Bhatpara
| Bhatpara | |
| — city — | |
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| Coordinates | 22°52′N 88°25′E / 22.87°N 88.41°ECoordinates: 22°52′N 88°25′E / 22.87°N 88.41°E |
| Country | India |
| State | West Bengal |
| District(s) | North 24 Parganas |
| Municipality Chairman | Arjun Singh[1] |
| Parliamentary constituency | Barrackpore |
| Assembly constituency | Bhatpara, Jagatdal |
| Population | 441,956 (2001[update]) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| Area |
• 12 metres (39 ft) |
| Website | north24parganas.nic.in |
Bhatpara (Bengali: ভাটপাড়া) is a suburban town and a municipality under Jagatdal police station of Barrackpore subdivision[2] in North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is situated on the bank of Hooghly river. It is mainly known for its rich traditions in the field of Sanskrit learning. Actually the name 'Bhatpara' originates from the ancient name "Bhatta-Palli" where 'Bhatta' denotes the sect of bramhin Sanskrit pandits and 'palli' denotes locality or village. It is one of the oldest municipalities in West Bengal and it was constituted a municipality in 1899, when it was separated from the Naihati municipality. In the British era and afterwards it had become an important industrial hub on Hoogly river bank mainly for the high density of jute processing plants.
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[edit] Geography
Bhatpara is located at 22°52′N 88°25′E / 22.87°N 88.41°E.[3] It has an average elevation of 12 metres (39 feet). The main town is sandwiched between the Hoogly river in the east and railway track linking Sealdah and Krishnanagar in the west.
Bhatpara has a rail station named 'Kankinara' which connects it to Kolkata through Sealdah main line to Krishnanagar and Ranaghat. It is approximately one hour train journey from Kolkata to Bhatpara. It also has boat services to the other bank of Hoogly river, connecting it to Chinsura and Chandannagar. The main roadway passing through Bhatpara is called Ghose Para Road. Public transport includes auto rickshaws running between Naihati and Bhatpara, manual rickshaws, and bus service (route 85).
[edit] Weather
Bhatpara features hot and humid summer and dry winter, typical of West Bengal. The rainy season is typically from mid-July to mid or late October. Average temperature during summer can goes as high as 38 degree Celsius and in winter the mercury plunges to below 10 degree Celsius. Humidity, in the time of summer, is often > 90% and is the primary reason of discomfort.
[edit] Demographics
As per provisional reports of Census India, [4] population of Bhatpara in 2011 is 390,467; of which male and female are 207,876 and 182,591 respectively. The sex ratio of Bhatpara city is 878 per 1000 males. In education section, total literates in Bhatpara city are 307,362 of which 172,042 are males while 135,320 are females. Average literacy rate of Bhatpara city is 85.86 percent (well over national average) of which male and female literacy was 90.08 and 81.04 percent. Total children (0-6) in Bhatpara city are 32,498 as per figure from Census India report on 2011. There were 16,879 boys while 15,619 are girls. Child sex ratio of girls is 925 per 1000 boys.
The jute mills drew in a large labor force from the neighboring states of Bihar and Orissa, as well as eastern Uttar Pradesh, quite often forming an overwhelming majority of the population in the area, living in shanty towns and slums dotting the jute mill area of Kankinara.[5]
The educated, middle-income, and predominantly Bengali populace lives in the old town area.
[edit] Education
Earlier, Bhatpara was renowned for its Sanskrit cultural heritage and learning. As an example, Srijib Nayatirtha (1893-1992) was a famous Sanskrit Scholar and recipient of several fellowships and awards (including President's Honor). He was a Professor of Calcutta and Jadavpur Universities. Much of that ancient tradition has faded. However, modern educational practices are upheld by several high schools such as Kankinara Arya Vidyalaya, Bhatpara Amar Krishna Pathsala, Bhatpara High School, Bhatpara Central Girls' School, Taraknath Balika Bidyamandir, Himayatal gurba High school, Chasm-i-rahamat High School, Kankinara High School etc. Actually, according to the official website of Barrackpore sub-division [6], there are 34 higher-secondary, 10 secondary, and 135 primary schools within the jurisdiction of Bhatpara municipality (although not all of them are situated in the main town).
