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Sealdah is a neighbourhood of Central
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 ...
in
Kolkata district Kolkata district (formerly known as Calcutta district) is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal, headquartered in Kolkata. History Long before the British came to India, the ''zamindari'' (land lordship) of all lands from Barisha to ...
in the Indian
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 ...
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 ...
.


Etymology

Jackals (''sheal'' in Bengali) howled around Sealdah. Antiquarians identify it as Shrigaldwipa (Jackal Island). Nearby
Beliaghata Beliaghata, also known as Beleghata, is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district, West Bengal, India. History The East India Company obtained from the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar, in 1717, the right to rent from 38 villages sur ...
was a port in the Salt Lakes.Nair, P. Thankappan, ''The Growth and Development of Old Calcutta'', in ''Calcutta, the Living City'', Vol. I, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, pp. 12-19j, Oxford University Press, .


History

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 Southea ...
obtained from the
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 ...
Farrukhsiyar Farrukhsiyar or Farrukh Siyar () (20 August 16839 April 1719) was the tenth emperor of the Mughal Empire from 1713 to 1719. He rose to the throne after assassinating his uncle, Emperor Jahandar Shah. Reportedly a handsome man who was easily sw ...
, in 1717, the right to rent from 38 villages surrounding their settlement. Of these 5 lay across the Hooghly in what is now Howrah district. The remaining 33 villages were on the Calcutta side. After the fall of
Siraj-ud-daulah Mirza Muhammad Siraj-ud-Daulah ( fa, ; 1733 – 2 July 1757), commonly known as Siraj-ud-Daulah or Siraj ud-Daula, was the last independent Nawab of Bengal. The end of his reign marked the start of the rule of the East India Company over Be ...
, the last independent
Nawab of Bengal The Nawab of Bengal ( bn, বাংলার নবাব) was the hereditary ruler of Bengal Subah in Mughal India. In the early 18th-century, the Nawab of Bengal was the ''de facto'' independent ruler of the three regions of Bengal, Bihar, ...
, it purchased these villages in 1758 from
Mir Jafar Sayyid Mīr Jaʿfar ʿAlī Khān Bahādur ( – 5 February 1765) was a military general who became the first dependent Nawab of Bengal of the British East India Company. His reign has been considered by many historians as the start of the expan ...
and reorganised them. These villages were known en-bloc as ''
Dihi Panchannagram Dihi Panchannagram was a group of 55 villages which the East India Company purchased in 1758 from Mir Jafar, after the fall of Siraj-ud-daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, in what is now the city of Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, i ...
'' and Shealdah was one of them. Sealdah was described in 1757 as a "narrow causeway, several feet above the level of the country, leading from the east". In 1756, when Siraj-ud-daulah attacked the English at Calcutta, a major part of his troops and artillery crossed the
Maratha Ditch The Maratha Ditch was a 3-mile long deep entrenchment constructed by the English East India Company around Fort William in Calcutta. It was built to protect the surrounding villages and forts from the ruthless Maratha Bargi raiders. The ditch ...
in Sealdah. There was hard fighting here with 39 English soldiers and 18 Indian sepoys killed on the spot. The English dragged their guns through the rice fields. Baithakkana was a ''resting place'', where merchants formed and dispersed their caravans, sheltered by an old
banyan tree A banyan, also spelled "banian", is a fig that develops accessory trunks from adventitious prop roots, allowing the tree to spread outwards indefinitely. This distinguishes banyans from other trees with a strangler habit that begin life as a ...
(called a
peepul tree ''Ficus religiosa'' or sacred fig is a species of fig native to the Indian subcontinent and Indochina that belongs to Moraceae, the fig or mulberry family. It is also known as the bodhi tree, pippala tree, peepul tree, peepal tree, pipal tree ...
by
Cotton Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
).
Job Charnock Job Charnock (; –1692/1693) was an English administrator with the East India Company. He is commonly regarded as the founder of the city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta); however, this view is challenged, and in 2003 the Calcutta High Court de ...
is said to have chosen the site of Kolkata for a city, in consequence of the pleasure he found in sitting and smoking under the shade of a large tree. A present-day road stretching from Bepin Behari Ganguly Street to MG Road is called Baithakkhana Road, as well as the market along the road at the southern (
Bowbazar Bowbazar ( bn, বৌবাজার, also spelt ''Boubazar''; formerly known as Bahubazar) is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History On Lt. Col. Mark Wood's map of 1784, the portion o ...
/
B.B. Ganguly Street Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, or B.B. Ganguly Street, formerly known as Bow Bazar Street or Bowbazar Street, is an east-west road in Central Kolkata, capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. It passes through Bowbazar area and connects Ba ...
) end is called Baithakkhana Bazar. The Maratha Ditch was dug in 1742 and it was partly filled up in 1799 to create the Circular Road (now Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road). The eighty-foot-wide Harrison Road (now MG Road), was built in from 1889 to 1892. The first list of ''thanas'' (police stations) in Calcutta was made in 1765 and Muchipara was not there in the list. Muchipara, named after ''muchis'' (cobblers and leather workers), possibly shot in to prominence in the early 19th century. In 1888, one of the 25 newly organized police section houses was located in Muchipara. The
East Bengal Railway The Eastern Bengal Railway (full name: "Eastern Bengal Railway Company"; shortened EBR) was one of the pioneering railway companies that operated from 1857 to 1942, in Bengal and Assam provinces of British India. History Formation The Eastern ...
opened its track from Calcutta to
Kushtia Kushtia ( bn, কুষ্টিয়া) is a city in the Khulna Division of southwestern Bangladesh. Kushtia is the second largest municipality in Bangladesh and the eleventh largest city in the country. The second largest city in Khulna div ...
in 1862. At the Calcutta end there was a tin-roofed station room. Sealdah railway station had a proper station building in 1869. The present Sealdah-Ranaghat line was a part of the Sealdah-Kushtia line and was subsequently extended to
Goalundo Ghat Goalundo Ghat (also spelled Goalanda and Goalondo; bn, গোয়ালন্দঘাট) is a small town and pourasabha in Goalandaghat Upazila, Rajbari District, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh, South Asia. There are two railway stops one a ...
.


