Hooghly district () is one of the districts of the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

n 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 fou ...

. It can alternatively be spelt ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli''. The district is named after the

Hooghly River The Bhagirathi Hooghly River (Anglicized alternatively spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') or the 'Bhāgirathi-Hooghly', called the Ganga or the Kati-Ganga in mythological texts, is the eastern distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, In ...

. The headquarters of the district are at Hooghly-Chinsura (''Chuchura''). There are four subdivisions: Chinsurah Sadar, Srirampore, Chandannagore, and Arambagh.

History

The district of Hooghly derived its name from the town of Hooghly on the west bank of the Hugli River about 40 km 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 ...

. This town was a major river port for trade in India before colonialism. The district has thousands of years of rich heritage as part of the Bengali kingdom of

Bhurshut Bhurshut ( bn, ভুরশুট, Bhurśut) or Bhurishreshtha ( bn, ভূরিশ্রেষ্ঠ, Bhūriśreṣṭha) was a medieval Hindu kingdom spread across what is now Howrah and Hooghly districts in the Indian state of West Ben ...

. The first European to reach this area was the Portuguese sailor Vasco da Gama. In 1536 Portuguese traders obtained a permit from Sultan Mahmud Shah to trade in this area. In those days the Hooghly River was the main route for transportation and Hooghly served as an excellent trading port. Within a few decades, the town of Hooghly turned into a major commercial centre and the largest port in Bengal. Later in 1579–80 Mughal emperor

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 ...

gave permission to a Portuguese captain Pedro Tavares to establish a city anywhere in the Bengal province. They chose Hooghly, and it became the first European settlement in Bengal. In 1599 the Portuguese traders built a

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Angl ...

and a

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Chri ...

Bandel Bandel is a neighbourhood in the Hooghly district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is founded by Portuguese settlers and falls under the jurisdiction of Chandernagore Police Commissionerate. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Me ...

. This is the first Christian church in Bengal known as ‘Bandel Church’ today. The Portuguese traders started

slave trading The history of slavery spans many cultures, nationalities, and religions from ancient times to the present day. Likewise, its victims have come from many different ethnicities and religious groups. The social, economic, and legal positions of ens ...

robbery Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...

and converting natives into Christians by pressure. At one point they stopped paying taxes to the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

. As a result, Emperor

Shah Jahan Shihab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram (5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), better known by his regnal name Shah Jahan I (; ), was the fifth emperor of the Mughal Empire, reigning from January 1628 until July 1658. Under his emperorship, the Mugha ...

ordered the then-ruler of Bengal province, Qasim Khan Juvayni, to block the city of Hooghly. This led to a war in which the Portuguese were defeated. Among other European powers that came to Hooghly were the Dutch, the Danish, the British, the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

, the

Belgians Belgians ( nl, Belgen; french: Belges; german: Belgier) are people identified with the Kingdom of Belgium, a federal state in Western Europe. As Belgium is a multinational state, this connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultur ...

and the

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

. Dutch traders centred their activities in the town

Chuchura Hugli-Chuchura or Hooghly-Chinsurah is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the bank of Hooghly River, 35 km north of Kolkata. It is located in the district of Hooghly and is h ...

which is south of Hooghly.

Chandannagar Chandannagar french: Chandernagor ), also known by its former name Chandernagore and French name Chandernagor, is a city in the Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is headquarter of the Chandannagore subdivision and is ...

became the base of the French and the city remained under their control from 1816 to 1950. Similarly, the Danish establishment in settlement in

Serampore Serampore (also called ''Serampur'', ''Srirampur'', ''Srirampore'', ''Shreerampur'', ''Shreerampore'', ''Shrirampur'' or ''Shrirampore'') is a city of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarter of the Srirampore ...

(1755). All these towns are on the west bank of the

and served as ports. Among these European countries, the British ultimately became most powerful. Chinsurah N

Initially the British were based in and around the city of Hooghly like traders from other countries. In 1690

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 ...

decided to shift the British trading centre from Hooghly-Chinsura to

Calcutta 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, commer ...

. The reason behind this decision was the strategically safe location of Calcutta and its proximity to the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean, bounded on the west and northwest by India, on the north by Bangladesh, and on the east by Myanmar and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India. Its southern limit is a line bet ...

. As a result, trade and commerce in the

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 ...

province shifted from the town of Hooghly to Calcutta. Hooghly lost its importance as Calcutta prospered. After the

Battle of Buxar The Battle of Buxar was fought between 22 and 23 October 1764, between the forces under the command of the British East India Company, led by Hector Munro, and the combined armies of Mir Qasim, Nawab of Bengal till 1764; the Nawab of Awadh, ...

this region was brought under direct British rule until India's independence in 1947. After independence, this district merged into the state of

. Though the city of Hooghly is more than 500 years old, the district of Hooghly was formed in 1795 with the city of Hooghly as its headquarters. Later the headquarters shifted to the town of

. In 1843 the Howrah district was created from the southern portion of this district. And in 1872, the south-west portion of this district was merged into the

Medinipur district Midnapore district was a district of the state of West Bengal, India. This district was bifurcated on 1 January 2002 into the Purba Medinipur district and the Paschim Medinipur district. On 4 April 2017, the Jhargram subdivision of Paschim Medi ...

