Achkoda (sometimes spelled Anchkoda) is a village in the Neturia

CD block In India, a Community development block (CD block) or simply Block is a sub-division of Tehsil, administratively earmarked for planning and development. The area is administered by a Block Development Officer (BDO), supported by several technic ...

in the

Raghunathpur subdivision Raghunathpur subdivision is a subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India. History Purulia district was divided into four subdivisions, viz., Purulia Sadar, Manbazar, Jhalda and Raghunathpur, with effect from 6 April 20 ...

of the

Purulia district Purulia district (Pron: puruliːaː) is one of the twenty-three districts of West Bengal state in Eastern India. Purulia is the administrative headquarters of the district. Some of the other important towns of Purulia district are Raghunathpur- ...

in the state of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the four ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

Geography

Location

Achkoda is located at .

Area overview

Purulia district forms the lowest step of the

Chota Nagpur Plateau The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the b ...

. The general scenario is undulating land with scattered hills.

occupies the northern part of the district. 83.80% of the population of the subdivision lives in rural areas. However, there are pockets of urbanization and 16.20% of the population lives in urban areas. There are 14 census towns in the subdivision. It is presented in the map given alongside. There is a coal mining area around Parbelia and two thermal power plants are there – the 500 MW

Santaldih Thermal Power Station Santaldih Thermal Power Station ( bn, সাঁওতালডিহ তাপবিদ্যুৎ কেন্দ্র) of West Bengal Power Development Corporation Limited is a power station with an installed capacity of 500 MW (2x250 MW). Lo ...

and the 1200 MW

Raghunathpur Thermal Power Station Raghunathpur Thermal Power Station is a 1200 MW coal-based thermal power plant located at Raghunathpur in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The power station was proposed by Damodar Valley Corporation Damodar Valley Cor ...

. The subdivision has a rich heritage of old temples, some of them belonging to the 11th century or earlier. The Banda Deul is a

monument of national importance This article contains lists of Monuments of National Importance in India. An Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 defines an "Ancient Monument" as follows: A "Monument of National Importance" is designated by the Archaeological Survey o ...

. The comparatively more recent in historical terms, Panchkot Raj has interesting and intriguing remains in the area. 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.

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census of India, Achkoda had a total population of 1,178, of which 596 (51%) were males and 582 (49%) were females. There were 582 persons in the age range of 0-6 years. The total number of literate persons in Achkoda was 640 (62.75% of the population over 6 years).

Culture

Achkoda, like

Cheliyama Cheliyama (also referred to as Cheyama) is a village in the Raghunathpur II CD block in the Raghunathpur subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Cheliyama is located at . Area overview Puru ...

, showcases aatchala-style temples with terracotta work on the walls. However, while there has been restoration at Cheliyama, Achkoda remains untouched. Achkoda “seems to be at least five centuries old. Its panels are smaller in size (than those at Cheliyama) and some of them depict tribal life.”

Achkoda picture gallery

File: Chala temple of Anchkoda in Raghunathpur PS in Purulia 02.jpg, Charchala temple File:Ruined temple in Achkoda at Purulia.jpg, Ruined atchala temple File:Back wall of Achkoda temple.jpg, Trracotta on the back wall

Terracotta carvings

File: Close up of Terracotta Work On Achkoda Temple.jpg File:Terracotta panel of the Aat Chala temple of Anchkoda, Raghunathpur, Purulia. 05.jpg File:Chala temple of Anchkoda in Raghunathpur PS in Purulia 07.jpg File:Chala temple of Anchkoda in Raghunathpur PS in Purulia 15.jpg

References

External links

Villages in Purulia district {{Purulia-geo-stub