Purba Medinipur (English: ''East Medinipur'', alternative spelling ''Midnapore'') district is an
administrative unit in the Indian state of
West Bengal. It is the southernmost district of
Medinipur division – one of the five
administrative divisions of West Bengal. The headquarters in
Tamluk. It was formed on 1 January 2002 after the
Partition of Medinipur into
Purba Medinipur and
Paschim Medinipur which lies at the northern and western border of it. The state of
Odisha is at the southwest border; the
Bay of Bengal lies in the south; the
Hooghly river
The Bhagirathi Hooghly River (Anglicized alternatively spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') or the 'Bhāgirathi-Hooghly', called the Ganga or the Kati-Ganga in mythological texts, is the eastern distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, Indi ...
and
South 24 Parganas district to the east;
Howrah district to the
north-east
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
;
Paschim Medinipur district to the west.
Purba Medinipur is formed of the sub-divisions of Tamluk, Contai and Haldia of erstwhile
Medinipur district
Midnapore district was a district of the state of West Bengal, India. This district was bifurcated on 1 January 2002 into the Purba Medinipur district and the Paschim Medinipur district. On 4 April 2017, the Jhargram subdivision of Paschim Medin ...
.
Another sub-division, Egra has been created out of the erstwhile Contai sub-division during the partition of Medinipur. In 2011, the state government has proposed to rename the district as Tamralipta district after the ancient port city of
Tamralipta which used to lie near the modern district headquarters.
Purba Medinipur saw many political movements during the
British Raj. A parallel government named the Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar was formed during the
Quit India Movement
The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...
in Tamluk. In 2007, Purba Medinipur witnessed the
Nandigram violence
Nandigram Violence refers to the violence in Nandigram, West Bengal, India, in 2007 due to the land acquisition for a project taken up by the CPI(M)-led Government of West Bengal to create a chemical hub, a type of special economic zone (S ...
, an incident of police firing that killed 14 farmers.
History
Tamralipta
Tamralipta, the port in ancient India, is believed by scholars to have been around modern-day Tamluk. It is mentioned in the writings of
Ptolemy (150 AD), the Greco-Egyptian writer, as well as
Faxian and
Xuanzang, Chinese monks and travellers. It was the main port used by
Ashoka, the
Mauryan emperor. With too much siltation the port lost its importance around eighth century A.D.The supreme leader of Tamralipta Jatiya sarkar was Satish chandra Samanta.
Geography
Overview
Purba Medinipur district is part of the lower
Indo-Gangetic Plain
The Indo-Gangetic Plain, also known as the North Indian River Plain, is a fertile plain encompassing northern regions of the Indian subcontinent, including most of northern and eastern India, around half of Pakistan, virtually all of Bangla ...
and
Eastern coastal plains. Topographically, the district can be divided into two parts – (a) almost entirely flat plains on the west, east and north, (b) the coastal plains on the south. The vast expanse of land is formed of
alluvium and is composed of younger and coastal alluvial. The elevation of the district is within 10 meters above the mean sea level. The district has a long coastline of 65.5 km along its southern and south eastern boundary. Five coastal CD Blocks, namely, Khejuri II, Contai II (Deshapran), Contai I, Ramnagar I and II, are occasionally affected by cyclones and tornadoes. Tidal floods are quite regular in these five CD Blocks. Normally floods occur in 21 of the 25 CD Blocks in the district. The major rivers are
Haldi Haldi may refer to:
* Ḫaldi, an Urartian god
* ''Haldi'', Hindi/Punjabi/Bengali/Urdu/Gujarati name for the spice turmeric
* Haldi, Estonia, village in Estonia
* Haldi, Baltistan, a village in Pakistan
* Haldi River
Haldi River is a tributary o ...
,
Rupnarayan,
Rasulpur,
Bagui and
Keleghai, flowing in north to south or south-east direction. River water is an important source of irrigation. The district has a low 899 hectare forest cover, which is 0.02% of its geographical area.
[
]
Major cities and towns
Major cities and towns include Panskura, Tamluk, Nandakumar, Contai
Contai is a coastal and subdivisional city and a municipality in Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Contai subdivision. It is the second most populated city of the district.According to the geologists, t ...
, Egra
Egra is a town in Purba Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Egra subdivision. The ancient name of Egra was "Agrapattan".
Geography
Location
Egra is located at . It has an average elevation o ...
, Haldia
Haldia is an industrial port city in Purba Medinipur in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a major river port and industrial belt located approximately southwest of Kolkata near the mouth of the Hooghly River, one of the distributaries of ...
