Labhpur
Encyclopedia
Labhpur , is a town with a police station in Bolpur
subdivision of Birbhum district
in the India
n state
of West Bengal
. Known to the outside world as the native place of Tarashankar Bandopadhyay
, and located on the archaic narrow gauge railway, it is an extensive rural area subject to droughts in summer followed by occasional floods.
It lies in the flood plains of Mayurakshi River
and when water is released from Massanjore dam and Tilpara barrage in large quantities, flood waters wreak havoc in the area. In 2006, nearly 50,000 people were marooned in Labhpur and surrounding blocks of Birbhum district.
.
One pair of trains run daily along the 52 km Ahmedpur – Katwa narrow gauge (2' 6") line. It has remained a single line since its inception. Indian Railways
took over the narrow gauge tracks between Katwa and Ahmedpur, and Katwa and Bardhaman from McLoyd and Company in 1966. The railways have identified poor turnout of passengers and their unwillingness to buy tickets as the reasons behind the losses incurred by the narrow gauge section.
The bus terminal is very good with every kind of mordant facility. It is very near of Labpur Sambhunath College & Block Development office. Labpur is well connected with important part of district.
But at present the economy of Labpur is change. There are 4 main market 1.Old bustard market ,2.Bdo complex , 3. Sastinagar market & 4.Hattala.Labpur also important for the villages situated near labpur.
, the Bengali
writer, was born at Labhpur on 23 July 1898. He passed matriculation from Labhpur in 1916. Many of his novels and stories carry vivid descriptions of the area.
In the novel Hansulibanker Upkatha, he writes, “The Hansulibank countryside is somewhat rough land. Here, man’s fight is more with land, than that with rivers. When drought comes, in extreme summer, the river becomes a desert, it is a land of sand – only deep water somehow manages to weave a narrow way through it. The land then is transformed into rock. The grass dries up. The land heats up as if it is a piece of heated-up iron.”
In his novel Ganadevata, he quotes a rural rhyme
, followed by Rash Yatra. On the day of Rash Yatra (a couple of days after the Durga Puja), a procession goes from the Thakur Badi to the Rath Tala. There, the annual feast of Krishna
is celebrated. Another great festival of this region is the Fullara Mela (fair), which is held on the first full moon of Bengali month of Magh. The annual celebration of Laxmi Puja, Kali Puja
and the Village Goddess Maa Rakhkha Kali
are also celebrated. The Mahashivratri festival is observed by worshipping Shiva
and holding fasts. The Prominent clubs celebrating Durga Puja
include: 1. Palliswamaj. 2. Bright Star Club. 3. Atul Shiv Club (the Government Club)4.Sastinagar youth club. The Tran Samiti club celebrates Kali Puja.Sastinagar youth club also celebrates Kali puja.Muslim festivals (like Yeed-ul-jjua, Maharam ect.) also celebrates in labpur.
danced around with Sati’s
dead body cutting it to pieces, the lip fell at Fullara. There is a big pond beside the temple. According to hearsay, Hanuman
collected 108 blue lotuses from the pond when Sri Ramachandra
required them for the worship of goddess Durga
. It is considered to be one of the fifty-one shakti peethas
in India.
decorated with precious marble
stones, about 1 km from the station. This temple was originally founded by Satyanarayana Banerjee. Here, several idols of Gods are present, including those of Lord Sri Krishna, Lord Ganesha
and Lord Karthik
.
Durga
. These are:
1. Kulin Para, the group belonging to the Chattopadhay family.
2. Nicher Sadar, the group belonging to the Bandopadhay family.
3. Upaar Sadar, the group belonging to the Mukhopadhay family.
4. Dutta Pada, the group belonging to the Dutta family.
All these temples are enriched with inner-temples to Lord Shiva. The four families were once the Zamindar or Landlord of Labhpur, who wished to be remembered by erecting these temples.