Geography


Police district

Muchipara police station is part of the Central division of
Kolkata Police The Kolkata Police Force (KPF) is one of the two presidency police forces of the Indian state of West Bengal. Kolkata Police has the task of policing the metropolitan area (apart from Bidhannagar and New Town, which are served by the Bidhannag ...
.


Economy

Sealdah market, along with
Hatibagan Hatibagan is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Overview The area is under Shyampukur and Burtolla police stations. It is next to Shyambazar. The place is popular for its shops, markets, ci ...
,
Maniktala Maniktala is a residential area of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district, West Bengal, India. Etymology The tomb of Manik Pir is located in lane near Maniktala crossing. Some people say, the neighbourhood is named after Manik Pir. Others say, M ...
, Lake Market and
Gariahat Ballygunge is a locality of South Kolkata, in Kolkata district, West Bengal, India. History The East India Company obtained from the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar, in 1717, the right to rent from 38 villages surrounding their settlement. Of thes ...
markets, is amongst the largest markets in Kolkata. Very similar to village weekly ''hats'', Kolkata's markets thrive in a sprawling and makeshift environment. Sealdah market is an agglomeration of various markets in the area. There is the Sealdah Area market spread for about a kilometre along both sides of MG Road from Purabi to Chhabighar cinema halls selling mainly vegetables and fruits. Sealdah Dimer Bazar, in Hayat Khan Lane and Panchu Khansama Lane, is an egg ''arat''. Baitakkhna Market, spread across 2 acres at 15/16 Baithakkhana Road, sells vegetable, fruits, betel leaf, flower, fish, meat, egg, grocery etc. New Baithakkhana Market (also known as Chhagalkata Fish Market), spread across 5 acres at 155–158,
B.B. Ganguly Street Bepin Behari Ganguly Street, or B.B. Ganguly Street, formerly known as Bow Bazar Street or Bowbazar Street, is an east-west road in Central Kolkata, capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. It passes through Bowbazar area and connects Ba ...
, is a fish market. Kolay Market, located near
Sealdah Station Sealdah (station code:SDAH) is one of India's major railway terminals serving the city of Kolkata. The other main railway stations in the Kolkata metropolitan region are , , and Santragachi. Sealdah Railway station is the busiest railway stat ...
, is the largest wholesale market in Kolkata, handling vegetables and other daily needs. It is open 24/7 and has not closed down even during strikes. Bow Bazar market, stretching from Sealdah crossing to College Street crossing, is virtually an extension of Sealdah market zone. Baithakkhana is one of the largest paper markets in India. However, the letterpress business, once the largest printing process in the country and the pride of Bengal, has lost out to more modern systems. Some 10–15 letterpress printers are still there in Baithakkhana, struggling hard to retain a foothold in the tough competition. MG Road, from Sealdah to College Street, is a big market for wedding and visiting cards.


