BURDWAN
Bardhaman (also Barddhaman; Bengali: বর্ধমান Bôrdhoman), is a city of West Bengal state in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Bardhaman District.
Bardhaman has been a district capital since the time of Mughals. Later on it became a district headquarters of British India. Burdwan is an alternative name for the city, which remains in use from the British period.
Geography
Barddhaman is located at 
Demographics
As of 2001 India censusGRIndia, Bardhaman had a population of 285,871. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Bardhaman has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 55% of the males and 45% of females literate. 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Name
Burdwan is an anglicised version of the Sanskrit Vardhamana and the corresponding Bôrdhoman in Bengali.
The origin of this name dates back to sixth century BCE and is ascribed to Vardhamanswami or Mahavira, the twenty-fourth Jain Tirthankar, who spent some time in Astikagrama, according to the Jain scripture of Kalpasutra. This place was renamed as Vardhamana in his honour.
A second view holds the literal meaning of the name, a prosperous and growing centre, to argue that this place represented a frontier colony of the progress of aryanisation through the upper Ganges River Valley. However, the Aryans failed to proceed further east. So, the name was retained.
The first epigraphic reference to the name of this place occurs in a 6th century AD copper-plate found in Mallasarul village under Galsi Police Station.
Archeological evidences suggest that this region, forming a major part of Radh Bengal, could be traced even back to 4000-2000 BCE.
Culture
Burdwan is a place of mixed culture. The deuls (temples of rekha type) found here are quite reminiscent of Buddhist architecture. The various mosques and tombs remind us of Muslim culture. The old temples bear signs of Hinduism, mostly belonging to the Sakta and Vaishnava community. The famous Sufi Pir Baharam's tomb is here. The controversy on Kankaleswari Kali of whether it originally belonged to the Jains or Tantriks indicates again the town's multifaceted heritage. Indeed, Burdwan had witnessed, experienced and withstood quite a few historical thunderstorms in the past, mainly due to the Mughal, Pashtun and Maratha intruders. The town of Bardhaman was visited at one time or another by many a notable of the Delhi Sultanate from Raja Todarmal to Daud Karnani, from Sher Afgan and Kutub-ud-din to Ajimuswan or the rebel Shah Jahan. The celebrated tombs of Sher Afgan and Kutub-ud-din lying side by side in this township relate to a classic love-story of Mihr-ul-Nissa and Jahangir that made Sher Afgan, the first husband of the great lady, a dead third person. The lady, who once lived here, later ruled India as Jahangir's wife for quite sometime, but with a new name Noor Jahan (Light of the World) commensurate with her beauty and culture.
History
During period of Jahangir this place was named Badh-e-dewan (district headquarters). The town owes its historical importance to being the headquarters of the Maharajas of Burdwan, the premier noblemen of lower Bengal, whose rent-roll was upwards of 300,000. Bardhaman Raj was founded in 1657 by Sangam Rai, of the Kapoor Khatri family of Kotli in Lahore, Punjab, whose descendants served in turn the Mughal Emperors and the British government. The great prosperity of the raj was due to the excellent management of Maharaja Mahtab Chand (d. 1879), whose loyalty to the government especially during the “Hul” (Santhal rebellion) of 1855-56 and the Indian rebellion of 1857 was rewarded with the grant of a coat of arms in 1868 and the right to a personal salute of 13 guns in 1877. Maharaja Bijai Chand Mahtab (b. 1881), who succeeded his adoptive father in 1888, earned great distinction by the courage with which he risked his life to save that of Sir Andrew Fraser, the lieutenant-governor of Bengal, on the occasion of the attempt to assassinate him made by Bengali malcontents on 7 November 1908.
Mahtab Chand Bahadur and later Bijoy Chand Mahtab struggled their best to make this region culturally, economically and ecologically healthier. The chief educational institution was the Burdwan Raj college, which was entirely supported out of the maharaja's estate. Sadhak Kamalakanta as composer of devotional songs and Kashiram Das as a poet and translator of the great Mahabharata were possibly the best products of such an endeavour. The society at large also continued to gain the fruits. We find, among others, the great rebellious poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and Kala-azar-famed U. N. Brahmachari as the relatively recent illustrious sons of this soil. The town became an important center of North-Indian classical music as well.
Places of interest
The famous Shrine of Sarvamangala, said to contain the remnant of Sati's body, the umbilicus, is situated here. Aside this, there are quite a number of temples and Sivalingams.
The Curzon Gate built in honour of the visit of Lord Curzon.
