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Nadia district

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Nadia (pronounced [nɔd̪iːaː]) is a district in the state of West Bengal, India. It borders Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Purba Bardhaman to the west, and Murshidabad to the north.

Nadia
District
Clockwise from top-left: Mayapur ISKCON temple, Memorial to the Bengali commanders at Palashi, Jalangi river near Palashipara, Chakdah Masjid, Banana plantation in Bhaktanagar, Somaj Bari Temple in Nabadwip
Location of Nadia district in West Bengal
Location of Nadia district in West Bengal
Coordinates: 23°29′N 88°32′E / 23.483°N 88.533°E / 23.483; 88.533
Country India
State West Bengal
DivisionPresidency
HeadquartersKrishnanagar
Government
 • SubdivisionsKrishnanagar Sadar, Kalyani, Ranaghat, Tehatta
 • CD BlocksKaliganj, Nakashipara, Chapra, Krishnanagar I, Krishnanagar II, Nabadwip, Krishnaganj, Chakdaha, Haringhata, Hanskhali, Santipur, Ranaghat I, Ranaghat II, Karimpur I, Karimpur II, Tehatta I, Tehatta II
 • Lok Sabha constituenciesKrishnanagar, Ranaghat, Bangaon, Murshidabad
 • Vidhan Sabha constituenciesKarimpur, Tehatta, Palashipara, Kaliganj, Nakashipara, Chapra, Krishnanagar Uttar, Nabadwip, Krishnanagar Dakshin, Santipur, Ranaghat Uttar Paschim, Krishnaganj, Ranaghat Uttar Purba, Ranaghat Dakshin, Chakdaha, Kalyani, Haringhata
Area
 • Total
3,927 km2 (1,516 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
5,167,600
 • Density1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi)
 • Urban
1,438,873
Demographics
 • Literacy75.58 per cent
 • Sex ratio947 ♂/♀
Languages
 • OfficialBengali[1][2]
 • Additional officialEnglish[1]
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
Websitenadia.gov.in

Nadia district is highly influential in the cultural history of Bengal. The standard version of Bengali, developed in the 19th century, is based on the dialect spoken around Shantipur region of Nadia. Known as the "Oxford of Bengal", Nabadwip made many contributions to Indian philosophy, such as the Navya-Nyaya system of logic, and is the birthplace of the Vaishnava saint Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.[3][4] The district is still largely agricultural.[4]

Etymology

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"Nadia" is a shortened name for a historic city in the district. Nabadwip, literally "new island", was formerly an island created by alluvial deposits of the Ganga.

Geography

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Nadia district is located in southern West Bengal, in the west-central Bengal region. The district is largely an alluvial plain, formed by the constant shifting of the various rivers of the Ganges Delta. To the west of the district is the Bhagirathi (or Hooghly) river, which was once the main distributary of the Ganga towards the Bay of Bengal, and is still considered to be the continuation of the Ganga for Hindus. As the main flow of the Ganga ran east into the Padma, the Bhagirathi largely dried up. Most of the rivers flowing through Nadia now have little water in them. Nearly all the district has been converted into farmland.

Rivers

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Nadia district is home to many rivers. The Padma, now the main distributary of the Ganga, touches the district on its northeastern end.

The Jalangi, which flows from Murshidabad district, forms much of the northwestern border of the district with Murshidabad, before flowing south into Nadia district. Around Krishnanagar, it turns west and flows into the Bhagirathi near Nabadwip.

The Mathabhanga originates in the far northeast of the district and forms part of the border with Bangladesh. It then flows into Bangladesh until it, again forming part of the border, reenters the district at Gede. At Maijdia, it splits into the Churni and Ichamati. The Churni flows southwest and merges with the Bhagirathi at Shibpur near Ranaghat. The Ichamati flows into Bangladesh near Mubarakpur and reenters India near Duttaphulia. It then flows south into North 24 Parganas district.

