Surul 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 Bolpur Sriniketan CD block in Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district 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 ...

History

Surul is a village adjacent to Visva-Bharati University, founded by

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

. A major part of this central university, with the whole of its Sriniketan campus, stands within Surul Mouja. Surul consists of a large population of Bagdis, Bauris, Haris and

Doms The Doma (), also known as ''Dom'', ''Domra'', ''Domba'', ''Domaka'', ''Dombara'' and ''Dombari'', are castes, or groups, scattered across India. The Doma/Dom were a caste of drummers. According to Tantra scriptures, the Dom were engaged in the ...

, as well as weavers. The Sarkars of Surul Raj, who were Zamindars of this Birbhum District brought in

Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...

s and other upper castes. The Sarkar family at Surul had contributed a vital role towards socio-economic development of the overall area and also towards establishment of Visva-Bharati, an Institution of National Importance.Ghosh, Binoy, ''Paschim Banger Sanskriti'', (in Bengali), part I, 1976 edition, pp. 304-308, Prakash Bhaban During British rule in India, this Surul used to be a very significant area, being the strategic centre of business/commerce/trade and was also the site of a commercial residency under John Cheap. After

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

gave up its mercantile dealings in 1835, the residency was allowed to fall into decay.O’Malley, L.S.S., ICS, ''Birbhum'', Bengal District Gazetteers, p. 145, first published 1910, 1996 reprint, Government of West Bengal

Geography

Location

Sriniketan now adjoins a part of Surul. It is from Santiniketan. Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the area. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Physical features

Surul is located in the south-eastern part of the district which is an alluvial plain between Ajay and Mayurakshi Rivers. It has hot and dry summers, spread over March – May, followed by the monsoon from June to September. 78 per cent of the rainfall occurs during this period.

Demographics

As per the 2011 Census of India, Surul had a total population of 12,160 of which 5,999 (49%) were males and 6,161 (51%) were females. Population below 6 years was 1,166. The total number of literates in Surul was 8,735 (79.45% of the population over 6 years).

Infrastructure

As per the District Census Handbook 2011, Surul covered an area of 8.1424 km². There is a railway station at Bolpur 5 km away. Buses are available in the town. It has 11 km roads and open drains. The major source of protected water supply is from service reservoir and bore well pumping. There are 1,185 domestic electric connections. Amongst the medical facilities it has 1 hospital with 30 beds, 1 dispensary/ health centre, 1 nursing home and 25 medicine shops. Amongst the educational facilities it has are 4 primary schools, 1 middle school, 1 secondary school and 1 senior secondary school. Amongst the social, recreational and cultural facilities there is a working women's hostel. It has the branches of 2 nationalised banks, 1 private commercial bank and 1 cooperative bank.

Education

Surul Junior High School is a Bengali-medium institution established in 2009. It has arrangements for teaching from Class V to VIII. Surul terracotta1

Culture

As a result of the affluence and influence of Surul Rajbari, Sarkarbari, the overall area was rich in culture apart from being economically sound. The temples at Surul are well-protected and terracotta carvings thereon are distinct. A few of the temples were built in 1830, within a few years of John Cheap's death. Most of the temples are much older, dedicated to

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

, one to Manasa and one '' pancharatna'' (five-towered) temple to Lakshmi-Janardan. Most of the carvings are traditional depictions such as the

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

war but the depictions of Europeans need special mention.(See the picture alongside). During the late 1940s Indian artist Mukul Dey extensively photo-documented the terracotta temples of Surul, which were subsequently published in an album titled Birbhum Terracottas, Lalit Kala Akademi, New Delhi, 1959. Durga Puja, Dharmaraj Puja,

Kali Puja Kali Puja (ISO: ), also known as Shyama Puja or Mahanisha Puja, is a festival originating from the Indian subcontinent, dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. It is celebrated on the new moon day (Dipannita Amavasya) of the Hindu calendar month o ...

of Surul Sarkarbari still carries the tradition of the soil. The colossal buildings are still attracting visitors around the world and presently became favorite destination for film shootings.

References

External links

Little help matters. Intention counts. Attitude counts.
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{{Temple towns in West Bengal Cities and towns in Birbhum district