The palaces and gardens of the maharaja Golapbag.
Burdwan is a town of tanks. Several tanks are scattered here and there across the town. These caught the attention of Victor Jacquemont, a young French natural scientist, who visited this town in November 1829.
At Nawab Hat, some 2 mile distant, is a group of 108 Siva lingam temples built in 1788.
One must also know about a small village of burdhaman called "Panchkula" where Gajan-Festival is celebrated with huge passion during the month of May-June. For more Information log to Panchkula[1]
Shrine and Pir Bahram and Sher Afghan.
Barddhaman also have a planetarium named after India's emminent scietist Meghnad Saha. It is the second planetarium of the state after Kolkata's "Birla planetarium".
There is also a village called Arraha in the Bhatar Block where a very famous festival "Dharmarajer-Gajan" is celebrated.
On the Burdwan-Siuri NH ,there is famous 108 Shiva Temple located, here each year one week long festival is celebrated on the occasion of "Maha-Shivratri".
Food
Sitabhog and Mihidana are two famous sweets of Burdwan, introduced first in honour of the Raj family. Langcha from Shaktigarh is another local speciality.
The New Burdwan
Burdwan town, the heart of the district is also growing now. With an increasing number of people opting for better residential spaces and higher living standards. The Govt. of West Bengal is trying to bring in many new projects to facilitate the growth of Burdwan Township. Two large developments on a Public Private Partnership are coming up on the NH 2 connecting Kolkata and Delhi, on which Burdwan town lies. One of these is a Bus Terminus, with retail and other hospitality services. The other is a Mini Township at Goda, Burdwan. Also on the highway, this 250+ Acre mini township is being Developed by Bengal Shrachi Housing Dev. Ltd. It will revolutionise the way people see residential units in Burdwan. The Burdwan Development Authority is also playing a big role in these PPP projects.
In brief, the future for Burdwan looks extremely bright in terms of contemporary development.
Education
University
Burdwan University started on 15 June 1960, with Sukumar Sen, an ICS, as its first Vice-chancellor. It was after the abolition of the Zamindari system in the fifties that Uday Chand Mahtab, the last representative of the Burdwan Raj, showed his magnanimity in leaving almost his entire property of Burdwan at the disposal of the state government. This, coupled with the initiative of the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, facilitated the establishment of this university. Presently, the administrative works are mostly done at Rajbati (the palace of Barddhamana Maharaja) campus; on the other hand, academic activities center around the Golapbag campus mainly. With social responsibilities in mind, the university actively patronised the construction of a Science Centre and a Planetarium, named as Meghnad Saha Planetarium.
Schools
St. Xaviers School - ICSE and ISC
Burdwan Municipal High School - West Bengal Board
Burdwan Municipal Girls' High School - West Bengal Board
Burdwan CMS High School (Main), B. C. Road - West Bengal Board
Burdwan CMS High School (Morning), Golapbag - West Bengal Board
Raj Collegiate School - West Bengal Board
Ramkrishna Mission Saradapith - West Bengal Board
Holy Rock School - ICSE
East West Model School - ICSE and ISC
Bidyarthi Girls School
Bidyarthi Bhaban High School
Burdwan Rose Garten School
Kshetia High School
Colleges
Burdwan Medical College
Maharaj Bijoy Chand Institute of Engineering - Polytechnic College
University Institute of Technology - Engineering Degree College
University Law College
Maharaj Uday Chand Women's College
Burdwan Raj College
Vivekananda Mahavidyalaya
Burdwan Homoeopathic College
Politics
Bardhaman has two state assembly seats – Bardhaman North and Bardhaman South.
Pradip Tah of CPI (M) won the Bardhaman North seat defeating his nearest rival Deb Narayan Guha of AITC in the 2006 assembly elections. In 2001 and 1996, Nisith Adhikary of CPI (M) defeated Lakshmi Nayatan Nayek and Raimoni Das (both of INC) in the respective years. In 1991 and 1987, Benoy Krishna Chowdhury of CPI (M) defeated Sadhan Ghosh and Santosh Saha Sikdar (both of INC) in the respective years. In 1987, Goswami Ramnarayan of CPI (M) defeated Lakshmi Narayan Rej of ICS. In 1977, Dwarka Nath Tah of CPI (M) won the seat defeating Sudhir Chandra Dawn of INC. [2] Kashinath Ta of INC won the seat in 1972. [3].Debabrata Dutta of CPI (M) won the seat in 1971 and 1969. [4] [5] Sahedullah of CPI (M) won the seat in 1967. [6] Prior to that thee was a single Bardhaman seat.