History

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Nabadwip, an ancient town within Nadia district, is often referred to as the “Oxford of Bengal".[3][4] One of the Indian schools of logic (Tarka sastra) called Navya Nyaya system was developed in Nabadwip, which produced great logicians in the 15th century. Nabadwip was an important seat of political power and the capital of Bengal under Ballal Sen and later Lakshman Sen, kings of the Sena Empire, who ruled from 1159 to 1206.[4] In 1202, Nabadwip was captured by Bakhtiyar Khilji. This victory paved the way for Muslim rule in Bengal.[5] The British defeated Siraj ud-Daulah, Nawab of Bengal, at Palashi in this district. The 1859 revolt against European Indigo planters started from the village of Chaugacha in Krishnanagar, Nadia.[6] Nadia is thought to have had trade relations with Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan.[7]

On 15 August 1947 the Indian Independence Act 1947 came into force, and for the next two days Nadia, along with Murshidabad, Malda, and West Dinajpur (present-day North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur) due to Muslim majority, were part of the Dominion of Pakistan (specifically East Bengal or East Pakistan, which seceded as Bangladesh in 1971). On 17 August 1947 the final boundary adjustment of the Radcliffe Commission transferred these districts to the Dominion of India (specifically West Bengal) ,[8] to ensure the Hooghly River was entirely within India and to maintain connectivity between Kolkata and Guwahati through Darjeeling district. But, later Nadia and West Dinajpur became Hindu majority districts due to the arrival of large number of Bengali Hindu refugees from East Bengal of Pakistan during 1947 and Bangladesh (East Bengal) liberation war in 1971.[9]

Pre-independence Nadia had five subdivisions: Krishnagar sadar, Ranaghat, Kushtia, Meherpur and Chuadanga. Due to some cartographic error in 1947, large part of Nadia except Nabadwip initially were included into East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) due to it being a Muslim majority district in the 1941 census of British India. Due to protests rectification was made and on the night of August 17, 1947, Ranaghat, Krishnanagar, Shikarpur in Karimpur and Plassey were placed in India. Since then some parts of this district have been celebrating Independence day on August 17 and August 18.[10][11][12]

Nadia district is also historically significant as the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a revered figure in Hinduism. He was born in Nabadwip, a town in the Nadia district, on the full moon night of 18 February 1486. Known as Gauranga for his molten gold-like complexion, Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is considered an avatar of Lord Krishna by his followers. He founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism and popularized the chanting of the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra. His birthplace, known as Yogpeeth in Mayapur, is a major pilgrimage site for devotees.

Governance

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Administration of the district

District Administration

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The District of Nadia has its headquarter at Krishnanagar town. The British district of Nadia was formed in 1787. The present district of Nadia after partition was formed by Notification No.545-GA dated 23 February 1948. The District Administration is headed by the District Magistrate & District Collector, Nadia.

Administrative subdivisions

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The district comprises four subdivisions: Krishnanagar Sadar, Kalyani, Ranaghat and Tehatta.[13] Krishnanagar is the district headquarters. There are 19 police stations, 2 women's and 1 cyber crime police stations, 18 community development blocks, 11 municipalities, 187 gram panchayats (3114 sets) and 2639 villages in this district.[13][14]

Other than municipality area, each subdivision contains community development blocks which in turn are divided into rural areas and census towns. In total there are 26 urban units: 9 municipalities and 15 census towns and two notified areas.[15] Ranaghat, Aistala, Satigachha, Nasra and Cooper's Camp together forms Ranaghat urban agglomeration. Nabadwip, Char Maijdia and Char Brahmanagar forms Nabadwip UA. Chakdaha, Gopalpur and Parbbatipur forms Chakdaha UA. Krishnanagar and Badkulla together forms Krishnanagar UA. Birnagar, Phulia and Taherpur together forms Birnagar UA.

