Ghatal
Encyclopedia
Ghatal is head quarters of Ghatal subdivision
in Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal
, India
. It also has a community development block. Ghatal is flood-prone area and in many years is flooded by the Rupnarayan River
. This town is old one. The river Shilabati divided the town into two parts. The Ghatal Police station is lying at the west bank of the river. There is one peculiar floating bridge on the river made of by joining some boats tied with rope from the both sides in the banks, called "Bhasa Pool" (Floating bridge). Also one cement bridge is constructed on the main pitch road passing through Chandrakona Town, Ghatal, Daspur and Mechhogram.
In ancient time when Tamralipta was important port for shipping for export and imoprt between Bangal and other countries including Srilanka. This Bandar of Ghatal was also used as port for anchoring boats and ships with goods.Ghatal had once become famous for manufacture of cotton,tusser silk,bell-metal utensils,earthen ware etc. and was so important that Dutch had a factory in the headquarters town, which is still used as a sub divisional courts and in the early days of British occupation three Commercial Residents were located in the locality to supervise local trade.The old industries like cultivation and weaving of silk and cotton for which Ghatal and his nearest areas were famous from ancient times were systematically wiped away by the policy of the East India Company's administration. Withdrawal of Company's investments, shrinkage in th marketability of textile goods at home and abroad and heavy competition of the foreign goods were responsible for the decline of textile industries in Ghatal and his nearest areas like Radhanagar, Khirpai, Chandrokona, Khrar. This area is also famous for sugar industry ( mainly in Radhanagar areas) in ancient times.
In 2002, Medinipur District was divided into two parts – Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur for the sake of administrative efficiency and expediency. Paschim Medinipur consists of four sub-divisions - Kharagpur, Medinipur Sadar, Ghatal, Jhargram. Ghatal sub-division now consists of five blocks- Chandrokona-I, Chandrokona-II, Daspur-I, Daspur-II, Ghatal and five municipalities- Ramjibanpur, Khirpai, Chandrokona, Kharar and Ghatal.
It is situated on the sides of river Shilabati
at south, Dwarakeswar
at east and Jhumi river other third side.
, Ghatal had a population of 51,586. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Ghatal has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 69%. In Ghatal, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
As per 2001 census, Ghatal CD Block had a population of 190,705 out of which 96,605 wer males and 94,100 were females. Growth of population in the 1991-2001 decade was 11.83 per cent.
The financial status of most of the people is in middle class and lower middle class category. There are some Muslim inhibitants in some villages. No communal tension exists. Manufacture of bell metal articles in Kharar Town under this subdivision is famous in the market of the state.
http://www.vidyasagar.ac.in. The literacy rate of Ghatal is 76%.
The name of the schools are- 1. Rathipur Barada Banipith (H.S), 2. Ghatal Vidyasagar High School, 3. Ghatal Basantakumari Balika Vidyalaya, 4. Ghatal Gurudas High School, 5. Ghatal Yogoda Satsangha Sriyukteswar Vidyapith. There is also a non-governmental educational organization in Ghatal sub-division to help poor meritorious students named Rakshabandhan For Educationhttp://www.rakshabandhanforeducation.org.
s in procession and arrange open opera acting on the stage dragged and pushed by the men on pitch road running through the town.
Among many festivals in Ghatal 'Sishu Mela' is most popular. Many people of Ghatal town and its neighbouring blocks take part in the 'Sishu Mela'. 'Vidyasagar Mela' is also most popular which take place in Birsingha (Birth place of Iswarchandra Vidyasagar).The regular bengali festivals like Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja and Kali Puja are well attended. Other common pujas in the worship of Sitala, Jagaddhatri, Holi, Janmastami, Bheema Puja also takes place.
The Visalaxmi temple at Barada and Khipteswari temple at Ghatal are the main tourist attraction in Ghatal. There is one peculiar floating bridge on the river made of by joining some boats tied with rope from the both sides in the banks. This bridge is also called 'Bhasapool' which is one of the greatest tourist attraction in Ghatal. There is also an ashram named Kushpata Satsanga Ashram. The largest Thakur Anukul Chandra temple of West Bengal is situated on the bank of Shilabati River which is 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) away from Ghatal Vidyasagar Setu. Really it is a charming place. Here you can see several temples of Anukul Thakur. And also there is a large prayer room for the common people. In everyday huge number of people go to visit the temple and spend the few time in this silent area. The peoples of the Ghatal are very religious. There are many ashramas like Anukul Thakurer Satsanga ashram, Nigamanand er ashram, Ramkrishna Mission, Swami Debananda ashram etc.
Ghatal subdivision
Ghatal subdivision , is a subdivision of the Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India. It consists of five municipalities and five community development blocks: Chandrakona–I, Chandrakona–II, Daspur–I, Daspur–II and Ghatal. The five blocks contain 48...
in Paschim Medinipur district, West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It also has a community development block. Ghatal is flood-prone area and in many years is flooded by the Rupnarayan River
Rupnarayan River
The Rupnarayan River is a river in India. It begins as the Dhaleswari in the Chhota Nagpur plateau foothills northeast of the town of Purulia. It then follows a tortuous southeasterly course past the town of Bankura, where it is known as the Dwarakeswar river. Near the town of Ghatal it is...
