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{{Short description|Division in West Bengal, India}}
{{other uses|Bardhaman (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2026}}
{{Use Indian English|date=January 2026}}
{{more citations needed|date=July 2013}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Burdwan division
| settlement_type = [[Administrative divisions of West Bengal|Division]]
| image_map = Burdwan division map.svg
| mapsize = 300
| map_caption = Location of Burdwan division in West Bengal
| coordinates = {{coord|23|22|N|87|58|E|type:adm2nd_region:IN-WB_dim:200000|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = [[India]]
| subdivision_type1 = [[States and union territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1 = [[West Bengal]]
| seat_type = Headquarters
| seat = [[Barddhaman]]
| leader_title = [[List of districts of West Bengal|Districts]]
| leader_name = [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]], [[Hooghly district|Hooghly]], [[Paschim Bardhaman district|Paschim Bardhaman]], [[Purba Bardhaman district|Purba Bardhaman]]
| leader_title1 = [[Divisional commissioner|DC]]
| leader_name1 = Avanindra Singh, [[Indian Administrative Service|IAS]]
| leader_title2 = [[Deputy inspector general of police|DIG]]
| leader_name2 = Shyam Singh, [[Indian Police Service|IPS]]
| area_total_km2 = 14730
| population_total = 16,739,112
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_as_of = 2011
| demographics_type2 = Languages
| demographics2_title1 = Official
| demographics2_info1 = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]<ref name="wblangoff">{{cite web|title=Fact and Figures|url=https://wb.gov.in/portal/web/guest/facts-and-figures;jsessionid=JzdD9RHb7aMY5esZPtcsIVLy|website=Wb.gov.in|access-date=5 July 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India|url=http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf|website=Nclm.nic.in|publisher=[[Ministry of Minority Affairs]]|access-date=5 July 2019|page=85|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525141614/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf|archive-date=25 May 2017}}</ref>
| demographics2_title2 = Additional official
| demographics2_info2 = [[English language|English]]<ref name="wblangoff"/>
| timezone1 = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1 = +05:30
| website = {{URL|https://wb.gov.in/}}
}}

'''Burdwan division''' is one of the 5 [[Divisions of West Bengal|administrative division]] in the [[India]]n [[States and territories of India|state]] of [[West Bengal]]. The headquarters of the Burdwan division is situated at Chinsurah while the largest city in this division is Asansol. This division is known for its huge reserve of coal, mainly in the districts of [[Paschim Bardhaman]] and [[Birbhum]].

==Geography==
Burdwan division is bounded by [[Medinipur division]] to West, [[Presidency division]] to South and South-East, [[Malda division]] to North-East and [[Santhal Pargana division]] of neighbouring [[Jharkhand]] to North-West. The northern and north-western part of the division have rocky undulating topography with laterite soil and is a sort of extension of the Chota Nagpur plateau. For ages the area was heavily forested and infested with plunderers and marauders. The discovery of coal in the 18th century led to industrialisation.<ref>Chattopadhyay, Akkori, ''Bardhaman Jelar Itihas O Lok Sanskriti'', Vol I, pp 14-15.</ref> On the other hand, the eastern, central and southern part of the division flat alluvial plain area with a significant number of rivers flowing through this area.
The main rivers flowing through this division are [[Hooghly river|Hooghly-Bhagirathi]], [[Damodar River|Damodar]], [[Ajay River|Ajay]], [[Mayurakshi]], [[Dwarakeswar River]], [[Dwarka]], [[Brahmani River (Dwarka)|Brahmani]], etc

==List of districts==
It consists of 4 [[Districts of India|districts]]:<ref>{{Cite web|title=West Burdwan: State gets its 23rd district|url=http://www.millenniumpost.in/kolkata/west-burdwan-state-gets-its-23rd-district-235521|last=MP|first=Team|date=8 April 2017|website=www.millenniumpost.in|language=en|access-date=4 May 2020}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
!Code
!District
!Headquarters
!Established
!Sub-Division
!Area
!Population As of 2011
![[Population Density]]
!Map
|-
|-
|BR
|[[Paschim Bardhaman district|Paschim Bardhaman]]
|[[Asansol]]
|2017
|align="left"|

