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Uttar Dinajpur () is a district of the Indian 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 ...
. Created on 1 April 1992 by the division of the erstwhile West Dinajpur district, it comprises two
subdivision Subdivision may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Subdivision (metre), in music * ''Subdivision'' (film), 2009 * "Subdivision", an episode of ''Prison Break'' (season 2) * ''Subdivisions'' (EP), by Sinch, 2005 * "Subdivisions" (song), by Rus ...
s:
Raiganj Raiganj () is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Uttar Dinajpur district. The police station was set up 125 years ago and railway connectivity reached the place 115 years ago. The city h ...
and Islampur.


History

Undivided Dinajpur district was part of the
Pundra kingdom 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 ...
. The whole of Pundra was part of the Mauryan empire, and Jainism was spread in the region in the fourth century BCE. Their capital was at Pundrabardhan (now in
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 ...
), and two other ancient towns were Gourpur and Kotibarsha, now called Bangarh. Later multiple inscriptions show how the Guptas also controlled Pundra. The district was then under
Pala Pala may refer to: Places Chad *Pala, Chad, the capital of the region of Mayo-Kebbi Ouest Estonia * Pala, Kose Parish, village in Kose Parish, Harju County * Pala, Kuusalu Parish, village in Kuusalu Parish, Harju County *Pala, Järva County, vi ...
rule from 750 CE. The Senas overthrew the Palas in 1143. In
1204 Year 1204 ( MCCIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events * January 27-28 – Byzantine emperor Alexios IV Angelos is overthrown in a revolution. * February 5 – Alex ...
,
Bakhtiyar Khilji Ikhtiyār al-Dīn Muḥammad Bakhtiyār Khaljī, (Pashto :اختيار الدين محمد بختيار غلزۍ, fa, اختیارالدین محمد بختیار خلجی, bn, ইখতিয়ারউদ্দীন মুহম্মদ ...
defeated the Senas and had Bangarh as its capital. After his murder, it was controlled by various governors sent by the Delhi Sultan from Gauda. In
1586 Events * January 18 – The 7.9 Tenshō earthquake strikes the Chubu region of Japan, triggering a tsunami and causing at least 8,000 deaths. * June 16 – The deposed and imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots, recognizes Philip II of ...
,
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 ...
Akbar Abu'l-Fath Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar (25 October 1542 – 27 October 1605), popularly known as Akbar the Great ( fa, ), and also as Akbar I (), was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Hum ...
conquered
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 ...
and
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 ...
was controlled by the ''sarkars'' of Tajpur and Panjara. In 1765, it fell under the rule of the East India Company and was ruled from
Murshidabad Murshidabad fa, مرشد آباد (, or ) is a historical city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located on the eastern bank of the Bhagirathi River, a distributary of the Ganges. It forms part of the Murshidabad district. During ...
. In the later part of the 18th century, the district was home to the Sanyasi-Fakir rebellion until the early 19th century. The district remained relatively peaceful all through the rest of the 1800s. In 1905, the people of Dinajpur district protested against the Partition of Bengal. They participated in the Freedom struggle by refusing to pay tax, doing hartals, and launching agitations. In 1947, Dinajpur district was split between India and
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
with West Dinajpur remaining with India. In 1992, West Dinajpur district was bifurcated to form Uttar Dinajpur and Dakshin Dinajpur districts.


