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Last edited January 20, 2026


Khardaha

[[File:|250x250px|frameless|center]]

Settlement type City
Country India
State
District
Subdivision

Khardaha is a city and a municipality of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).[1][2]

History

Initially Khardah was a part of South Barrackpore and West Barrackpore municipalities established in 1877. South Barrackpore Municipality was renamed Khardah Municipality in 1920.[3]

File:Rabindra Bhavan - Khardaha - North 24 Parganas 2012-04-11 9698.JPG
Khardah Municipality

Geography

Template:OSM Location map

Location

Khardaha is located at Template:Coord.[4] It has an average elevation of Template:Convert. It has a railway station on the Sealdah-Ranaghat section, sandwiched between Sodepur and Sukchar (to the south) and Titagarh (to the north). The railway station divides the town into two parts – the eastern part is known as Rahara, while the western part is known as Khardaha.

Khardaha is bounded by Titagarh to the north, Patulia and Bandipur to the east, Panihati to the south and the Hooghly River to the west.[5]

96% of the population of Barrackpore subdivision (partly presented in the map alongside, all places marked in the map are linked in the full screen map) lives in urban areas. In 2011, it had a density of population of 10,967 per km2. The subdivision has 16 municipalities and 24 census towns.[6]

Demographics

Population

Template:Historical population

As per the 2011 Census of India, Khardaha had a total population of 108,496, of which 54,879 (51%) were male and 53,617 (49%) were female. 7,332 were under 6 years old. The total number of literates in Khardaha was 95,469 (94.37% of the population over 6 years).[7]

As of the 2001 India census,[8] Khardaha had a population of 116,252. Males constituted 53% of the population and females 47%. Khardaha had an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy was 83% and female literacy was 79%. 8% of the population was under 6 years old.

Kolkata Urban Agglomeration

The following Municipalities, Census Towns and other locations in Barrackpore subdivision were part of Kolkata Urban Agglomeration in the 2011 census: Kanchrapara (M), Jetia (CT), Halisahar (M), Balibhara (CT), Naihati (M), Bhatpara (M), Kaugachhi (CT), Garshyamnagar (CT), Garulia (M), Ichhapur Defence Estate (CT), North Barrackpur (M), Barrackpur Cantonment (CB), Barrackpore (M), Jafarpur (CT), Ruiya (CT), Titagarh (M), Khardaha (M), Bandipur (CT), Panihati (M), Muragachha (CT) New Barrackpore (M), Chandpur (CT), Talbandha (CT), Patulia (CT), Kamarhati (M), Baranagar (M), South Dumdum (M), North Dumdum (M), Dum Dum (M), Noapara (CT), Babanpur (CT), Teghari (CT), Nanna (OG), Chakla (OG), Srotribati (OG) and Panpur (OG).[9]

Police station

Khardaha police station under Barrackpore Police Commissionerate has jurisdiction over Khardaha Municipal area and Barrackpore II CD Block.[10][11]

Infrastructure

Template:See also As per the District Census Handbook 2011, Khardaha covered an area of 6.87 km2, with both open and closed drains. It had 115 medicine shops, 37 primary schools, one middle school, 13 secondary/senior secondary schools and one college for arts/science/commerce, one orphanage home, one stadium, three cinemas, three public libraries and three reading rooms. It had 6 bank branches.[12]

Economy

Industry

Major industries in Khardaha are:

  • Khardah Jute Mill was nationalised in 1980 and made a part of National Jute Manufactures Corporation Limited. It was closed in 2004 and after implementation of a revival scheme Khardah Jute Mill was reopened in 2011.[13][14] The Union Cabinet, at a meeting held on 10 October 2018, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave the green signal for the closure of National Jute Manufacturers Corporation Ltd. (NJMC) along with its subsidiary Birds Jute and Exporters Ltd. (BJEL). NJMC had been incurring losses for several years and was under reference to BIFR since 1993. The Mills of NJMC which were proposed for revival, namely, Kinnison Mill at Titagarh, Khardah Mill at Khardah and RBHM Mill at Katihar were under suspension since August 2016.[15][16]

Transport

File:Kolmetro.png
Kolkata new proposed Metro Pink Line (Baranagar - Barrackpore)
File:Khardaha railway station (1).jpg
Khardaha railway station

B.T. Road passes through Khardaha.[20]

78 is the most frequent bus in Khardaha which runs from Barrackpore Court to Esplanade. Besides many buses connect Khardaha to various neighbourhoods - 81/1 (Barasat to Rajchandrapur), C28 and S32 (Barrackpore Court to Howrah Station), S11 (Nilganj to Esplanade), E32 (Nilganj to Howrah Station) etc.