. The last change in area occurred in 1966. Some_village_in_Hooghly

Tarakeswar Temple

The Taraknath Temple, dedicated to the Hindu god

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...

worshiped as Taraknath, is a major pilgrimage spot in the town of Tarakeswar. Built in 1729, the temple is an ‘atchala’ structure of Bengal temple architecture with a ‘ natmandir’ in front. Close by are the shrines of

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In this tra ...

and Lakshmi Narayan. Dudhpukur, a tank to the north of the Shiva temple is believed to fulfil the prayers of those taking a dip in it. Pilgrims visit the temple throughout the year, especially on Mondays. Thousands of pilgrims visit Tarakeswar on the occasions of

Shivaratri Maha Shivaratri ( IAST: Mahāśivarātri) is a Hindu festival celebrated annually in honour of the god Shiva. The name also refers to the night when Shiva performs the heavenly dance called Tandava. In every month of the luni-solar Hindu ...

and ‘ Gajan’, the former taking place in

Phalgun Falgun or Phalgun (; ne, फाल्गुण) or Phagun ( as, ফাগুন) is the eleventh month of the year in the Bengali calendar, the Assamese calendar, and the Nepali calendar. In the revision of the Bengali calendar used in Banglade ...

(Feb-March) while the latter lasts for five days ending on the last day of Chaitra (mid-April). The month of Sravana (mid-July to mid-August) is seen to be auspicious for Shiva when celebrations are held on each Monday.

Gallery

File:Hangsesharimandir1.JPG,

Hangseshwari temple Hangseswari temple (also spelled as ''Hanseswari temple'') is a Hindu ratna temple located in the town of Bansberia at Hooghly District, West Bengal,India. The presiding deity of the temple is Hangseswari, a form of Maa adi parashakti jagatjana ...

, in Banshberia File:Antpur Radhagovindjiu Temple.jpg, Antpur Radhagovindjiu Temple File:Imambara hooghly.jpg,

Hooghly Imambara Hooghly Imambara is a Shia Muslim congregation hall and mosque in Hooghly, West Bengal, India. The construction of the building was started by Muhammad Mohsin in 1841 and completed in 1861. The building is a two storied structure, with a tall c ...

File:Chandannagore Strand Park.jpg, Chandannagar Strand File:Rad Gt Hooghly.jpg, Grand Trunk Road File:Rajballavi Devi.jpg, Maa Rajballavi of Rajbalhat File:Clock Tower-Dasghara-West Bengal-6.jpg, Dasghara Rajbari Entrance

Geography

The district is flat, with no place having an elevation of more than 200 meters. The River Hooghly borders it to the east. Another major river is the Damodar. The district is bordered by Howrah District to the south, Bardhaman District to the north, and to the east by the River Hooghly.

Bankura Bankura () is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura district. Etymology In the Mahabharata, Bankura was described as Suhmobhumi. The word or (in Nagari: rāḍh) was introduced ...

District lies to the north-west, with Medinipur District to the south-west. Map of hooghly district

Economy

Hooghly is one of the most economically developed districts in West Bengal. It is the main jute cultivation, jute industry, and

jute trade The jute trade is centered mainly around India's West Bengal and Assam, and Bangladesh. The major producing country of jute is India and biggest exporter being Bangladesh, due to their natural fertile soil. Production of jute by India and Bang ...

hub in the state. The jute mills are along the banks of the river Hooghly in Tribeni, Bhadreswar, Champdani and Sreerampur. There are a number of industrial complexes including one of the largest car manufacturing plants in India, the Hindustan Motors plant in Uttarpara. It was also home to the Singur Tata Nano controversy. Hindustan Motors plant was closed in 2014. Bandel Thermal power plant and Tribeni tissue plant (ITC) are running smoothly.

Divisions

Administrative subdivisions

The district comprises four subdivisions: Chinsurah, Chandannagore, Srirampore and Arambagh. * Chinsurah subdivision consists of two municipalities (

Hugli-Chuchura Hugli-Chuchura or Hooghly-Chinsurah is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the bank of Hooghly River, 35 km north of Kolkata. It is located in the district of Hooghly and is h ...

and Bansberia) and five community development blocs: Balagarh, Chinsurah–Mogra, Dhaniakhali, Pandua and Polba–Dadpur. * Chandannagore subdivision consists of

municipal corporation and three municipalities ( Bhadreswar, Champdani and Tarakeswar) and three community development blocs: Haripal, Singur and Tarakeswar. * Srirampore subdivision consists of six municipalities (

Uttarpara Kotrung Uttarpara or Uttarpara Kotrung is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). Uttarpara is located at , within 10 k ...

