Khejuri (also spelled Khajuri) is a village and
gram panchayat
Gram Panchayat () is a basic village-governing institute in Indian villages. It is a democratic structure at the grass-roots level in India. It is a political institute, acting as cabinet of the village. The Gram Sabha work as the general bo ...
, in
Khejuri II
Khejuri 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.
History
Khijri
Khijri (or Khejuri) today is a small village about 125 kilome ...
CD Block in
Contai subdivision
Contai Subdivision is a subdivision of the Purba Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Subdivisions
Purba Medinipur district is divided into the following administrative subdivisions:
Administrative units
Contai subdivisio ...
of
Purba Medinipur district in the state of
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
History
According to
Binoy Ghosh
Binoy Ghosh (14 June 1917 – 24 July 1980) was a journalist, sociologist, writer, literary critic and researcher. His ''Paschim Banger Sanskriti'' won the Rabindra Puraskar in 1959.Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/1998, ' ...
, in an era when the
Magh and
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
pirates raided the area and wild animals roamed around, the place was made suitable for human habitation in the early years of the
East India Company
The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and South ...
's rule. Calcutta (later Kolkata) was just coming up and did not have a port till then. Large ocean-going ships used to drop anchor in the sea near by and load and unload goods. In the 18th century, with the establishment of the makeshift ‘port’ at Khejuri, there came up an Agent’s House and a Port Office. Khejuri developed as a place of rest and a meeting point for foreign sailors, complete with lively
tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food such as different types of roast meats and cheese, and (mostly historically) where travelers would receive lodging. An inn is a tavern t ...
s. It also developed as a place where people came to recoup their health. It was an era when places such as Darjeeling, Puri and Gopalpur had not developed as health resorts. Except for a few dilapidated buildings and a cemetery, nothing remains of the old establishments. The cemetery retains a lot of nostalgia of the glorious olden days. As Kolkata developed, Khejuri faded away. The rich and colourful life of yester-years is no more there, but the descendants of the
Pundra-kshatriyas and
Mahishya
Mahishya, also spelled Mahisya, is a Bengali Hindu traditionally agrarian caste, and formed the largest caste in undivided Bengal. Mahishyas are considered as Forward caste.
Mahisyas traditionally lived in Bengal and Orissa region. In late t ...
s, who had laid the foundations for development of Khejuri, are still there.
[Ghosh, Binoy, ''Paschim Banger Sanskriti'', , part II, 1976 edition, pages 147-152, Prakash Bhaban, Kolkata.]
Geography
Location
Khajuri is located at .
Urbanisation
93.55% of the population of Contai subdivision live in the rural areas. Only 6.45% of the population live in the urban areas and it is considerably behind Haldia subdivision in urbanization, where 20.81% of the population live in urban areas.
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.
Demographics
As per
2011 Census of India
The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...
Khajuri had a total population of 7,471 of which 3,854 (52%) were males and 3,617 (48%) were females. Population below 6 years was 1,079. The total number of literates in Khajuri was 5,278 (82.57% of the population over 6 years).
Police station
Khejuri police station is located at
Janka.
Education
The nearest degree college,
Khejuri College
Khejuri College, established in 1999, is a college in Baratala, a gram panchayat in Khejuri II, Purba Medinipur district. It offers undergraduate courses in arts. It is affiliated to Vidyasagar University
Vidyasagar University was estab ...
at
Baratala
Baratala is a village and a gram panchayat, in Khejuri II CD Block in Contai subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Geography
Location
Baratala is located at .
Urbanisation
93.55% of the population of Con ...
was established in 1999.
Healthcare
Silaberia Rural Hospital at
Silaberia
Silaberia (also spelled as Sillaberya, Shilla Berya) is a village in Khejuri II CD block in Contai subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Geography
Location
Silaberia is located at .
Urbanisation
93.55% ...
(with 30 beds) is the main medical facility in Khejuri II CD block. There is a
primary health centre at
Janka (with 10 beds).
References
Villages in Purba Medinipur district
{{PurbaMedinipur-geo-stub