Khardaha railway station on the Sealdah-Ranaghat line is 18.5 km from Sealdah railway station.[21][20] It is part of the Kolkata Suburban Railway system.

File:Khardaha railway station (2).jpg

Shyamsundar ferry ghat is used by commuters to reach Rishra on the other side of Hooghly River. There is auto service available from station to ferry ghat. Ferry doesn't operate till late night.

File:খড়দহ ফেরি ঘাট ও হুগলী নদী ৩ - Khardah Ferry Ghat and Hooghly River.jpg
Khardah ShyamSundar Ferry Ghat


Commuters

Around a total of 3.2 million people from all around the city commute to Kolkata daily for work. In the Sealdah-Krishnanagar section there are 34 trains that carry commuters from 30 railway stations. In the Sealdah-Shantipur section 32 trains carry commuters from 29 stations.[22]

Education

File:R K Mission, Rahara 1 রামকৃষ্ণ মিশন বালকাশ্রম,রহড়া.jpg
Entry gate to Rahara Ramakrishna Mission

Rahara Ramakrishna Mission Boys' Home High School has facilities for teaching from class 1 to 12 (Higher secondary) in both Bengali and English mediums. It is an all boys' school.[23]

File:R K Mission Boys' Home High School, Rahara 1.jpg
RK Mission Boys' Home High School

Khardaha also has an all boys' college which is called, Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, a part of Ramakrishna Math and Mission. Both graduate and post graduate courses are taught. But, only Science subjects are offered here.[24]

File:R K Mission Brahmananda College of Education campus, Rahara.jpg
RK Mission Brahmananda College
File:Main Entrance of the R K M Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara.jpg
Centenary College gate, Brahmananda College


An all girls' school is located right by the side of Rahara Mission, called, Bhabhanath Institution for Girls.[25] Kalyannagar Vidyapith, another school is also located in the area. There are also two High school situated at right side, they are Shibnath High School for Boys and Priyanath Girls School for Girls. Recently another English Medium school for secondary section has been established in the name of Khardaha Indira Memorial School.

Health

Khardaha Municipal hospital or Balaram sevamandir is the main Govt. funded hospital in Khardaha.[26] There are many private medical dispensaries with their own doctors and specialists scattered through town.

Culture

File:R K Mission, Rahara.jpg
Rahara Ramakrishna Mission temple

Every year in the month of December, Khardaha municipality organizes a flower show.[27] Khardaha Sanskritik Utsav (Cultural Festival) is organized on a regular basis, where performers from all over India come to entertain people.[28] Khardaha book fair is a culturally significant event that takes place every year.[28]

Nityananda Mahaprabhu, a primary religious figure within the Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Bengal, came and settled in a hut named Kunjabati at Khardaha.[29][30]

File:Kunjabati Premises at Khardaha in North 24 Pargana district, West Bengal 08.jpg
Kunjabati
File:Kunjabati Premises at Khardaha in North 24 Pargana district, West Bengal 02.jpg
Kunjabati

His son and daughter were born at this place. After their death, they were buried here (read Samadhi (shrine) ).

