūtra. This place was renamed as Vardhamana in his honour.
History
During the period of Jahangir this place was named Badh-e-dewan (district capital). The city owes its historical importance to being the headquarters of the Maharajas of Burdwan, the premier noblemen of lower Bengal, whose rent-roll was upwards of 300,000.
Mahtab Chand Bahadur and later Bijoy Chand Mahtab struggled their best to make this region culturally, economically and ecologically healthier. The chief educational institution was the Burdwan Raj College, which was entirely supported out of the maharaja's estate.
Geography
1mile
(Golapbag campus)
and Qutbuddin Koka
Location
The region has an average elevation of 40 metres (131 ft). The city is situated 1100 km from New Delhi and a little less than 100 km north-west of Kolkata on the Grand Trunk Road (National Highway 19) and Eastern Railway. The chief rivers are the Damodar and the Banka.[9]
The first epigraphic reference to the name of this place occurs in a sixth-century AD copper plate found in Mallasarul village under Galsi Police Station. Archeological evidences suggest that this region, forming a major part of Radh Bengal, could be traced even back to 4000 BCE.
Police stations
Burdwan police station has jurisdiction over Bardhaman municipal area and Burdwan I and Burdwan II CD Blocks. The area covered is 192.15 km2. There are out posts at Barabazar, Muradpur, Keshabganj, Nutanganj and Birhata.2[10][11]
Women police station Burdwan has jurisdiction over Bardhaman municipal area and Burdwan I and Burdwan II CD Blocks. The area covered is 192.15 km.[10][11]
Demographics
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1951 | 76,000 | — |
1961 | 109,000 | +43.4% |
1971 | 144,000 | +32.1% |
1981 | 170,000 | +18.1% |
1991 | 246,000 | +44.7% |
2001 | 287,000 | +16.7% |
2011 | 347,016 | +20.9% |
Source: [12] |
In the 2011 census, Bardhaman Urban Agglomeration had a population of 347,016, out of which 177,055 were males and 169,961 were females. 25,069 people were between the ages of 0–6 years. Effective literacy rate for the 7+ population was 88.62%.[4]
Climate
The
Climate data for Burdwan, India | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 26.0 (78.8) |
27.5 (81.5) |
34.5 (94.1) |
37.4 (99.4) |
32.6 (90.7) |
34.9 (94.9) |
32 (90) |
32.3 (90.1) |
32.4 (90.3) |
32.0 (89.6) |
28.0 (82.4) |
26.0 (78.8) |
31.32 (88.38) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.0 (53.6) |
15 (59) |
20 (68) |
24.9 (76.8) |
25.9 (78.6) |
26.0 (78.8) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
25 (77) |
24.7 (76.5) |
17.5 (63.5) |
12.5 (54.5) |
21 (70) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 18 (0.7) |
38 (1.5) |
33 (1.3) |
48 (1.9) |
130 (5) |
240 (9.6) |
350 (13.7) |
310 (12.3) |
290 (11.4) |
160 (6.2) |
28 (1.1) |
5.1 (0.2) |
1,650 (64.9) |
Average rainy days | 4 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 18 | 23 | 22 | 18 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 123 |
Source: Weather2[15] |
Culture
Bardhaman has a multi-cultural heritage. The
The Kankaleswari
Foods
- Sitabhog and Mihidana are two famous sweets of Bardhaman, introduced first in honour of the Raj family.[citation needed]
Transport
Road
- The Grand Trunk Road runs across the city; NH 19 (old numbering NH 2) bypasses the city. South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC) and private operators operate buses from Arambag, Asansol, Baharampur, Bankura, Bolpur, Esplanade, Kirnahar, Purulia, Saltlake and Tarakeswar. It takes around 2–2.5 hours. Bardhaman is well connected by bus with numerous places all around. Most of the buses arrive and leave from Alisha Bus Stand and Nababhat Bus Stand. Burdwan also has a facility of bus service known as Town Service which connects different areas within the city.
- Sadarghat Road also connects Bardhaman with Bankura (indirectly) and Hooghly (directly) district.