* [[Asansol Sadar subdivision|Asansol Sadar]]
* [[Durgapur subdivision|Durgapur]]
|{{convert|1603.17|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|2,882,031
|{{convert|1100|/km2|/sqmi|abbr=on}}
| [[File:Paschim Bardhaman in West Bengal (India).svg|100px|center]]
|-
|BR
|[[Purba Bardhaman district|Purba Bardhaman]]
|[[Bardhaman]]
|2017
|align="left"|

* [[Kalna subdivision|Kalna]]
* [[Katwa subdivision|Katwa]]
* [[Bardhaman Sadar North subdivision|Bardhaman Sadar North]]
* [[Bardhaman Sadar South subdivision|Bardhaman Sadar South]]
|{{convert|5,432.69|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|4,835,532
|{{convert|890|/km2|/sqmi|abbr=on}}
||[[File:Purba Bardhaman in West Bengal (India).svg|100px|center]]
|-
|BI
|[[Birbhum district|Birbhum]]
|[[Suri, Birbhum|Siuri]]
|1947
|align="left"|
* [[Suri Sadar subdivision|Suri Sadar]]
* [[Bolpur subdivision|Bolpur]]
* [[Rampurhat subdivision|Rampurhat]]
|{{convert|4545|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|3,502,387
|{{convert|771|/km2|/sqmi|abbr=on}}
|[[File:Birbhum in West Bengal (India).svg|100px|center]]
|-
|HG
|[[Hooghly district|Hooghly]]
|[[Chinsura]]
|1947
|align="left"|
* [[Chinsurah subdivision|Chinsurah Sadar]]
* [[Chandannagore subdivision|Chandannagore]]
* [[Srirampore subdivision|Srirampore]]
* [[Arambagh subdivision|Arambagh]]
|{{convert|3149|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|5,520,389
|{{convert|1753|/km2|/sqmi|abbr=on}}
|[[File:Hooghly in West Bengal (India).svg|100px|center]]
|-
!Total
!4
!—
!-
|13
|{{convert|14,733.86|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}
|16,739,112
|
{{convert|1136|/km2|/sqmi|abbr=on}}
|[[File:India WB.svg|thumb]]
|}

==Economy==
Coalmining in India first started in the Raniganj Coalfield. Presently, Eastern Coalfields has been producing around 30 million tonnes per annum from its open cast mines, it has been modernising its underground mines to produce around 10 million tonnes per annum from its underground mines.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/companies/eastern-coalfields-aims-higher-output-from-underground-mining/article6493531.ece |title = Eastern Coalfields aim higher output from underground mining | publisher= The Hindu Business Line, 12 October 2014| access-date = 4 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.easterncoal.gov.in/planning.html |title = Eastern Coalfields |work = Planning | publisher= ECL| access-date = 4 March 2017}}</ref>

The western and southern part of the division are highly industrialised. [[IISCO Steel Plant]] of [[Steel Authority of India]] at [[Burnpur]] has a crude steel production capacity of 2.5 million tonnes per year.<ref name=iisco>{{cite web |url = https://www.sail.co.in/iisco-steel-plant/about-iisco-steel-plant |title = Steel Authority of India Limited |work = IISCO Steel Plant |publisher = SAIL |access-date = 4 March 2017 |archive-date = 3 August 2017 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170803023533/http://sail.co.in/iisco-steel-plant/about-iisco-steel-plant |url-status = dead }}</ref>

[[Chittaranjan Locomotive Works]] is one of the largest electric locomotive manufacturers in the world. Established in 1950, it produced steam locomotives up to 1972.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.clw.indianrailways.gov.in/ | title = Chittaranjan Locomotive Works | publisher = Indian Railways | access-date = 4 March 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140319005303/http://www.clw.indianrailways.gov.in/# | archive-date = 19 March 2014 | url-status = dead }}</ref> Ballavpur Paper Mnfg. Ltd. (earlier Bengal Paper Mill) at [[Ballavpur]] started production in 2009 after revamp.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.ballavpurpaper.com/index.html | title = Ballavpur Paper Mnfg. Ltd. | publisher = BPML | access-date = 7 July 2018}}</ref>