Dankuni Dankuni is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is now part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). It is considered posh area in Hooghly. Geography Location ...

Konnagar Konnagar is a town and a municipality of Hooghly district in the state of West Bengal in India. Konnagar has a railway station that connect with Howrah. It is under Uttarpara police station in Serampore subdivision. It is a part of the area co ...

Rishra Rishra is a city and a municipality in Srirampore subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). History The origin of Rishra sit ...

and

Baidyabati Baidyabati is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the State of West Bengal in India. It is under Serampore police station of Srirampore subdivision. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority ...

) and four community development blocks: Chanditala–I, Chanditala–II, Jangipara and Sreerampur Uttarpara. * Arambagh subdivision consists of Arambag municipality and six community development blocks: Arambag, Khanakul–I, Khanakul–II, Goghat–I, Goghat–II and Pursurah.

is the district headquarters. There are 23 police stations, 18 development blocks, 12 municipalities and 207

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 in this district. Other than municipality area, each subdivision contains community development blocks that are divided into rural areas and census towns. There are 41 urban units: 12 municipalities and 64

census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...

Chinsurah subdivision

* Two municipalities: Hugli-Chinsurah and Bansberia * Balagarh community development block consists of rural areas with 13 gram panchayats and four census towns: Jirat, Sripur, Badhagachhi, Mirdhanga. * Chinsurah–Mogra community development block consists of rural areas with 10 gram panchayats and eight census towns:

Kodalia Kodalia is a census town in Chinsurah Mogra CD Block in Chinsurah subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of Kolkata Urban Agglomeration. Geography Location Kodalia is located at . The area is compos ...

, Raghunathpur, Madhusudanpur, Amodghata, Shankhanagar, Chak Bansberia,

Kulihanda Kulihanda is a census town in Chinsurah Mogra CD Block in Chinsurah subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of Kolkata Urban Agglomeration. Geography Location Kulihanda is located at . The area is c ...

, Simla. * Dhaniakhali community development block consists of rural areas only with 18 gram panchayats. * Pandua community development block consists of rural areas with 15 gram panchayats and three census towns: Boinchi, Pandua and Batika. * Polba–Dadpur community development block consists of rural areas only with 12 gram panchayats.

Chandannagore subdivision

municipal corporation * Three municipalities: Bhadreswar, Champdani, and Tarakeswar * Haripal community development block consists of rural areas only with 15 gram panchayats one census town:

Bargachhia Bargachhia is a census town of Nalikul Purba Gram Panchayat in Haripal CD Block in Chandannagore subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Location Bargachhia is located at . The area is composed of f ...

. * Singur community development block consists of rural areas with 16 gram panchayats and one census town: Singur. * Tarakeswar community development block consists of rural areas only with 10 gram panchayats.

Srirampore subdivision

* Six municipalities:

and Champdani * Chanditala–I community development block consists of rural areas only with 9 gram panchayats and 2 census towns: Masat, Gangadharpur, Aniya, Bhagabatipur, Haripur, Krishnarampur, Kumirmorah, Nawabpur, Sheakhala. * Chanditala–II community development block consists of rural areas with 11 gram panchayats and 10 census towns: Purba Tajpur, Kharsarai, Begampur,

Chikrand Chikrand is a census town in Chanditala II CD Block in Srirampore subdivision of Hooghly district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Chikrand is located at . Kharsarai, Tisa, Kapashanria, Jaykrishnapur, Purba Tajpur, Beg ...

, Pairagachha, Monoharpur, Barijhati, Garalgachha, Krishnapur and Mrigala. * Jangipara community development block consists of rural areas only with 10 gram panchayats. *

Sreerampur Uttarpara Sreerampur Uttarpara is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Srirampore subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Overview The Sreerampur Uttarpara CD Block is part of the Hooghly Flats, ...

community development block consists of rural areas with six gram panchayats and six census towns: Raghunathpur, Dakshin Rajyadharpur, Bamunari, Rishra, Nabagram and Kanaipur.

Arambagh subdivision

* One municipality: Arambag. * Arambag community development block consists of rural areas only with 15 gram panchayats. * Khanakul–I community development block consists of rural areas only with 13 gram panchayats. * Khanakul–II community development block consists of rural areas only with 11 gram panchayats. * Goghat–I community development block consists of rural areas only with 8 gram panchayats. * Goghat–II community development block consists of rural areas only with 9 gram panchayats. * Pursurah community development block consists of rural areas only with 8 gram panchayats.