Bolpur
Bolpur-Santiniketan is a municipality in Birbhum District in the state of West Bengal, India. It is 145 km north of Kolkata and is best known for the proximity to Visva Bharati, the university set up by Rabindranath Tagore the Nobel laureate poet...
subdivision of Birbhum district
Birbhum district
Birbhum district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the northernmost district of Burdwan division—one of the three administrative divisions of West Bengal. The district headquarters is located at Suri...
in the 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...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of 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...
. Known to the outside world as the native place of Tarashankar Bandopadhyay
Tarashankar Bandopadhyay
Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay was one of the leading Bengali novelists. He wrote 65 novels, 53 story-books, 12 plays, 4 essay-books, 4 autobiographies and 2 travel stories...
, and located on the archaic narrow gauge railway, it is an extensive rural area subject to droughts in summer followed by occasional floods.
Geography
Labhpur is located at 23.83°N 87.82°E. It has an average elevation of 35 m (114.8 ft).It lies in the flood plains of Mayurakshi River
Mayurakshi River
Mayurakshi River is a major river in West Bengal, India, with a long history of devastating floods.It has its source on Trikut hill, about 16 km from Deoghar in Jharkhand state. It flows through Jharkhand and then through the districts of Birbhum and Murshidabad in West Bengal before flowing...
and when water is released from Massanjore dam and Tilpara barrage in large quantities, flood waters wreak havoc in the area. In 2006, nearly 50,000 people were marooned in Labhpur and surrounding blocks of Birbhum district.
Education
Labpur is very rich in education. There are present one high school for boys, one for girls, a Jr. high madrasha & a central govt. CBSE high school of co-ed education.There also present four primary schools & a college.Transport
It is located on the Suri–hutishanko]{The state highway 6] road and is about 12 km from Ahmedpur on the Ahmedpur Katwa RailwayAhmedpur Katwa Railway
Ahmedpur Katwa Railway is a narrow gauge line, built and operated as part of McLeod’s Light Railways, in Birbhum and Bardhaman districts in the Indian state of West Bengal....
.
One pair of trains run daily along the 52 km Ahmedpur – Katwa narrow gauge (2' 6") line. It has remained a single line since its inception. Indian Railways
Indian Railways
Indian Railways , abbreviated as IR , is a departmental undertaking of Government of India, which owns and operates most of India's rail transport. It is overseen by the Ministry of Railways of the Government of India....
took over the narrow gauge tracks between Katwa and Ahmedpur, and Katwa and Bardhaman from McLoyd and Company in 1966. The railways have identified poor turnout of passengers and their unwillingness to buy tickets as the reasons behind the losses incurred by the narrow gauge section.
The bus terminal is very good with every kind of mordant facility. It is very near of Labpur Sambhunath College & Block Development office. Labpur is well connected with important part of district.
Economics
Traditionally, there used to be a weekly market, locally called hat. Apart from vegetables, such needs as pottery, wooden materials, iron materials, baskets, seeds etc. were available.But at present the economy of Labpur is change. There are 4 main market 1.Old bustard market ,2.Bdo complex , 3. Sastinagar market & 4.Hattala.Labpur also important for the villages situated near labpur.
Tarashankar country
Tarashankar BandopadhyayTarashankar Bandopadhyay
Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay was one of the leading Bengali novelists. He wrote 65 novels, 53 story-books, 12 plays, 4 essay-books, 4 autobiographies and 2 travel stories...
, the Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
writer, was born at Labhpur on 23 July 1898. He passed matriculation from Labhpur in 1916. Many of his novels and stories carry vivid descriptions of the area.
In the novel Hansulibanker Upkatha, he writes, “The Hansulibank countryside is somewhat rough land. Here, man’s fight is more with land, than that with rivers. When drought comes, in extreme summer, the river becomes a desert, it is a land of sand – only deep water somehow manages to weave a narrow way through it. The land then is transformed into rock. The grass dries up. The land heats up as if it is a piece of heated-up iron.”
In his novel Ganadevata, he quotes a rural rhyme
- PoushPoushPoush is the 9th month of both the Bangla calendar and the Nepali Calendar. It overlaps December and January of the Gregorian calendar. It is the first month of the winter season....
