Malda district, also spelt Maldah or Maldaha (, , often ), is a district in

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. It lies 347 km (215 miles) north of

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

, the capital of West Bengal.

Mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

jute Jute is a long, soft, shiny bast fiber that can be spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', which is in the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ''Corchorus olit ...

and

silk Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The protein fiber of silk is composed mainly of fibroin and is produced by certain insect larvae to form cocoons. The best-known silk is obtained from the coc ...

are the most notable products of this district. The special variety of mango,

Fazli Fazli ( fa, فضلی) may refer to: Given name * Fazli Husain (1877–1936), Pakistani politician * Fazlı Teoman Yakupoğlu, Turkish rock singer Surname * Fereydoon Fazli, Iranian footballer * Nida Fazli, Indian lyricist * Samir Fazli, Albanian- ...

, produced in this region is popularly known by the name of the district and is exported across the world and is internationally acclaimed. The folk culture of

gombhira Gombhira (or gambhira or gamvira) is a type of song originating in the Bengal region in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent, what is today northeastern West Bengal, India and northwestern Bangladesh. In West Bengal (India), gombh ...

is a feature of the district, being a unique way of representation of joy and sorrow in daily life of the common people, as well as the unique medium of presentation on national and international matters. According to the

National Investigation Agency The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is the primary counter-terrorist task force of India. The agency is empowered to deal with the investigation of terror related crimes across states without special permission from the states under written ...

Malda is believed to be a hub of a

fake currency Counterfeit money is currency produced without the legal sanction of a state or government, usually in a deliberate attempt to imitate that currency and so as to deceive its recipient. Producing or using counterfeit money is a form of fraud or fo ...

racket. It is reported that 90 percent of the fake currency that enters India originates in Malda. The headquarters of Malda district is in

English Bazar English Bazar Municipality is responsible for the civic administration of the town of Malda in Malda district, West Bengal, India. Established in 1868, it is one of the oldest Municipalities in India Municipal or local governance refers to the ...

, also known as ''Malda'', which was once the

capital Capital may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** List of national capital cities * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Economics and social sciences * Capital (economics), the durable produced goods used f ...

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

. The district maintains the traditions of the past in culture and education.

Old Malda Old Malda is a census town in Malda district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the Malda Metropolitan Area (Urban Agglomeration). It is located on the eastern bank of the river Mahananda. Geography Old Malda is located at . ...

, the town which lies just east of the confluence of the Mahananda and

Kalindi Yamuna is a sacred river in Hinduism and the main tributary of the Ganges River. The river is also worshipped as a Hindu goddess called Yamuna. Yamuna is known as Yami in early texts, while in later literature, she is called Kalindi. In Hindu sc ...

rivers, is part of the English Bazar metropolitan city. The town rose to prominence as the river port of the old capital of Pandua. During the 18th century, it was the seat of prosperous cotton and silk industries. It remains an important distribution centre for rice, jute, and wheat. The area between the historical monument of Jame Masjid (1566) and the landmark of Nimasarai Tower across the river Mahananda, constituted a municipality in 1867. Rice, jute,

legumes A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock fo ...

, and

oilseed Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of fruits. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed oils, or fat ...

are the chief crops in the surrounding area. Malda is the largest producer of excellent quality jute in India.

Mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of diverse species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 identif ...

plantations and mango orchards also occupy large areas; mango trade and silk manufacture are the main economic activities.

History

Pre-Gour Era

Pāṇini , era = ;;6th–5th century BCE , region = Indian philosophy , main_interests = Grammar, linguistics , notable_works = ' (Sanskrit#Classical Sanskrit, Classical Sanskrit) , influenced= , notable_ideas=Descript ...

mentioned a city named ''Gourpura'', which by strong reason may be identified as the city of ''Gouda'', ruins of which are situated in this district. Examples are legion of the relics of a predecessor kingdom being used in the monuments of the successor kingdoms. It had been within the limits of ancient ''Gour'' and ''Pandua'' ( ''Pundrabardhana''). These two cities had been the capital of Bengal in ancient and medieval ages and are equidistant, north and south, from

town (once known as Engelzavad established by the British rulers). The boundary of Gour was changed in different ages since the fifth century BC, and its name can be found in

Puranic Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

texts. Pundranagara was the provincial capital of the

Maurya Empire The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...

