Araidanga is a populated place, not identified as a separate place in 2011 census, in the Ratua II CD block in the Chanchal subdivision of

Malda district Malda district, also spelt Maldah or Maldaha (, , often ), is a district in West Bengal, India. The capital of the Bengal Sultanate, Gauda and Pandua, was situated in this district. Mango, jute and silk are the most notable products of this ...

in the state of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

Geography

Location

Araidanga is located at . Araidanga is a gram panchayat.

Area overview

The area shown in the adjacent map covers two physiographic regions – the '' Barind'' in the east and the ''tal'' in the west. The eastern part is comparatively high (up to 40 metres above mean sea level at places) and uneven. The soils of the eastern region are "hard salty clays of a reddish hue and the ground is baked hard as iron." It lies to the east of the

Mahananda River The Mahananda ( ) is a trans-boundary river that flows through the Indian states of Bihar and West Bengal before crossing into Bangladesh. It is an important tributary of the Ganges. Course The Mahananda river system consists of two streams- ...

. The area lying to the west of the Mahananda River, the ''tal'', is a flat low land and "is strewn with innumerable marshes, bils and

oxbow lake An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or stream pool, pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is meander cutoff, cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. The word "oxbow" can also refer to a U-shaped bend in a river or stream, whether ...

s." The ''tal'' area is prone to flooding by local rivers. The total area is overwhelmingly

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry are typically desc ...

. There are two important historical/ archaeological sites in the area – Pandua and

Jagjivanpur Jagajjibanpur or Jagajivanpur (in Bengali language, Bengali: জগজ্জীবনপুর) is an archaeological site in Habibpur block of Malda district in West Bengal state in eastern India. This site is located at a distance of 41 km e ...

. Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the area. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Education

Araidanga DBM Academy is a Bengali-medium coeducational institution established in 1865. It has facilities for teaching from class V to class XII. It has a playground, a library with 361 books, and 15 computers for teaching and learning purposes.

Healthcare

Araidanga Rural Hospital, with 30 beds, is the main government medical facility in Ratua II CD block.

References