Geography

Uttar Dinajpur district lies between
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 ...
25°11' N to 26°49' N and
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 ...
87°49' E to 90°00' E occupying an area of enclosed by
Panchagarh Panchagarh (; bn, পঞ্চগড়, 'five forts') is a district of the Rangpur division in Northern Bangladesh. Panchagarh is the northernmost district of Bangladesh. It lies between 26º00' and 26º38' north latitudes and between 88º19' a ...
, Thakurgaon and
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 ...
districts of
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 ...
on the east,
Kishanganj Kishanganj is a city and district headquarters of Kishanganj district in Purnia division of Bihar state. History Kishanganj, which was previously part of Purnia district, is part of the Mithila region. Mithila first gained prominence after bei ...
,
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
Katihar Katihar is a city situated in the eastern part of the state of Bihar in India. It is the regional headquarter of Katihar district. It is one of the important cities of Bihar. Also it's a main route of Delhi - Guwahati railway line. History Ka ...
districts of
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 ...
on the west,
Darjeeling district Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its hill station and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters. Kurseon ...
and
Jalpaiguri district Jalpaiguri district () is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. The district was established in 1869 during British Raj. The headquarters of the district are in the city of Jalpaiguri, which is also the divisional headquarters of No ...
on the north and
Malda district Malda district, also spelt Maldah or Maldaha (, , often ), is a district in West Bengal, India. It lies 347 km (215 miles) north of Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal. Mango, jute and silk are the most notable products of this district. ...
and
Dakshin 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 ...
on the south. Uttar Dinajpur is well connected with the rest of the state through National Highways, State Highways and Railways. NH-27 and NH-12 pass through the heart of the district. The regional topography is generally flat with a gentle southerly slope towards which the main rivers like Kulik, Nagar, Mahananda. The District forms a part of the basin lying between Rajmahal hills on the east. The older alluvium is estimated to be
Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( , often referred to as the ''Ice age'') is the geological Epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from about 2,580,000 to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fina ...
age. Uttar Dinajpur is bestowed with a very fertile soil. The soil is very rich in nature due to the
alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...
deposition which helps to grow Paddy,
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 ...
, Mesta and
Sugarcane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...
etc. Raiganj on the banks of the River Kulik is the District Headquarters where the
Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary (''Raegônj Bonnoprani Ôbhôearonno'') (also popularly known as Kulik Bird Sanctuary) is situated near Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The bird sanctuary is home to 164 species of ...
, the second largest bird sanctuary in Asia, is situated. In Uttar Dinajpur district, there are two sub-divisions,
Raiganj Raiganj () is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Uttar Dinajpur district. The police station was set up 125 years ago and railway connectivity reached the place 115 years ago. The city h ...
and Islampur, apart from each other. There are four municipalities, nine blocks and 99 Panchayats covering 1577 villages.


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 Uttar Dinajpur one of the country's 250 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). but now
Dalkhola Dalkhola is a city and a municipality of Uttar Dinajpur district in the state of West Bengal, India. History Dalkhola was originally in the state of Bihar in India. After 1959, Dalkhola was located in the state of West Bengal. The town expanded ...
the main commercial, business town with well connected railway and roadways. increasing the economy of
Dalkhola Dalkhola is a city and a municipality of Uttar Dinajpur district in the state of West Bengal, India. History Dalkhola was originally in the state of Bihar in India. After 1959, Dalkhola was located in the state of West Bengal. The town expanded ...
and Uttar Dinajpur District.


Divisions


Sub-divisions

Uttar Dinajpur District comprises two subdivisions: * Raiganj Sub-Division and * Islampur Sub-Division


Assembly constituencies

As per order of the Delimitation Commission in respect of the
delimitation of constituencies Boundary delimitation (or simply delimitation) is the drawing of boundaries, particularly of electoral precincts, states, counties or other municipalities.
in the West Bengal, the district is divided into nine assembly constituencies: Hemtabad and Kaliaganj constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates. Along with six assembly constituencies from
Darjeeling district Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its hill station and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters. Kurseon ...
, Chopra constituency forms the
Darjeeling (Lok Sabha constituency) Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India. The constituency centres on Darjeeling in West Bengal. While five assembly segments are in Darjeeling district, one assembly segment is in Kalimpong distr ...
. Islampur, Goalpokhar, Chakulia, Karandighi, Hemtabad, Kaliaganj and Raiganj constituencies forms the
Raiganj (Lok Sabha constituency) Raiganj Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India. The constituency centres on Raiganj in West Bengal. All the seven assembly segments of No. 5 Raiganj Lok Sabha constituency are in Uttar Dinajpur district. ...
. Along with six assembly constituencies from
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 ...
, Itahar forms the
Balurghat (Lok Sabha constituency) Balurghat Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India. The constituency centres on Balurghat in West Bengal. While six of the assembly segments of No. 6 Balurghat Lok Sabha constituency are in Dakshin Dinajpu ...
.


Demographics

According to the 2011 census Uttar Dinajpur 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 3,007,134, roughly equal to the nation of
Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
or the US state of
Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...
. This gives it a ranking of 124th 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 22.9%. Uttar Dinajpur 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 936
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 59.1%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 26.87% and 5.41% of the population respectively. 2,644,906 were rural and 362,228 were urban.


