Chinsurah

Chinsurah
চুঁচুড়া
Chuchura
Urban Agglomeration/City
Ghorir More
Chinsurah
Coordinates: 22°54′N 88°23′E / 22.90°N 88.39°E / 22.90; 88.39Coordinates: 22°54′N 88°23′E / 22.90°N 88.39°E / 22.90; 88.39
Country  India
State West Bengal
District Hooghly
Establishment of Hooghly by Portuguese 1537
Establishment of Chinsurah by Dutch 1656
Establishment of Hooghly-Chinsurah Municipality 1865
Founded by British
Government
  Type Municipality
  Body Hooghly Chinsurah Municipality
  Chairman of Municipality Gourikanta Mukherjee
Area
  Total 17.80 km2 (6.87 sq mi)
Population (2015)
  Total 2,88,506(in Municipal Part)
Languages
  Official Bengali, English
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN 712101 712102 712103 712105 712106
Telephone code 033
Vehicle registration WB16
Lok Sabha constituency Hooghly
Vidhan Sabha constituency Chunchura
Website

hooghly.nic.in

dutchinchinsurah.com

Chinsurah (also known as Hooghly-Chinsura or Hooghly) is a city in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies on the Hooghly River, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Kolkata (Calcutta).[1] It is in the district of Hooghly and is home to the district headquarters. Chuchura houses the commissioner of the Burdwan Range. It forms a part of the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) region.[2] The District Court building of Chinsurah is the longest building in West Bengal. Chinsurah is the home to the new state-of-the-art 1000 KW DrM transmitter of Prasar Bharti which enables 'Akashvaani Maitree' to be broadcast across Bangladesh. This Special Bangla Service of All India Radio was launched in the wake of the Bangladesh Liberation Movement and played a key role during the war, broadcasting Indian news bulletins in Bangladesh. It continued till April 2010, but was discontinued thereafter due to decommissioning of the Super Power Transmitter at Chinsurah.[3] It is the headquarters of Hooghly districts Sports Association (HDSA).The famous district Sadar Hospital Imambara Sadar Hospital is situated here. Chinsurah is also the home of the oldest Armenian church in India and old Hindu Temples.

Etymology

Hooghly-Chuchura was a municipality formed by the merging of two towns, Hugli and Chinsura, in 1865. The names are spelled in other ways including Hooghly, Hugli, Hughli, Ugulim (in Portuguese), Chinsura, Chunchura, Chuchro and Chinsurah.

The Grand Trunk Road (G.T.Road) passes through the town. Chuchura and Hugli are historic stations on the Howrah-Burdwan main line of the Eastern Railway. Ferry services on the River Hugli serves as a link with the district of North 24 Parganas.

Geography

Hooghly-Chuchura is at 22°54′N 88°23′E / 22.90°N 88.39°E / 22.90; 88.39.[4] This city is on the flood plain on the right bank of river Bhagirathi-Hooghly.

History

A view of Chinsura, the Dutch settlement in Bengal

The Portuguese founded the town of Ugulim (Hooghly), in 1579, but the district has thousands of years of heritage in the form of the great kingdom of Bhurshut. The city flourished as a trading port and some religious structures were built. One such structure is a church dedicated to a charismatic statue of the Mother Mary brought by the Portuguese.

In the 17th century, political disorder struck the town and the Mughal governor of Bengal expelled the Portuguese. The fleeing Portuguese lost the statue in the river, but local people later found it on the river bank. The arrested Portuguese were taken to Delhi where a death sentence of trampling by elephants was decreed. When the emperor Shah Jahan heard this he ordered the priests released and granted a piece of land on the bank of the river Hoogly at Bandel, where the statue of the Mother Mary was reestablished. There the Portuguese constructed a church to house the statue, which still receives pilgrims today. The church was renovated in 1980s and has been declared as a basilica by the authority of Rome.

In 1656 the Dutch erected a factory on the site of the town of Chinsurah, used as a base for the Dutch intra-Asian trade in commodities such as saltpetre, spices, cotton and indigo.[1][5]

In 1759 the garrison of Chinsurah, on its march to Chandernagore, attacked a British force under Colonel Forde.[1] The Battle of Chinsurah lasted less than half an hour and ended with the rout of the Dutch attackers.[1] In 1795, during the Napoleonic wars, a British garrison occupied the settlement.[1] The peace of 1814 restored Hughli to the Dutch.[1] However, in 1825, the Dutch ceded many of their possession in India to the British, in exchange for the British possessions in Sumatra.[1]

Chinsurah and Hooghly played a role in the Bengal renaissance and the Indian independence movement. "Vande Mataram", India's national song, was composed by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay at Joraghat in Chinsurah; he had been an alumnus of the Hooghly Collegiate School. Nazrul Islam's revolutionary songs were penned while he was imprisoned by the British in Hooghly Jail.