Nirupam Sen of CPI (M) won the Bradhaman South assembly seat in 2006 and 2001 state assembly elections defeating his nearest rivals Samir Kumar Roy and Paresh Chandra Sarkar (both of AITC) in the respective years. In 1996 and 1991, Shyamaprosad Bose of CPI (M) defeated Sadhan Kumar Ghosh and Shyamadas Banerjee (Both of INC) in respective years. In 1987, Nirupam Sen of CPI (M) defeated Pradip Bhattacharya of INC. In 1982 and 1977, Benoy Krishna Chowdhury of CPI (M) defeated Shyamadas Banerjee and Pradip Bhattacharya (both of INC) in the respective years. [7] Pradip Bhattacharya of INC won the seat in 1972. [8].Benoy Choudhuri of CPI (M) won the seat in 1971 and 1969. [9] [10] S.B.Chowdhury of INC won the seat in 1967. [11] Prior to that there was a single Bardhaman seat.
Radharani Mahtab of INC won the Bardhaman seat in 1962. [12] Benoy Choudhuri representing CPI won the seat in 1957 and 1952. [13] [14]
Nikhilananda Sar of CPI (M) won the Bardhaman (Lok Sabha constituency) in the 2004 general elections defeating his nearest rival Anindya Gopal Mitra of BJP. [15]
Bengali Brahmins
Bengali Brahmins are those Brahmins who traditionally reside in the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent, currently comprising the Indian state of West Bengal, Tripura, Assam and Bangladesh. When the British left India in 1947, carving out a separate nation (see partition) of East Pakistan (which became Bangladesh in 1971), a number of families moved to be within the borders of the newly defined secular Indian Republic, and continued to migrate for several decades thereafter.
Bengali Brahmins are generally well-educated, and a number of prominent figures of India belong to this community. They had leanings toward Shaktism and Tantra . Vārendra, for instance, meant rain-maker magicians[1]. Historically, they have been the standard bearers of Madhyadeshiya (the historic-cultural region of the upper Ganga-Yamuna doab which was the seat of Panch-Gauda brahmins) Indo-Aryan culture in Bengal. Panch-Gauda and Panch-Dravida are two chief divisions of Brahmins, as per the śloka from Rājatarangini of Kalhaṇa / Kalhana:
Meaning :(The-) Karnātakas, Tailangas, Dravidas, Mahārāshtrakās and Gurjaras; these five(-types who-) live south of Vindhya (- mountains) are (called-) "five Dravidas" (- brahmins); (whereas-) Sārasvatas, Kānyakubjas, Gaudas, Utkalas, and Maithilas, who live north of Vindhya (- mountains) are known as "five Gaudas" (-brahmins)[2].
Dorilāl Śarmā says that the 'Five Gaudas' mentioned above were settled in region around Indus (Sārasvata brahmins), Kannauj and its territories (Kānyakubja brahmins),Mithila (Maithil Brahmins)and Orissa (Utkala Brahmins); the fifth branch Gauda brahmins settleed in the remaining areas north of Vindhya mountains ,in two distinct regions (1)Haryana and adjacent districts of Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh, and (2) northern Kosala around ancient Śrāvasti; he quotes Matsya Purana (chapter-12, śloka 30) in which Śrāvasti is said to be seat of Gauda brahmins [3]. According to this view, South Bihar, Bengal, Assam, etc were not inhabited by any of the brahmins mentioned by Kalhana. Hence, at the time of Kalhana, Bengali brahmins had not emerged as a distinct branch of Panch-Gauda. But all Bengali brahmins are descendants of Panch-Gauda, excepting some Dākṣiṇātyas Vaidikas who came from South India originally but are now part and parcel of Bengali brahmins [4]. Gauda meant the region from western Uttar Pradesh to Rajasthan, but it was also used for Bengal in mediaeval age. Entire North India was also called Gauda country, which is the reason why five north Indian branches have received the common name Panch-Gauda [5].
History
A large scale migration of Brahmins from Kanyakubja region occurred during Pala and Sena periods. However historical evidence attests significant presence of Brahmins in Bengal since the Maurya period. The Jain Acharya Bhadrabahu, regarded to be the preceptor of Chandragupta Maurya is said to have been born in Brahmin family of Pundravardhana ( or Puṇḍra , the region north of Ganges and west of Brahmaputra in Bengal, later known as Vārendra). A copper-plate grant from the Gupta period found in the vicinity of Somapura mentions a Brahmin donating land to a Jain vihara at Vatagohali. Such evidences suggest Puṇḍra or Vārendra and regions west of Bhagirathi (called Radha in ancient age) to be seats of brahmins from ancient times; Rādhi and Varendra are still chief branches of Bengali brahmins settled in these regions [6]..