. Gour and

Pundravardhana Pundravardhana or Pundra Kingdom ( sa, Puṇḍravardhana), was an ancient kingdom during the Iron Age period in India with a territory that included parts of present-day Rajshahi and Rangpur Divisions of Bangladesh as well as the West Dinaj ...

formed parts of the Mourya empire as is evinced from the

inscription Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...

Brahmi Brahmi (; ; ISO 15919, ISO: ''Brāhmī'') is a writing system of ancient South Asia. "Until the late nineteenth century, the script of the Aśokan (non-Kharosthi) inscriptions and its immediate derivatives was referred to by various names such ...

script on a seal discovered from the ruins of

Mahasthangarh Mahasthangarh ( bn, মহাস্থানগড়, ''Môhasthangôṛ'') is one of the earliest urban archaeological sites so far discovered in Bangladesh. The village Mahasthan in Shibganj upazila of Bogra District contains the remain ...

in the

Bogra District Bogra District, officially known as Bogura District, is a district in the northern part of Bangladesh, in the Rajshahi Division. Bogra is an industrial city where many small and mid-sized companies are sited. Bogra was a part of the ancient Pun ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

Xuanzang Xuanzang (, ; 602–664), born Chen Hui / Chen Yi (), also known as Hiuen Tsang, was a 7th-century Chinese Buddhist monk, scholar, traveler, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making contributions to Chinese Buddhism, the travelogue of ...

saw many

Ashoka Ashoka (, ; also ''Asoka''; 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire of Indian subcontinent during to 232 BCE. His empire covered a large part of the Indian subcontinent, ...

stupa A stupa ( sa, स्तूप, lit=heap, ) is a mound-like or hemispherical structure containing relics (such as ''śarīra'' – typically the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns) that is used as a place of meditation. In Buddhism, circumamb ...

s at Pundravardhana. The inscriptions discovered in the district of undivided

Dinajpur Dinajpur ( bn, দিনাজপুর ) is a city and the District headquarters of Dinajpur district situated in Rangpur Division, Bangladesh. It was founded in 1786. It is located 413 km north-west of Dhaka in Bangladesh. It is bound ...

and other parts of North Bengal, along with the

Allahabad Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administrat ...

pillar inscriptions of

Samudragupta Samudragupta (Gupta script: ''Sa-mu-dra-gu-pta'', (c. 335–375 CE) was the second emperor of the Gupta Empire of ancient India, and is regarded among the greatest rulers of the dynasty. As a son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta I and the Li ...

, clearly indicate that the whole of

North Bengal North Bengal ( bn, উত্তরবঙ্গ/উত্তর বাংলা) is a term used for the north-western part of Bangladesh and northern part of West Bengal. The Bangladesh part denotes the Rajshahi Division and Rangpur Division. Gen ...

as far east as Kamrup formed a part of the

Gupta Empire The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gol ...

. After the Guptas at the beginning of seventh century AD

Sasanka Shashanka ( IAST: Śaśāṃka) was the first independent king of a unified polity in the Bengal region, called the Gauda Kingdom and is a major figure in Bengali history. He reigned in the 7th century, some historians place his rule between cir ...

, the king of Karnasubarna, as well as the king of Gauda, ruled independently for more than three decades. From the middle of the eighth century to the end of the 11th century the Pala dynasty ruled Bengal, and the kings were devoted to

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

. It was during their reign that the Jagadalla Vihara (monastery) in Barindri flourished paralleling with

Nalanda Nalanda (, ) was a renowned ''mahavihara'' (Buddhist monastic university) in ancient Magadha (modern-day Bihar), India.

Gour Era

The

Pala empire The Pāla Empire (r. 750-1161 CE) was an imperial power during the post-classical period in the Indian subcontinent, which originated in the region of Bengal. It is named after its ruling dynasty, whose rulers bore names ending with the suffi ...

yielded to the emergence of the

Sen Dynasty The Sena dynasty was a Hindu dynasty during the early medieval period on the Indian subcontinent, that ruled from Bengal through the 11th and 12th centuries. The empire at its peak covered much of the north-eastern region of the Indian subco ...

. The Sen rulers were orthodox Hindus, and in the habit of moving from place to place within their kingdom. During this time, Buddhism went on the defensive. It eventually disappeared from the demographic map of Bengal. At the time of Gaudeshwara

Lakshman Sen Lakshmana Sena (reign: 1178–1206), also called Lakshman Sen in modern indian languages, was the ruler from the Sena dynasty of the Bengal region on the Indian subcontinent. His rule lasted for 28 years; and extended to much of the eastern regi ...

