Bankura

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This article is about the municipality in West Bengal, India. For other uses, see Bankura (disambiguation).
Bankura
বাঁকুড়া
City
Bankura is located in West Bengal
Bankura
Bankura
Location in West Bengal, India
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country  India
State West Bengal
District Bankura
Elevation 78 m (256 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 138,036
Languages
 • Official Bengali, English
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 722101
Telephone code 3242
Lok Sabha constituency Bankura
Vidhan Sabha constituency Bankura
Website www.bankura.gov.in

Bankura (pron: bænˈkʊərə) is a city and a municipality in Bankura District in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Bankura District.

Etymology

In the Mahabharata, Bankura was described as Suhmobhumi. The word Larh or Rarh (in Nagari: rāḍh) was introduced after 6th century A.D. It comes from the old Austric word ráŕhá or ráŕho which means “land of red soil”.[1] In ancient times "China called Ráŕh by the name of 'Láti'".[1] In Santali, lar means thread, rarh means tune and larh means snake. Perhaps the Jain and Greek scholars used this original Austric word Larh to indicate this dry forest region which was very difficult. The popularity of Manasa Puja, the worship of Snake-Goddess Manasa, shows this opinion might have some relevance. According to Nilkantha, a famous commentator of the Mahabharata, the words suhmo[bhumi] (Sanskrit: suhma-bhūmi) and Rarh are synonymous.

Scholars differs in their opinion about the etymology of the name Bankura. In the words of the Kol-Mundas, orah or rah means habitation. Many places of Rarh have an added rah at the end of their names. One of the most influential gods of the district Dharmathakur is called Bankura Roy. The name of the district may come from his name. Linguist Suniti Kumar Chatterjee thinks that the name came from the word banka (zig-zag), and its word-corruption banku, which means extremely beautiful, and he who must be worshiped. In 1979, the word “Bancoorah” was found in the map of Renal. In 1863, Gastrel referred this region as Bancoonda.

Geography

Bankura is located at Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found..[2] It has an average elevation of 78 metres (255 feet).

Demographics

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See also: List of cities in West Bengal

In the 2011 census, Bankura municipality had a population of 138,036, out of which 70,734 were males and 67,302 were females. The 0–6 years population was 10,760. Effective literacy rate for the 7+ population was 87.27%.[3]

Religions in Bankura
Religion Percent
Hindus
  
 68.9%
Muslims
  
 30%
Others†
  
 1.5%

As of 2001 India census,[4] Bankura town had a population of 1,28,811. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Bankura has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 81% of the males and 67% of females literate. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Transportation

Bankura Railway Junction is managed by the South Eastern Railways and is on the Adra-Midnapore rail route. It is in Bankura city. Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express, Rupashi Bangla Express, Aranyak Express, Puri-New Delhi(Nandan Kanan) Superfast Express, Ernakulam-Patna Express, Howrah-LTT Samarsata Express and Purulia-Howrah Express pass through this station. It is the originating and terminating station of Bankura Damodar Railway[5] which will connect to Howrah-Bardhaman Chord section. Computerized reservation facility is available. Going north-west, Adra Junction Railway Station is the nearest main station and moving south, Midnapore Railway Station is the major station next to Bankura.[6]

The Bankura Railway Station and bridge over Dhaleshwari River were built by Gujarati Railway Contractors of the town Jeewan Gangji Savaria and Lalji Raja Vadher in 1900 working for Bengal Nagpur Railway.

Bankura is linked with NH-34 on roadways.

Cultural contribution

Bankura has a rich cultural contribution to the school of Bengal: from terracotta to modern art and from classic north Indian musical genre Bishnupur Gharana to rock bangali band Jiggasa and its engineering college rock bands Edge of The Spirit and 7th String.

Tourism

Bankura has gained much popularity among the tourists hailing from India. The place has a rich cultural and traditional heritage. It is famous for its paintings, music and other arts. It has gained popularity among domestic tourists due to the beautiful locations and historical destinations. The place has contributed great deal toward modern Bengal art and architecture. You can see the beautiful terracotta art and architecture in Bankura.[7] The tourist spots can be divided into four zones.[8]

Eastern Zone

Jor Mandir
  • Bishnupur is an important tourist spot of Bankura district. It is 152 km from Kolkata and 34 km from Bankura Town. This place has a historical importance as it was the capital of Mallabhum. It is very famous for terracotta temples and Baluchari sarees. It is popular for classical music dalmadal and painting. There are approximately 16 temples, most of which are made in the decade of Mallaraja. Important temples of Bishnupur are Jor Mandir, Rasmancha, Radhamadhab Temple, Kalachand Temple, Madan Mohan Temple, Radha-Gobinda Temple and Shyam Ray Temple.
  • Joyrambati is 98 km from Kolkata.[9] It is a holy place as it was the birthplace of Sree Sree Maa Sarada Devi. Temple of Singha Bahani Devi and Mayerepukur are also visiting sites.

Western Zone

  • Susunia Hill is a very important tourist spot of Bankura District. It is 50 km[10] from Bisnupur and 21 km[11] from Bankura town. It is famous for natural spring and Silalipi.
  • Biharinath Hill is the tallest (448 m)[8] of Bankura District. It is in the northwestern edge of the district. It is 57 km from Bankura Town. It was an ancient center of Jainism. This place is famous for its natural beauty.[10] Biharinath offers hills, dense forest, water bodies, river Damodar, renowned temple of Lord Shiva, green unpolluted nature with salubrious atmosphere. Now Biharinath can boast of its advancement in tourism with accommodations having A.C. rooms and other modern amenities.

South Zone

Mukutmonipur Dam
  • Mukutmonipur is an important tourist spot of Bankura District. It is 55 km[10] from Bankura District headquarters. It is the second biggest earthen dam of India.[8] This place is very famous for its natural beauty and bluish tract of water.
  • Jhilimili is another tourist spot, 70 km from Bankura Town. Its beauty lies in its dense natural forest.

Northern Zone

  • Durgapur Barrage
  • Gandoa Dam
  • Koro Pahar (Amar Kanan)

Education

Bankura University
Bankura Christian College front view

Healthcare

  • Bankura Sammilani Medical College and Hospital is the most important hospital of the district equipped with all major departments and diagonostic facilities.
  • Bankura Sub-Divisional Hospital is an important hospital. It has a pediatric ward, blood test and OT.[13]

See also

References

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External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 P.R. Sarkar Rarh - The Cradle of Civilization, Ananda Marga Publications, 1981, Kolkata
  2. ↑ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Bankura
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ http://www.banglalive.com/Feature/FeatureDetail/6895/
  6. ↑ ((www.india9.com))
  7. ↑ http://www.maharashtraweb.com/WestBengal/cities/maps/bankuramap.asp
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bankura-Hindu-High-School/284047908362853?sk=info&tab=page_info
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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