Bardhaman

This article is about the municipality in West Bengal, India. For other uses, see Bardhaman (disambiguation).
Barddhaman
বর্ধমান
Burdwan
Barddhaman
Metropolitan City / Urban Agglomeration

The Gateway Of West Bengal
Nickname(s): *Royal Heritage City of West Bengal *City Of Peace
Barddhaman
বর্ধমান
Coordinates: 23°14′N 87°52′E / 23.233°N 87.867°E / 23.233; 87.867Coordinates: 23°14′N 87°52′E / 23.233°N 87.867°E / 23.233; 87.867
Country  India
State West Bengal
District Bardhaman District
Named for Divisional Headquarters of South Bengal, Historical City of South Bengal
Government
 • Type Municipality
 • Chairman Swarup Dutta
Area
 • Metropolitan City / Urban Agglomeration 59 km2 (23 sq mi)
Elevation 30 m (100 ft)
Population (2015)
 • Metropolitan City / Urban Agglomeration 450,876
 • Density 7,600/km2 (20,000/sq mi)
 • Metro 498,234
Languages
 • Official Bengali, English, Hindi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 713101, 713102, 713103, 713104 713141,713149
Telephone code +91-342
Vehicle registration WB42
Lok Sabha constituency Bardhaman-Durgapur
Vidhan Sabha constituency Bardhaman Dakshin
Website bardhaman.gov.in

Bardhaman (Pron: ˈbɑ:dəˌmən) is a city of West Bengal state in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Bardhaman district, having become a district capital during the period of British rule. Burdwan, an alternative name for the city, has remained in use since that period.

The history of Burdwan is known from about 5000 BC (the Mesolithic or Late Stone Age). The origin of this name dates back to the 6th century BCE and is ascribed to Vardhaman Swami or Mahavira (599-527 BCE), the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism, who spent some time in Astikagrama, according to the Jain scripture of Kalpasutra. This place was renamed as Vardhamana in his honour.

Geography

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 (NH-2) and Eastern Railway. The chief rivers are the Damodar and the Banka.[1]

The first epigraphic reference to the name of this place occurs in a 6th-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.

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. Bardhaman Raj was founded in 1657 by Sangam Rai, of a Hindu Khatri family of Kotli in Lahore, Punjab, whose descendants served in turn the Mughal Emperors and the British government. The East Indian Railway from Howrah was opened in 1855. The great prosperity of the raj was due to the excellent management of Maharaja Mahtab Chand (died 1879), whose loyalty to the government especially during the "Hul" (Santhal rebellion) of 1855-56 and the Indian rebellion of 1857 was rewarded with the grant of a coat of arms in 1868 and the right to a personal salute of 13 guns in 1877. Maharaja Bijaychand Mahtab (born 1881), who succeeded his adoptive father in 1888, earned great distinction by the courage with which he risked his life to save that of Sir Andrew Fraser, the lieutenant-governor of Bengal, on the occasion of the attempt to assassinate him made by freedom fighters of Bengal on 7 November 1908.[2]

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. Sadhak Kamalakanta as composer of devotional songs and Kashiram Das as a poet and translator of the great Mahabharata were possibly the best products of such an endeavour. Pratap Chandra Roy was the publisher of the first translation in the world to translate Mahabharata in English (1883–1896).[3] The society at large also continued to gain the fruits. We find, among others, the great rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and Kala-azar-famed U. N. Brahmachari as the relatively recent illustrious sons of this soil. Batukeshwar Dutt an Indian revolutionary and independence fighter in the early 1900s was born on 18 November 1910 in a village Oari in Burdwan district. He is best known for having exploded a few bombs, along with Bhagat Singh, in the Central Legislative Assembly in New Delhi on 8 April 1929. The city became an important center of North-Indian classical music as well.

Demographics

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. The population of the city has recently increased rapidly due to migration of people from the surrounding towns and villages seeking education, healthcare and a better transport infrastructure.[4]

Culture

Burdwan has a multi-cultural heritage. The deuls (temples of rekha type) found here are reminiscent of Bengali Hindu architecture. The old temples bear signs of Hinduism, mostly belonging to the Sakta and Vaishnava followers.

The Kankaleswari Kali is also located in the city of Burdwan. Burdwan experienced and survived numerous violent conflicts, mainly due to Mughal, Pashtun and Maratha invaders. The city of Bardhaman was visited by notables of the Delhi Sultanate from Raja Todarmal to Daud Karnani, from Sher Afghan and Kutub-ud-din to Ajimuswan to the future Mughal emperor Shah Jahan while he was still a rebel. Bardhaman also has a number of Bengali Christians, and although they are a minority, there are many churches in the city.