Religion


Language

According to the 2011 census, 68.06% of the population spoke
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 ...
, 13.22% Surjapuri, 9.48%
Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''
Santali, 3.76%
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 ...
and 1.03% Rajbongshi as their first language.
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 main language but a sizeable number of
Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''
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 ...
and Maithili speaking people live in Islampur sub-division. It is one of the most backward districts of India educationally and economically owing to state neglect. The dialects here are spoken throughout North Bengal and are variously called Kamatpuri, Dinajpuri or Surjapuri.


Education

As of 2012, there were 3282 schools in the Uttar Dinajpur district. 3100 of these are in rural areas, and 182 urban. There is Raiganj University in Uttar Dinajpur situated at Raiganj Others general degree and diploma colleges are here also. Some notable colleges such as: * Chopra Kamala Paul Smriti Mahavidyalaya * Dr. Meghnad Saha College *
Islampur College Islampur College, established in 1973, is the general degree college in Islampur, in the Uttar Dinajpur district. It offers Graduate courses in Arts, Commerce and Science. It is affiliated to University of North Bengal University of No ...
* Islampur Government Polytechnic *
Kaliyaganj College Kaliyaganj College is a college in Kaliyaganj in the Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal, India. The college is affiliated to University of Gour Banga University of Gour Banga is a public state university located in Malda, West Bengal ...
* Raiganj Government Medical College and Hospital *
Raiganj Polytechnic Raiganj Polytechnic , established in 1986, is a government polytechnic located in Raiganj, Uttar Dinajpur district, West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is ...
*
Raiganj Surendranath Mahavidyalaya Raiganj Surendranath Mahavidyalaya is a college in Raiganj in the Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal, India. The college is affiliated to University of Gour Banga, offering undergraduate courses. History On 10 October 1986 Ad hoc Governi ...
* Shree Agrasen Mahavidyalaya


Flora and fauna

In 1985 Uttar Dinajpur district became home to the
Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary (''Raegônj Bonnoprani Ôbhôearonno'') (also popularly known as Kulik Bird Sanctuary) is situated near Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The bird sanctuary is home to 164 species of ...
, which has an area of .


Transport

Major railway stations are Raiganj(RGJ),
Radhikapur Radhikapur is a village and a gram panchayat in Kaliaganj CD block in Raiganj subdivision of Uttar Dinajpur district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a border checkpoint on the Bangladesh-India border. Geography Location Radhikapur i ...
(RDP), Kaliyagunj, Dalkolha and Aluabari Road Jn (Islampur). Dalkolha is most important stoppage of long-distance train. NH 27 and NH 12 are two National Highways in this District. Radhikapur-Kolkata (RDP-KOAA) Express train and Radhikapur-Howrah Kulik Express (RDP-HWH) are the two direct train for Raiganj to South Bengal Communication. Although RDP-SGUJ DEMU is the only direct train for Raiganj to North Bengal Communication.
NBSTC North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) is a state government run transport corporation in West Bengal, India. It plies buses mainly in North Bengal but operates services to other parts of West Bengal and neighboring states like ...
, SBSTC are transport corporations serving the area. Siliguri More is that point zone which connect four district zone North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, North Bengal and South Bengal through High Ways.


Tourism

*
Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary (''Raegônj Bonnoprani Ôbhôearonno'') (also popularly known as Kulik Bird Sanctuary) is situated near Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The bird sanctuary is home to 164 species of ...
, the largest bird sanctuary of Asia * Swaminath Temple at Swaminath * Rajbari at Rajbari Gate * Shiv Mandir at
Itahar Itahar is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Raiganj subdivision of Uttar Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History Historically the western frontier of ancient Pundravardhana kingdom, bor ...
* Danhasori Pithasthal at Chandigram * Shree Shree Ma Bhabani Devi Than at Bouaha *Shidhi binayak Mandir at,
Maharaja Hat Maharaja Hat is a census town in Raiganj CD Block in Raiganj subdivision of Uttar Dinajpur district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Demographics As per the 2011 Census of India, Maharaja Hat had a total population of 10,067, of which 5,221 ...


See also

*
Bengali language Movement (North Dinajpur) The Bengali Language Movement is a campaign to preserve Bengali language and Bengalis culture and to oppose anti-Bengali sentiment in India. The movement was started in Manbhum in 1940, ahead of the Partition of India which allocated eastern Bengal ...


Notes


References


External links


Official WebsiteUttar-Dinajpur.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uttar Dinajpur District Districts of West Bengal Minority Concentrated Districts in India 1992 establishments in West Bengal