HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Shibpur is a neighbourhood in
Howrah Howrah (; ; alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River, opposite to its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively ...
of
Howrah district Howrah district (, ) is a district of the West Bengal state in eastern India. Howrah district is one of the highly urbanized area of West Bengal. It has thousands of years of rich heritage in the form of the great Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut. ...
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 ...
n
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 ...
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 ...
. It is a part of the area covered by
Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) is the statutory planning and development authority for the Kolkata metropolitan area in the Indian state of West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a S ...
(KMDA). It is well known for being the location of the
Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden The Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, previously known as Indian Botanic Garden and the Calcutta Botanic Garden, is a botanical garden situated in Shibpur, Howrah near Kolkata. They are commonly known as the Calcutta Botanica ...
, the
IIEST Shibpur Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur (abbr. IIEST Shibpur) is a public technological university located at Shibpur, Howrah, West Bengal, India. Founded in 1856, it is one of Institute of National Importance funded ...
and the Hajar Hath Kali Temple. The famous Bengali linguist
Suniti Kumar Chatterji Suniti Kumar Chatterji (26 November 1890 – 29 May 1977) was an Indian linguist, educationist and litterateur. He was a recipient of the second highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Vibhushan. Life Childhood Chatterji was born on 26 Novem ...
was born in Shibpur. During
British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...
, its name was written as Seebpore. Recently, parts of administrative headquarters of the West Bengal government have been temporarily shifted to Mandirtala (
Nabanna ''Nobanno'' (, Nobānno; lit: New Feast) is a Bengali harvest celebration usually celebrated with food and dance and music in Bangladesh and in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura and Assam's Barak Valley. It is a festival of food; m ...
) in Shibpur. Shibpur is under the jurisdiction of Howrah Police Station, Shibpur Police Station, Chatterjeehat Police Station, B. Garden Police Station and Santragachi Police Station of
Howrah City Police Howrah City Police (Bengali: হাওড়া শহর পুলিশ) established in 2011, is a city police force with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation in Howrah city and some of its adjacent areas in Howrah di ...
.


History

The Haldars were the founders & landowners of Shibpur more than 750 years ago. The Halders were in business, establishing their fortunes in Kolkata, namely started & flourishing under the guidance of Nilmoni Halder, Pulin Behari's grandfather. The town of Shibpur was founded during the reign of the
Bengal Sultanate The Bengal Sultanate (Middle Bengali: , Classical Persian: ) was a Post-classical history, late medieval sultanate based in the Bengal region in the eastern South Asia between the 14th and 16th century. It was the dominant power of the Ganges- ...
. The area was home to many royal landlords (
zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...
s) in
Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...
. During the era of
British rule in India The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...
, the landlords sold their possessions to build
jute Jute ( ) is a long, rough, shiny bast fibre that can be Spinning (textiles), spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', of the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ...
mills. These included the successful jute mills such as the Howrah Jute Mill and the Bengal Jute Mill. The proximity to
Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
's southern district and the
central business district A central business district (CBD) is the Commerce, commercial and business center of a city. It contains commercial space and offices, and in larger cities will often be described as a financial district. Geographically, it often coincides wit ...
which is just across the river brought many middle-class office goers to seek cheaper lodging in Shibpur. Some of the old
zamindar A zamindar in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semi-autonomous feudal lord of a ''zamindari'' (feudal estate). The term itself came into use during the Mughal Empire, when Persian was the official language; ''zamindar'' is the ...
house in Shibpur is like Roy Choudhury's and Mukherjee bari in Chaterjeehat named as Digambar Mukhopadhyay Attalika. The Roy Chowdhury family stayed in Shibpur for near about 500 years at Sanjher Attchala and Mukhopadhyay family is staying in Chaterjeehat for more than 300 years.
Botanical Garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...
was a British determent area. Then after freedom, the Indian government took a long place from the garden and made the college. Pulin Behari Halder was the founder president of all the girls' schools & colleges in Shibpur. The oldest banyan tree is in the Shibpur B. Garden. Its original root has been destroyed many years ago and the tree sprayed a lot through its branches. This tree was taken from Africa by the British government. Batai Chandi Temple (considered an avatar of Goddess Kali) and Char Mandir are other notable places of Shibpur.


