Berhampore

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For the settlement in Bangladesh, see Baharampur, Bangladesh.
Baharampur
বহরমপুর
Berhampore, Berhampur
city
Country India
StateWest Bengal
DistrictMurshidabad
Elevation
18 m (59 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total305,609
Languages
 • OfficialBengali, English
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Lok Sabha constituencyBaharampur
Vidhan Sabha constituencyBaharampur, Nabgram, Kandi

Baharampur {Pron:ˌbɑ:(h)ərəmˌpʊə} is a city in the West Bengal state of India. Baharampur is the sixth largest city in West Bengal (after Kolkata, Howrah, Asansol, Siliguri and Malda) and situated in central part of West Bengal. Baharampur (Berhampore) is nominated for becoming the municipal corporation. In earlier days it was known as Brahmapur because many of the Brahmin families settled there. Baharampur is the administrative headquarters of the Murshidabad district. It is located about 200 km (124 mi) from Kolkata (earlier known as Calcutta), the state capital.

History

Fort at Baharampur, c. 1850

Berhampore was fortified in 1757 by the East India Company, after the Battle of Plassey in June 1757, and it continued as a cantonment until 1870. But the foundation of the city of Berhampore remains questionable.[clarification needed]

Karnasubarna, which is very near Berhampore, has a history dated back to 600 AD. Many buildings from the late 1600s can still be seen. The cantonment was constituted as a municipality in 1876 and was the headquarters of Murshidabad district. The Berhampore College was founded in 1853 and in 1888 made over to a local committee, mainly supported by Rani Swarnamayi.

On 25 February 1857, the first major armed battle of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 took place in Barrack Square, Baharampur,[1] while Berhampore was ruled by Raja Krishnath and his ancestors. In 1901, Baharampur had a population of 24,397, and included the ancient town of Kasim Bazar.[2] The place which is considered as a legitimate arena of all procedural events and circumstances that has been profoundly well described. The Kasim Bazar and Lalbag areas are witness to a bloody yet glorious era of History of India.

A very much impacted areas of Berhampore are those place in the banks of the stream Bhagirathi river giving a receding process of downgrade and evolution of the abscess marketing and thus leading to one of the well victimized estate of remarkable famine conditions prevailed in 1971. This area was and still is a splendid producer of jute and it defines how the cultivation of the land is in this region. In those days sons learnt from their fathers that the fields near the stream of the Ganges are the most fertile land, so this was described by the British as "The Golden Bengal".

Down the time after the East India Company, there happens to be a lot of disruption in the Law and Order of the place. It is not balanced properly, it may be due to the unprecedented activities and thus making a black mark on the soil, which once used to be called as the capital of the country. Yes it the obvious reason Murshidabad was considered to be called the capital, then it was directed to Calcutta (now Kolkata) be the capital and thus finally it was accepted as Delhi.

Geography

Baharampur is located at 24°06′N 88°15′E / 24.1°N 88.25°E / 24.1; 88.25.[3] It has an average elevation of 18 metres (59 feet).

The city is located approximately 200 km north of Kolkata at 24°4′N 88°9′E / 24.067°N 88.150°E / 24.067; 88.150 and is situated on the eastern side of the Bhagirathi River, a major distributary of the Ganges.

Demographics

In the 2011 census, Baharampur Urban Agglomeration had a population of 305,609, out of which 156,489 were males and 149,120 were females. The 0–6 years population was 23,182. Effective literacy rate for the 7+ population was 88.38.[4]

See also: List of cities in West Bengal

As of 2001 Indian census,[5] Baharampur had a population of 160,168. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Baharampur has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 53% of the males and 47% of females literate. 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Economics

Initially, most of the residents of this city were government employees and there were few agricultural as well as silk traders. Gradually, the importance of the city increased due to its geographic location and now it is also a business hub. Due to its historical importance, this city also earns a good number of tourists, thus making tourism another happening industry there.

The city’s major industries include agricultural related industries like rice and oil-seed milling etc. Home-crafts like silk weaving, ivory carving, and precious metal working is another important industry in this city. Khagra, a neighbourhood in Bahrampur is renowned for its manufacture of bell-metal and brass utensils, as well as ivory, and wood carving.[6][7]A famous type of metal used to make bells called "Khagrai Kansha" is made in the city. This is a type of brass that is used to make utensils like dishes & bowls.

Baharampur is famous for the sweet 'Chhana-bora', the savoury 'Khaja', sweet 'Manohara' and also very famous for Murshidabad Silk (Tassar). Baharampur is also famous for the sweet named "rasogolla" and for the "gur".

Arts and Education

Having patronage from the nawabs, artists from various field of arts sowed the seed of cultural heritage in this place. The calm lifestyle of this city still evokes a rich cultural environment. Almost all well-to-do parents send their kids to at least one school of art. Among them, dancing, acting, painting, music etc. are the most popular. Several elegant pieces of hand-craft arts can also be found in this region, namely the handcraft in making of carpet, bamboo and jute crafts, miniature paintings.