Places of interest

Sarbamangala Temple
108 Shiva Temple
Hawa Mahal (Golapbag)
Meghnad Saha Planetarium, Golapbag, Bardhaman
Christ Church
Damodar River
Curzon Gate
Inside View of The Palace of Burdwan Maharaja
Science Centre
Mazar of Sufi Pir Baharam Sakka

The Holy shrine as a Shakti Peeth

Main articles: Daksha Yaga and Shakti Peethas

The Konkaleshwari Temple is revered as one of the sacred shrines of Shakta sect (Shaktism) of Hinduism. It is believed that the shrine is a Shakti Peetha, an abode of Parashakti that originated when the body parts of the corpse of Sati Devi fell down, when Lord Shiva carried it and wandered throughout in sorrow. There are 51 Shakti Peeth in South Asia connecting it to the 51 alphabets in Sanskrit. Each temple has shrines for Shakti and Kalabhairava. Sati Devi's lips are believed to have fallen there. The Shakti is addressed as "Phullara" and the Bhairava as "Vishvesh". The mythology of Daksha yaga and Sati's self immolation is the story behind the origin of Shakti Peethas. It led to the development of the concept of Shakti Peethas and there by strengthening Shaktism. Enormous mythological stories in puranas took the Daksha yaga as the reason for its origin.[5][6][7]

Red Light Area

Mahajantuli Lane is situated at the heart of Burdwan town. It is famous for its sex workers. Sex workers and others live in the area. There are two nursing homes and a market in the locality. Many doctors have their chambers in that area: it is close to the Khosbagan which is home to nursing homes, doctors' offices and laboratories.

Food

Transport

Road

Rail

Rickshaws

Battery Rickshaws

Battery Rickshaws (Toto) are available for travel within the city.

Education

University

The University of Burdwan was formally inaugurated on 15 June 1960, by Sukumar Sen, its first Vice-chancellor. It was after the abolition of the Zamindari system in the fifties that Uday Chand Mahtab, the last representative of the Burdwan Raj, left almost his entire property in Burdwan to the state government. This, coupled with the initiative of the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, Bidhan Chandra Roy, facilitated the establishment of this university. Presently, the administrative works are mostly done at the Rajbati (the palace of Barddhamana Maharaja) campus; on the other hand, academic activities center on the Golapbag campus. With social responsibilities in mind, the university actively patronised the construction of a science centre and the Meghnad Saha Planetarium.

Colleges

*AMEX -An Institute of Professional Studies

Schools

Climate

The Köppen Climate Classification sub-type for this climate is "Aw" (Tropical Savanna Climate).

Climate data for Burdwan, India
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 26
(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
(89.6)		 28
(82.4)		 26
(78.8)		 31.3
(88.38)
Average low °C (°F) 12
(53.6)		 15
(59)		 20
(68)		 24.9
(76.8)		 25.9
(78.6)		 26
(78.8)		 25
(77)		 25
(77)		 25
(77)		 24.7
(76.5)		 17.5
(63.5)		 12.5
(54.5)		 21.13
(70.02)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 18
(0.7)		 38
(1.5)		 33
(1.3)		 48
(1.9)		 130
(5)		 244
(9.6)		 348
(13.7)		 312
(12.3)		 290
(11.4)		 157
(6.2)		 28
(1.1)		 5
(0.2)		 1,651
(64.9)
Average rainy days 4 3 4 6 10 18 23 22 18 11 3 1 123
Source: Weather2[8]

References

  1. ↑ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Barddhaman
  2. ↑  One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Burdwan". Encyclopædia Britannica 4 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
  3. ↑ Kisari Mohan Ganguli tr. (1883). "Translator's Preface". The Mahabharata Book 1: Adi Parva. p. xii.
  4. ↑ "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
  5. ↑ (Translator), F. Max Muller (June 1, 2004). The Upanishads, Vol I. Kessinger Publishing, LLC. ISBN 1419186418.
  6. ↑ (Translator), F. Max Muller (July 26, 2004). The Upanishads Part II: The Sacred Books of the East Part Fifteen. Kessinger Publishing, LLC. ISBN 1417930160.
  7. ↑ "Kottiyoor Devaswam Temple Administration Portal". http://kottiyoordevaswom.com/. Kottiyoor Devaswam. Retrieved 20 July 2013. External link in |work= (help)
  8. ↑ "weather2.com". Weather2. 2013. Retrieved on Oct 6, 2013.

External links

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