Khirpai

Khirpai
Town
Khirpai
Location in West Bengal, India
Coordinates: 22°42′N 87°37′E / 22.7°N 87.62°E / 22.7; 87.62Coordinates: 22°42′N 87°37′E / 22.7°N 87.62°E / 22.7; 87.62
Country  India
State West Bengal
District West Midnapore
Population (2011)
 • Total 14,548
Languages
 • Official Bengali, English
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN 721232
Sex ratio 931 ♂/♀
Lok Sabha constituency Arambagh
Vidhan Sabha constituency Chandrakona
Website paschimmedinipur.gov.in

Khirpai, also known as Kshirpai, is a town and a municipality in West Midnapore in the state of West Bengal, in eastern India. The town is situated between Ghatal and Chandrokona Town, near the banks of the rivers Shilabati and Kethai, and is one of the oldest municipalities in India. Khirpai is also famous for its ‘Babarsha’, a special type of sweetmeat, which is not available elsewhere.

History

In the 18th and 19th century, Khirpai was a large and popular trading place. Cotton and handicrafts of this area were exported to foreign lands. In the British period, Khirpai became famous for indigo plantations. Also in the British Era, it was a famous business centre. At that time neel (indigo powder) was the main product. On the south-east side of Khirpai town, there is a lake; ruins can be found in the south-east corner of this lake. Once, it was the trade-house of the European merchants. French, Dutch, Portuguese and British traders came here for trade before 1660, and by that time, they thronged here for purchasing cotton and silk, which were of exclusive status. In 1763, the French built a workshop in this place.

In the 18th century, Khirpai become famous for cotton-cloth weaving and manufacture of brush and bell metal. The weaving industry was further developed in the second half of the century by the location of an important factory of the East India Company in Khirpai. But in the 19th century, the industry declined owing to the withdrawal of the company from commercial undertakings, and particularly due to the importation of British-made piece goods. Khirpai lost status as a business centre, and the population density of Khirpai decreased gradually from that time.

Geography

Khirpai is located at 22°42′N 87°37′E / 22.7°N 87.62°E / 22.7; 87.62.[1] It has an average elevation of 7 metres (26 feet).

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,[2] Khirpai had a population of 14,548. Males constituted 57% of the population, and females were 43%. Khirpai has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 81%, and female literacy is 62%. In Khirpai, 11% of the population was under 6 years of age.

CD Block HQ

The headquarters of Chandrakona I Block are located at Bamaria in Kshirpai.[3]

Economy

The main economy of this area is agriculture. Besides the town area, the people of the villagers basically earn their livelihood by producing crops, like paddy, potato, wheat, jute and vegetables of different kinds. A few of the people are government employees, school teachers, or employed in other small private sectors. The financial status of most of the people is in middle-class and lower middle-class category.

Transportation

Khirpai is well connected by roads/highways with other nearby cities like Midnapore, Kharagpur, Kolkata, Howrah,Ghatal, Burdwan, Panskura, Kanthi, Tamluk, Hooghly. For local transportation, buses, taxi, minibus, or cycle-rikshaws are available. Panskura and Chandrokona road railway stations are two of the nearest railway stations.

State Highway 4 (West Bengal) running from Jhalda (in Purulia district) to Digha (in Purba Medinipur district) and State Highway 7 (West Bengal) running from Rajgram (in Birbhum district) to Midnapore (in Paschim Medinipur district) cross at Khirpai.[4]

Education

There are many schools and primary schools in Khirpai. There is one coeducational high school and one girls school. The name of the schools are: 1. Khirpai H.S. Multipurpose School 2. Khirpai S.K. Barman Memorial Girls High School. Ghatal Rabindra Satabarsiki Mahavidyalaya and Chandrakona Vidyasagar Mahavidyalaya are two nearby colleges of Khirpai. The nearest polytechnic college is Ghatal Government Polytechnic, and an ITI college is Ghatal Government ITI in Birsingha.

Health

There is a hospital in the Khirpai town and one community-based primary health center run by Khirpai municipality. People of Khirpai and its nearby areas mainly depend on the hospital. Also there are many private chambers of doctors in Khirpai. The health of common people is generally well.

Culture

Among many festivals in Khirpai, 'Santoshi Mela' is the most popular. Many people from Khirpai and its nearby villages take part in the Santoshi Mela. There are also some religious places in Khirpai named Pancharatna Mandir, Parbatinath Temple, and Radha Damodar Jew Temple.

Radhamadhab Temple of Malpara is on Ghatal-Khirpai Road. This age-old temple is ‘Pancharatna’ ("ratna" means pinnacle), but the terracotta works still exist. These works depict Krishnalila, Dasavatar and the battle of Ram Ravana, even hunting scenes and floral ornamentations. It was built in 1817. Radha Damodar Jew Temple is famous for its terracota works. ‘Dalan Mandir’ in Paharipara is also notable. This temple is dedicated to Singhabahini, incarnation of Devi Durga. This was built in 1746 and probably the oldest temple of the Khirpai region.

The massive structure of Sitalanda Tin Temple is situated in Hattala (Khirpai). It faces southwards and is of the atchala style. Some terracotta specimens still can be found. It was built by Pani family in 1839. There is a Shiva temple in the village Gangadaspur, Ward no.-6 of the Khirpai municipality which bears the age-old culture of this locality. This temple is almost 300 years old, and it is the largest and highest of this area. The temple has been newly renovated. It upholds the cultural heritage of this area.

The regular Bengali festivals, like Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja and Kali Puja, are well attended. Other common pujas in the worship of Sitala, Jagaddhatri, Holi, Janmastami, or Bheema Puja also take place. A special type of sweet named Babarsa, only in Bengal, is available here.

References

  1. ↑ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Khirpai
  2. ↑ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.
  3. ↑ "District Census Handbook: Paschim Medinipur" (PDF). Map of Paschim Medinipur with CD Block HQs and Police Stations (on the fifth page). Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal, 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "List of State Highways in West Bengal". West Bengal Traffic Police. Retrieved 15 September 2016.

Sources:

  • How India clothed the world: the world of South Asian textiles, 1500-1850.
  • History of Bagree-Rajya (Garhbeta).
  • Midnapore the Forerunner of India's Freedom Struggle.
  • Changing Profile of the Frontier Bengal.
  • District handbooks.
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