Baneswar is a

census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...

in the

Cooch Behar II Cooch Behar II is a community development block (CD block) that forms an administrative division in the Cooch Behar Sadar subdivision of the Cooch Behar district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Geography Khagrabari, one of the constituent pan ...

CD block in the

Cooch Behar Sadar subdivision Cooch Behar Sadar subdivision is a subdivision of the Cooch Behar district in the state of West Bengal, India. Subdivisions Cooch Behar district is divided into the following administrative subdivisions: Administrative units Cooch Behar Sad ...

of the

Cooch Behar district Cooch Behar district (), also known as Koch Bihar district, is one of the List of districts of West Bengal, 23 districts of the state of West Bengal in India. The district is the part of Jalpaiguri division, Jalpaiguri Division. Cooch Behar ci ...

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 ...

Etymology

The word 'Baneswar' is a

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

ic formation of the words ''bāna'' and ''īshvara''. In Hindu mythology, Bana was an

asura Asuras () are a class of beings in Indian religions, and later Persian and Turkic mythology. They are described as power-seeking beings related to the more benevolent Devas (also known as Suras) in Hinduism. In its Buddhist context, the wor ...

king. He carried out a

Shiva linga A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or aniconic representation of the Hindu god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Upanishads and epic literature, wher ...

, hoping to bring the god

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

Patala In Indian religions, Patala ( Sanskrit: पाताल, IAST: pātāla, lit. ''that which is below the feet''), denotes the subterranean realms of the universe – which are located under the earthly dimension. Patala is often translated as u ...

but failed. Said Shiva linga is now fixed at the Baneshwar temple, according to the legend.

Geography

Location

Baneswar is located at .

Area overview

The map alongside shows the north-central part of the district. It has the highest level of urbanisation in an overwhelming rural district. 22.08% of the population of the Cooch Behar Sadar subdivision lives in the urban areas and 77.92% in the rural areas. The entire district forms the flat

alluvial Alluvium (, ) is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluvium is also sometimes called alluvial deposit. Alluvium is ...

flood plains of mighty rivers. 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

As per the 2011 Census of India, Baneswar had a total population of 4,841. There were 2,534 (52%) males and 2,307 (48%) females. There were 448 persons in the age range of 0 to 6 years. The total number of literate people in Baneswar was 4,108 (93.51% of the population over 6 years).

Infrastructure

According to the ''District Census Handbook 2011, Koch Bihar'', Baneswar covered an area of 2.3838 km². Among the civic amenities, it had 1 km roads with open drains, the protected water supply involved tan/pond/lake. It had 600 electric connections. Among the medical facilities it had 1 dispensary/ health centre, 1 veterinary hospital, 15 medicine shop. Among the educational facilities it had 2 primary schools, 4 middle schools, 1 secondary school, 1 senior secondary school. It had 1 recognised short-hand, typewriting and vocational training institution. Among the social, cultural and recreational facilities it had 1 public library and 1 reading room. It had the branch offices of 1 nationalised bank, 1 agricultural credit society.

Transport

Baneswar is well connected with the district town Cooch Behar (12 km) and district Alipurduar (13 km). There are two stations named and , New Baneswar is located beside Shiva temple through which local train for coochbehar and Siliguri are available.

Education

Baneswar Sarathibala Mahavidyalaya was established in 2009. Affiliated with the Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University, it offers honours courses in Bengali, English, Sanskrit, history and education, and a general course in arts. There is a boys' school, Baneswar Khabsa High School, and a girls' school, Baneswar Girls High School. Both are run by the state government. Sarathibala college is located in this village.

Culture

Baneshwar Shiva Temple at Cooch Behar District in West Bengal 18

The place is known for the Baneswar Shiva temple, and for its tortoises (locally known as 'Mohan') which live in 'Shiva pukur' near the temple.

References

External links

{{Temple towns in West Bengal Cities and towns in Cooch Behar district