Schools (Govt./Autonomous)

Among the government aided schools, Krishnath College School ( West Bengal Board, Estd. 1853 AD), Iswar Chandra Institution (Estd. 1916 AD), Berhampore Jagannath Academy(also known as J.N.Academy ), Maharani Kaseswari Girls High School ( West Bengal Board), Gurudas Tarasundari institution(earlier London Missionary School), Manindra Chandra Vidyapith(earlier Hardinge School), Shilpa Mandir, Kendriya Vidyalay (CBSE), Lipika Memorial School, Mahakali Pathshala, Manindra Nagar High School (Cossimbazar) are the most prominent. There are numerous private schools, among which Mary Immaculate School (ICSE and ISC, Estd. 1962 AD), Prabha Rani Public School, Holy Garden Model School, Gitaram Academy (ICSE and WBBHSE), Don Bosco, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya are notable.

Colleges (Govt./Autonomous)

  1. Krisnath College
  2. Berhampore College
  3. Berhampore Girls' College
  4. Murshidabad College of Engineering & Technology
  5. Govt. College of Engineering & Textile Technology
  6. Murshidabad Medical College
  7. Murshidabad Institute of Technology

Central Sericulture Research and Training Institute, administrated by Central Silk board, Govt. of India is a notable research institute in the city.

Transport

Rail - Berhampore Court Station (BPC), cossimbazar Station (CSZ) and Murshidabad Station (MBB) stands on the Sealdah-Lalgola line of the eastern railway. Bhagirathi express, Hazarduari Express,Lalgola Fast Passenger, Lalgola Passenger are the trains that run daily. Berhampore Court Express (Dhanadhanye Express) is also an express train that takes the Sealdah-Lalgola route. Khagraghat (KGLE) is another station that is connected to Howrah through Barharwa-Azimganj-Katwa Loop Line. Intercity express and passenger trains, express takes this route. If one wish to come to Berhampore from north of West Bengal it is best to take the Khagraghat station as destination.

Road - as Baharampur is the administrative headquarters of the Murshidabad district and as it stands just in the center position of West Bengal, it acts as the link between North Bengal and South Bengal. This city is well connected by National Highway 34. There are bus services on regular basis from South Bengal to North Bengal and Vicecersa and there is a Bus Terminus called 'Mohona'. All buses that start from Kolkata to North Bengal halt at Berhampore. Buses from from most of the major cities and towns like Kolkata, New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, Suri, Durgapur, Asansol, Dhubri, Bhutan, Malda for Berhampore is easily available.

Water - as Berhampore is city just beside the river Bhagirathi, one can also avail water transport. Launchboat from Kolkata to Berhampore and Hazarduari is available. Berhampore north to Berhampore south is connected via launchboats. Regular boat transport is also available from Berhampore to other towns of Murshidabad such as Azimganj and Jiaganj.

Tourist spots

The Hazarduari Palace illuminated at night
Old Cossimbazar Palace
New Cossimbazar Palace
European Residency Cemetery, late 1600 A.D.
The Dutch graveyard

Baharampur is a famous place for tourists in West Bengal. It gets tourists' flow from locals and as well as from foreigners, being the first Head Quarter of the East India Company [citation needed] and having a long history enriched by the Nawabs of Bengal, Sultans of Bengal, Zamindar and other European colonial forces such as Dutch, Portuguese, English (British Raj) and French.

Some notable tourist destinations in and around Baharampur are:

Legacy

The city of Berhampore also shares its name with Berhampore at Wellington, New Zealand. The daughter of Major Paul married local land owner George Hunter. Major Paul was an Indian army officer. George Hunter to show respect to his father in law gave Berhampore the name of the suburb and many streets of this suburb were also given Indian names such as Khandallah village, Ganges road, Simla, Agra etc. The old house of the "De" family ( Relatives of the Cossimbazar Raj)at Churamani Chowdhury Lane is also one of the oldest buildings in Berhampore and was at one point of time the property of the Cossimbazar Raj.

Notable people from Berhampore

File:Rakhaldas bandhapadyay1.jpg
Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay was the discoverer of Indus Valley Civilization

References

  1. ^ Berhampore, Murshidabad, India Public Domain This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help).
  2. ^ Kasim Bazar Public Domain This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help).
  3. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Baharampur
  4. ^ "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
  5. ^ Template:GR
  6. ^ "Handicrafts and silk industry". Murshidabad district administration. Retrieved 2007-09-08.
  7. ^ "Crafts and artisans of India". craftandartisans.com. Archived from the original on 11 September 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-08. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nabarun_Bhattacharya
  9. ^ http://www.shreyaghoshal.com/Biography.aspx?id=$

Sources

External links

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