Khidirpur

Khidirpur or Kidderpore is a neighborhood of metropolitan Kolkata (Calcutta), in Kolkata district, West Bengal, India.

Etymology

Most plausibly, the name is a corruption of ''Khidrpur'' or ''Khizarpur'', Khizr/Khidr being the guardian saint of the seas to the fishing communities of Bengal. Another theory points out that the port probably got its name from James Kyd, a 19th-century engineer who designed and supervised the building of the lock gate that connects the nearby port to the Hooghly River.

History

Even after the British had set up their settlements in Kalikata, Sutanuti and Gobindapur, many independent zamindars survived till 1757. They held large landed properties in Gobindapur and elsewhere. When the Gobindapur area was cleared for the construction of the new Fort William, they had to be given alternative land elsewhere: Debs in Shobhabazar, the Thakurs in Pathuriaghata and Jorasanko, and the Ghosals in Bhukailas (Kidderpore). Gokul Ghoshal, the founder of the Bhukailas zemindar family, who was ''dewan'' of Harry Verest, left Gobindapur and built a palatial ''rajbati'' in Kidderpore and named it ''Bhukailas''.

In earlier days, ''thanas'' (police stations) also looked after the civic needs of the people. The earliest list of ''thanas'' in old Kolkata was prepared in 1785 and in 1888. These ''thanas'' were regrouped under 25 Police Section Houses. The 25 wards created under the Calcutta Municipal Act of 1889, precisely matched these divisions. In this area there were two Police Section Houses – at Watgunge and Ekbalpur.Nair, P.Thankappan, ''The Growth and Development of Old Calcutta'', in ''Calcutta, the Living City'', Vol. I, pp. 15-20, Edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, Oxford University Press, 1995 edition.For full list of Police Section Houses, see Dihi Panchannagram

Writing in 1909, H.E.A. Cotton mentions, "Kidderpore, which lies to the west of Alipore, is extensively populated principally by natives."

In the early years of British rule, Kolkata port was a river anchorage where sailing ships would load and unload in mid-stream. The shore-based Calcutta jetties, with cranes and sheds, came into operation in 1869. In 1884, Kidderpore was selected as the site for the wet docks of the Port of Kolkata, and it was ready in 1892. King George (later renamed Netaji Subhas) Dock was added in 1928. Haldia Dock System is part of Kolkata port. Its first unit, Haldia oil jetty, was commissioned in 1969. Kolkata port was the premier port of India till the early 1950s. In 1950–51, out of the total traffic of 19.3 MT at all the major ports of the country, Kolkata handled 7.6 MT. In 1988–89, Kolkata handled 14.22 MT against 142 MT of all ports taken together. Calcutta Jetties were closed down in 1965–66. Garden Reach jetties have also been closed down. The total labour force of the port declined from 42,946 in 1967 to 25,761 in 1990. A red-light district has grown up near the port.

In the field of Indian literature, this part of Kolkata produced three noted poets: Rongolal Bandhopadhyay, Hemchandra Bandopadhyay, and Michael Madhushudan Dutta.
Michael Madhusudan Dutt (1824–1873) was born at Sagordari in Jessore District (now in Bangladesh), and came to Kolkata at the age of 7. After studying initially at Kidderpore School, he joined Hindu College in 1933. However, after converting to Christianity, his relations with his father was strained.Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), (1976/1998), ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, , p. 393,

It has been listed as a notorious market since 2019 by the USTR for selling counterfeit electronics, cosmetics, apparel, and pirated media.

Geography

Kidderpore, located in the central-west part of the city, is bounded by the Alipore in the east, Mominpur in the south, Hastings in the north, Garden Reach in the south-west and also the Hooghly River in the west.

Transport

Kidderpore Bridge is one of the few bridges in Kolkata that has trams plying across it. The Kidderpore Tram Depot connects locations like Kalighat, Tollygunge and Ballygunge etc. The main Kidderpore intersection is connected with northern, southern and central Kolkata by various private and state bus services. Kidderpore can also be accessed by the Kolkata Circular Railway, which has a station in the locality.

The Kolkata Metro Line 3 will pass through Khidderpore and will have an underground station of the same name. It will connect Joka with Esplanade.

Notable educational institutions

*St Thomas School, Kolkata, this girls and boys school was established in 1789, and is one of the oldest and largest schools in the city.
* Loyola High School, the Institution was established in the year 1961 by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese for the religious and linguistic minorities.
*Maulana Azad Urdu High School, Founded by Dr Ali Sher Khan MA B.Ed PHD (CU) in the year 1973 for the educationally backward and downtrodden students of the locality to counter the lack of educational institutions for the minority community. This institution provides a wonderful opportunity to the economically weaker section of the society.
*Maulana Azad Educational Library- Founded by Dr Ali Sher Khan in the year 1979 in memory of his father Late Md Syeed Khan. This Library was registered and sponsored by the Govt of West Bengal in the year 1981. This library has abundance of books for every kind of book lovers in the neighborhood. This is an institution of Maulana Azad Educational Trust.
*St Teresa Secondary school at 72, Diamond Harbour Road, Kidderpore, Kolkata 700023. Currently affiliated to the ICSE board, the school was established in 1885 and named after Marie Thérèse Haze. Haze decided to respond to the lack of education in her homeland, Belgium, in the chaos resulting from the French Revolution and made that the focus of her religious apostolate; she served as her order's Superior General from its founding until her death. This school is dedicated towards the cause of educating young girls of Kolkata.
*Kidderpore Academy, Higher Secondary School.
*Sharat Chandra Pal Girls Higher Secondary School.
*KIdderpore Bankim Chandra Ghose Memorial girls Higher Secondary School.
*St. Barnabas High Secondary School.
*Kidderpore College
*St. Thomas Engineering College
* Malaviya Vidyalaya at 16, Hem Chandra Street, Kolkata 700023 is a Hindi medium, government aided Co-educational school affiliated to West Bengal Board of Primary Education (WBBPE) established in the year 1955 in the memory of 'Mahamana' Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya. The school has classes from Lower Pre Primary up to standard V and provides all amenities for modern educational needs such as Library, Computer Laboratory and playing area.
* Michael Madhusudan Library 103 years old
* Hem Chandra Library 105 years old.
* Shri Shanti Niketan Vidyalaya located at Daighat (ghat popular for Ganga Aarti (every sunday) & Chathh Puja (festival visited by Chief Minister of West Bengal every year)

Notes

References

External links

{{Kolkata neighbourhoods

Neighbourhoods in Kolkata
Red-light districts in India
Notorious markets