, Goud was known as Lakshmanabati. During his reign Bengal was attacked by the Turkic force of

Bakhtiyar Khilji Ikhtiyār al-Dīn Muḥammad Bakhtiyār Khaljī, (Pashto :اختيار الدين محمد بختيار غلزۍ, fa, اختیارالدین محمد بختیار خلجی, bn, ইখতিয়ারউদ্দীন মুহম্মদ � ...

. King Lakshman Sen defeated Khilji in battle and successfully resisted Turkic invasion in his empire. After him Keshava Sen, Biswarup Sen, Madhava Sen etc. many Sena dynasty rulers ruled Gauda and hold the title Gaudeshwara Then Deva dynasty kings of Chandradwip ruled Bengal. Deva dynasty king Danujmardandeva and Mahendra Deva both hold the title Gaudeshwara. The name Mal Daha was coined (from ''Mal'' meaning riches and ''Daha'' meaning lake).

Sultans Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it c ...

Ilyas Shah Haji Ilyas, better known as Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah ( bn, শামসুদ্দীন ইলিয়াস শাহ, fa, ), was the founder of the Sultanate of Bengal and its inaugural Ilyas Shahi dynasty which ruled the region for 150 year ...

Firuz Shah Feroz or Firuz is a Persian name meaning 'victorious', derived from the middle Persian name Peroz or Piruz. Related names are Phiroze, Feroze, and Parviz. It may refer to: People (historical) * Peroz I (), Sasanian king of Iran * Peroz II (), Sas ...

Sikandar Shah Abul Mujāhid Sikandar Shāh ( bn, আবুল মুজাহিদ সিকান্দর শাহ, fa, ), commonly known as Sikandar Shah; was the second Sultan of Bengal and the Ilyas Shahi dynasty. He was the son of Shamsuddin Ilyas Sha ...

Raja Ganesha Raja Ganesha ( bn, রাজা গণেশ) was a Hindu Brahmin zamindar ruler of Bengal, who took advantage of the weakness of the first Ilyas Shahi dynasty and seized power in Bengal. Contemporary historians of the medieval period considere ...

Alauddin Hussain Shah Ala-ud-din Husain Shah ( bn, আলাউদ্দিন হোসেন শাহ (1494–1519)Majumdar, R.C. (ed.) (2006). ''The Delhi Sultanate'', Mumbai: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, pp.215-20 was an independent late medieval Sultan of Bengal, who ...

and

Nasiruddin Nasrat Shah Nāsir ad-Dīn Naṣrat Shāh ( bn, নাসিরউদ্দীন নুসরত শাহ, fa, ناصر الدین نصرت شاه; r. 1519–1533), also known as Nusrat Shah, was the second Sultan of Bengal belonging to the Hussain Shahi ...

were the notable rulers of the medieval age.

Afghan Afghan may refer to: *Something of or related to Afghanistan, a country in Southern-Central Asia *Afghans, people or citizens of Afghanistan, typically of any ethnicity ** Afghan (ethnonym), the historic term applied strictly to people of the Pas ...

warrior

Sher Shah Suri Sher Shah Suri ( ps, شیرشاه سوری) (1472, or 1486 – 22 May 1545), born Farīd Khān ( ps, فرید خان) , was the founder of the Sur Empire in India, with its capital in Sasaram in modern-day Bihar. He standardized the silver coin ...

conquered Gour and was repelled by

Mughal emperor The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled t ...

Humayun Nasir-ud-Din Muhammad ( fa, ) (; 6 March 1508 – 27 January 1556), better known by his regnal name, Humāyūn; (), was the second emperor of the Mughal Empire, who ruled over territory in what is now Eastern Afghanistan, Pakistan, Northern ...

, loving the

mango A mango is an edible stone fruit produced by the tropical tree ''Mangifera indica''. It is believed to have originated in the region between northwestern Myanmar, Bangladesh, and northeastern India. ''M. indica'' has been cultivated in South a ...

of Gour, named the place ''Jannatabad'' (garden of heaven).

Firuz Shah Tughlaq Sultan Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1309 – 20 September 1388) was a Muslim ruler from the Tughlaq dynasty, who reigned over the Sultanate of Delhi from 1351 to 1388.

, Ghiyasuddin and the Mughal army invaded Gour to suppress rebellion several times. Relics of

Islamic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Islamic world encompasses a wide geographic ar ...

structures are present in Malda district, such as

Firuz minar Firoz Minar (also known as Firuz Minar) (''English'': Tower of Firoz/Firuz) is a five-storeyed tower situated at Gaur, West Bengal, India. It was built by Sultan Saifuddin Firuz Shah of the Habshi dynasty between 1485 and 1489. It was built in th ...