Transport

Sealdah railway station handles in all around 20 lakh (2 million) passengers daily. A bulk of those using the station, around 12 lakhs, commute daily for work in 917 local trains. The East-West Metro line connects to a station at Sealdah and around 5 lakh passengers are likely to use the Metro station. 19th century Kolkata was a city of
palanquins The litter is a class of wheelless vehicles, a type of human-powered transport, for the transport of people. Smaller litters may take the form of open chairs or beds carried by two or more carriers, some being enclosed for protection from the el ...
and horse-drawn carriages. The
tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
way was the first attempt at mass transport. The first horse-driven tramcar rolled out on 24 February 1873, running between Armenian Ghat and Sealdah via
Bowbazar Bowbazar ( bn, বৌবাজার, also spelt ''Boubazar''; formerly known as Bahubazar) is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History On Lt. Col. Mark Wood's map of 1784, the portion o ...
, as well as
Dalhousie Square B. B. D. Bagh, formerly called Tank Square and then Dalhousie Square (1847 to 1856), is the shortened version for Benoy-Badal-Dinesh Bagh. It is the seat of power of the state government, as well as the central business district of Kolkata in ...
. Electric tramcars were introduced in Kolkata in 1902. Tram lines were laid along Harrison Road (now MG Road) in 1903 and up Rajabazar in 1910. Now Sealdah and Rajabazar are served by
Kolkata tram The tram system in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, India, operated by West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) after Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC) was dissolved, is the oldest existing tram network operating in India, and oldest operating ...
route no. 18 (via MG Road-Surya Sen Street- APC Road). Sealdah is the junction of
AJC Bose Road & APC Road Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road (earlier known as Lower Circular Road) and its continuation northwards called Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road (earlier known as Upper Circular Road), are together the longest and the most important north-south ...
with MG Road via Sealdah Hump Flyover (Vidyapati Setu). Parikshit Roy Lane (Beliaghata Main Road) also starts from here. Surya Sen Street connects MG Road with APC Road, avoiding Sealdah Flyover. A large number of private and governmental public buses ply along these roads. Sealdah Hump Flyover (Vidyapati Setu), constructed in the late 1970s, will have a ramp from the flyover to the station. Tram-tracks were removed and tram-service closed over Sealdah Flyover since 2019 due to excessive load on the bridge.


