Pandua () is a

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 ...

in the Pandua CD block in the

Chinsurah subdivision Chinsurah subdivision is an administrative subdivision of the Hooghly district in the state of West Bengal, India. Overview The eastern portion of Chinsurah subdivision is part of the Hooghly Flats, a natural physiographic region, that is a narr ...

of the

Hooghly district Hooghly district () is one of the districts of the Indian state of West Bengal. It can alternatively be spelt ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli''. The district is named after the Hooghly River. The headquarters of the district are at Hooghly-Chinsurah (' ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

Geography

Location

Pandua is located at . It has an average elevation of 19 metres (62 feet). Pandua, Purusattompur and Namajgram form a cluster of census towns. Pandua CD block is a flat

alluvial Alluvium (, ) 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. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

plain, known as the Hooghly-Damodar Plain, that forms part of the Gangetic Delta. The place is best known for its

minar Minar may refer to: *Minar (Firuzabad), a structure in Iran * Minar Rahman, Bangladeshi singer-songwriter * Ivo Minář, Czech tennis player * Thomas J. Minar, American academic administrator *Minar, an alternate spelling for minaret A minare ...

and the ruins of Pandu Raja's Palace where all important state ceremonies were held. The 13th-century minar is high.

History

According to Binoy Ghosh, the tall Pandua Minar can be seen by those travelling in trains or along the Grand Trunk Road. It is locally said that Shah Sufiuddin defeated the Hindu king of the Pandua and Mahanad area and built this victory pillar. Mahiuddin Ostagar of Santipur composed a poem, ''Panduar Kechha'', in which he describes how Muslim domination of the area was achieved. There was a king named Pandu in Pandua. Inside his palace there was a well blessed by the gods. When the body of a dead person was immersed in its waters, the person regained life. During the reign of king Pandu, mostly Hindus lived in Pandua, and there were a few Muslims. One day a Muslim peasant killed a cow on his son's birthday. This enraged the Hindus and they killed the son. The Muslim peasant complained to king Pandu but he did not take any action. The peasant carried the dead body of his son to the Badshah at Delhi, Feroze Shah. After listening to the complaint, he sent his nephew, Shah Sufi, at the head of an army, to Pandua. He waged war but initially he was unsuccessful, because of the life-giving properties of the divine well. Frustrated Shah Sufi was almost on the verge of returning to Delhi, when a cowherd boy revealed the secret of the divine well to Shah Sufi. The boy, dressed as a yogi, entered the palace and threw some beef into the well, thereby destroying its divine properties. The Muslim forces captured Pandua, and Shah Sufi remained back in Pandua. He built a large mosque there.Ghosh, Binoy, ''Paschim Banger Sanskriti'', , part II, 1976 edition, pages 312–316, Prakash Bhaban, Kolkata. Historically, there is no evidence of the existence of king Pandu, but there were many minor Hindu kings in the Saptagram-Pandua area. Within a century of Bakhtiyar Khilji's conquest, the Muslim thrust into the southern parts of the

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

, that included the present-day Hooghly district, started from the end of the 13th century to the 14th century. It was during the rule of the Balban sultans in Delhi (1286–1328) that efforts were made to establish Islam, not only by capturing the thrones and political power, but also by establishing Islam socially. According to the available records, Zafar Khan had come to the Tribeni area towards the end of the 13th century and Shah Sufiuddin had come to the Pandua area towards the beginning of the 14th century. During the period that followed Muslim Ghazis built many mosques and tombs on the ruins of Hindu temples. There is tell-tale evidence of the historical role of Muslim Ghazi-Pirs in the Pandua-Mahanad-Tribeni area.

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census of India, Pandua had a total population of 30,700 of which 15,597 (51%) were males and 15,103 (49%) were females. Population in the age range 0–6 years was 2,986. The total number of literate persons in Pandua was 22,604 (81.56% of the population over 6 years). India

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

, Pandua had a population of 27,126. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Pandua has an average literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 62%. In Pandua, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Civic administration

Police station

Pandua police station has jurisdiction over Pandua CD block.

CD block HQ

The headquarters of Pandua CD block are located at Pandua.

Economy

This is a rich agricultural area with several cold storages. S.R.Industry, manufacturer of construction and agricultural machinery was established at Pandua in 1996.

Healthcare

Pandua has a rural hospital (with 30 beds).

Transport

* State Highway 13/ GT Road passes through Pandua. * Pundooah railway station situated on Howrah-Bardhaman main line.

Visitor attractions

*Bari Masjid: The meaning of the bari is "the big mosque which shows the incredible architecture styled with Bricks". It was built by Shah Sufiuddin in 14th century. *Pandua Minar: It was built by Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah in 1477 CE and it is a symbol of victory. Along with the Bari Masjid, it was built to replace the Srinkhala Devi temple which was destroyed by Shamsuddin Yusuf Shah.

Gallery

Bari Masjid, Pandua, Hooghly 01.jpg, Bari masjid Bori Mosque of Pandua.jpg, ASI Board of for the mosque Pundooah Hooghly 1.jpg, The minar in the distance Pandua Minar by Piyal Kundu.jpg, The minar Minar Pandua.jpg, The minar Pandua Minar at Pandua 15.jpg, ASI Board for the minar Panduaminar.jpg, The minar Mahanad Kali Temple-Pandua-West Bengal-DSC 3173 00001.jpg, Mahanad Kali temple Pandua Cattle Market by Piyal Kundu.jpg, Cattle market

References

External links

Pandua Image gallery
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Hooghly district

Bari Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...