, Mecheda
Mecheda is a town in Shahid Matangini Block in West Bengal, India. The town is the entrance point of Purba Medinipur Dist. which lies upon the South Eastern Railway Zone and in proximity to Haldia, Tamluk, Digha and Contai, Egra.
Education
Me ...
, Mahishadal, Digha
Digha is a seaside resort town in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies in Purba Medinipur district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal. It has a low gradient with a shallow sand beach. It is a popular sea resort in West Bengal.
Hi ...
, Mandarmani
Mandarmani is a seaside resort village in the state of West Bengal, India, and lies in East Midnapore district, at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal. It is one of the largest seaside resorts of West Bengal, fast-developing.Any inquiry or adva ...
, Khejuri
Khejuri (also spelled Khajuri) is a village and gram panchayat, in Khejuri II CD Block in Contai subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India.
History
According to Binoy Ghosh, in an era when the Magh and Portug ...
, Ramnagar, Patashpur, Kolaghat, Nandigram.
Divisions
Administrative subdivisions
Purba Medinipur district is divided into the following administrative subdivisions:
Tamluk subdivision consists of Tamluk municipality, Panskura municipality and seven community development blocks: Nandakumar, Moyna, Tamluk, Shahid Matangini, Panskura–I, Panskura–II and Chandipur (Nadigram–III). Haldia subdivision consists of Haldia
Haldia is an industrial port city in Purba Medinipur in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a major river port and industrial belt located approximately southwest of Kolkata near the mouth of the Hooghly River, one of the distributaries of ...
municipality and five community development blocks: Mahishadal, Nandigram–I, Nandigram–II, Sutahata and Haldia. Egra subdivision consists of Egra
Egra is a town in Purba Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Egra subdivision. The ancient name of Egra was "Agrapattan".
Geography
Location
Egra is located at . It has an average elevation o ...
municipality and five community development blocks: Bhagawanpur–I,Egra–I, Egra–II, Pataspur–I and Pataspur–II. Contai subdivision consists of Contai
Contai is a coastal and subdivisional city and a municipality in Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Contai subdivision. It is the second most populated city of the district.According to the geologists, t ...
municipality and eight community development blocks: Kanthi–I, Kanthi–II, Kanthi–III, Khejuri–I, Khejuri–II, Ramnagar–I and Ramnagar–II, Bhagawanpur–II.
Tamluk is the district headquarters. There are 21 police stations, 25 development blocks, 5 municipalities and 223 gram panchayats in this district.
Other than in the municipality area, each subdivision contains community development blocks which in turn are divided into rural areas and census towns. In total there are 10 urban units: five municipalities and five census town
In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics.
India
In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...
s.[ Panskura municipality was established in 2001.
]
Tamluk subdivision
* Two municipalities: Tamluk and Panskura
* Nandakumar community development block consists of rural areas only with 12 gram panchayats.
* Moyna community development block consists of rural areas with 11 gram panchayats and one census town: Garsafat.
* Tamluk community development block consists of rural areas with 12 gram panchayats and two census towns: Anantapur and Dakshin Baguan.
* Sahid Matangini community development block consists of rural areas with 10 gram panchayats and two census towns: Kakdihi and Shantipur.
* Panskura community development block consists of rural areas only with 14 gram panchayats.
* Kolaghat community development block consists of rural areas with 13 gram panchayats and four census towns: Kolaghat, Amalhara, Mihitikri and Kharisha.
* Chandipur community development block consists of rural areas with 10 gram panchayats and two census towns: Kotbar and Ershal.
Haldia subdivision
* One municipality: Haldia
Haldia is an industrial port city in Purba Medinipur in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a major river port and industrial belt located approximately southwest of Kolkata near the mouth of the Hooghly River, one of the distributaries of ...
.
* Mahishadal community development block consists of rural areas with 11 gram panchayats and one census town: Garh Kamalpur.
* Nandigram I community development block consists of rural areas with 10 gram panchayats and one census town: Nandigram.
* Nandigram II community development block consists of rural areas with 7 gram panchayats and one census town: Ashadtalya.
* Sutahata community development block consists of rural areas with 6 gram panchayats and one census town: Barda
* Haldia
Haldia is an industrial port city in Purba Medinipur in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a major river port and industrial belt located approximately southwest of Kolkata near the mouth of the Hooghly River, one of the distributaries of ...
community development block consists of rural areas only with 4 gram panchayats.
Egra subdivision
* One municipality: Egra
Egra is a town in Purba Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Egra subdivision. The ancient name of Egra was "Agrapattan".
Geography
Location
Egra is located at . It has an average elevation o ...
.
* Bhagabanpur I
Bhagabanpur I (also spelt as Bhagawanpur) is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Egra subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
History
Bhagwanpur is a historical place. A myth s ...
community development block consists of rural areas with 10 gram panchayats and two census towns: Benudiya and Hincha Gerya.