Education

* Surendranath College, is an undergraduate college. Founded in 1884, it was initially named Ripon College after
Lord Ripon George Frederick Samuel Robinson, 1st Marquess of Ripon, (24 October 1827 – 9 July 1909), styled Viscount Goderich from 1833 to 1859 and known as the Earl of Ripon in 1859 and as the Earl de Grey and Ripon from 1859 to 1871, was a British p ...
,
Viceroy of India The Governor-General of India (1773–1950, from 1858 to 1947 the Viceroy and Governor-General of India, commonly shortened to Viceroy of India) was the representative of the monarch of the United Kingdom and after Indian independence in 19 ...
. In 1948–49, it was renamed after Sir Surendranath Banerjee, who started it and was associated with this institution for many years. In 1885, it started the department of law, which became an independent college, Ripon Law College, in 1911. It opened an evening section in 1947 and a women's section in 1948, and both became independent colleges. Affiliated to the
University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...
, it offers honours courses in English, Bengali, political science, history, philosophy, Sanskrit, psychology, sociology, journalism & mass communication, physics, chemistry, mathematics, statistics, computer science, economics, botany, zoology, physiology, microbiology, geography, psychology and financial accounting, and general courses in arts, science and commerce. *
Surendranath Law College Surendranath Law College (''Bengali'' :সুরেন্দ্রনাথ আইন কলেজ) formerly known as ''Ripon College'') is an postgraduate law college affiliated with the University of Calcutta. It was established in Kolkata in ...
, initially started in 1885 as law department of Ripon College, it later became Ripon Law College and was renamed in 1948-49 after Sir Surendranath Banerjee. *
Surendranath Evening College Surendranath Evening College, established in 1961, is an undergraduate college in Sealdah, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is affiliated with the University of Calcutta. Departments Science *Physics *Chemistry *Mathematics *Electronic Scienc ...
, initially started in 1947 as evening section of Ripon College, it was separately affiliated with the
University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...
in 1961. It is also affiliated with
Netaji Subhas Open University Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU) is a state open university imparting distance education in eastern India History It was established in 1997 to commemorate the birth centenary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. It has its headquarters at 1, Wo ...
for certain subjects. It offers honours courses in Bengali, English, Hindi, Urdu, history, education, electronic science, physics, mathematics, accountancy and finance, and general courses in arts, science and commerce. It also offers courses in library science and a vocational course in electronic equipment maintenance. It has arrangements for certain post-graduate courses. It caters to the demands of under privileged sections of society in the area and also the working people seeking to enhance their educational qualifications. *
Surendranath College for Women Surendranath College for Women, established in 1948, is an undergraduate women's college in Sealdah, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is affiliated with the University of Calcutta. The college is recognized by the University Grants Commission ...
was initially started in 1948 as part of Surendranath College. It initially catered to the needs of refugees from East Pakistan but later widened its base. Affiliated with the
University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...
, it offers honours courses in Bengali, English, Sanskrit, Urdu, history, geography, philosophy, political science, education, journalism & mass communication, economics and mathematics, and general courses. It offers a course in Communicative English. * Bangabasi College was founded in 1887 by Acharya Girish Chandra Bose. With the large-scale influx of refugees from East Pakistan, Bangabasi College added morning and evening sections in 1947, both of which later emerged as separate colleges. A college for teaching commerce was started the same year in a separate building. In 1979, Bangabasi College became co-educational with the addition of another commerce section. Affiliated to the
University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...
, it offers honours courses in English, Bengali, Sanskrit, political science, history, philosophy, sociology, geography, economics, psychology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, anthropology, botany, zoology, B.Com. (Hons) and general courses in arts, science and commerce. It offers a post-graduate course in zoology. *
Bangabasi Morning College Bangabasi Morning College is an undergraduate college affiliated with the University of Calcutta. It is located at Sealdah in the heart of the city of Kolkata. It has a very large auditorium named as P.K. Bose Memorial Hall. Accreditation B ...
was initially started as part of Bangabasi College in 1947. It is affiliated with the
University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...
, and offers honours courses in Bengali, English, Hindi, history, political science, physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, zoology, botany, anthropology and accounting and finance, and general courses in arts, science and commerce. It has arrangements for teaching Urdu as a general subject. It offers post-graduate courses under the Directorate of Distance Education of
Vidyasagar University Vidyasagar University was established by an Act of the West Bengal legislature which was notified in the ''Calcutta Gazette'' on 24 June 1981. It is an affiliating university in Paschim Medinipur district of southern West Bengal, India. It o ...
in Bengali, English, history, environmental science, applied mathematics, chemistry and M. Com. * Bangabasi Evening College was initially started as part of Bangabasi College in 1947. It is affiliated with the
University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...
, and offers honours courses in Bengali, English, Hindi, Sanskrit, history, political science, philosophy, chemistry, mathematics, anthropology, economics, physiology, botany and accountancy. It offers M.Sc. in mathematics as a regular course of the University of Calcutta. *
Acharya Girish Chandra Bose College Acharya Girish Chandra Bose College, (formerly called Bangabasi College of Commerce) established in its current form in 1964, is an undergraduate college in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is affiliated with the University of Calcutta. It off ...
, was started initially as a part of Bangabasi College in 1947. It was renamed Bangabasi College of Commerce and affiliated with the
University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate State university (India), state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered ...
in 1964, and in 2004 was further renamed Acharya Girish Chandra Bose College. It offers courses in B.Com. (general and honours), Bengali and English honours and B.A. (general). * Loreto Day School at Sealdah, is an English-medium girls only school. It is one of the six Loreto schools in Kolkata. Affiliated with the
West Bengal Board of Secondary Education The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education is the West Bengal state government administered autonomous examining authority for the Standard 10 examination (or secondary school level examination) of West Bengal, India. It has come into force ...
and
West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) came into existence in 1975. It is an autonomous examining authority, which is responsible for conducting examinations for standard XII for both government and private schools aff ...
, it has arrangements for teaching from Nursery to Class XII. Established in 1857, it has a ‘free’ block, built in 1932, for the economically deprived local population, inside the gate. *
Mitra Institution (Main) Mitra Institution (Main) is one of the heritage schools of Kolkata, West Bengal, teaching grades one to twelve under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education. The school premises are ...
at Baithakkhana is a Bengali-medium higher secondary boys only school established in 1888. Affiliated with the
West Bengal Board of Secondary Education The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education is the West Bengal state government administered autonomous examining authority for the Standard 10 examination (or secondary school level examination) of West Bengal, India. It has come into force ...
and the
West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education The West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education (WBCHSE) came into existence in 1975. It is an autonomous examining authority, which is responsible for conducting examinations for standard XII for both government and private schools aff ...
, it has arrangement for teaching from class VI to XII.