File:Kunjabati Premises at Khardaha in North 24 Pargana district, West Bengal 06.jpg
Kunjabati
File:Kunjabati Premises at Khardaha in North 24 Pargana district, West Bengal 10.jpg
Kunjabati


26 Shiva temples were built on the bank of the Ganges, in the early 19th century by Ramhari Biswas and his son, Prankrishna.[30]

File:26 Shiva Temples Khardah.jpg
26 Shiva Temple complex of Khardah
File:26 Shiva temple complex at Khardaha in North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal 01.jpg
Entry to temple complex
File:26 Shiva temple complex at Khardaha in North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal 04.jpg
Near a temple


David J. McCutchion describes several temples at Khardaha:[31]

  • Shyama Sundar temple (18th century?) – renovated atchala with porch on triple archway
File:Radha Shyamsundar Jiu temple at Khardaha in North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal 02.jpg
Shyamsundar Jiu temple
  • Mahaprabhu Navaratna temple – straight corniced navaratna structure
File:Mahaprabhu Temple at Khardaha in North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal 01.jpg
Mahaprabhu Navaratna temple
  • Radhakanta Jiu temple - looks similar to Shyamsundar Jiu temple but smaller
File:RadhaKanta Jiu Temple at Khardaha in North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal 01.jpg
Radhakanta Jiu temple
  • Rasmancha – low octagonal structure with 16 turrets
File:Rasmancha-Khardaha-West Bengal-14.jpg
Rasmancha, Khardaha
File:Gope Astami Mela khardah West Bengal.jpg
Gope Astami Mela at Rasmancha


  • Durga puja immersion ceremony near the Rashkhola ghat
File:Durga utsab of west bengal.jpg
Immersion at Khardah ghat
File:Sunset over Hoogly River-khardah fakkighat kolkata.jpg
Sunset
File:Sunset over Hoogly river.jpg
Sunset

References

  1. Base Map of Kolkata Metropolitan area. Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
  2. CENSUS OF INDIA 2001. web.cmc.net.in. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
  3. Brief history and formation of Khardah Municipality. Khardah Municipality. Retrieved 25 June 2018.
  4. Khardah, India. fallingrain.com. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
  5. District Census Handbook North Twenty Four Parganas, Census of India 2011, Series 20, Part XII A. Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal. Retrieved 27 June 2018.
  6. District Statistical Handbook. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  7. 2011 Census – Primary Census Abstract Data Tables. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  8. Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional). Census Commission of India. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
  9. Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Census of India 2011. Retrieved 7 June 2018.
  10. District Statistical Handbook. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  11. Barrackpore Police Commissionerate. West Bengal Police. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  12. District Census Handbook North Twenty Four Parganas, Census of India 2011, Series 20, Part XII A. Directorate of Census Operations V, West Bengal. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
  13. National Jute Manufactures Ltd.. NJMC. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  14. Mills under suspension of work as on 26 June 2009. Jute Commissioner, Government of India. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  15. News Updates. PM India. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  16. Central government gives green signal to shut National Jute Manufacturers Corporation. Apparel Resources 11 October 2018(11 October 2018). Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  17. Electrosteel Castings Ltd.. ECL. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  18. Electrosteel Castings Ltd.. ECL. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  19. Electrosteel Castings Ltd.. Zauba Corp. Retrieved 16 July 2018.
  20. 20.0 20.1 Google maps
  21. 31311 Sealdah-Kalyani Simanta Local. indiarailinfo. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  22. The Suburban Railway Network of Kolkata: A Geographical Apprisal, Dey, Teesta. eTraverse, the Indian journal of spatial science, 2012. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  23. Welcome - Ramakrishna Mission Rahara, India.
  24. Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Centenary College, Rahara.
  25. Rahara Bhabanath Institution for Girls, Khardaha Municipality North Twenty Four Pargana - Admissions 2019, Fee Structure.
  26. khardah municipal hospital — Google Local.
  27. https://www.facebook.com/events/176222865909385 Template:User-generated source
  28. 28.0 28.1 Khardah, Khardaha and Rahara.
  29. Sen, Sukumar (1991, reprint 2007). Bangala Sahityer Itihas, Vol.I, Template:In lang, Kolkata: Ananda Publishers, Template:ISBN, pp.236, 321-2
  30. 30.0 30.1 26 Shiva temples, Khardaha. Trodly. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  31. McCutchion, David J., Late Mediaeval Temples of Bengal, first published 1972, reprinted 2017, pages 33, 54,74, 78 . The Asiatic Society, Kolkata, Template:ISBN

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