Blocks map

File:ARAMBAG CD BLOCK MAP.svg, Arambag CD block map showing GP and urban areas File:Balagarh CD block map.svg, Balagarh CD block showing GP areas File:CHANDITALA-I CD BLOCK MAP 1.svg, Chanditala-I CD block map showing GP areas File:CHANDITALA-II CD BLOCK MAP.svg, Chanditala-II CD block map showing GP and urban areas File:Chinsurah-Mogra CD Block.svg, Chinsurah-Mogra CD block map showing GP and urban areas File:Dhaniakhali CD block map.svg, Dhaniakhali CD block showing GP areas File:Goghat-I CD block map.svg, Goghat-I CD block map showing GP areas File:Goghat-II CD block map.svg, Goghat-II CD block showing GP areas File:HARIPAL CD BLOCK MAP.svg, Haripal CD block map showing GP areas File:JANGIPARA CD BLOCK MAP.svg, Jangipara CD block map showing GP areas File:Khanakul-I CD Block.svg, Khanakul-I CD block map showings GP areas File:Khanakul-II CD block map.svg, Khanakul-II CD block Map showing GP areas File:Map of Pursurah CD block.svg, Pursurah CD block map showing GP areas File:Pandua CD Block map.svg, Pandua CD block map showing GP areas File:Polba-Dadpur CD block .svg, Polba-Dadpur CD block map showing GP areas File:SINGUR CD BLOCK MAP.svg, Singur CD block map showing GP and urban areas File:Sreerampur Uttarpara CD Block Map.svg, Seerampur-Uttarpara CD block map showing GP and urban areas File:Tarokeswr CD Block Map.svg, Tarokeswr CD block map showing GP and urban areas

Assembly constituencies

The district is divided into 18 assembly constituencies: # Jangipara (assembly constituency no. 177), # Chanditala (assembly constituency no. 178), # Uttarpara (assembly constituency no. 179), #

(assembly constituency no. 180), # Champdani (assembly constituency no. 181), # Chandernagore (assembly constituency no. 189), # Singur (assembly constituency no. 183), # Haripal (assembly constituency no. 184), # Tarakeswar (assembly constituency no. 185), # Chinsurah (assembly constituency no. 186), # Bansberia (assembly constituency no. 187), # Balagarh (SC) (assembly constituency no. 188), # Pandua (assembly constituency no. 189), # Dhaniakhali (SC) (assembly constituency no. 191), # Pursurah (assembly constituency no. 192), # Khanakul (SC) (assembly constituency no. 193), # Arambagh (assembly constituency no. 194) and # Goghat (SC) (assembly constituency no. 195). 12 Balagarh, Dhaniakhali, Khanakul and Goghat constituencies are reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates. Along with two assembly constituencies from Howrah district, Jangipara, Chanditala, Uttarpara, Serampore and Champdani constituencies form the Serampore (Lok Sabha constituency). Chandernagore, Singur, Haripal, Chinsurah, Bansberia, Polba and Dhaniakhali constituencies form the

Hooghly (Lok Sabha constituency) Hooghly Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India. The constituency centres on Hugli-Chuchura in West Bengal. All the seven assembly segments of No. 28 Hooghly Lok Sabha constituency are in Hooghly distric ...

. Tarakeswar, Pursurah, Khankul, Arambag and Goghat constituencies are part of the

Arambagh (Lok Sabha constituency) Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India. The constituency centres on Arambagh in West Bengal. While six assembly segments of No. 29 Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency are in Hooghly district one segm ...

, which contains two assembly segments in Paschim Medinipur district. Balagarh and Pandua constituencies are part of the

Katwa (Lok Sabha constituency) Katwa Lok Sabha constituency was one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India. The constituency centred on Katwa in West Bengal, which was abolished following the delimitation of the parliamentary constituencies in 2008. Overview As ...

, which contains five assembly constituency from Bardhaman district. 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.Scheduled Castes (SC) candidates. Along with two assembly constituencies from Howrah district, Uttarpara, Sreerampur, Champdani, Chanditala and Jangipara constituencies will form the Sreerampur (Lok Sabha constituency). Singur, Chandannagar, Chunchura, Balagarh, Pandua, Saptagram and Dhanekhali constituencies will form the

. Haripal, Tarakeswar, Pursurah, Arambag, Goghat and Khankul constituencies will be part of the Arambag (Lok Sabha constituency), which will contain one assembly segment in Paschim Medinipur district.

Police administration

Hooghly District comes under Burdwan Police Range. Hooghly Rural Police District was created on 30 June 2017, curbing out of erstwhile Hooghly district. Presently it consists of sixteen police station with jurisdiction, one women police station and one Cyber Police Station. The head quarter of Hooghly Rural Police District was shifted to Kamarkundu under Singur PS from Chinsura. Chandannagar Police Commissionerate was formed after bifurcation of the Hooghly Police District, and has nine police stations under its jurisdiction established on 30 June 2017, is a police force with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within certain urban parts of Hooghly district. The Commissionerate is part of the West Bengal Police, and comes under the Department of Home & Hill Affairs, Government of West Bengal. For the functioning of 23 police stations of the district, District Intelligence Branch, District Enforcement Branch and District Reserve Police Force SP, Hooghly is assisted by three additional superintendents: * HQ: Having his office at Chinsurah, he looks after the Sadar Sub-Division and District Police Force, being assisted by Dy.S.P. (HQ) and Dy.S.P. (D&T). * Industrial: He is in Serampore. He is the supervising officer for Serampore and Chandernagore Sub Divisions, assisted by SDPO: Serampore and SDPO: Chandernagore. * Rural: He is in Arambagh and is the supervising officer for Arambagh Sub Division; being assisted by SDPO: Arambagh.

