Hugli-Chuchura

This article is about the municipality in West Bengal, India. For its namesake district, see Hooghly district.

Hooghly-Chinsurah
—  city  —
Hooghly-Chinsurah Location of Hooghly-Chinsurah in West Bengal and India
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(s)	Hooghly
Parliamentary constituency	Hooghly
Assembly constituency	Chunchura
Population	170,201 (2001[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Codes • Pincode • 712101 712102 712103 712105 • Telephone • +033

Chuchura Ghorir More Clock Tower

Hugli-Chuchura (also commonly known as Huoghly-Chinsura or Chuchura) (Bengali: চূঁচূড়া) is a city in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies on the Hooghly River, 35 km north of Kolkata (Calcutta). It is located in the district of Hugli 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.^[1]

Etymology

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

The Grand Trunk Road passes through the town. Chuchura and Hugli are two 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

Hugli-Chuchura is located at 22°54′N 88°23′E / 22.90°N 88.39°E / 22.90; 88.39.^[2]

History

The town of Hooghly-Chuchura was founded by the Portuguese in 1579. But, the district has thousands of years of rich 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 Portugese. In the 17th century, political disorder struck the city and the Mughal governor of Bengal expelled the Portuguese. The statue was lost in the river by the Portugese when fleeing. The statue was later found by the local people on the bank of the river. The arrested Portuguese were taken to Delhi where a death sentence of trampling by elephans 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 where the statue of the Mother Mary was reestablished. There a church was constructed to house the statue, which still receives pilgims 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. At that time Kolkata was the principal settlement in Dutch Bengal, used as a base for the Dutch intra-Asian opium trade.

In 1759 a British force under Colonel Forde was attacked at the Battle of Chinsurah by the garrison of Chinsura on its march to Chandernagore. In less than half an hour the Dutch attackers were entirely routed. In 1795, during the Napoleonic wars, the settlement was occupied by a British garrison. At the peace of 1814 it was restored to the Dutch. It was among the cessions in India made by the king of the Netherlands in 1825 in exchange for the British possessions in Sumatra.

Both Chinsurah and Hooghly played an active 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. Nazrul Islam's famous revolutionary songs were penned while he was imprisoned by the British in Hooghly Jail.

Demographics

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[3] Hugli-Chinsurah had a population of 170,201. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Hugli-Chinsurah has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 77%. In Hugli-Chinsurah, 8% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Temples, churches, and attractions

The basilica of the Holy-Rosary, Bandel

Hooghly Imambara

Jubilee Bridge on Hooghly River between Naihati and Bandel

• Mondal Bari
• Temple of Shandeshwar
• Ghorir More (Edwardian Clock tower)
• Diocese Church
• Dutch Cemetery
• Armenian Church
• Hooghly Imambarah
• Chinsurah Maidan (maath)(ground)
• Rup Nagar (maath)
• Temple of Mahishmardini
• District Court building
• Ghats on the Ganges(130)
• Anna Maria Sulivan Monument(ground)(fad center)
• Kazi Nazrul Karagar (jail)
• Jail khana maath (maath)(dual ground)
• Bandel Church (bacillica)(ground)

Education

Hooghly-Chinsurah's biggest contribution to the Bengal renaissance was in the field of education. Some of the oldest and famous schools and colleges of the state are located here. This region is considered to be one of the most highly cultured regions of the state due to its standards of education.

Schools Auxilium Convent School(Estd. 1951)(girls)(English) Don Bosco School (Estd. 1978)(boys)(English) Hooghly Collegiate School (Estd. 1812)(boys)(bangla Govt.) Bikramnagar Haranath Nirada sundari Ghosh Vidyamaidir(H.S)(Estd. 1964)(Co-Ed)(bangla) Hooghly Branch School (Estd. 1834)(boys)(bangla) Deshbandhu Memorial boys High School(boys)(bangla) Balika Bani Mandir(girls)(bangla) Hooghly Duff High School(1849)(boys)(bangla) Jyotish Chandra Vidyapith(girls)(bangla) Jyotish Chandra Vidyapith(boys)(bangla) Balika Siksha Mandir(girls)(bangla) Hooghly Binodini Girls High School(girls)(bangla) Deshbandhu Memorial Girls High School(girls)(bangla) Hooghly Modern School(Co-Ed)(English) Techno India School(Co-Ed)(English) Abbot Shishu Hall (Estd. 1979)(Co-Ed)(English) Elite Co-Ed school Hooghly(Co-Ed)(bangla) Bandel Vidyamandir(Co-Ed)(bangla) Ramkrishna high school(Co-Ed)(bangla) Hooghly Girls high school(girls)(bangla) balika banimondir(girls)(bangla) Bandel St.Johns High School(boys)(bangla) ELITE GHUTIABAZAR MALLIKBATI PAATH SHALA(Estd. 1829)(boys)(bangla) shib chandra shom training academy (boys)(bangla) more than 66 junior schools

Colleges WEST BENGAL SURVEY ENGINEERING COLLAGE Hooghly Mohsin College (Estd. 1836) Hooghly Women's College Hooghly Institute of Technology Bengal School Of Technology Techno India College (Estd.-2007) Hooghly Engineering and Technology College Technique Polytechnic Institute Modern Institute of Engineering & Technology ChandanNagar Institute of Management & Technology 50+ library for study in city

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Notable residents

The town was home to Jyotish Chandra Ghosh (Mastar mashay), hailed as guru by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Notable figures associated with the town also include Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Bhudeb Mukhopadhyay, and Murarimohan Mukherjee.

See also

• Hooghly District
• West Bengal
• Colonial India
• European colonies in India
• Dutch India

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

1. ^ "Base Map of Kolkata Metroploitan area". Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. http://www.cmdaonline.com/kma.html. Retrieved 2007-09-03. 
2. ^ "Yahoo maps location of Hugli-Chuchura". Yahoo maps. http://maps.yahoo.com/#mvt=m&lat=22.898291&lon=88.39373&zoom=14&q1=Hugli-Chuchura. Retrieved 2008-12-28. 
3. ^ "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. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01. 

External links

• Chinsurah.com
• Hughli in Banglapedia
• Chinsura in Banglapedia