Adina Mosque The Adina Mosque is a former mosque in Malda District, West Bengal, India. It was the largest such structure in the Indian subcontinent and was built during the Bengal Sultanate as a royal mosque by Sikandar Shah, who is also buried inside. T ...

(the largest

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The region consists of the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.;;;;;;;; ...

at the time), and Qutwali Gate. During the Mughal rule, the capital was removed to

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

due to a course change of the river

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

. Muslim rule ended in 1757. Koch army invasion increased during the downfall of Gour.

Post-Gour Era

After the war of Palassy, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

rule started in 1757. The English traders settled in the southern bank of the river Mahananda. Some indigo plant chambers, trade centre, and offices were established. William Carey worked here. But the glory days were gone. This district was formed out of some portions of outlying areas of

Purnia Purnia ()(also romanized as Purnea) is a city that serves as the administrative headquarters of both Purnia district and Purnia division in the Indian state of Bihar. Total geographical area of Purnia Urban Agglomeration is which is nex ...

and

Rajshahi Rajshahi ( bn, রাজশাহী, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city and a major urban, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous Rajshahi Division, division and Rajshahi District ...

districts in 1813. At the time of Dr. B. Hamilton (1808–09), the present thanas of Gazole, Malda, Bamongola, and part of Habibpur were included in the district of Dinajpur and the thanas of Harischandrapur, Kharba, Ratua, Manikchak, and Kaliachak were included in the district of Purnia. In 1813, in consequence of the prevalence of serious crimes in the Kaliachak and Sahebganj thanas and also on the rivers, a Joint Magistrate and Deputy Collector were appointed at English Bazar, with jurisdiction over a number of police stations centering that place and taken from the two districts. Thus the district of Malda was born. The year 1832 saw the establishment of a separate treasury and the year 1859 the posting of a full-fledged magistrate and collector. Up to 1876, this district formed part of

Rajshahi Division Rajshahi Division ( bn, রাজশাহী বিভাগ) is one of the eight first-level administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of and a population at the 2011 Census of 18,484,858. Rajshahi Division consists of 8 district ...

and between 1876 and 1905, it formed part of

Bhagalpur Division Bhagalpur division is an administrative geographical unit of Bihar state of India, with Bhagalpur as the administrative headquarters of the division. , the division consists of Bhagalpur district, Banka district and is located on the bank of Ga ...

. In 1905, it was again transferred to Rajshahi Division and until 1947, Malda remained in this division. During the first Partition of Bengal of 1905, this district was attached to the newly created province of

Eastern Bengal and Assam Eastern Bengal and Assam was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India between 1905 and 1912. Headquartered in the city of Dacca, it covered territories in what are now Bangladesh, Northeast India and Northern West Bengal. Hist ...

. Malda has a history of the Indigo movement led by Rafique Mondal. The Santhals got insurgent and captured historic

in support of Jeetu. Again in August 1947, this district was affected by partition. Between 12–15 August 1947, the fate of the district as to which side it should go, to Pakistan or to India, was undecided because the announcement of the partition award of Sir Radcliffe did not make this point clear. During these few days, the district was under a Magistrate of

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Scheme, One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India ...

. When the details of the Radcliffe Award were published, the district came over to

on 17 August 1947. However, the sub-division of Nawabganj was severed from Malda and was given to East Pakistan as a sub-division of the

district.

Geography

The

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

range is 24°40’20" N to 25°32’08" N, and the

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek letter l ...

range is 87°45’50" E to 88°28’10" E. The district covers an area of . The total population (as of 2001 Census) was recorded as 3,290,160. Malda is called the gateway of North

. It was once the capital of Gour-Banga with its lay of the land classified into Tal, Diara, and Barind. To the south is Murshidabad district, to the north are North Dinajpur district and

South Dinajpur district Dakshin Dinajpur () or South Dinajpur is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal, India. It was created on 1 April 1992 by the division of the erstwhile West Dinajpur District. The Headquarter (sadar) of the district is at Balurghat. It ...

. To the east is the international border with Bangladesh. To the west is

Santhal Parganas Santhal Pargana division constitutes one of the five district administration units known as the divisions of Jharkhand state in eastern India. Origin of name Santhal Pargana derives its name from two words: "Santhal", a major tribe of India a ...