CD blocks and other localities in Nadia district
Krishnanagar Sadar Kalyani Ranaghat Tehatta
Kaliganj Chakdaha Hanskhali Karimpur I
Nakashipara Kalyani Santipur Karimpur II
Chapra Haringhata Ranaghat I Tehatta I
Krishnanagar I Chakdaha (M) Ranaghat II Tehatta II
Krishnanagar II Kalyani (M) Shantipur (M)
Nabadwip Gayespur (M) Ranaghat (M)
Krishnaganj Haringhata (M) Birnagar (M)
Krishnangar (M) Taherpur (NA)
Nabadwip (M) Cooper's Camp (NA)

Assembly constituencies

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The district is divided into 17 assembly constituencies, which are part of four Lok Sabha constituencies.[16]

S No. Constituency Name Lok Sabha Constituency MLA Party
77 Karimpur Murshidabad Bimalendu Sinha Roy All India Trinamool Congress
78 Tehatta Krishnanagar Tapas Kumar Saha All India Trinamool Congress
79 Palashipara Manik Bhattacharya All India Trinamool Congress
80 Kaliganj Nasiruddin Ahamed All India Trinamool Congress
81 Nakshipara Kallol Khan All India Trinamool Congress
82 Chapra Rukbanur Rahman All India Trinamool Congress
83 Krishnanagar Uttar Mukul Roy All India Trinamool Congress
84 Nabadwip Ranaghat (SC) Pundarikakshya Saha All India Trinamool Congress
85 Krishnanagar Dakshin Krishnanagar Ujjal Biswas All India Trinamool Congress
86 Santipur Ranaghat (SC) Braja Kishore Goswami All India Trinamool Congress
87 Ranaghat Uttar Paschim Parthasarathi Chatterjee Bharatiya Janata Party
88 Krishnaganj (SC) Ashis Kumar Biswas Bharatiya Janata Party
89 Ranaghat Uttar Purba (SC) Ashim Biswas Bharatiya Janata Party
90 Ranaghat Dakshin (SC) Mukut Mani Adhikari All India Trinamool Congress
91 Chakdaha Bankim Chandra Ghosh Bharatiya Janata Party
92 Kalyani (SC) Bangaon (SC) Ambika Roy Bharatiya Janata Party
93 Haringhata (SC) Asim Kumar Sarkar Bharatiya Janata Party

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901771,672—    
1911774,459+0.04%
1921710,455−0.86%
1931720,944+0.15%
1941840,303+1.54%
19511,142,686+3.12%
19611,711,830+4.12%
19712,223,911+2.65%
19812,964,253+2.92%
19913,852,097+2.65%
20014,604,827+1.80%
20115,167,600+1.16%
source:[17]

According to the 2011 census Nadia district has a population of 5,167,600,[18] roughly equal to the US state of Colorado.[19] This gives it a ranking of 18th in India (out of a total of 640).[18] The district has a population density of 1,316 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,410/sq mi) .[18] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 12.24%.[18] Nadia has a sex ratio of 947 females for every 1000 males,[18] and a literacy rate of 75.58%. 27.84% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 29.93% and 2.72% of the population respectively.[18] Bengali is the predominant language, spoken by 98.02% of the population.[20]

See also: List of West Bengal districts ranked by literacy rate
Religion in Nadia district (2011)[21]
Hinduism
 
 72.15%
Islam
 
 26.76%
Christianity
 
 0.65%
Other or not stated
 
 0.44%

Religion

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Religion in present-day Nadia district
Religion Population (1941)[22]: 75  Percentage (1941) Population (2011)[21] Percentage (2011)
Islam   630,704 61.26% 1,382,682 26.01%
Hinduism   292,225 36.68% 3,790,482 73.15%
Tribal religion 10,332 1.23% 16,893 0.33%
Christianity   6,632 0.79% 33,835 0.65%
Others [a] 410 0.05% 5,708 0.11%
Total Population 840,303 100% 5,167,600 100%

As per the 2011 Census, Hinduism is the majority religion of the district, followed by 73.15% of the population. Hinduism became majority in the district after Independence, when Nadia became the destination for millions of refugees from East Pakistan, and from Bangladesh after 1971.[21]

Over 90% of Muslims live in rural areas. Muslims are majority in Karimpur II (60.38%), Kaliganj (58.51%), Nakashipara (54.06%), and Chapra (59.00%) CD blocks. Muslims are a significant minority in Tehatta II (47.89%), Krishnanagar II (42.84%), and Nabadwip (35.20%).