Transport

Rail

The railway communication of the district, especially at the suburban area, is very developed. There are four junction stations in Hooghly: *

Bandel Junction railway station Bandel Junction railway station is one of the junction stations of the Kolkata Suburban Railway network, India. It is situated on the Howrah–Bandel–Barddhaman main line in Hooghly district with an approximate distance from Howrah railway st ...

Dankuni Junction railway station Dankuni is a railway junction station on the Howrah–Bardhaman chord and is located in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is linked with both and . History The Howrah–Bardhaman chord, a shorter link to Bardhaman fr ...

* Sheoraphuli railway station * Kamarkundu The railway is under Howrah Division. The Howrah – New Delhi Rajdhani Route passes through the district, which is one of the most important routes of the country. This route comes under Howrah division and is under the jurisdiction of Sr Den/2/Hwh assisted by AEN/2/LLH. The first train of ER started its journey from Howrah to Hooghly on 14 August 1854 (First halt was Bally (Howrah) and second halt was

). Hooghly station was announced as the heritage station. Chinsurah and Tarakeswar railway stations are very useful.

Bus

There are several bus stands in Hooghly district, of the main four bus stands are Chinsurah, Serampore, Tarakeswar, Arambagh. Other small bus stand including Kamarpukur, Dashghara, Dankuni, Champadanga, Garer Ghat, Badanganj, Haripal, Jangipara, Balideaonganj, Bandar present in Hooghly district. Tarakeswar is the largest bus terminus of Hooghly. It has bus connection with several districts of West Bengal. Express Buses bound Bankura, Barddhaman, Durgapur, Sonamukhi, Tamluk, Bolpur, Khatra, Kharagpur, Digha, Medinipur, Haldia, Panskura, Jhargram, Katwa, Krishnanagar, Nabadwip, Kalna and many more destination are available from Tarakeswar bus stand. There is also many local bus route like 12, 13, 16, 17, 20, 22, 23 from Tarakeswar that covers Hooghly and some other districts. Chinsurah is one of the largest bus terminus of Hooghly. Several local bus route bound Rishra, Memari, Jirat, Tarakeswar, Haripal, Jangipara are available. Arambagh is another important bus stand of this district. Buses bound Tarakeswar, Kolkata, Kamarpukur, Badanganj, Kotulpur, Khanakul, Barddhaman are available.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Hooghly 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 usi ...

of 5,519,145, roughly equal to the nation of

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

or the US state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. This gives it a ranking of 16th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 9.49%. Hugli 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 dev ...

of 958 females 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 82.55%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 24.35% and 4.15% of the population respectively.

Religion

Hindus are the majority community in the district. Muslims are the largest minority, concentrated more in rural areas.

Language

At the time of the 2011 census, 87.49% 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 ...

, 7.59%

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 ...

, 2.37% Santali and 1.72%

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Education

There are 2992 primary schools, 408 high schools, 127 higher secondary schools, 22 colleges, and 6 technical institutes in Hooghly district. The most notable institutions among them are: * Badanganj High School (H.S.), ADANGANJ : HOOGHLY: PIN-712122Estd.1910 * Hooghly Collegiate School, Estd. 1812 *Pearl Rosary School, Estd. 2005 * Hooghly Mohsin College, Estd. 1836 * Sitapur Endowment Senior Madrasah - is established in 1751 as a part o
Sitapur endowmant
* Hooghly Madrasah - Haji Muhammad Mohsin established in 1817. * Furfura Fatehia Senior Madrasah Estd. 1902 * Government College of Engineering & Textile Technology Serampore * Mahesh Sri Ramkrishna Ashram Vidyalaya (Higher Secondary) * Saroj Mohan Institute of Technology, Guptipara * Serampore College * Serampore Girls' College * Serampore Union Institution * Akna Girl's High School * Chatra Nandalal Institution * Mahesh High School,

* Hooghly Branch (Govt) School * St Joseph's Convent, Chandannagar * Balagarh Bijoy Krishna Mahavidyalaya (Jirat College), Jirat

Historical places

* Tarakeswar is a renowned place of pilgrimage and the greatest centre of the Shiva sect in West Bengal. Taraknath Temple situated in Tarakeswar is famous in all over India. Construction of the country's first green university( Rani Rashmoni Green University) is underway at Tarakeswar. Apart from these, Tarakeswar is also famous for getting fresh vegetables, fruits, fish etc and various daily necessities at very low cost. *

: The Ratha Yatra of Mahesh in

is the oldest Ratha Yatra after

Puri Puri () is a coastal city and a municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is also known as '' ...