The three main divisions among Bengali brahmins are :
Rādhi from Radh (region south-west of Ganga).
Varendra, from Vārendra region (North-East) or Puṇḍra.
Vaidika (migrants, originally experts of Vedic knowledge).
Traditional accounts
The traditional accounts of the origin are given in texts termed Kulagranthas (e.g., Kuladīpīkā), composed around the 17th century. They mention a ruler named Ādiśūra who invited five Brahmins from Kanyakubja [7], so that he could conduct a yajña, because he could not find Vedic experts locally. Traditional texts mention that Ādiśūra was ancestor of Ballāl Sena from maternal side and five brahmins had been invited in AD 1077 [8].
Historians have located a ruler named Ādiśūra ruling in north Bihar, but not in Bengal [citations needed]. But Ballāl Sena and his predecessors ruled over both Bengal and Mithila (i.e., North Bihar). It is unlikely that the brahmins from Kānyakubja may have been invited to Mithila for performing a yajña, because Mithila was a strong base of brahmins since Vedic age [9].
Another account mentions a king Shyamal Varma who invited five Brahmins from Kānyakubja who became the progenitors of the Vaidika Brahmins. A third account refers to five brahmins being the ancestors of Vārendra brahmins as well. From similarity of titles (e.g., upādhyāya), the first account is most probable.
Divisions among Bengali Brahmins
The three main divisions of Bengali Brahmins are
(1) Rādhi from Radh , modern West Bengal south of Ganges.
(2) Varendra, from Varendra region (North-East)
(3) Vaidika
Other minor divisions are :
(4) Saptaśati
(5) Pirāli
(6) Patita
It is believed that the Brahmins of Bengal adapted kulinism from a similar hierarchical system used by the Brahmins of Mithilā, although Kānyakubja and more especially Saryupāriya were also highly scrupulous. The five original Brahmins belonged to five gotras : Śāndilya, Kāśyapa, Vatsa, Bhārdvāja, Sāvarṇa [10].
Both Brahmins and Kayasthas in Bengal have followed a system that ranks the clans hierarchically. The Kulinas formed the higher ranking clans.
Rādhi
Rādhi (also Rāṭhi in some old texts) is the major branch of Bengali brahmins . The descendants of these five Pancyājñika brahmins were hierarchically organised into three categories :
(1) Kulin comprised the most noble brahmins among these, who possessed all the nine qualities fixed by Ballāl Sena (nine qualities or "navadhā lula lakṣanam" were :āchāra, vinaya, vidyā, pratiṣṭhā, tirtha, darśana, karma, niṣṭhā, śreṣṭha-vritti, tapa, dāna) [11].
(2)Śrotriya is the second rank among the descendants of these five brahmins because they were deft in Vedic knowledge but were considered to be somewhat inferior to the Kulina brahmins (possessing 8 out of 9 noble qualities).
(3)Vamśaja is the third rank which was a result of kulinas marrying outside kulinas [12].
Major titles adopted by the high Rādhi brahmins :
Vandopādhyāya and its adaptation Banerjee
Mukhopādhyāya and its adaptation Mukherjee
Chattopādhyāya and its adaptation Chatterjee
Gangopādhyāya and its adaptation Ganguli / Ganguly
Jāti-Bhāṣkar mentions that those who were given grants along the Ganges by Ballāl Sena were called Gangopādhyāya (literally 'the Vedic teachers in the regions around the Ganges')[13].
Mukhopādhyāya means chief Vedic teacher. Vandopādhyāya is a Sanskritized form of 'Vanodha + upādhyāya' , Vanodha being the ancient name of Raebareli-Unnāva whence their ancestors had come from [14].
Vārendra
These brahmins also claim descent from five original brahmins, although four out of five names are different, and they are also hierarchically organised into three groups :
(1) Śri Kulin compring of Maitra, Lāhiri, Bāgachi, Bhāduri, Sānyal, etc.
(2) Śrotriya have Nanda, Bhato Shāstri, Karanja, Laduli, Navasi, etc.
(3) Kaṣṭa Kulin compride of 85 gains (villages given in grant by Sena kings).
Another intermediate order is called Kāpa(originally Kulin but negligent in duty) which is between first two.