* Egra I
Egra I is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Egra subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Purba Medinipur district is part of the lower Indo-Gangetic Plain and Ea ...
community development block consists of rural areas only with 8 gram panchayats.
* Egra II
Egra II is a Community development block in India, community development block that forms an administrative division in Egra subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal.
Geography
Pu ...
community development block consists of rural areas only with 8 gram panchayats.
* Patashpur I
Patashpur I (also spelled as Potashpur) is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Egra subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Purba Medinipur district is part of the ...
community development block consists of rural areas only with 9 gram panchayats.
* Patashpur II
Patashpur II (also spelled as Potashpur) is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Egra subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.The headquarters in Pratapdighi.
Geography
Purba ...
community development block consists of rural areas only with 7 gram panchayats.
Contai subdivision
* One municipality: Contai
Contai is a coastal and subdivisional city and a municipality in Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Contai subdivision. It is the second most populated city of the district.According to the geologists, t ...
.
* Contai I
Contai I (also known as Kanthi I block) is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Contai subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Purba Medinipur district is part of t ...
community development block consists of rural areas only with 8 gram panchayats.
* Deshapran community development block consists of rural areas with 8 gram panchayats and one census town: Basantia.
* Contai III
Contai III (also known as Kanthi III block) is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Contai subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Purba Medinipur district is part ...
community development block consists of rural areas only with 8 gram panchayats.
* Khejuri I
Khejuri I is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Contai subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Purba Medinipur district is part of the lower Indo-Gangetic Plain ...
community development block consists of rural areas only with 6 gram panchayats.
* Khejuri II community development block consists of rural areas only with 5 gram panchayats.
* Ramnagar I community development block consists of rural areas with 9 gram panchayats and one census town: Khadalgobra.
* Ramnagar II
Ramnagar II is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Contai subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Purba Medinipur district is part of the lower Indo-Gangetic Pla ...
community development block consists of rural areas only with 8 gram panchayats.
* Bhagabanpur II
Bhagabanpur II (also spelt as Bhagawanpur) is a community development block that forms an administrative division in the Contai subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Purba Medinipur district is pa ...
community development block consists of rural areas only with 9 gram panchayats.
Assembly Constituencies
Purba Medinipur contains 16 assembly constituencies, equally divided between two Lok Sabha constituencies Tamluk and Kanthi. The MP for Tamluk is Dibyendu Adhikari (AITC) while the MP for Kanthi is Sisir Adhikari
Sisir Kumar Adhikari (born 19 September 1941) is an Indian politician who represented Kanthi Lok Sabha constituency from 2009 till 2021. He is a former Union Minister of State for Rural Development in the Manmohan Singh government.
He was th ...
(BJP). These are members of the Adhikari family which has dominated politics in the district whose prominent member has been Suvendu Adhikari, now Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census Purba Medinipur district has a population of 5,095,875, roughly equal to the United Arab Emirates or the US state of Colorado. This gives it a ranking of 20th in India (out of a total of 640
Year 640 (Roman numerals, DCXL) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 640 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...
).[ The district has a population density of .][ Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 15.32%.][ Purba Medinipur has a sex ratio of 936 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 88.60%. Scheduled Castes made up 14.63% of the district's population.]
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
is the predominant language, spoken by 98.31% of the population. The dialect around Kanthi A gaurav ''kanthi'', or simply ''kanthi'' ( sa, कण्ठी, ''kaṇṭhī'', . "necklace"), is an basil-seed threaded string worn by some adherents of Hinduism.
In Vaishnavism
Followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism wear ''kanthi malas'' made of ''O ...
is heavily influenced by nearby dialect of Odia
Odia, also spelled Oriya or Odiya, may refer to:
* Odia people in Odisha, India
* Odia language, an Indian language, belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European language family
* Odia alphabet, a writing system used for the Odia languag ...
and along the Odisha border, the two languages cannot be distinguished
Religion
Hindus are the majority religion in the district. Muslims are the second largest religion.
Economy
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Purba Medinipur one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640
Year 640 (Roman numerals, DCXL) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 640 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar er ...
).[ It is one of the 11 districts in West Bengal receiving funds from the ]Backward Regions Grant Fund
Backward or Backwards is a relative direction.
Backwards or Sdrawkcab (the word "backwards" with its letters reversed) may also refer to:
* "Backwards" (''Red Dwarf''), episode of sci-fi TV sitcom ''Red Dwarf''
** ''Backwards'' (novel), a nov ...
Programme (BRGF).
