Jaynagar Majilpur

Jaynagar Majilpur(Bengali:[d͡ʒɔe̯nɔgoɾmod͡ʒɪlpuɾ]) is a city and a municipality ofSouth 24 Parganas districtin theIndianstateofWest Bengal. It is situated in the southern suburbs ofKolkata. As an urban setup in the vicinity of Kolkata, the city is within the area ofGreater Kolkata. It is a part of the area covered byKolkata Metropolitan Development Authority(KMDA).The city is famous for its confectionery calledJaynagarer Moa.
Jaynagar is an ancient settlement. The name of Jaynagar comes from the name of the local goddessJoychandi, from which the city derived the name,Joychanditala. Over time it becameJoychandinagarand thenJoynagarorJaynagar.
Another ancient settlement is Majilpur. The etymology of the name is an interesting one. Originally theGangeswould flow over where the city is, but slowly it started silting down. This silting is calledMoje Jaoain Bengali language, from which the city derived the name,Mojapur. Over time it becameMojpur,Mojipurand thenMojilpurorMajilpur.
Manyjanapadasgrew up along the oldBhagirathichannel from the ancient times until around the 16th century:Kalighat, Boral,Rajpur,Harinavi, Mahinagar,Baruipur,Baharu, Jaynagar Majilpur,Chhatrabhogetc.Bipradas Pipilai'sManasavijaya, composed in 1495, mentions many places in this region. "Chand Sadagar, a merchant character of theManasavijaya, reached Baruipur, from Kalighat, through the old Bhagirathi channel. From there he proceeded towards Chhatrabhog, and then traveling through Hatiagarh pargana reached the open sea".Chaitanyadeva(1486–1534) also went through this route. Travelling by boat toPurihe halted at the village of Atisara, near Baruipur. "His last stoppage in24 Parganaswas at Chhatrabhog, now a village within the jurisdiction of theMathurapurpolice station. Chhatrabhog seems to have been an important river-port on the old Bhagirathi channel". Rama Chandra Khan, thezamindarof Chhatrabhog, helped Chaitanyadeva to continue with his journey.
The city of Jaynagar Majilpur carries the memory of a very significant incident in the history of theBengal. WhenPratapaditya, the last independentHinduking of Bengal atJessorewas defeated by theMughalforces, theState Diwan's(Grand vizier) family and theState Priest'sfamily were forced to flee to avoid persecution and conversion. They settled down in the city to form the estate of theDuttas, and theBrahminpriest, Sree Krishna Udgata, who came over, settled down in what is today theBhattacharya Para. All theBhattacharyasin the city are his scions, with the current 13th generation being settled out of the city.
The city is famous for the ancientDhanwantary Kali Temple, believed to be very benevolent, who listens to the prayers of her devotees promptly. An annual event is held, called theBesher Mela, where the goddessKaliis dressed up asRadha Krishnaand other goddesses. It attracts thousands of devotees, and is one of the most iconic yearly events in the city. Also, by the express direction of theDhanwantary Kali, every year, duringKali Puja, it is mandatory to host aKali Pujain everyBrahminhousehold of the city. It used to be a big annual festival, with hundreds of houses performingKali Pujaon the night of theDiwali, and going out on the next day in a beautifully orchestrated procession, going around the city, before the immersion or theBisarjan. However, over the past few years, the number of houses performingKali Pujahas fallen drastically, now performed in only twenty odd houses. This has been mainly due to the gradual outward immigration of people from the hamlet, the reluctancy of the younger generation, and their inability to get hold of funds considering the deteriorating economic condition of Bengal, the rise of public subscription or locally calledBarowari Puja.
The city was also calledHalf-Calcuttaowing to the development it had seen before independence, with stalwarts likeSivanath Sastriand Umesh Chandra Dutta emerging. It was also a centre for active freedom fighting, with names likeKanailal Bhattacharyaand Rajaram Bhattacharya to name a few.
Baruipur subdivision is a rural subdivision with moderate levels of urbanization. 31.05% of the population live in the urban areas and 68.95% live in the rural areas. In the southern portion of the subdivision (shown in the map alongside) there are 20census towns. The entire district is situated in theGanges Deltaand the southern part is covered by the Baruipur-Jaynagar Plain.Archaeologicalexcavations atDhosaandTilpi, on the bank of thePiyali Riverindicate the existence of human habitation around 2,000 years ago.
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.
Jaynagar Majilpur is located at22°10′31″N88°25′12″E﻿ / ﻿22.1751976°N 88.4200808°E﻿ /22.1751976; 88.4200808. It has an average elevation of 8 metres (26 ft).
