Pakhanna (or Pokharna) is a village in the

Barjora Barjora is a locality in the Barjora CD block in the Bankura Sadar subdivision of the Bankura district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Barjora is located at . It has an average elevation of 75 metres (246 fe ...

police station area of Bankura Sadar subdivision of

Bankura district Bankura district (Pron: bãkuɽa) is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is part of Medinipur division—one of the five administrative divisions of West Bengal. Bankura district is surrounded by Purba Bardhaman distri ...

in the

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 ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

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 ...

. It is located north-east of Susunia, on the south bank of

Damodar River Damodar River (Pron: /ˈdʌmoˌdaː/) is a river flowing across the Indian states of Jharkhand and West Bengal. Rich in mineral resources, the valley is home to large-scale mining and industrial activity. Earlier known as the Sorrow of Bengal bec ...

.Ghosh, Binoy, ''Paschim Banger Sanskriti'', (in Bengali), part I, 1976 edition, p. 408-409, Prakash Bhaban

History

This village is considered to be the same as Pushkarana, once the capital of

Chandravarman Chandravarman (4th century CE) was a king of the Pushkarana kingdom in the Bankura district of West Bengal.Ancient Indian History and Civilization, Sailendra Nath Sen, New Age International, 1999p.274/ref>A History of Ancient and Early Medieval In ...

, son of Simhavarman, the extent of whose dominions may have been more or less coterminous with ancient

Rarh region Rarh region () is a toponym for an area in the Indian subcontinent that lies between the Chota Nagpur Plateau on the West and the Ganges Delta on the East. Although the boundaries of the region have been defined differently according to various ...

or south-west Bengal. It is the place mentioned in the Susunia inscription and dates back to 4th century AD. According to the inscription on the Allahabad pillar Chandravarman was defeated by

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 ...

and the area became 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 ...

Geography

Location

Pakhanna is located at .

Area overview

The map alongside shows the Bankura Sadar subdivision of Bankura district. Physiographically, this area is part of the Bankura Uplands in the west gradually merging with the Bankura-Bishnupur Rarh Plains in the north-east. The western portions are characterised by undulating terrain with many hills and ridges. The area is having a gradual descent from the

Chota Nagpur Plateau The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the bas ...

. The soil is

laterite Laterite is both a soil and a rock type rich in iron and aluminium and is commonly considered to have formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are of rusty-red coloration, because of high iron oxide content. They develop by ...

red and hard beds are covered with scrub jungle and sal wood. Gradually it gives way to just uneven rolling lands but the soil continues to be lateritic. There are coal mines in the northern part, along the

. It is a predominantly rural area with 89% of the population living in rural areas and only 11% living in the 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

According to the

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 ...

, Pakhanna had a total population of 3,588, of which 1,825 (51%) were males and 1,763 (49%) were females. There were 382 persons in the age range of 0–6 years. The total number of literate persons in Pakhanna was 2,445 (77.26% of the population over 6 years).

Education

Pakhanna High School is a Bengali-medium coeducational institution established in 2000. It has facilities for teaching from class V to class XII. The school has 10 computers, a library with 2,200 books and a playground. Pakhanna Girls Junior High School is a Bengali-medium girls only institution established in 2010. It has facilities for teaching from class V to class VIII. Baro Hajari SCH Madrasah is a Bengali-medium coeducational institution established in 1977. It has facilities for teaching from class V to class XII. The madrasah has 12 computers, a library with 450 books and a playground.

Barjora College Barjora College, established in 1985, is the general degree college in Barjora, Bankura district, West Bengal, India. It offers undergraduate courses in arts. It is affiliated to Bankura University. History Barjora College was established in ...

was established at

in 1985.

Healthcare

There is a primary health centre at Pakhanna, with 10 beds.

References

{{Bankura District Villages in Bankura district