CD Block Hindu % Muslim % Other %
Karimpur I 67.77 31.95 0.28
Karimpur II 39.52 60.38 0.10
Tehatta I 68.95 29.21 1.84
Tehatta II 52.00 47.89 0.11
Kaliganj 41.36 58.51 0.13
Nakashipara 46.53 53.06 0.41
Chapra 37.15 59.72 3.13
Krishnanagar I 82.78 15.25 0.14
Krishnanagar II 57.02 42.84 0.41
Nabadwip 64.39 35.20 1.97
Krishnaganj 93.98 5.86 0.16
Hanskhali 87.98 11.39 0.63
Santipur 86.45 11.85 1.7
Ranaghat I 93.82 5.67 0.51
Ranaghat II 85.65 12.59 1.76
Chakdaha 83.66 14.65 1.69
Haringhata 73.09 26.19 0.72
Area not under any sub-district 93.32 5.50 1.18

Flora and fauna

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In 1980, Nadia district became home to the Bethuadahari Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of 0.7 km2 (0.3 sq mi).[23]

Education

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University

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College

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Private College

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Transport

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Rail

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Notable people

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Villages

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Notes

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  1. ^ Including Jainism, Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Ad-Dharmis, or not stated

References

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  1. ^ a b "Fact and Figures". Wb.gov.in. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  2. ^ "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). Nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. p. 85. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  3. ^ a b Cotton, H.E.A., Calcutta Old and New, 1909/1980, p1, General Printers and Publishers Pvt. Ltd.
  4. ^ a b c d "Tourism-Details". nadia.nic.in. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  5. ^ Tourist Department Archived 9 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  6. ^ Bhattacharya, Subhas (July 1977). "The Indigo Revolt of Bengal". Social Scientist. 5 (60): 17. JSTOR 3516809.
  7. ^ "Rich in History and Tradition Kushtia Previous Name Nadia". 13 February 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2018.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Murshidabad Govt Website was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Chatterji, Joya (2007). The Spoils of Partition: Bengal and India, 1947–1967. Cambridge University Press. p. 59. ISBN 9781139468305. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  10. ^ "District-level map of Bengal indicating the Radcliffe line and the expected border according to majority religious demographics".
  11. ^ "Nadia keeps a date with history | Kolkata News - Times of India". The Times of India. TNN. 19 August 2011. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  12. ^ "In West Bengal, some villages celebrate Independence Day after August 15; here's why". The Indian Express. 16 August 2019. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Directory of District, Sub division, Panchayat Samiti/ Block and Gram Panchayats in West Bengal, March 2008". West Bengal. National Informatics Centre, India. 19 March 2008. Archived from the original on 25 February 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
  14. ^ "District Profile". Official website of the Nadia district. Archived from the original on 17 January 2009. Retrieved 30 November 2008.
  15. ^ "Population, Decadal Growth Rate, Density and General Sex Ratio by Residence and Sex, West Bengal/ District/ Sub District, 1991 and 2001". West Bengal. Directorate of census operations. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
  16. ^ "Delimitation Commission Order No. 18" (PDF). Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2011. Retrieved 29 August 2009.
  17. ^ Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
  18. ^ a b c d e f "District Census Handbook: Nadia" (PDF). censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  19. ^ "2010 Resident Population Data". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 30 September 2011. Colorado 5,029,196
  20. ^ "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: West Bengal". Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  21. ^ a b c "Table C-01 Population by Religion: West Bengal". censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  22. ^ "CENSUS OF INDIA, 1941 VOLUME VI BENGAL PROVINCE" (PDF). Retrieved 13 August 2022.
  23. ^ Indian Ministry of Forests and Environment. "Protected areas: West Bengal". Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
  24. ^ Eastern Railway time table.
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