Chinsurah N.S. Road

Transportation

Chinsurah has three railway stations: Chuchura(CNS), Hooghly(HGY) and Bandel Junction(BDC) railway station on the Howrah line and Hooghly Ghat (HYG) on the Sealdah line. The Chinsurah railway station is well connected to Howrah, Burdwan, Katwa, Naihati and other cities. A few passenger and express trains stop at the Chuchura station. The Hooghly Ghat station is beside the Sampreeti Bridge which is a connector between the eastern and the western side of the Ganges.

Transportation in Chinsurah is mainly by bus, auto, rickshaw and toto. Buses from the stand go to towns such as Memari(bus no.4); Tarakeswar(bus no.17&23,) Serampore(bus no.2), Chandannagar(bus no.2), Arambagh, Bankura, Bishnupur, Laugram, Haripal(bus no.18), Jangipara, Digha, Kalna(bus no.6), Jirat(bus no.8), Kolkata (WBSTC). Auto service is provided to go nearby towns and villages. Chinsurah court auto stand is the biggest auto stand in Hooghly District. Chinsurah court-Chinsurah Railway station, Chinsurah court-Tribeni (via Bandel Church & Bansberia), Chinsurah Court-Bandel Junction Rail Station, Chinsurahcourt-Hooghly railway station is the major auto routes in Chinsurah town.Apart from being connected by railway services, Chinsurah is well-connected to Naihati by ferry services, which is a delightful experience.

Demographics

As of 2011 India census,[6] Hugli-Chinsurah had a population of 5,520,389. Males constitute 51.06% of the population and females 48.94%. Hugli-Chinsurah has an average literacy rate of 82.55%, higher than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 87.93%, and female literacy is 76.95%.

Police stations

Chinsurah police station has jurisdiction over Hugli-Chuchura and Bansberia municipal areas and a part of Chinsurah Mogra CD Block. Chinsurah police station has jurisdiction by Chandannagar Police Commissionerate.Chinsurah has a woman police station.[7][8]

Temples, churches, and attractions

Dutch cemetery
Mosque of Chinsura
The basilica of the Holy Rosary, Bandel
Jubilee Bridge on the Hooghly River between Naihati and Bandel
Susana Anna Maria Tomb, Chinsurah, Hooghly
  • Bandel Church (basilica ground)
  • Hooghly Imambara
  • Ghorir More (Edwardian clock tower)
  • Hooghly Collegiate School (estd. 1812), a heritage building
  • Temple of Shandeshwar
  • Diocese church
  • Dutch cemetery[9]
  • Chinsurah Maidan (maath ground)
  • Rup Nagar (maath)
  • Temple of Mahishmardini
  • District Court building
  • Ghats on the Ganges (130)
  • Anna Maria Sulivan Monument (ground fad centre)
  • Kazi Nazrul Karagar (jail)
  • Jail khana maath (maath dual ground)
  • Hooghly Mohosin College
  • Hooghly Branch School
  • Armenian Church
  • Maurpankhi Ghat
  • Bankim Bhawan (JoraGhat)
  • Grihigita sangha (Chincurah Station Road)

Schools

  • Hooghly Collegiate School (established 1812), boys, Bengali language[10]
  • Hooghly Branch School (established 1834), boys, Bengali
  • Hooghly Jyotish Chandra Vidyapith, boys,(ESTD:1952) Bengali
  • Auxilium Convent School (established 1951), girls, English
  • Don Bosco School, Bandel (established 1978), boys, English
  • Bandel St.Johns High School, boys, Bengali
  • Hooghly Gourhari Harijan Vidyamandir, co-ed
  • Chinsurah Deshbandhu Memorial High School, boys, Bengali
  • Balika Bani Mandir, girls, Bengali
  • Hooghly Duff High School (1849), boys, Bengali
  • Jyotish Chandra Vidyapith, girls, Bengali
  • Balika Siksha Mandir, girls, Bengali
  • Hooghly Binodini Girls High School, girls, Bengali
  • Deshbandhu Memorial Girls High School, girls, Bengali
  • Hooghly Modern School, co-ed, English
  • Techno India Group Public School, Chinsurah, co-ed, English[11]
  • Abbot Shishu Hall (established 1979), co-ed, English
  • Elite Co-Ed school Hooghly, co-ed, English
  • Bandel Vidyamandir, co-ed, Bengali
  • Ramkrishna high school, co-ed, Bengali
  • Hooghly Girls high school, girls, Bengali
  • Bikramnagar Haranath Nirada Sundari Ghosh Vidyamaidir (H.S.), established 1964, co-ed, Bengali
  • Elite Coed School, English
  • Ghutiabazar Mallikbati Paath Shala (established 1829), boys, Bengali
  • Shib Chandra Shom training academy, boys, Bengali
  • Duff High School, chinsurah
  • Mahatma Gandhi Hindi Vidyalaya, Bandel