. This town is old one. The river Shilabati divided the town into two parts. The Ghatal Police station is lying at the west bank of the river. There is one peculiar floating bridge on the river made of by joining some boats tied with rope from the both sides in the banks, called "Bhasa Pool" (Floating bridge). Also one cement bridge is constructed on the main pitch road passing through Chandrakona Town, Ghatal, Daspur and Mechhogram.
History
Ghatal Sub-Division and the town Ghatal have their old history of civilization, business, struggle for freedam of India, Many Patriots, Social reformers, freedom fighters were the sons of this PS area. The river Darakeswar and Shilabati meet with rivers Jhumi and Damodar at a place named as Bandar (Port) 3 km (2 mi) East from Ghatal PS.This is the Subdivision of Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Patriot Pradyot Bhattacharya, Patriot Pravangsu Paul, Patriot Mohini Mondal, Raja Narendralal Khan, Patriot Manabendranath Roy and so many ever-memorable persons.In ancient time when Tamralipta was important port for shipping for export and imoprt between Bangal and other countries including Srilanka. This Bandar of Ghatal was also used as port for anchoring boats and ships with goods.Ghatal had once become famous for manufacture of cotton,tusser silk,bell-metal utensils,earthen ware etc. and was so important that Dutch had a factory in the headquarters town, which is still used as a sub divisional courts and in the early days of British occupation three Commercial Residents were located in the locality to supervise local trade.The old industries like cultivation and weaving of silk and cotton for which Ghatal and his nearest areas were famous from ancient times were systematically wiped away by the policy of the East India Company's administration. Withdrawal of Company's investments, shrinkage in th marketability of textile goods at home and abroad and heavy competition of the foreign goods were responsible for the decline of textile industries in Ghatal and his nearest areas like Radhanagar, Khirpai, Chandrokona, Khrar. This area is also famous for sugar industry ( mainly in Radhanagar areas) in ancient times.
In 2002, Medinipur District was divided into two parts – Purba Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur for the sake of administrative efficiency and expediency. Paschim Medinipur consists of four sub-divisions - Kharagpur, Medinipur Sadar, Ghatal, Jhargram. Ghatal sub-division now consists of five blocks- Chandrokona-I, Chandrokona-II, Daspur-I, Daspur-II, Ghatal and five municipalities- Ramjibanpur, Khirpai, Chandrokona, Kharar and Ghatal.
Geography
Ghatal is located at 22.67°N 87.72°E. It has an average elevation of 5 metres (16 feet).It is situated on the sides of river Shilabati
Shilabati River
The Shilabati River originates in the terrain of the Chhota Nagpur Plateau in the Purulia district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India. It flows in an almost southeasterly direction through the districts of Bankura and West Midnapore. The Shilabati joins the Dwarakeswar near Ghatal and...
at south, Dwarakeswar
Dwarakeswar River
Dwarakeswar River is a major river in the western part of West Bengal.-Course:It originates from Tilboni hill in Purulia district and enters Bankura district near Chhatna. It cuts across the district flowing past the district head quarters and enters the south-eastern tip of Bardhaman District...
at east and Jhumi river other third side.
Demographics
India censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
, Ghatal had a population of 51,586. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Ghatal has an average literacy rate of 76%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 69%. In Ghatal, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.
As per 2001 census, Ghatal CD Block had a population of 190,705 out of which 96,605 wer males and 94,100 were females. Growth of population in the 1991-2001 decade was 11.83 per cent.
Economy
Besides town area the people of the villagers basically earn their livlihood by producing crops, like Paddy, Potato, Wheat, Jute and vegetables of different kindes. Some people earn money by fishing and hawking and weaving. A good many of the inhabitants are used to leave their houses to different states like Maharastra and Gujrat and abroad in Dubai and other Arabian Countries to earn money by working as goldsmith and silversmith and employing themselves in private factoryis. A few of the percentage of the people are government employees, School Teachers and employed in other small private sectors.The financial status of most of the people is in middle class and lower middle class category. There are some Muslim inhibitants in some villages. No communal tension exists. Manufacture of bell metal articles in Kharar Town under this subdivision is famous in the market of the state.
Climate
Moderate. But Ghatal is flood-prone area and flooded by the Shilaboti, Jhumi, Kethiya, Kansaboti and Rupnarayan River. Rice, Potato and other Vegetable farming are the main occupation of the people of this Subdivision.Transportation
Ghatal is well connected by roads/highways with nearby cities like Kolkata, Howrah, Midnapore, Kanthi, Digha, Burdwan, Bankura. For local transportation Bus, Minibus, Cycle-rikshaws are available. Panskura Railway Station is the nearest railway station.Education
There are number of well known schools and colleges in Ghatal. For higher education, There is a college named Ghatal Rabindra Satabirshiki Mahavidyalaya under Vidyasagar UniversityVidyasagar University
Vidyasagar University is a state-government administered, affiliating and research university located in Paschim Medinipur district of southern West Bengal, in India.-History:...
http://www.vidyasagar.ac.in. The literacy rate of Ghatal is 76%.