Rail
- The main Howrah-Delhi rail track passes through Bardhaman, and the city is served by Bardhaman railway station. The Howrah Rajdhani Express (via Patna) has a scheduled stop at Bardhaman. One can take a local train from Howrah to reach in two hrs. One can also travel along the Sahibganj Loop, which branches off, one station after Bardhaman. The narrow gauge line to Katwa was upgraded to broad gauge in 2013, up to Balgona, which has been extended to Katwa. It is well connected to major cities like Kolkata, Ranchi, Patna, Durgapur, Asansol, Siliguri, Dhanbad.
Rickshaws
- Cycle rickshaws and E-Rickshaws (Toto) are available for travel within the city.
- Also available mini bus within city and surrounding. Intracity connector by SBSTC under JNNURM project has been provided.
- Ola's bike service is also active in the city.
Education
University
The
Colleges
- Burdwan Dental College and Hospital
- Burdwan Homoeopathic Medical College & Hospital
- Burdwan Medical College
- Burdwan Raj College
- Maharajadhiraj Uday Chand Women's College
- M.B.C. Institute of Engineering and Technology
- St. Xavier's College, Burdwan
- University Institute of Technology, Burdwan University
- Vivekananda Mahavidyalaya
Schools
- Burdwan C.M.S High School - West Bengal Board
- Burdwan Municipal Girls' High School - West Bengal Board
- Burdwan Municipal High School - established in 1883 by Debendranath Tagore
- St. Xaviers School - CISCE
Places of interest
-
Sarbamangala Temple
-
108 Shiva Temple
-
Hawa Mahal (Golapbag)
-
Meghnad Saha Planetarium, Golapbag, Bardhaman
-
Christ Church
-
Damodar River
-
Inside view of the palace of Burdwan Maharaja
-
Science Centre
-
Maa Kankaleshwari at her temple
-
Mazar of Sufi Pir Baharam Sakka
-
Damodareshwar Shiva Temple, Damodarpally, Burdwan
-
Burdwan Arcade
-
Damodar River
- Curzon Gate – the Curzon Gate was built in 1902–1903, for the coronation of Maharaja Bijay Chand Mahatab. The former royal palace is located a kilometre from the gate.[16][17] The pomp and grandeur of Lord Curzon's visit to Bardhaman in 1904 established the name of the gate as Curzon Gate. It is also known as Bijay Toran.[16][18]
- Tombs of Sher Afgan and Qutbuddin Khan Koka - Mughal emperor Jahangir had fallen in love with her and was determined to marry her. He tried to get her with the help of his foster-brother and subahdar of Bengal, Qutbuddin Khan Koka. Sher Afgan died during a fight with Qutbuddin Khan Koka, who also was killed. Both were buried side by side at Bardhaman in 1607 (or 1610 according to some sources), in the same place as Pir Baharam Sikka, a Persian Sufi saint. Mehr-un-Nissa ultimately emerged as the Empress Nur Jahan.[19][20]
- Rajbari – the palace of the Bardhaman Raj family, was built by Mahatabchand in the 19th century, at a site that is earlier believed to have a Mughal fort. The Rajbari was built by the Kolkata-based Burn and Company. The main hall has many valuable paintings.[18] Uday Chand Mahtab handed over the Rajbati to the state government. It now houses the administrative offices of the University of Burdwan.[21]
- Golapbag, Ramna Bagan and Deer Park – Golapbag was developed as a botanical and zoological garden in the 19th century. It contained lakes for boating and Hawa Mahal. Several academic sections of the University of Burdwan are located there. Ramna Bagan once had a Brahmo Samaj. It now has a deer park.[18]
- Sarbamangala temple - the temple of Sarbamangala, the presiding deity of the Bardhaman Raj and believed to have been found on the sand-bed of the
- Bardhamaneswar Shiva temple - the Manasamangal fame.[18]
- Kamalakanta Kalibari - it is a Sadhak Kamalakanta.[20]
- 108 Shiva temple complex - the Shiva temple complex, constructed by Maharani Bishnu Kumari, at Nawabhat, near Bardhaman, has a picturesque setting.[20] The temple complex, built in 1788, fell into disrepairs and was thoroughly renovated by the Birla Public Welfare Trust.[18]
- Kankaleshwari Mandir – the temple at Kanchanagar, has a deity resembling a human skeleton.[20] It is a navaratna temple with terracotta carvings. The idol is that of a six feet tall eight armed goddess Chamunda.[18]
- Tomb of Khwaja Anwar Berh - the tomb of the Mughal warrior, buried at Poddarhat in 1315 Hijri, is a fine example of Mughal architecture.[18][20]