Chinsurah Deshbandhu Memorial High School boys Bengali language 1926

  • Garbati High School, Chinsurah
  • Around 66 junior schools

Engineering Colleges

General Degree Colleges

Polytechnique Colleges

Other Colleges

  • Hooghly Govt. Teachers' Training College
  • Hooghly Women's Physical Education College
  • Banana Research Center
  • Rice Research Center

Festivals

Durga Puja, Eid, Jagadhatri Puja, Maharam, Kartick Puja, Kali Puja & Deepawali, Saraswati Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Navabarsho (Bengali New Year), Basanti Puja, Manasa Puja, Christmas, etc. are the main festivals celebrated here. Mohish Mordini puja is very famous festival. It started from "Jamai Sasti" and continue till 4days like Durga Puja. Mohish Mordini temple situated in Dharampur.The famous Gajan Festival is also celebrated at Sandeswartala Temple in Chinsurah near the banks of river Hooghly

Banks

State Bank Of India, State Bank of India Agricultural Divisional Branch (ADB), Bank of India, Indian Bank, Allahabad Bank, Punjab National Bank, United Bank of India, Uco Bank, Syndicate Bank, Bank of Boroda, Indian Overseas Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, The Hooghly Cooperative Credit Bank Ltd., Hooghly District Central Cooperative Bank, Canara Bank, Union Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, IDBI Bank, ICICI Bank, Corporation Bank , Bandhan Bank.

Notable residents

The town was home to prominent Bengali philanthropist Muhammad Mohsin. It was also home to Jyotish Chandra Ghosh (Mastar mashay), hailed as a guru by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. Notable figures associated with the town include Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay and Bhudev Mukhopadhyay. Also, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote the national song of India in Joraghat (in Chinsurah), which is a precious heritage for all the residents of Chinsurah, Freedom fighter Bhupati Majumder, Bijoy Modak, Mathematician Narayan Chandra Ghosh, novelist Kalikananda Abadhuta, William Carey, one of the earliest European missionaries in India, also stayed at Chinsurah for a while, at the hotel of Joachim Spiegel.[12]

See also

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Wikisource "Chinsura". Encyclopædia Britannica. 6 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 235.
  2. "Base Map of Kolkata Metropolitan area". Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 3 September 2007.
  3. "AIR to re-launch radio channel for Bangladesh, plans joint content". Indian Express. Retrieved 7 July 2016.
  4. "Yahoo maps location of Hugli-Chuchura". Yahoo maps. Retrieved 28 December 2008.
  5. "The Dutch in Chinsurah". www.dutchinchinsurah.com. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  6. "Provisional Population Totals Paper 1 of 2011 : West Bengal". Retrieved 13 August 2016.
  7. "District Statistical Handbook 2014 Hooghly". Tables 2.1, 2.2,. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  8. "Hooghly District Police". West Bengal Police. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  9. "The Dutch Cemetery in Chinsurah". www.dutchcemeterybengal.com. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  10. "Official website of Hooghly Collegiate School". Hooghly Collegiate School.
  11. Welcome to the official website of TIGPS, Hooghly, co-ed.
  12. "Joachim Spiegel | The Dutch Cemetery in Chinsurah". dutchcemeterybengal.com. Retrieved 20 September 2016.

References

  •  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Chinsura". Encyclopædia Britannica. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 235.
  • Dey, S.C., "Hooghly Past and Present", The Calcutta Review, Vol.96, No.191, (January 1893), pp.22-42; No.192, (April 1893), 276-288; Vol.97, No.193, (July 1893), pp.71-81; No.194, (October 1893), 340-366;Vol.98, No.195, (January 1894), pp.152-170; Vol.99, No.197, (July 1894), pp.153-164; Vol.104, No.208, (April 1897), pp.355-373.
  • Chinsurah.com
  • Akhtaruzzaman, Md (2012). "Hughli, City". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  • Chakrabarti, Prafulla (2012). "Chinsura". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
  • Hooghly-Chinsurah Information
  • Dutch in Chinsurah
  • Dutch Cemetery Bengal, Chinsurah
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