[[Durgapur Steel Plant]] of [[Steel Authority of India]], set up in the fifties, has a rated capacity of 2.2 million tonnes of crude steel, after expansion and modernisation. The plant is consistently performing at beyond its rated capacity.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.sail.co.in/durgapur-steel-plant/about-durgapur-steel-plant | title = Steel Authority of India | work = About Durgapur Steel Plant | publisher = SAIL | access-date = 4 March 2017 | archive-date = 3 August 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170803054247/http://sail.co.in/durgapur-steel-plant/about-durgapur-steel-plant | url-status = dead }}</ref>

Amongst the industrial areas in the division are: Durgapur Industrial Area, Industrial Complex at Rajbandh, Industrial Estate at Kalyanpur, Asansol, Raniganj Industrial Estate, Panagarh Industrial Park, Aluminium and Non-Ferrous Metal Park and Salanpur Industrial Park.<ref name= msme>{{cite web | url = http://www.dcmsme.gov.in/dips/BURDWAN.pdf | title = Brief Industrial Profile of Burdwan district | publisher = Micro Small and Medium Industries |access-date = 13 April 2017}}</ref>

The southern part of the district is known for jute cultivation, jute industry, and jute trade hub in the state. The jute mills are along the banks of the river Hooghly in Tribeni, Bhadreswar, Champdani and Sreerampur

Birbhum is a major centre of [[cottage industries]]. Perhaps the most notable cottage industry is a non-profit rural organisation named [[Amar Kutir]]. Other main industries in Birbhum are agriculture-based industries, textiles, forestry, arts and crafts. Sriniketan is noted for its dairy industry and as a forestry centre. Some of the notable forms of cottage industries of Birbhum include textile—especially cotton and locally harvested tussar silk, jute works, batik, kantha stitch, macramé (weaving by knotting threads), leather, pottery and terracotta, solapith, woodcarving, bamboo and cane craft, metal works and tribal crafts.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} There are 8,883 small and medium scale industries. Principal industries of the district include cotton and silk harvesting and weaving, rice and oilseed milling, lac harvesting, and metalware and pottery manufacture.{{citation needed|date=September 2020}} [[Bakreshwar Thermal Power Station]] (210 MW x 3 + 210 MW x 2 under construction) is the only [[heavy industry]] in the district.<ref name=pramanik>Pramanik, Swarajit, ''Birbumer Ahankar: Bakreshwar Tapbidyut Kendra'', ''Paschim Banga'', Birbhum Special issue (in Bengali), February 2006, pp. 189–192</ref>

Purba Bardhaman is an agriculturally prosperous district of West Bengal. The soil and climate of the district favour the production of food grains. The undivided Bardhaman district was the largest producer of rice in West Bengal, and the bulk of it was produced in what is now Purba Bardhaman district. Rice, the major crop has three varieties – Aus (in autumn), Aman (in winter) and Boro (in summer). Other than cereals and pulses, cash crops such as mustard, til, jute and potatoes are also grown.<ref name=agriculture>{{cite web | url = http://wbplan.gov.in/HumanDev/DHDR/District%20DEV%20Report.%20Burdwan%20%202012%20total%20Book%20Curve%20Red.pdf | title = District Human Development Report Bardhaman, March 2011 | work = pages 37, 50-58 | publisher = Development and Planning Department, Government of West Bengal | access-date = 13 April 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170814062640/http://wbplan.gov.in/HumanDev/DHDR/District%20DEV%20Report.%20Burdwan%20%202012%20total%20Book%20Curve%20Red.pdf | archive-date = 14 August 2017 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Pie chart
|thumb = center
|caption = Religion in Burdwan Division ([[2011 Indian Census]])
|label1 = [[Hinduism]]
|value1 = 76.26
|color1 = orange
|label2 = [[Islam]]
|value2 = 22.51
|color2 = green
|label3 = Others or no religion
|value3 = 1.23
|color3 = grey
}}
[[Hindus]] form the majority of the population in this division. They comprise 76.26% of the population. [[Muslims]] comprises 22.51% of the division. They are mainly concentrated in [[Rampurhat subdivision]] of [[Birbhum]] and in [[Purba Bardhaman]] district. Small presence of tribal population is also found in certain pockets of the division, specially in [[Birbhum]] district.<ref>[http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW19C-01%20MDDS.XLS Population by religious community: West Bengal]. 2011 Census of India.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Districts of West Bengal}}

[[Category:Divisions of West Bengal]]

Burdwan division - Revision history

imported>HAUDesiree at 22:09, 2 March 2026