Ratha-Yatra.

was the Danish colony. The first university in Asia was established in Serampore – Senate of Serampore College (University) *

: One of the most crowded cities has many different religions and industries like Aditya Birla's Jayashree textile. First jute mill of Asia was in Rishra. Arjuna Awardee Indian Footballer Sudhir Karmakar and Ex-Indian Football Captain Sishir Ghosh are from Rishra. Historical places to visit in Rishra Are Nilkuthi, Sidheshwari Kalibari, Bose House, Hesting jute mill, etc. * Nalikul is famous for Raash Mela (রাস মেলা) & Rathayatra (রথযাত্রা) festivals. There is a big vegetable market. *

is famous for Bandel Church, West Bengal's oldest church. Bandel is the birthplace of the eminent writer Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. *

is an important town of Hooghly famous for Jagaddhatri puja, lighting work and French colonial monuments. * Chinsurah is the district headquarters and a historical town of Hooghly.

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (also Chattopadhayay) CIE (26 or 27 June 1838 – 8 April 1894) was an Indian novelist, poet, Essayist and journalist. Staff writer"Bankim Chandra: The First Prominent Bengali Novelist" ''The Daily Star'', 30 June 201 ...

composed the "

Vande Mataram ''Vande Mataram'' (Sanskrit: वन्दे मातरम् IAST: , also spelt ''Bande Mataram''; বন্দে মাতরম্, ''Bônde Mātôrôm''; ) is a poem written in sanskritised Bengali by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in th ...

," the national song of

, at Chinsurah. The Dutch villa is separated at Joraghat and Townguard. They are called 'Mondol Bari' as they are now under the aristocratic ownership of the Mondal family. One can see the Dutch lioness murals on the entrance doors and allied wooden motifs. In spite of such historical background, a major portion of the original Dutch villa at Townguard road, where once nationalist leaders used to hold meetings and conferences, was demolished and gone into the hands of builders/promoters. The back portion and the Joraghat Mondal house with Dutch acknowledgment are intact. The hierarchy of inheritance is becoming weak and the landmark assets need urgent preservation as well as heritage status application. * Guptipara is famous for Rathayatra and Rashmela. There are few historical

Terracotta Terracotta, terra cotta, or terra-cotta (; ; ), in its material sense as an earthenware substrate, is a clay-based unglazed or glazed ceramic where the fired body is porous. In applied art, craft, construction, and architecture, terra ...

temple in Brindabanchandra Math. * The historical triple cities of Chandanagar- Chinsurah-

are called Little Europe as these were all European colonies. * Bansberia is famous for

Hangseshwari Temple Hangseswari temple (also spelled as ''Hanseswari temple'') is a Hindu ratna temple located in the town of Bansberia at Hooghly District, West Bengal,India. The presiding deity of the temple is Hangseswari, a form of Maa adi parashakti jagatjana ...

* Khanakul is the birthplace of Raja Ram Mohan Roy. It also famous for Ratnavali Temple, Gopinath Temple, Radhavallabh Temple, Ghontashor Temple. * Kamarpukur is the birthplace of Sri Sri Ramakrishna dev. * Rajbalhat is famous for Rajballavi Temple. * Antpur is a tourist place near Tarakeswar. *Dasghara is a European wonderland in the heart of rural Bengal near Tarakeswar. It is a place where incongruity reigns as European-styled mansions co-exist with elaborate terracotta temples, as do well-laid out gardens, a clock tower and a Victorian style gateway. At present, the shooting of various movies and serials is done in Dasghara. * Dhaniakhali known for the traditional handloom saris of West Bengal. * * * * Bali Dewanganj is a village having beautiful old temples. The Rautpara neighbourhood alone has five temples with terracotta decorations.

Notable people

This is a list of notable people from Hooghly District. * Sridhara was an Indian mathematician, Sanskrit pandit and philosopher. * Panchanan Karmakar (Inventor of wooden

alphabet typeface) * Anil Chatterjee (Bengali Actor) - born in Jirat. *Deb Bera (Deb Design Gallery) - born in SINGUR. He is a Graphics Designer. * Brajendra Nath Seal - born in Haripal. He was a humanist philosopher. * Raja Ram Mohan Roy - born in Radhanagar. He is considered as the "Father of the Indian Renaissance". He was one of the founders of the Brahmo Sabha, the precursor of the Brahmo Samaj, a socio-religious (Hindu) reform movement in Undivided India. * Shib Chandra Deb- born in

. He was one of the leading Derozians, virtually the first generation of English-knowing Indians. * Nibaran Chandra Mukherjee- born in Hooghly District. He was a Brahmo reformer. * Haji Muhammad Mohsin- born in Hooghly District. He was a famous philanthropist. *

Satish Chandra Mukherjee Satish Chandra Mukherjee (5 June 1865 – 18 April 1948) was a pioneer in establishing a system of national education in India, along with Sri Aurobindo. The positivist background Satish Chandra was born at Banipur in Hooghly district of prese ...