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . It ...

and

Purnea Purnia ()(also Romanization, romanized as Purnea) is a city that serves as the administrative headquarters of both Purnia district and Purnia division in the Indian state of Bihar. Total geographical area of Purnia Urban Agglomeration is ...

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

Malda City

Malda, the district headquarters which lends its name to the district, during its early days grew up only near the side of the river Mahananda, and now the place is known as Phulbari. Some of the oldest houses can be found here. The city started to grow from 1925 to 1930. Now nearly a half-million people live in this city, and it is one of the biggest cities of West Bengal. It was a part of the historic city of Gour. Malda is recognized as the Old Malda municipality and the English Bazar municipality. Its notable railway station is named as

Malda Town Malda or English Bazar is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the sixth largest city (urban agglomeration) in West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Malda district as well as of the Malda division of West Bengal. It consists o ...

Mahadipur international border crossing

The Mahadipur international border crossing is on the Malda-

route at Mahadipur town in Malda district.

Local newspapers

The first monthly periodicals published from Malda was ''Kusum'', edited by Radhesh Chandra Seth, a noted personality of the then Malda. Though the exact date of its first publications is not known, it has been assumed by the informed sources that Kusum was first published in the 1890s. In 1896, Radhesh Chandra published two weekly newspapers ''Gourdoot'' and ''Gourbarta''. In 1897 Maldaha Samachar edited by Kaliprasanna Chakrabarty began to be published. Maulavi Abdul Ganikhan published 'Malda Akhbar' in 1914. In the same year, another periodical Gambhira' edited by Krishna Charan Sarkar was published. Damru, Adina and Minar—three weekly newspapers were published in 1941. The editors were Nanda Gopal Chowdhury, Akbar Munshi and Abdur Rahaman respectively. The most important among them was ''Gourdoot'' which was first published on 1896 by Radhesh Chandra Seth. But within a short period, the publication of the newspaper came to an end as the editor faced a serious financial loss. The 'Gourdoot' again began to be published from 1912 under the editorship of Lalbihari Majumdar. Majumdar was a great scholar and his literary sense was appreciated by Benoy Kumar Sarkar and Radhesh Chandra Seth. In this endeavor, the editor was greatly supported by them and financed by Sarat Chandra Roy Chowdhury, Maharaja of Chancal. The Gourdoot was used to be published on Thursday of each week. The paper contained 6 pages and the price is one anna in 1944. The political outlook of the newspaper is pro-congress. Moreover, Lalbihari Majumdar, its editor took a pioneering role in organizing the congress movement in Malda. He has for a long time been the vice-president of the district Congress. The periodical had an implied antipathy towards Gandhian ideology. In modern times there are also some local newspapers published in Malda, the most prominent among them are ''Maldaha Samachar'', ''Rupantorer Pothe'', ''Gour Malda Sambad'' ''Aamader Malda'', etc. 'Rupantorere Pothe' is published in every Sunday in each week. ''Maldaha Samachar'' and ''Gour Maldaha Sambad'' are published every Wednesday and Friday respectively.

Popular movements in Malda

The most important among the popular movement is the one led by Jitu Santhal in 1932. Historians like Tanika Sarkar observes Jitu's movement was rooted in the rich tradition of tribal struggle in Malda. The early form of Santhal resistance was migration, which Professor Ashim Sarkar thinks amounted to a kind of passive resistance. Active struggle between the Santhals and their landlords began about 1910. As the barind (barindra) area began to be transformed into a developed agricultural zone, the zamindars of barind began to enhance the rent and curb the rights so far enjoyed by the Santhal from 1910 onwards. M.O Carter mentions cases were commonly found in which the lands cultivated by the adhiars, which were previously their occupancy holdings but had been sold up in rent or mortgage sales. This caused friction among zamindars and Santhals. The friction took an alarming proportion as early as 1910 when a zamindar of Bulbulchandi tried to enhance the rent. The Santhal tenants rose into protest. The gravity of the situation compelled Mr. Vas, the District Magistrate, to interfere and fix the rent. It was in this backdrop of oppression, exploitation and injustice. Jitu Santhal of Kochakandahar village of Habibpur began to mobilise the Santhals for a widespread movement. In 1926 Jitu became the leader of the Santhals by

converting Converting companies are companies that specialize in modifying or combining raw materials such as polyesters, adhesives, silicone, adhesive tapes, foams, plastics, felts, rubbers, liners and metals, as well as other materials, to create new produ ...