Healthcare

* Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College and Hospital at Sealdah is one of the five government medical colleges and hospitals in Kolkata. The medical college is affiliated with the
West Bengal University of Health Sciences West Bengal University of Health Sciences (WBUHS) is a Public medical university in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was established in 2003 by an Act of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly for better management of the health and medical educ ...
and offers both undergraduate and post graduate courses. The hospital has 1,890 beds. In 1789, there was an asylum for dying destitutes picked from the streets. It was called Police or Pauper Hospital. In 1874, Sealdah Medical School was set up here. In 1884, it became Campbell Medical School. Indians could be hospitalised here, because the first hospital started in Kolkata in 1709, which evolved as Presidency General Hospital, was strictly for Europeans. In 1948, it became Campbell Medical College, and in 1950 was renamed after Sir Nilratan Sircar, eminent doctor and swadeshi entrepreneur. * B.R. Singh Hospital, set up as a small health unit in 1934, has grown to be one of the best-equipped railway hospitals in the country. It is named after Baba Ramrick Singh, first Indian Railway Agent and the then acting GM of East Bengal Railway. It has 461 beds. *
Dr. R. Ahmed Dental College and Hospital The Dr. R. Ahmed Dental College and Hospital is a Government dental college located in Sealdah, Kolkata, in the state of West Bengal, India. It is affiliated to the West Bengal University of Health Sciences and is recognized by Dental Council ...
at Sealdah is the oldest dental college in India. It was founded in 1920 by Dr. Rafiuddin Ahmed, the pioneer in dentistry in the country. It was financed by starting the New York Soda Fountain in Kolkata. It was affiliated with the state medical facility in 1936, and then with the University of Calcutta in 1949. In the same year, Dr. Ahmed donated his college to the Government of West Bengal. Currently affiliated with the
West Bengal University of Health Sciences West Bengal University of Health Sciences (WBUHS) is a Public medical university in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was established in 2003 by an Act of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly for better management of the health and medical educ ...
and recognised by the
Dental Council of India The Dental Council of India was incorporated under The Dentists Act, 1948 to regulate dental education and the profession throughout India. It is financed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and through the local state dental councils. ...
, it offers 5-year BDS, 3-year MDS and various specialised courses.


References


External links

{{Neighbourhoods in Kolkata Neighbourhoods in Kolkata