- born in Banipur , Hooghly District. He was a pioneer in establishing a system of national education in India. He was the father of

Subroto Mukherjee Air Marshal Subroto Mukerjee OBE ( Bengali: সুব্রত মুখোপাধ্যায়) (5 March 1911 – 8 November 1960) was an Indian military officer who was the first Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Indian Air Force. He wa ...

. *

(related by ancestry) - He was the first Indian Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Indian Air Force. He was son of

. * Ganga Prasad Mukherjee- born in Jirat. He was a Physician. He was Sir

Ashutosh Mukherjee Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee (anglicised, originally Asutosh Mukhopadhyay, also anglicised to Asutosh Mookerjee) (29 June 1864 – 25 May 1924) was a prolific Bengali educator, jurist, barrister and mathematician. He was the first student to be awa ...

's father. *

Jagannath Tarka Panchanan Jagannath Tarka Panchanan (23 September 1695 – 1806) was a legendary Sanskrit scholar and pundit of ancient Hindu Laws. Biography Tarka Panchanan was born in Tribeni in 1695. He was the son of Rudradeva Bhattacharji, a poor Brahmin of Tribeni, ...

- born in Tribeni. He was a legendary Sanskrit scholar and pundit of ancient Hindu Laws. * Ramakrishna- born in Kamarpukur. He was a Hindu mystic, saint, and religious leader in 19th century Bengal. *

Nagendranath Basu Nagendranath Basu ( bn, নগেন্দ্রনাথ বসু; 6 July 1866 – 11 October 1938) was an archaeologist, encyclopaedist and a nationalist social historian of Bengal. Early life Nagendranath was born in the village of Mahesh ...

- born in Mahesh. He was an archaeologist, encyclopaedist and a nationalist social historian of Bengal. * Amiya Chakravarty- born in

. He was a literary critic, academic, and Bengali poet. He was a close associate of

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

, and edited several books of his poetry. * Ganapati Chakraborty- born in

. He was a magician known for his mesmerizing tricks. He is considered to be the pioneer of modern magic in Bengal. He was the mentor of

P. C. Sorcar Protul Chandra Sorcar (23 February 19136 January 1971) was an Indian magician. He was an internationally active magician throughout the 1950s and 1960s, performing his ''Indrajal'' show before live audiences and on television. Sorcar died of a ...

and

K Lal Kantilal Girdharilal Vora (10 April 1924 – 23 September 2012), popularly known as K. Lal, was an Indian magician. Biography K. Lal was born on 10 April 1924 in Bagasara (now in Amreli district, Gujarat, India) in a Jain family of Girdharl ...

. *

Rangalal Bandyopadhyay Rangalal Bandyopadhyay (Bengali: রঙ্গলাল বন্দ্যোপাধ্যায়) (Born 21 December 1827 – died 13 May 1887) was a Bengali poet, journalist, and author.

- born in Bakulia village of Hooghly District. His ancestral house was in Rameswarpur near Guptipara. He was a Bengali poet, journalist, and author. *

Kali Mirza Kalidas Chattopadhyay( bn, কালিদাস চট্টোপাধ্যায়), better known as Kali Mirza ( bn, কালী মীর্জা), was an 18th-century composer of '' tappā'' music in Bengal. A contemporary of Nidhu Bab ...

- born in Guptipara. He was an 18th-century composer of tappā music in Bengal. A contemporary of

Nidhu Babu Ramnidhi Gupta ( bn, রামনিধি গুপ্ত) (1741– 6 April 1839), commonly known as Nidhu Babu, was one of the reformers of Bengali '' tappā'' music. Nidhu Babu was born in Chapta , Hooghly District at his maternal uncle's hous ...

, he composed over 400 tappās. * Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri- born in

. He was an Indian monk and yogi, and the guru of Paramahansa Yogananda and Swami Satyananda Giri. * Nagendranath Chattopadhyay- born in Salepur village, approximately five miles from the sub-divisional headquarters in Arambagh. He was a noted Sanskrit scholar and grammarian. * Murari Mohan Mukherjee- His native place was Chinsurah. He was a plastic surgeon. *

Krishna Chandra Bhattacharya Krishna Chandra Bhattacharya, also known as K.C. Bhattacharya, (12 May 1875 – 11 December 1949) was a philosopher at the University of Calcutta known for his method of "constructive interpretation" through which relations and problematics of ...

- born in

. He was a philosopher at the

University of Calcutta The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University; CU) is a public collegiate state university in India, located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Considered one of best state research university all over India every yea ...

known for his method of "constructive interpretation" through which relations and problematics of ancient Indian philosophical systems are drawn out and developed so that they can be studied like problems of modern philosophy. * Sisir Kumar Mitra- born in

. He was a physicist. *

Madhusudan Gupta Pandit Madhusudan Gupta ( bn, মধুসূদন গুপ্ত) (1800 – 15 November 1856) was a Bengali Baidya translator and Ayurvedic practitioner who was also trained in Western medicine and is credited with having performed I ...