them to Manuvadi Hinduism. In the same year 'Jitu's Sanyasi Dal' defied police order to perform a Kali puja to assert its new Hindu status. In September 1928 Santhals under Jitu's leadership

looted Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

the autumn crop of

Sikharpur Sikharpur is a village in Sindhupalchok District in the Bagmati Zone of central Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census The 1991 Nepal census was a widespread national census conducted by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics. Working with ...

which had recently been taken away from them in

barind Barind Tract (alternately called the Varendra Tract in English and Borendro Bhumi in Bengali) is the largest Pleistocene era physiographic unit in the Bengal Basin. It covers most of Dinajpur, Rangpur, Pabna, Rajshahi, Bogra, and Joypurhat d ...

region. The District Magistrate and the Superintendent of the Police rushed to the spot with armed police. After much skirmishes, Jitu along with his sixty followers arrested at the hand of the police.

Economy

In 2006 the

Ministry of Panchayati Raj The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is a branch of the Government of India. Ministry of Panchayati Raj looks into all matters relating to the Panchayati Raj and Panchayati Raj Institutions. It was created in May 2004. The ministry is headed by a m ...

named Malda one of the country's 283 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the eleven districts in West Bengal currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). No notable industry is made here. Most of the people of the district are agricultural labourer and unskilled labourer.

Divisions

Administrative subdivisions

The district comprises two subdivisions:

Chanchal Chanchal is a census town in Malda district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Chanchal subdivision. Geography Area overview The area shown in the adjacent map covers two physiographic regions – the '' Barind ...

and Malda Sadar. Chanchal consists of six community development blocks: Chanchal–I, Chanchal–II, Ratua–I, Ratua–II, Harishchandrapur–I and Harishchandrapur–II. Malda Sadar subdivision consists of

municipality,

municipality and nine community development blocks: English Bazar, Gazole, Habibpur, Kaliachak–I, Kaliachak–II, Kaliachak–III, Manickchak, Old Malda and Bamangola.

is the district headquarters. There are 12 police stations, 15 development blocks, 2 municipalities, 146

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 bod ...

s and 3,701 villages in this district. Other than municipality areas, each subdivision contains community development blocs, which in turn, are divided into rural areas and census towns. In total there are 10 urban units, 2 municipalities and 3 census towns.

and

form an

urban agglomeration An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

Chanchal subdivision

Chanchal I (community development block) Chanchal I is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Chanchal subdivision of Malda district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History Gauda and Pandua Gauda was once the "capital of the ancient bhukti or politica ...

consists of rural areas (8 gram panchayats) and town

,(second largest town in Malda). * Chanchal II (community development block) consists of rural areas only (7 gram panchayats). * Ratua I (community development block) consists of rural areas only (10 gram panchayats). * Ratua II (community development block) consists of rural areas only (8 gram panchayats). * Harishchandrapur I (community development block) consists of rural areas only (7 gram panchayats). * Harishchandrapur II (community development block) consists of rural areas only (9 gram panchayats).

Malda Sadar subdivision

: municipality *

: municipality * English Bazar (community development block) consists of rural areas only (11 gram panchayats). *

Gazole (community development block) Gazole (also spelled Gajol) is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Malda Sadar subdivision of Malda district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History Gauda and Pandua Gauda was once the “capital of the a ...

consists of rural areas only (15 gram panchayats). *

Habibpur (community development block) Habibpur is a Community development block in India, community development block that forms an administrative division in Malda Sadar subdivision of Malda district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. History Gauda ...

consists of rural areas (11 gram panchayats) and three census towns:

Kachu Pukur Kachu Pukur is a census town in the Habibpur CD block in the Malda Sadar subdivision of Malda district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Kachu Pukur is located at . Area overview The area shown in the adjacent map cov ...

, Kendua and

Aiho Aiho is a census town in the Habibpur CD block in the Malda Sadar subdivision of Malda district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Etymology Aiho is a beautiful village sandwiched between two rivers Tangon and Mahananda. Due to its confl ...

. * Kaliachak I (community development block) consists of rural areas only (14 gram panchayats). *

Kaliachak II (community development block) Kaliachak II is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Malda Sadar subdivision of Malda district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History Gauda and Pandua Gauda was once the "capital of the ancient bhukti or po ...

consists of rural areas only (9 gram panchayats). * Kaliachak III (community development block) consists of rural areas only (14 gram panchayats). * Manikchak (community development block) consists of rural areas only (11 gram panchayats). *

Old Malda (community development block) Old Malda is a Community development block in India, community development block that forms an administrative division in Malda Sadar subdivision of Malda district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal. History Gauda ...

consists of rural areas only (6 gram panchayats). * Bamangola (community development block) consists of rural areas only (6 gram panchayats).