The name of the schools are- 1. Rathipur Barada Banipith (H.S), 2. Ghatal Vidyasagar High School, 3. Ghatal Basantakumari Balika Vidyalaya, 4. Ghatal Gurudas High School, 5. Ghatal Yogoda Satsangha Sriyukteswar Vidyapith. There is also a non-governmental educational organization in Ghatal sub-division to help poor meritorious students named Rakshabandhan For Educationhttp://www.rakshabandhanforeducation.org.
Health
There is a hospital in the Ghatal town named Ghatal S.D Hospital. People of this subdivision mainly depends on this hospital. Ghatal town is famous for many private nursing home. There are 23 nursing homes in Ghatal. The name of the nursing homes are- 1. http://www.ghatalfertility.com Ghatal Fertility Centre 2.Dreamland Nursing Home 3.Jibandeep Nursing Home 4.Sebayatan Nursing Home 5.Damodar Nursing Home 6.South Point Nursing Home 7.B.R.Sasmal Nursing Home 8.Ramkrishna Nursing Home 9.Bimal Sishu Sadan 10.Bidhan Nursing Home 11.Pal Nursing Home 12.Vibekanda Nursing Home 13.Shree Guru Nursing Home 14.Indrani Nursing Home 15.Moonlight Nursing Home 16.Sabita Nursing Home 17.Neramoy Nursing Home 18.Nebedita Nursing Home 19.Maity Nursing Home 20.Sunview Nursing Home 21.Sanjiban Nursing Home 22.Newlife Nursing Home. 23.Nightingle Nursing HomeCulture
The common people of this area maintained a culture something different from other parts of the district inconducting and observing their way of work in rituals and in customs. They are cherishing their old fashion and customs. For example, the people celebrating the worship of Maa Sitala Buri and other Maa Sitalas in an around Ghatal Town used to carry hundreds of dhakDhak (instrument)
The dhak is a percussion instrument similar to other two-sided drums in India. The dholak is probably the most popular of all, but it is normally played on both sides with the fingers and only sometimes with sticks. The dhol is generally associated with Punjabi music. The left side is coated to...
s in procession and arrange open opera acting on the stage dragged and pushed by the men on pitch road running through the town.
Among many festivals in Ghatal 'Sishu Mela' is most popular. Many people of Ghatal town and its neighbouring blocks take part in the 'Sishu Mela'. 'Vidyasagar Mela' is also most popular which take place in Birsingha (Birth place of Iswarchandra Vidyasagar).The regular bengali festivals like Durga Puja, Saraswati Puja and Kali Puja are well attended. Other common pujas in the worship of Sitala, Jagaddhatri, Holi, Janmastami, Bheema Puja also takes place.
The Visalaxmi temple at Barada and Khipteswari temple at Ghatal are the main tourist attraction in Ghatal. There is one peculiar floating bridge on the river made of by joining some boats tied with rope from the both sides in the banks. This bridge is also called 'Bhasapool' which is one of the greatest tourist attraction in Ghatal. There is also an ashram named Kushpata Satsanga Ashram. The largest Thakur Anukul Chandra temple of West Bengal is situated on the bank of Shilabati River which is 1.5 km (0.93205910497471 mi) away from Ghatal Vidyasagar Setu. Really it is a charming place. Here you can see several temples of Anukul Thakur. And also there is a large prayer room for the common people. In everyday huge number of people go to visit the temple and spend the few time in this silent area. The peoples of the Ghatal are very religious. There are many ashramas like Anukul Thakurer Satsanga ashram, Nigamanand er ashram, Ramkrishna Mission, Swami Debananda ashram etc.
Notable People
- Ishwar Chandra VidyasagarIshwar Chandra VidyasagarIshwar Chandra Vidyasagar CIE , born Ishwar Chandra Bandopadhyaya , was an Indian Bengali polymath and a key figure of the Bengal Renaissance....
,Social reformer dedicated his life for basic education of the people, development of women education and reformation of educational structure as a whole, also writer of Barnaparichay. - Akinchan ChakrabartyAkinchan ChakrabartyAkinchan Chakrabarty was a Bengali poet. He wrote three narrative poems: Parvatir Sankirtan or Chandir Nutan Mangal , Shitala-Panchali and Ganga Mangal...
, 18th century Bengali poet. - Sova Singh, Raja from chetua, established Visalaxmi temple
- Manabendra Roy
Tourist Spot
- Bhasapool (Pontoon Bridge),- Heritage of India
- Kushpata Satsanga Ashram of Anukul Thakur
- Visalaxmi Temple at Barada
- Birsing - Birth place of Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
- Alamgunj Mosque