Other famous titles of Vārendra brahmins are Bhattāchārya, Majumdāra, Rāi, Choudhary, Jovādāra, etc. There were many big landlords among Vārendra brahmins. Literally , Bhattāchārya meant 'experts of Vedic rituals'. Rāi and Choudhary were administrative titles.
Vaidikas
These are of two types :
Dākṣiṇātyas (coming from South India originally but now part and parcel of Bengali brahmins.
Pāschātyas, coming from western and northern India originally but now part of Bengali brahmins.
These were experts of Vaidika knowledge who were invited to Bengal in different ages, later than the original five brahmins from which Rādhi brahmins originated.
Saptaśati
Before the coming of Five Brahmins, there were 700 houses of brahmins in Bengal, but now they are few. They were less learned than the migrants and therefore were deprived of patronage. Some of them mixed with the immigrants, which explains their decline in relative population. Many Saptaśatis became priests of lower castes and were labelled as Agradāni and grahavipra. Main titles are Arath, Bālkhāvi, Jagāye, Pikhoori, Mulkajoori, Bhagāye, Gāi, etc.
Others
Pirāli : literally, boycotted brahmins. Some kulin brahmins mixed with muslims in eating and other activities and were therefore boycotted by the orthodox sections. Prominent among these were Thākurs, anglicised as Tagores. Thākurs literally meant lords and were big landowners.
Patita : Some Bengali brahmins were publicly declared to be fallen brahmins.
Chakraborty (Chakravarti) is essentially a kṣatriya title suitable for emperors adopted by some Bengali brahmins.
Another peculiar title is Chir Kori or Chir Koḍi.
Impact of British occupation
The kulinist system degenerated during the 18-19th century and is no longer popular. The British occupation of Bengal radically transformed the Bengali culture. Bengal has now gone through two century of missionary efforts and a quarter century of a Marxist government. Eastern Bengal became an Muslim majority region in mid-19th century which resulted in the first partition of Bengal in 1905, and then final partition in 1947. Although the interaction with the British resulting in what is termed the Bengal Renaissance, it altered the hold of traditional mainstream Hinduism in the region.
Naming conventions
Many Bengali Brahmin family names are written in two different ways. For example, Chattopadhyay (compound of village name "Chaṭṭa" and "upādhyāya" denoting "priest, teacher" originally granted with the village named Chaṭṭa) is the Sanskritized form of the local Prakrit word "chaturjye", anglicized to Chatterjee.
Similar analyses may be performed on Mukhurjye/Mukherjee/Mukhopādhyāya and Banurjye/Banerjee/Bandyopādhyāya. Bhattāchārya which is made by two words Bhatta and Achārya which means teacher also called as Bhattāchārjee. Tagore is the anglicized form of Thakur, meaning "lord". Other Bengali Brahmin family names are anglicized in particular ways that have become the standard English spellings over time. Other Bengali Brahmin surnames are Chakraborty, Sanyal, Ghoshal etc.
| History Of Bardhaman |
| Bardhaman also called Burdwan, or Barddhaman - a major communications centre located on the banks of the Damodar River, the town of Bardhaman is the district headquarters. It was named after the 24th Jain monk, Tirthankar Mahavir Bardhaman. During the Mughal rule, its name used to be Sharifabad. In the 17th-18th century, Krishnaram Ray, belonging to a merchant family from Punjab, established the zamindari of Bardhaman on a farman issued by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The Rays went on to rule Bardhaman till 1955. Various relics of Stone Age have been found in this district, and they are similar to the finds of the stone weapons and other relics discovered in Singhbhum, Purulia, Dhanbad and Bankura districts. This will suggest that portions of this entire zone had been in one and the same culture zone.The very name Bardhaman suggests a close association with Mahavira Bardha- man, the twenty-fourth and the last Jain Tirthankar (pathfinder). There is a theory that the name Bardhaman is based on the contact this area had with Mahavira Bardhaman and Jainism. Incidentally the handover treaty of the three villages of Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kolkata were signed between the East India Company and the Mughals at Bardhaman. Later the East India Company went on to rule India. These three villages grew up to today's Kolkata or Calcutta as it better known. |
Bardhaman (Burdwan/Barddhaman) district of West Bengal is spread over an area of 7024 sq. kms. The district lies between the Ajay and Bhagirathi or Hooghly rivers. It is bounded on the north by the Dumka of Bihar, Birbhum and Murshidabad districts, on the east by Nadia; on the south by Hooghly and Bankura, and on the west by Dhanbad district of Jharkhand. The natural boundaries formed by the rivers to the north, east and south are fairly constant and there have been no major changes over the period. Headquarter of the district is Bardhaman.