Assembly Constituencies

Demographics

Bengalis Bengalis (singular Bengali bn, বাঙ্গালী/বাঙালি ), also rendered as Bangalee or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the ...

about 91% including

Bengali Muslims Bengali Muslims ( bn, বাঙালি মুসলমান; ) are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising about two-thirds of the global Bengali population, they are the sec ...

and

Bengali Hindus Bengali Hindus ( bn, বাঙ্গালী হিন্দু/বাঙালি হিন্দু, translit=Bāṅgālī Hindu/Bāṅāli Hindu) are an ethnoreligious population who make up the majority in the Indian states of West Benga ...

form the majority of the district population. Bengali Muslims about 51.27% form the

majority A majority, also called a simple majority or absolute majority to distinguish it from #Related terms, related terms, is more than half of the total.Dictionary definitions of ''majority'' aMerriam-Webster2011 census Malda district has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 3,988,845, roughly equal to the nation of

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

or the US state of

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. This gives it a ranking of 58th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its

population growth rate Population growth is the increase in the number of people in a population or dispersed group. Actual global human population growth amounts to around 83 million annually, or 1.1% per year. The global population has grown from 1 billion in 1800 to ...

over the decade 2001-2011 was 21.5%. Malda has a

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species devia ...

of 939

females Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females a ...

for every 1000 males, and a

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...

of 62.71%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 20.94% and 7.87% of the population respectively. ;Community Malda has a largely diverse range of population groups. People from adjoining regions like Bihar and Murshidabad district came here since centuries. People of various classes and tribes like Polia,

Shershabadia Shershabadia is a community found in the state of West Bengal, Bihar and Jharkhand in India. They belong to Shaikh community and also form a significant part of the Shaikhs of West Bengal and Bihar. Common surnames used by the community include Sh ...

, Khotta, Panjhra, Chain Mondal, Rajbanshi, and

Santhal Santhal may refer to : Places and jurisdictions * Santhal Pargana division, in Jharkhand state, (north)eastern India * Santhal State, former petty princely state in Mahi Kantha, Gujarat, western India People * Santhal people (part of the Tea ...

inhabit the district.

Religion

Muslims are the majority in the district, and are most dominant in the northwest and south along the Padma River. Hindus are majority in Gazole (74.51%), Barmangola (89.96%), Habibpur (94.96%), Old Maldah (70.00%), and Manikchak (55.96%) CD blocks as well as urban areas, and are a significant minority in Harischandrapur I (40.31%), English Bazar (48.34%) and Kaliachak III (49.01%) CD blocks.

Language

The language spoken by the populace of Malda district is predominantly

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 ...

. A dialect, called Shershabadia or Maldaiya is spoken by majority of Muslims here.This dialect is spoken by most people of Chapai Nababganj District of Bangladesh also. Khotta, Maithili and

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

are also spoken by some minority population throughout the district.

Culture

Malda has special cultural sorts like

Gombhira Gombhira (or gambhira or gamvira) is a type of song originating in the Bengal region in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent, what is today northeastern West Bengal, India and northwestern Bangladesh. In West Bengal (India), gombh ...

Alkap Alkap ( bn, আলকাপ) is a Bengali folk dance popular in the districts of Murshidabad, Malda and Birbhum in West Bengal and Chapai Nawabganj, Randajshahi in Bangladesh. It has also spread to the adjoining areas of Jharkhand and Bihar such ...

Kavigan Kavigan, Kobi Gaan, Kobi Lorai or Kabigan ( bn, কবিগান) is a form of Bengali folk performance wherein folk poets sing and perform. A verbal duel among the poets, this mystic minstrels art was popular with rural folk form in ninet ...

etc.

Festivals

Almost all of the major religious festivals are celebrated, like *

Durga puja Durga Puja ( bn, দুর্গা পূজা), also known as Durgotsava or Sharodotsava, is an annual Hindu festival originating in the Indian subcontinent which reveres and pays homage to the Hindu goddess Durga and is also celebrated ...

Kali Puja Kali Puja, also known as Shyama Puja or Mahanisha Puja, is a festival originating from the Indian subcontinent, dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. It is celebrated on the new moon day (Dipannita Amavasya) of the Hindu calendar month of Ashway ...