-Poush, golden Poush, - Come Poush but don’t go away, don’t ever leave,
- Don’t leave Poush, Don’t,
- The husband and son will eat a full bowl of rice.
Festivals
The most important festival of Labhpur is Durga PujaDurga Puja
Durga puja ; দুর্গা পূজা,ଦୁର୍ଗା ପୂଜା,‘Worship of Durga’), also referred to as Durgotsava ; , is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and...
, followed by Rash Yatra. On the day of Rash Yatra (a couple of days after the Durga Puja), a procession goes from the Thakur Badi to the Rath Tala. There, the annual feast of Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
is celebrated. Another great festival of this region is the Fullara Mela (fair), which is held on the first full moon of Bengali month of Magh. The annual celebration of Laxmi Puja, Kali Puja
Kali Puja
Kali Puja or Shyama Puja is a festival dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali, celebrated on the new moon day of the Hindu month Ashwin in Bengal. It coincides with the pan-Indian Lakshmi Puja day of Diwali...
and the Village Goddess Maa Rakhkha Kali
Kali
' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...
are also celebrated. The Mahashivratri festival is observed by worshipping Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and holding fasts. The Prominent clubs celebrating Durga Puja
Durga Puja
Durga puja ; দুর্গা পূজা,ଦୁର୍ଗା ପୂଜା,‘Worship of Durga’), also referred to as Durgotsava ; , is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami and...
include: 1. Palliswamaj. 2. Bright Star Club. 3. Atul Shiv Club (the Government Club)4.Sastinagar youth club. The Tran Samiti club celebrates Kali Puja.Sastinagar youth club also celebrates Kali puja.Muslim festivals (like Yeed-ul-jjua, Maharam ect.) also celebrates in labpur.
Fullara
According to mythology, when MahadevaShiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
danced around with Sati’s
Dakshayani
Dākshāyani or Satī is a Hindu Goddess of marital felicity and longevity. She is worshipped particularly by Hindu women to seek the long life of their husbands...
dead body cutting it to pieces, the lip fell at Fullara. There is a big pond beside the temple. According to hearsay, Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
collected 108 blue lotuses from the pond when Sri Ramachandra
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
required them for the worship of goddess Durga
Durga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
. It is considered to be one of the fifty-one shakti peethas
Shakti Peethas
The Shakti Pithas are places of worship consecrated to the goddess Shakti or Parvati or Sati or Durga, the female principal of Hinduism and the main deity of the Shakta sect...
in India.
Gobinda Sagar
This is actually a part of Laghata River dissected off earlier. From this pond once, a statue of Lord Sri Krishna was found. It is located by the side of Rathtala region of Labhpur.Thakur Badi
This is an ancient TempleTemple
A temple is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities, such as prayer and sacrifice, or analogous rites. A templum constituted a sacred precinct as defined by a priest, or augur. It has the same root as the word "template," a plan in preparation of the building that was marked out...
decorated with precious marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
stones, about 1 km from the station. This temple was originally founded by Satyanarayana Banerjee. Here, several idols of Gods are present, including those of Lord Sri Krishna, Lord Ganesha
Ganesha
Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
and Lord Karthik
Karthik
Karthik is a male given name that is most common name in the southern part of India. The name stands for the Hindu god "Muruga," son of Lord Shiva.The name may refer to:-Actors:...
.
The Sadars
There are four groups of Temples at Labpur, which are popularly known as "Sadars". The temples usually are centering the four ancient shrines to GoddessGoddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
Durga
Durga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
. These are:
1. Kulin Para, the group belonging to the Chattopadhay family.
2. Nicher Sadar, the group belonging to the Bandopadhay family.
3. Upaar Sadar, the group belonging to the Mukhopadhay family.
4. Dutta Pada, the group belonging to the Dutta family.
All these temples are enriched with inner-temples to Lord Shiva. The four families were once the Zamindar or Landlord of Labhpur, who wished to be remembered by erecting these temples.