The district has a population of over 6.91 million (2001 census). Overall, there were 921 females per 1000 males. About 65% of the population was living in the rural area. The density of the population was 985 per sq. km. Bengali, and Hindi are the main language spoken in the district.
| District Profile |
| Area (Sq. Km.) | 7024 |
| Latitude | 23.53 o N, 22.56 o S |
| Longitude | 83.25 o E, 86.48 o E |
| Population (2001 census) | 6919698 |
| Male | 3602675 |
| Female | 3317023 |
| Density (per Sq. Km.) | 985 |
| Sex ratio (females/per 1000 males) | 921 |
| Sub Division | 6 |
| Police Station | 32 |
| Panchayat Samity | 31 |
| Gram Panchayat | 278 |
| Inhabitated Village | 2488 |
| Town | 51 |
| Corporation | 2 |
| Municipality | 9 |
| Assembly Constituencies | 26 |
| Parliamentary Constituencies | 4 |
| Affiliated Primary School | 3885 |
| 481 | |
| 178 | |
| 92 | |
| 1 | |
| 25 | |
| 1 | |
| Engineering College | 6 |
| Music College | 1 |
| B. Ed. | 1 |
| P.Ed. | 1 |
| Homeo Degree College | 2 |
| Technical & Engg. Institute | 40 |
| Teachers Training | 5 |
Main rivers of the district are Ajay. Bhagirathi or Hooghly, Damodar and Barakar. In the district 30,949 hectares of the total land are covered by forest. These forest areas are broadly classified into Reserved Forests, Protected forests and unclassified state forests and lands. The district Bardhaman has the pride of having over 194 coalmines within its jurisdiction. The coals are being mined in Raniganj Coalfield since the year 1800. There are vast reserves of superior non-coking and inferior quality coals in these areas. Raniganj coalfield also contains large reserves of iron ore occurring chiefly as nodules. Good quality fire clay occurs in the Barakar stage of the Raniganj coalfield. Besides, the fire clays, various other types of useful clays occur at several places in the Raniganj coalfield belt, of which, the pottery clays of the Ronei and the light coloured brick clays of Durgapur deserved special mention.
The district is well connected by rail and road. The district headquarter Bardhaman (Burdwan/Barddhaman) is connected by rail and road with Kolkata and other towns of West Bengal. The district headquarters and the subdivision headquarters Asansol—both are railway junctions. The main line of Eastern Railway traverses the district. The Grand Trunk Road passes through the district from Kolkata. The road traverses the district of 160 kilometers running parallel with the Eastern Railway main line.
The district Bardhaman (Burdwan/Barddhaman) is predominantly an agricultural district, which is properly known as the granary of West Bengal. Majority of the workers of the district depends on agriculture (i.e. cultivators and agricultural labors). The principal commodity for trade in the district is rice. Rice is exported from the district to other districts of the state and neighboring countries.
The district has a very good network of Irrigation facilities. The main sources of irrigation are Government canals, tanks, wells and tube wells. The Mayurakshi canals—a major irrigation project, covered an area of 15081 hectares in the district. 254657 hectares of land are irrigated by Damodar Valley Barrage—another major irrigation project of the state.
The Asansol subdivision of the district is one of the major industrial regions in the state of West Bengal. The most important of which is Durgapur, which has been built up as an industrial complex of the state. A large number of large sized industries have come up in the Durgapur township. Besides, three important steel works are found at Kulu, Hirapur and Burnpur. Likewise, locomotive works at Chittaranjan, a big aluminum works at J.K. Nagar, a large paper mill at Raniganj are the important industries that deserve mention.
The number of Higher Secondary/PUC institutions per ten thousand population in the urban area is 0.65. The highest number of such institutions per ten thousand population comes to 1.49 in Chak Bankola while the lowest is in Kulti with 0.24. The number of Secondary school per ten thousand population for the entire district is 1.05. The district figures for Junior Secondary/Middle and Primary institutions per ten thousand population in the urban sectors of the district are 1.35 and 4.17 respectively.
Of the 49 towns of the district, only 19 towns have the privilege of having the medical institutions with bed. Number of beds in medical institutions per 1000 population comes to 3.42 at the district level. Town wise, the highest number of beds per 1000 population is noticed in Burnpur town (14.69). The second position in respect of the beds in medical institutions goes to Burdwan (3.76).
http://www.bardhaman.com/