Although Bhatpara does not have any college within its territorial boundary, prominent colleges in nearby Naihati and Barrackpore provide easy access to higher education for the youth of Bhatpara Kankinara and Jagatdal. Many students also go to Kolkata for University and technical education. Importance of education is well drilled into the children by parents and there is a general culture of sound education in the town. Many students of local schools have gone on to become successful engineers, doctors, and corporate professionals in India and abroad.
[edit] Sports, Culture, and Health Services
There are few play-fields in Bhatpara such as Barwadi math, Sabuj Sangha math, A.K. Pathshala play ground etc. Bhatpara Young Mens' Association (BYMA) and Kishore Bahini are few well-established organizations which promote sports and recreational activities such as cricket, football, gymnastics, body-building etc.
Historically Bhatpara is famous as the abode of prominent Sanskrit pundits and as a seat of learning of ancient Hindu shastra and Vedic texts. That aspect of culture has diminished over the time and has been replaced by more diverse modern day culture. Bhatpara is famous for its Durgapuja. Although, family-based pujas were more common a few decades ago, it has become a community-centric affair in modern times. The youth communities or clubs(amara kojon type) organize these pujas and due to sheer number of these clubs, one can find over fifty pujas being arranged within a square kilometre of area. Under Bhatpara Municipality Kankinara is famous for Ganesh Chaturthi and Chatth puja.
Sahitya Mandir is a West Bengal Government registered and state-funded public library well equipped with large number of books and periodicals.
Bhatpara State General Hospital is one central health facility. Apart from that, a substantial number of qualified medical practitioners run their private clinics in Bhatpara which caters to the day-to-day needs of the local populace. Large number of medicine retail shops also supplement this service.
[edit] Economy
Earlier, a significant portion of population was engaged in some form of job in the local jute mills. Economic instability related to jute industry in West Bengal forced many of these mills to be shut down. Nowadays, people of Bhatpara are mostly engaged in services in the private and public sector outside the area (in Kolkata and neighborhood) and small personal businesses within the locality. There are significant number of small eateries and sweet shops in Bhatpara. A significant number of Bhatparans and kankinarians have also moved on and shifted to cities outside West Bengal and even India, in search of better prospects. Kankinara Bazar is main market area for the people of Bhatapara.
[edit] Places of interest
[edit] Balaram Sarkar Ghat
It is a wonderful ghat beside ganges.Time flows with the tides in the ganges when you are enjoying the nature and silence here.
[edit] Panch Mukhi Hanuman Mandir
Just 200 mtr from Kankinar Bazar towards the Kankinara Ghat The Panch Mukhi Hanuman mandir is there and it is one of the best temple in Bhatpara. The evening Arti of lord Hanuman is also famous.
[edit] Rupasree Kali Temple
It is a renowned temple in this locality.Temple is right beside the holy river and the beautiful ghat named Balaram Sarkar Ghat.
[edit] Panchmandir
It is a bunch of temples constructed nearly 400 years ago.There are five temples altogether.
[edit] Ashta goli
It is a famous kul-de-sac.It is famous for being extremely narrow and having eight turns.
[edit] Madrail Hanuman Mandir (Madral Mahaveer Mandir)
It is one of the best temple of Kankinara to visit.The Idol of god is in lying position, situated at 10 feet below the surface .This temple is Located 2.5KM from Kankinara railway station.Along with this a Shiva temple is also situated nearby to it.Beside this Vaishnav, Kali, and Vishwakarma temples are also situeted nearby to this temple.These temples are required to be renovated.
[edit] Other Places to visit in Kankinara
Except these, there is a lot of ghats on Ganges,having different moods and hues of nature and silence.
[edit] References
- ^ Official District Administration site
- ^ District-wise list of statutory towns and North 24 Parganas District official site
- ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Bhatpara
- ^ http://www.census2011.co.in/census/city/223-bhatpara.html
- ^ Goswami, Onkar, Calcutta’s Economy 1918-1970 The fall from Grace in Calcutta, the Living City, Vol II, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, p 90, Oxford University Press, ISBN 019563697 X
- ^ http://www.barrackpore.gov.in/htm/sdobkp_Bhatpara%20Municipality.htm
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