- Shershahi Kalo Masjid- the mosque in the Puratan Chak (Payrakhana Road) area was built during the reign of Sher Shah Suri.[18]
- Shahi Jumma Masjid- the mosque with three minarets is a historical structure erected behind the Rajbati by Azim-ush-Shan, grandson of Aurangzeb and then subahdar of Bengal, Bihar and Odisha.[18][20]
- Burdwan Science Centre- a high standard science museum near the university campus.[20]
- Meghnad Saha Planetarium- inaugurated in 1994, the main instrument was a gift from the Government of Japan to the University of Burdwan. The second planetarium in the state, built to international standards, it is named after the Indian scientist Meghnad Saha. Located near Golapbag, it has arrangement for six shows daily with 90 seats in each show. It is closed on Mondays.[18][20]
- Birhata Kalibari (Boro Maa): The temple of 10 feet sculpture of goddess Kali made up of touchstone. The goddess is known locally as Boro Maa. The locality had been named after this temple as Kali Bazar. The temple has two parts bisected by a lane. One part contains Kali Mandir and the other, Durga Mandir.
- Christ Church: Christ Church Bardhaman is a church in Bardhaman near "Curzon Gate".
- Town Hall : The Town Hall was built sometime between 1890 and 1894 and was handed to the Municipality of Bardhaman to help them preserve the remnants of Lala Bansogopal Nandey.[22] The municipality board restored the hall in 1990 to its present form of 2400 square feet from its earlier form of 704 square feet with a seating capacity of 485 seats.[23]
Notable people
- All India Trinamool Congress
- Subhashree Ganguly - actress, model and the winner of Anandalok Nayikar Khonje 2006.
- Mokbula Manzoor - Bangladeshi author and novelist.
- Sandip Nandy - Indian former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper.
References
- ^ "Burdwan Municipality". www.burdwanmunicipality.gov.in. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
- ^ "Burdwan Municipality - Area of Populations". burdwanmunicipality.gov.in. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
- ^ a b "Burdwan Development Authority". www.bdaburdwan.org. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- ^ a b "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ^ "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). Nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. p. 85. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ a b "Fact and Figures". Wb.gov.in. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
- ^ public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Burdwan". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 811. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the
- ^ Kisari Mohan Ganguli tr. (1883). "Translator's Preface". The Mahabharata Book 1: Adi Parva. p. xii.
- ^ "Maps, Weather, and Airports for Barddhaman, India". fallingrain.com. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
- ^ a b "District Statistical Handbook 2014 Bardhaman". Tables 2.1, 2.2. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ a b "Purba Bardhaman District Police". Police Station. West Bengal Police. Archived from the original on 27 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ "Barddhaman, India Metro Area Population 1950-2020".
- ^ "C-1 Population By Religious Community - Bardhaman (M)". Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ^ 2011 census data censusindia.gov.in
- ^ "Weather2". Weather2. 2013. Retrieved on 6 October 2013.
- ^ a b "Census of India 2011: District Census Handbook, Barddhaman, Series-20, Part-XIIB" (PDF). Motif. Diretorate of Census Operations, West Bengal. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ "Curzon Gate, Bardhaman". Weekend Destinations. Holidify. Retrieved 10 March 2017.
- ^ ISBN 81-85459-36-3
- ^ Ghosh, Binoy, Paschim Banger Sanskriti, (in Bengali), part I, 1976 edition, pages 103-104, Prakash Bhaban
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Purba Bardhaman district". Tourism. District Administration. Retrieved 12 February 2019.
- ^ "The University of Burdwan". History of Burdwan University. BU. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2019.
- ^ "Burdwan Municipality". Retrieved 11 April 2021.
- ^ "Town Hall, Bardhaman". Trawel. Archived from the original on 11 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2021.