Literacy and education
According to the 2011 census, the district has a literacy rate of 87.66 up from 80.20% of 2001 census. As per 2001 census, this district had a male literacy rate of 89.1% and female literacy rate was 70.7%. The education index of this district is 0.74 and it is ranked first in literacy in comparison to other districts of West Bengal.
Given in the table below (data in numbers) is a comprehensive picture of the education scenario in Purba Medinipur district for the year 2013–2014. It may be noted that primary schools include junior basic schools; middle schools, high schools, and higher secondary schools include madrasahs; technical schools include junior technical schools, junior government polytechnics, industrial technical institutes, industrial training centres, nursing training institutes, etc.; technical and professional colleges include engineering colleges, polytechnics, medical colleges, para-medical institutes, management colleges, teachers training, and nursing training colleges, law colleges, art colleges, music colleges etc. Special and non-formal education centres include sishu siksha kendras, madhyamik siksha kendras, centres of Rabindra mukta vidyalaya, recognised Sanskrit tols, institutions for the blind and other handicapped persons, Anganwadi centres, reformatory schools etc.
Healthcare
The table below (all data in numbers) presents an overview of the medical facilities available and patients treated in the hospitals, health centres and sub-centres in 2014 in Purba Medinipur district.
Tourism
The coastal region of Purba Medinipur district is in the face of river Hoogly. With good coastal, landform, seasonal, rural and heritage diversity, it offers the potential for tourism in its typical coastlines and rural areas. The famous tourist spots are
Tamluk (Tamralipta)
Tamluk, district headquarters of Purba Medinipur district is situated on the bank of river Rupnarayan which is a very popular picnic spot. The other places are:
* Temple of Devi Barghobhima is an 1150 years old Kali temple and is considered one of the 51 Shakti Peethas. According to Puran, the gorali of left feet of Sati/Parvati fell here when Lord Vishnu cut the sacred body of Goddess Sati into several pieces to make Lord Shiva quiet.
*Archeological Museum of Tamluk is a must-see place. It contains artifacts of tamra (copper) and has preserved a tamralipta with Greek inscriptions. It preserves the historical heritage of Bengal.
*Rakhit Bati is another important place to visit in Tamluk. At the beginning of the 19th century, it was famous as a secret centre of the then revolutionary parties ''Anusilan Samiti'' and ''Gupta Samiti''.
* There are many other ancient temples in Tamluk town to visit, i.e., Jagannath Temple, Hari Temple, Mahaprabhu Temple, Ram Jiu Temple, Rajbari Temple, etc.
Panskura
It is a municipality upgraded in 2002. It is one of the busiest towns in East Midnapore district. Panskura is known as "Valley of Flowers" with large supplies of flowers to other places. Panskura is also known for its green vegetables wholesale market near the Panskura Junction railway station
:
Panskura Junction is a railway junction station on the Howrah–Kharagpur line and is located in Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It serves Panskura.
History
File:Panskura Station 005.jpg , left, Panskura Junction ...
. It is open every day after 10 pm until 7 am the next morning with a regular gathering of lakhs of people. Panskura is one of the busiest railway stations which extends up to Digha or Haldia directly through this station or by bus. The river Kansabati is a good picnic spot and Mahakali (Bhavatarini) temple nearby old Panskura bazar is a pilgrimage spot. Panskura is also well known for its cultural side. Many cultural schools and institutes are there. Panskura is famous for the recitation institute Chandabani ন্দবাণী
Mahishadal
Mahishadal is only 16 km from Tamluk town where tourists can visit the Mahishadal Rajbari, the museum there and Gopal Jiu temple. Geonkhali is a place 8 km from Mahishadal, a perfect picnic spot at the junction (mohona) of three rivers.
Digha
Digha
Digha is a seaside resort town in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies in Purba Medinipur district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal. It has a low gradient with a shallow sand beach. It is a popular sea resort in West Bengal.
Hi ...
is a seaside resort town of Purba Medinipur district and, at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal, is the most popular seaside resort of West Bengal. Renowned for its beaches, Digha is visited by thousands of tourists every year.
Mandarmani
Mandarmani is a small virgin beach on the Bay of Bengal under Kalindi Gram Panchayat, only 14 km from Digha-Contai Road from Chaulkhola Bus Stop. It is a small fishing harbour and a fast developing tourist spot.
Haldia
Haldia, a city and a municipality in Purba Medinipur, is a major seaport approximately southwest of Kolkata near the mouth of the Hooghly River, one of the distributaries of the Ganges. It is being developed as a major trade port for Kolkata, intended mainly for bulk cargoes.
Notes
References
External links
*
Legacy of Midnapore (Medinipur, Midnapur, Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, East Midnapore, West Midnapore)
*
{{Authority control
Districts of West Bengal