Diwali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is ...

Dussehra Vijayadashami ( sa, विजयदशमी, Vijayadaśamī, translit-std=IAST), also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu ...

Eid al-Fitr , nickname = Festival of Breaking the Fast, Lesser Eid, Sweet Eid, Sugar Feast , observedby = Muslims , type = Islamic , longtype = Islamic , significance = Commemoration to mark the end of fasting in Ramadan , dat ...

* Eid al-Adha * Muharram * Mawlid, Milad un-Nabi * Mid-Sha'ban, Shab-e-Barat *Shab-e-Kadar * Guru Nanak Gurpurab, Guru Nanak Jayanti * Christmas * Ratha-Yatra * Maha Shivratri

Fairs

Some of the most reputed cultural fairs of the district are * Ramkeli Fair, Gaur, West Bengal, Gour *

and Bulbulchandi ' Kali Puja Fair * Debipur Haribasar 32 Prahar Mela. * Gobarjanna Kalipujo Mela * Charu Babu Mela * Charak Fair * Chobbish (24) Prahor at Shingabad and Rishipur * Dariapur Urush at Dariapur, Kaliachak * Gazole Utsab * Kahala Urush at Mothabari, Malda, Mothabari * Kahala Durga Puja Fair . * Kartik puja Fair * Moyna Bishohari Mela. * Muslim holidays, Eid Fair, Pirana Pir Dargah * Muharram, Muharram Fair, at Sattari, Malda, Sattari * Maha Shivratri, Maha Shivratri Fair or Kanwar Yatra, Bhole Bam at Amrity * Christmas Carnival, Englishbazar, Malda *32 prahar harinam sankirtan at Debipur (Ratua 1,Malda)

Tourist attractions

* Adina Relics #

# Gol ghar # Eklakhi

# Adina deer park * Relics of Gour # Firoz Minar, Firoz minar # Chika Masjid # Qutwali Gate # 12-gated

# Qadam Rasul, Qudm-e-Rasul, dargah shrine believed to contain the footprint of Muhammad, the Prophet Temple of Johara Kali, Malda

*Gobarjanna Kali Mandir * Aquatic Bengal * Congregational mosque, Jami Masjid * Nimai Sarai Light house, Tower * Pandua, Malda, Pandua Sharif * Pirana Pir Dargah. * Lost monastery of Jagjivanpur * Temple of Ramakrishna Mission * Temple of Jahura Kali (Local avatar of Goddess Chandi) *

Rajbari * Sattari Congregational mosque, Jame Mosque * Debipur Haribasar Radhagobinda Temple (Debipur,Ratua 1,Malda) * Amrity Shiv Mandir Debipur Haribasar Radhakrishna Mandir

Education

Schools

Notable schools of the district include:- * Akrumoni Coronation Institution, A. C. Institution *Barlow Girls' High School * Lalit Mohan Shyam Mohini High School * Malda Railway High School * Malda Town High School * Malda Zilla School * Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Vidyamandir * Usha Martin School, Malda

Engineering Colleges

* Ghani Khan Choudhury Institute of Engineering & Technology * IMPS College of Engineering and Technology, established - 2003

General degree Colleges

* Malda College * Malda Women's College * Gour Mahavidyalaya * Chanchal College * Gazole Mahavidyalaya * Harishchandrapur College * Kaliachak College * Manikchak College * Pakuahat Degree College * Samsi College * South Malda College

Medical schools

* Malda Medical College and Hospital

Polytechnic Colleges

* Malda Polytechnic * Ratua Satyendra Nath Bose Government Polytechnic

University

* University of Gour Banga

Notable people

* Momtazuddin Ahmed (dramatist), Momtazuddin Ahmed * Subhamita Banerjee * Sandip Chakrabarti * Shibram Chakraborty * A. B. A. Ghani Khan Choudhury * Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury * Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury *

* Jiva Goswami * Tafazzal Hossain, politician * Sabitri Mitra * Mausam Noor * Rubi Noor * Uma Roy * Krishna Jiban Sanyal * Benoy Kumar Sarkar, Indian social scientist, professor, nationalist * Santi Gopal Sen * Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah * Jalaluddin Muhammad Shah *

* Bidhushekhar Shastri * Tapan Sikdar * Sabina Yeasmin

Notes

References

External links

Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malda District Malda district, Districts of West Bengal Minority Concentrated Districts in India 1813 establishments in British India