Hooghly district

History

The district of Hooghly derived its name from the town of Hooghly on the west bank of the Hooghly River about 40 km north of Kolkata. This town was a river port in the fifteenth century.

The district has thousands of years of rich heritage in the form of the great Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut. 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 Emperor Akbar 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 and a church in Bandel. This is the first Christian church in Bengal known as ‘Bandel Church’ today.

The Portuguese traders started misusing their powers. They started slave trading, robbery and converting natives into Christians by pressure. At one of point they even stopped paying taxes to the Mughal Empire. As a result, Emperor Shah Jahan ordered the then-ruler of Bengal province, Qasim Khan Juvayni, to block the city of Hooghly. This eventually led to a war in which the Portuguese were defeated comprehensively.

Among other European powers that came to Hooghly were the Dutch, the Danish, the British, the French, the Belgians and the Germans. Dutch traders centred their activities in the town Chuchura which is south of Hooghly. Chandannagar 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 (1755). All these towns are on the west bank of the Hooghly River and served as ports. Among these European countries, the British ultimately became most powerful.

Initially the British were based in and around the city of Hooghly like traders from other countries. In 1690 Job Charnock decided to shift the British trading centre from Hooghly-Chinsura to Calcutta. The reason behind this decision was the strategically safe location of Calcutta and its proximity to the Bay of Bengal. As a result, the centre of gravity of trade and commerce in the Bengal province shifted from the town of Hooghly to Calcutta. Hooghly lost its importance as Calcutta prospered.

After the Battle of Buxar this region was brought under direct British rule until India’s independence in 1947. After independence this district merged into the state of West Bengal.

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 Chuchura. 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. The last change in area occurred in 1966.

Tarakeswar Temple

The Taraknath temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva 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 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 and ‘Gajan’, the former taking place in Phalgun (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.

Geography

The district is a completely flat land with no place having more than an elevation of 200 meters. The River Hooghly borders it to the east. Another major river is '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 District lies to the north-west, with Medinipur District to the south-west.

Economy

Hooghly is one of the most economically developed districts in West Bengal. It is the main jute cultivation, jute industry, and jute trade 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 The Singur Tata Nano controversy

Administrative subdivisions

The district comprises four subdivisions: Chinsurah, Chandannagore, Srirampore and Arambagh.

Hugli-Chuchura is the district headquarters. There are 23 police stations, 18 development blocks, 12 municipalities and 210 gram panchayats 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 32 census towns.

Chinsurah subdivision

Chandannagore subdivision

Serampore subdivision

Arambagh subdivision

Assembly constituencies

The district is divided into 18 assembly constituencies:

1. Jangipara (assembly constituency no. 177),
2. Chanditala (assembly constituency no. 178),
3. Uttarpara (assembly constituency no. 179),
4. Serampore (assembly constituency no. 180),
5. Champdanga (assembly constituency no. 181),
6. Chandernagore (assembly constituency no. 189),
7. Singur (assembly constituency no. 183),
8. Haripal (assembly constituency no. 184),
9. Tarakeswar (assembly constituency no. 185),
10. Chinsurah (assembly constituency no. 186),
11. Bansberia (assembly constituency no. 187),
12. Balagarh (SC) (assembly constituency no. 188),
13. Pandua (assembly constituency no. 189),
14. Dhaniakhali (SC) (assembly constituency no. 191),
15. Pursurah (assembly constituency no. 192),
16. Khanakul (SC) (assembly constituency no. 193),
17. Arambagh (assembly constituency no. 194) and
18. Goghat (SC) (assembly constituency no. 195).

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).

Tarakeswar, Pursurah, Khankul, Arambag and Goghat constituencies are part of the Arambagh (Lok Sabha constituency), which contains two assembly segments in Paschim Medinipur district. Balagarh and Pandua constituencies are part of the Katwa (Lok Sabha constituency), which contains five assembly constituency from Bardhaman district.

Impact of delimitation of constituencies

As per order of the Delimitation Commission in respect of the delimitation of constituencies in the West Bengal, the district will be divided into 18 assembly constituencies:

1. Uttarpara (assembly constituency no. 185)
2. Sreerampur (assembly constituency no. 186)
3. Champdani (assembly constituency no. 187)
4. Singur (assembly constituency no. 188)
5. Chandannagar (assembly constituency no. 189)
6. Chunchura (assembly constituency no. 190)
7. Balagarh (SC) (assembly constituency no. 191)
8. Pandua (assembly constituency no. 192)
9. Saptagram (assembly constituency no. 193)
10. Chanditala (assembly constituency no. 194)
11. Jangipara (assembly constituency no. 195)
12. Haripal (assembly constituency no. 196)
13. Dhanekhali (SC) (assembly constituency no. 197)
14. Tarakeswar (assembly constituency no. 198)
15. Pursurah (assembly constituency no. 199)
16. Arambag (SC) (assembly constituency no. 200)
17. Goghat (SC) (assembly constituency no. 201)
18. Khanakul (assembly constituency no. 202)

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

Police administration

Hooghly District comes under Burdwan Police Range. The police chief of the district is the superintendent of police. His office is in Chinsurah.

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:

Rail

The railway communication of the district, especially at the suburban area, is very developed.

There are four junction stations in Hooghly:

The railway is under Howrah Division. The first train of ER started its journey from Howrah to Hooghly at 14 August 1854 (First halt was Bally (Howrah) and second halt was Serampore) . Hooghly station was announced as the heritage station.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Hooghly district has a population of 5,520,389, roughly equal to the nation of Denmark or the US state of Wisconsin. This gives it a ranking of 16th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 1,753 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,540/sq mi).

Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 9.49%. Hugli has a sex ratio of 958 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 82.55%.

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:

Places of Interest