Raynagar,Kalikapur Barasat,Baharu,Uttarparanij,AlipurandUttar Durgapur, all in the Jaynagar I CD block, are adjacent to Jaynagar Majilpur.NimpithandTulshighata, both in the Jaynagar II CD block, are very close to Jaynagar Majilpur. These nine locations (eight census towns and a municipal city) virtually form a cluster.
Jaynagar Majilpur is subject to atropical wet-and-dry climatethat is designated Aw under theKöppen climate classification. According to aUnited Nations Development Programmereport, its wind and cyclone zone isvery high damage risk.
The annual mean temperature is 26.8 °C (80.2 °F); monthly mean temperatures are 19 to 30 °C (66 to 86 °F). Summers (March–June) are hot and humid, with temperatures in the low 30s Celsius; during dry spells, maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in May and June. Winter lasts for roughly2+1⁄2months, with seasonal lows dipping to 9 to 11 °C (48 to 52 °F) in December and January. May is the hottest month, with daily temperatures ranging from 27 to 37 °C (81 to 99 °F); January, the coldest month, has temperatures varying from 12 to 23 °C (54 to 73 °F). The highest recorded temperature is 43.9 °C (111.0 °F), and the lowest is 5 °C (41 °F). The winter is mild and very comfortable weather pertains over the city throughout this season. Often, in April–June, the city is struck by heavy rains or dusty squalls that are followed by thunderstorms or hailstorms, bringing cooling relief from the prevailing humidity. These thunderstorms areconvectivein nature, and are known locally asKal'bôishakhi, orNor'westersin English.
Rains brought by theBay of Bengalbranch of thesouth-west summer monsoonlash Jaynagar Majilpur between June and September, supplying it with most of its annual rainfall of about 1,850 mm (73 in). The highest monthly rainfall total occurs in July and August. In these months often incessant rain for days brings live to a stall for the city dwellers. The city receives 2,528 hours of sunshine per year, with maximumsunlight exposureoccurring in March. Jaynagar Majilpur has been hit by several cyclones; these include systems occurring in 1737 and 1864 that killed thousands.
According to the2011 Census of India, Jaynagar Majilpur had a total population of 25,922, of which 13,234 (51.05%) were males and 12,688 (48.95%) were females. It had a population density of 4,431 inhabitants per square kilometre (11,480/sq mi) with a sex ratio of 959 females for every 1000 males. There were 2,277 persons in the age range of 0 to 6 years which is 8.78% of the total population. The Scheduled Castes numbered 4,830 (18.63%) and the Scheduled Tribes numbered 24 (0.09%). The total number of literate persons was 20,898 (88.38% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 11,092 (91.96% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 9,806 (84.66% of the female population over 6 years). Jaynagar Majilpur had a total of 6,036 households as per report released by 2011 Census of India.
At the time of the2011 Census of India, 99.14% of the population spokeBengali, 0.82%Hindiand 0.03%Urduas their first language.
According to the2011 Census of India, 81.34% of the population isHindu, 18.23%Muslim, 0.17%Christian, 0.04%Sikh, 0.02%Buddhistand 0.02%Jain. 0.18% did not state a religion in the census.
Jaynagar Majilpur Municipalitycovers an area of 5.85 km(2.26 sq mi). It has jurisdiction over the entire city of Jaynagar Majilpur. The municipality was established on 1 April 1869; 155 years ago(1 April 1869). It is divided into 14 administrative wards. According to the 2022 municipal election, it is being controlled by theAll India Trinamool Congress.
Jaynagar police station covers an area of 438.06 km(169.14 sq mi). It has jurisdiction over parts of theJaynagar Majilpur Municipality, and theJaynagar IandJaynagar IICD blocks.
The headquarters of the Jaynagar I CD block are located at Baharu.The map of the CD block Jaynagar I on the page number 699 in theDistrict Census Handbook 2011for the South 24 Parganas district shows the headquarters of the CD block as being located in Jaynagar Majilpur.
The headquarters of the Jaynagar II CD block are located at Nimpith.The map of the CD block Jaynagar II on the page number 725 in theDistrict Census Handbook 2011for the South 24 Parganas district shows the headquarters of the CD block as being located in Jaynagar Majilpur.
Jaynagar Majilpur is on theState Highway 1.
Jaynagar Majilpur railway stationis on theSealdah–Namkhana lineof theKolkata Suburban Railway.
With the electrification of the railways, suburban traffic has grown tremendously since the 1960s. As of 2005–06, more than 1.7 million (17 lakhs) commuters use theKolkata Suburban Railwaysystem daily. After the partition of India, refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan and Bangladesh had a strong impact on the development of urban areas in the periphery of Kolkata. The new immigrants depended on Kolkata for their livelihood, thus increasing the number of commuters. Eastern Railway runs 1,272 EMU trains daily.
Jaynagar Majilpur Maternity Home, with 10 beds, is the major government medical facility in the Jaynagar Majilpur.