Khardaha

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name = Khardaha | type = city | latd = 22.72| longd = 88.38
state_name = West Bengal
district = North 24 Parganas
leader_title =Municipality Chairman
leader_name = Brojo Gopal Saha [ [http://north24parganas.nic.in/municipality.html Official District Administration site] ]
altitude = 15
population_as_of = 2001
population_total = 116,252| population_density =
area_magnitude= sq. km
area_total =
area_telephone = 91 33
postal_code =
vehicle_code_range =
sex_ratio =
unlocode =
website =
footnotes =

Khardaha ( _bn. খড়দহ) is a city, a municipality and police station of Barrackpore subdivision [ [http://www.wbcensus.gov.in/DataTables/01/Table-3.htm District-wise list of statutory towns] ] in North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. [cite web
url = http://www.cmdaonline.com/kma.html | title = Base Map of Kolkata Metroploitan area | accessdate = 2007-09-03 | last = | first = | work = | publisher = Kolkata Metroploitan Development Authority ]

Local stories date it back to the time of Sri Nityananda Prabhu. It is said that he once arrive to this place in a boat of hay ('Khar' in Bengali) and hence the name Khardaha. "Daha" means water bodies. It was full of water bodies at that time as it was for the entire southern part of Bengal.

Geography

Khardaha is located at coord|22.72|N|88.38|E| [ [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/28/Khardah.html Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Khardaha] ] . It has an average elevation of m to ft|15|m|abbr=on. It is a rail-station on the Sealdah-Ranaghat section, sandwiched between Sodepur (to the south) and Titagarh (to the north). Usually, the western side of the rail-station is called Khardaha and the eastern side is called Rahara. Khardaha is only 20 km away from Calcutta city center.

The western part of Khardaha is a much older settlement. The eastern part Rahara is a much newer settlement. It used to be dense forest even 200 years back. The place was named after famous Portuguese dacoit "Rada" (pronunciation - Raw-ra) of late 17th Century.

Khardaha is 19 km from Sealdah Station, on the Sealdah-Naihati section of Eastern Railway. [ Eastern Railway time table. ]

The culture of Khardah is very rich, Administration is very strong.

Website : http://www.khardabazar.com (Under construction)

Economy

Over time it became prosperous because of its proximity to Calcutta. One jamindar (landlord of a vast area) built 26 Shiv Temples here similar to Benaras so that people didn't have to go to Benaras.The majority of population work in service sector in nearby Calcutta. Some grow vegetables in the nearby fields. There are also some manufacturing units located on the main arterial road BT road. Rest are traders and there are many small trades in the area.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, [GR|India] Khardaha had a population of 116,252. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Khardaha has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 79%. In Khardaha, 8% of the population is under 6 years of age.An overwhelming majority of the population is Hindu Bengali having fled from what is now Bangladesh following religious persecution in the hands of Muslims majority of that area.Bengali is the most widely spoken language, though Hindi and English is also understood.

Healthcare

North 24 Parganas district has been identified as one of the areas where ground water is affected by arsenic contamination. [cite web | url = http://www.soesju.org/arsenic/wb2.htm
title = Groundwater Arsenic contamination in West Bengal-India (19 years study ) | accessdate = 2007-08-24 | last = | first = | work = Groundwater arsenic contamination status of North 24-Parganas district, one of the nine arsenic affected districts of West Bengal-India | publisher = SOES] There is one state run Hospital named Balaram hospital located at Khardah.There is a local municipality run clinic at Kalyannagar locality having dialysis facility.There are also a few private nursing homes.

Politics

Khardaha is part of Dum Dum (Lok Sabha constituency). [cite web
url = http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2001/background/S25/WB_Dist_PC_AC.pdf
title = Assembly Constituencies - Corresponding Districts and Parliamentary Constituencies
accessdate = 2008-10-02
work = West Bengal
publisher = Election Commission of India ]

Places of interest

* Kardaha Shyamsundar temple (Take AutoRishkaw From Khardah Railway station)
* Ramakrishna Mission, Rahara: An educational (and humanitarian) institution
* Radha-Krishna Mandir: A nice Vaishnav temple at the bank of the Ganges
* VivekaNand Stadium (Near Dangapara--Take riksaw from Khardah Railway Station)
* 26 Shiv Temple (A great place to visit: make sure to visit there)
* Hari Sava Raharah
* Khardah Gosto Mandir
*khardaha kunja bati yatri nibas newly open(auto from station)

References

External links

ee also