Khagra is a locality of

Baharampur Berhampore (), also known as Baharampur (), is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. Berhampore is the administrative headquarters of the Murshidabad district. As of 2011 census, Berhampore is the seventh largest cit ...

Murshidabad district Murshidabad district is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Situated on the left bank of the river Ganges, the district is very fertile. Covering an area of and having a population 7.103 million (according to 2011 census), it ...

in the

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 ...

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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 ...

. It is renowned for its manufacture of bell-metal and brass utensils, as well as ivory and wood carving.

Geography

Khagra is situated on the east bank of the Bhagirathi-Hooghly. Khagra Ghat is on the west bank of the river.

Economy

Utensil manufacture

Khagra is a centre for the manufacture of

bell metal Bell metal or bell bronze is an alloy used for making bells and related instruments, such as cymbals. It is a form of bronze with a higher tin content than most other bronzes, usually in approximately a 4:1 ratio of copper to tin (typically, 7 ...

(locally known as ''kansa'') and

brass Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve different colours and mechanical, electrical, acoustic and chemical properties, but copper typically has the larger proportion, generally copper and zinc. I ...

utensils. These have a traditional demand in the local markets and some are also exported. The problem of procuring raw materials and changing customer preference for stainless steel, plastic and ceramics is adversely affecting the industry.

Ivory and wood carving

Khagra was a major centre of

ivory Ivory is a hard, white material from the tusks (traditionally from elephants) and Tooth, teeth of animals, that consists mainly of dentine, one of the physical structures of teeth and tusks. The chemical structure of the teeth and tusks of mamm ...

carving. With restrictions on

ivory trade The ivory trade is the commercial, often illegal trade in the ivory tusks of the hippopotamus, walrus, narwhal, black and white rhinos, mammoth, and most commonly, African elephant, African and Asian elephants. Ivory has been traded for hundred ...

, the artisans have moved to

sandalwood Sandalwood is a class of woods from trees in the genus ''Santalum''. The woods are heavy, yellow, and fine-grained, and, unlike many other aromatic woods, they retain their fragrance for decades. Sandalwood oil is extracted from the woods. Sanda ...

carving.

Sweets

Khagra produces good quality chanabora and

khaja Khaja or Khajuri ( Bhojpuri: 𑂎𑂔𑂳𑂩𑂲, romanized: Khajurē) is an Indian deep-fried pastry, commonly filled with fruit or soaked with sugar syrup. History Khaja, plain or sweet mentioned in Silao, was a wheat flour preparation ...

, a local speciality.

Shola art

Khagra is a centre of Shola art.

References

Neighbourhoods in Murshidabad district Berhampore {{Murshidabad-geo-stub