- born in

. He was a translator and Ayurvedic practitioner who was also trained in Western medicine and is credited with having performed India's first human dissection at Calcutta Medical College (CMC) in 1836, almost 3,000 years after Susruta. *

Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyay (3 February 1873–5 April 1932) was a well known Bengali author. He was born at Dhatrigram in present-day Purba Bardhaman district, West Bengal at his maternal uncle's house. His native place was Gurap in Hoogh ...

- born in Hughli. He was a Bengali Author. * Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay- born in

Debanandapur Debanandapur is a village beside Saraswati Rver and a gram panchayat in the Chinsurah Mogra CD block in the Chinsurah subdivision of the Hooghly district in the state of West Bengal, India. The village has ancient temples like Radha Krish ...

. He was a Bengali novelist and short story writer of the early 20th century. *

Akshay Chandra Sarkar Akshay Chandra Sarkar ( bn, অক্ষয়চন্দ্র সরকার) (11 December 1846 – 2 October 1917) was a poet, an editor and a literary critic of Bengali literature. He was an editor weekly ''Sadharani'' (1874).Sengupt ...

- born in Chinsurah. He was a poet, an editor and a literary critic of Bengali literature. * Raja Digambar Mitra- born in

. He was one of the leading Derozians and first Bengali Sheriff of Kolkata. * Kanailal Dutta- born in

. He was a revolutionary in India's freedom struggle belonging to the Jugantar group. * Ashapurna Devi- Her ancestral village was

Begumpur Jahanpanah was the fourth medieval city of Delhi established in 1326–1327 by Muhammad bin Tughlaq (1325–51), of the Delhi Sultanate. To address the constant threat of the Mongols, Tughlaq built the fortified city of Jahanpanah (meanin ...

. She was a prominent Indian novelist and poet in Bengali language. * Brahmabandhav Upadhyay - born in Khanyan. He was a theologian, journalist and Indian freedom fighter. He was closely attached with Keshub Chandra Sen, classmate of Swami Vivekananda and close acquaintance of

. * Ramnidhi Gupta- born in Chapta near Tribeni. He was commonly known as Nidhu Babu . He was one of the great reformers of Bengali tappā music. *

Kirity Roy Kirity Roy is an Indian civil rights activist working in West Bengal. He is the founder secretary of ''Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha'' (MASUM) of a non-governmental human rights organisation based in Serampore, Hoogly, near Kolkata. he has been d ...

- civil rights activist working in West Bengal * Motilal Roy - born in

. He was a Bengali revolutionary, journalist, social reformer. He founded the "Prabartak Sangha", a nationalist organisation for social works. *

Dwarka Nath Mitra Dwarka Nath Mitra (1833 - 25 February 1874) was a famous lawyer and judge of the Calcutta High Court. Dwarka Nath Mitra was born in 1833 in Hooghly district and educated at Hooghly College where he excelled in mathematics and English literatur ...

- born in Augunsi. He belongs to the famous Mitra family of Janai. He was a famous lawyer and judge of the Calcutta High Court. *

Nabagopal Mitra Nabagopal Mitra ( bn, নবগোপাল মিত্র; 1840– 9 February 1894) was an Indian playwright, poet, essayist, patriot and one of the founding fathers of Hindu nationalism. He founded the Hindu Mela (which was inaugurated by Ra ...

- He belonged to the famous Mitra Family of

.He was an Indian playwright, poet, essayist, patriot and one of the founding fathers of Hindu nationalism. He founded the Hindu Mela (which was inaugurated by

Rajnarayan Basu Rajnarayan Basu ({1826–1899) was an Indian writer and intellectual of the Bengal Renaissance. He was born in Boral in 24 Parganas and studied at the Hare School and Hindu College, in Kolkata, Bengal. A monotheist at heart, Rajnarayan Basu c ...

), the pioneer institution behind the genesis of Hindu nationalism. Mitra also founded National Press, National Paper, National Society, National School, National Theatre, National Store, National Gymnasium and National Circus, earning him the sobriquet 'National Mitra'. * Barindra Kumar Ghosh- He belonged to the famous Ghosh family of

. He was an Indian revolutionary and journalist. He was one of the founding members of "Jugantar" , a Bengali weekly, a revolutionary outfit in Bengal. Barindra Kumar Ghosh was the younger brother of Shri Aurobindo. * Manmohan Ghose- He belonged to the famous Ghosh family of

. He was an Indian poet and one of the first from India to write poetry in English. He was a brother of Sri Aurobindo. * Ashim Kumar Majhi born in Jirat, he is a politician. * Nirmal Jibon Ghosh - born in Dhamasin village, an Indian revolutionary and member of the Bengal Volunteers. * Premendra Mitra - Premendra Mitra belonged to the renowned Mitra family of

(in Hooghly district,

). * Surajit Dhara, recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize for Science and Technology for his contributions to physical sciences in 2020 * Elora Tribedy, field archaeologist, Nalanda University

Notes

References

External links

Hooghly District official homepage

Hooghly specific information on West Bengal Portal

Hooghly District map

Hooghly District information
{{Authority control Districts of West Bengal