Recent developments

Before the
Vidyasagar Setu Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, is an Cable-stayed bridge, cable-stayed six-laned toll bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India, linking the cities of Kolkata and Howrah. Opened in 1992, Vidyasagar Setu was ...
project, a vast tract of land near used to be a marsh and was only dotted by few villages. This is in the distant past now after building the iconic bridge and the Kona expressway easily connecting the place with heart of
Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
and the national highway and the industrial sector in Dasnagar. Notably, the
Kolkata Port The Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port (SPMP or SMP, Kolkata), formerly the Kolkata Port, is the only riverine major port in India, in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal, around from the sea. It is the oldest operating port in India and was construc ...
was connected to the rest of India easier than the other existing route through
Howrah Bridge The Howrah Bridge is a balanced steel bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was originally named the New Howrah Bridge, because it replaced a pontoon bridge at the same location linking the both ...
and Bally bridge which are famous for their congested rush hour traffic. As a result of that, the place has good attention recently all over again. The town saw an immediate rush for land after the proposal for the bridge. Now various important buildings of the district are located in the town, namely the water purifying plant at Padmapukur, the Dumurjala Indoor Stadium and a good number of women's hockey clubs. The first Garment Park of Eastern India, initiated by the
Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners The Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC) office is a statutory organization under the Department of Transport (West Bengal), established in 1969 for the construction of Vidyasagar Setu. In 1961, the Kolkata Metropolitan Planning Organizat ...
(HRBC) is coming up at the approach to
Vidyasagar Setu Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, is an Cable-stayed bridge, cable-stayed six-laned toll bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India, linking the cities of Kolkata and Howrah. Opened in 1992, Vidyasagar Setu was ...
. The secretariat of
Mamata Banerjee Mamata Banerjee (; born 5 January 1955) is an Indian politician who is serving as the eighth and current List of chief ministers of West Bengal, chief minister of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal since 2 ...
-run West Bengal Government is shifted permanently to the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners or HRBC made 16 storied with basement and ground floor the 'Garment Park' building popularly known as 'Nabanna' at Shibpur from 1 October 2013, as the restoration of 236-year-old Writers' Buildings is shortly for cost of Rs. 2,000 million.
Narayana Health Narayana Health (formerly known as Narayana Hrudyalaya) is an Indian for-profit private hospital network headquartered in Bangalore. It was founded by Dr. Devi Shetty in the year 2000. It operates several hospitals and heart centres across m ...
group, led by Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, launched NH Narayana Superspeciality Hospital at the Shalimar area of Shibpur (Andul Road). It is a reputed centre for oncology and cardiac sciences facilities in Eastern India. Its
tertiary care Health care, or healthcare, is the improvement or maintenance of health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, amelioration or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental impairments in people. Health care is delive ...
services including cardiac surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopaedics and Advanced Brachytherapy. The hospital provides an aggregate of 41 services along with a cancer support cell, which aims to raise funds for cancer patients, physiotherapy, nutrition, preventive health checks, counselling, emergency services and trauma care. Shibpur is also geared towards luxury living with some big real estate projects like Ideal Grand, Clubtown Riverdale building up luxury apartments with plenty of open spaces and amenities of mini townships in old Tram Depot area and Shibpur market between G.T. Road and Foreshore Road. That place is currently occupied by dilapidated warehouses. Over the last ten years, Shibpur has developed into a popular residential community. Many multi-storied apartment complexes have been built (e.g. Shree Apartment - being one of the oldest, Vivek Vihar - the complex widely spread, Panchsheel Apartments) attracted by the location near the
River Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary riv ...
, as well as by the easy connection to South
Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...
through the
Vidyasagar Setu Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, is an Cable-stayed bridge, cable-stayed six-laned toll bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India, linking the cities of Kolkata and Howrah. Opened in 1992, Vidyasagar Setu was ...
. Newly constructed roads have made access to the area very easy. Many parts have turned up as a transportation gateway to Kolkata. Heavyweight transportation businesses are also growing in the Shalimar area.


Culture

The eminent novelist
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (anglicised as Sarat Chandra Chatterjee; 15 September 1876 – 16 January 1938) was a Bengali novelist and short story writer of the early 20th century. He generally wrote about the lives of Bengali family and socie ...
lived in Baje Shibpur, alias Bajiye Shibpur, meaning the musicians Shibpur, north of Shibpur. The linguist
Suniti Kumar Chatterji Suniti Kumar Chatterji (26 November 1890 – 29 May 1977) was an Indian linguist, educationist and litterateur. He was a recipient of the second highest Indian civilian honour of Padma Vibhushan. Life Childhood Chatterji was born on 26 Novem ...
was born in this place.
Kisari Mohan Ganguli Kisari Mohan Ganguli (also K. M. Ganguli) was an Indian translator known for being the first to provide a complete translation of the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata in English. His translation was published as ''The Mahabharata of Krishna-Dwaipayana V ...
, the author of the first complete English translation of the Sanskrit epic ''
Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...
'' (1883–1893), also lived in Shibpur. Shibpur is notorious for its narrow lanes and high density built uptown space. Shibpur has a chequered history in the field of culture. The residents of this place are well known for their interest in music, the arts and literature. Many luminaries of West Bengal in the fields of sports and athletics reside here. The only indoor stadium in
Howrah Howrah (; ; alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River, opposite to its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively ...
, the Dumurjala Indoor Stadium, is located in the western fringe of Shibpur ( Dumurjala) on Dr. Bholanath Chakraborty Sarani (Formerly Drainage Canal Road). The legacy of the late master sarod player Bahadur Hossain Khan is continued through the "Ustad Ayet Ali Khan Sangeet Niketon" (Ustad Ayet Ali Khan Memorial School of Music) - a music school in memory of his father Ayet Ali Khan - in Shibpur.


Popular areas

Being a largely populated city Shibpur has its share of areas and places that play the role of landmarks and "hangout" points, such as Mandirtala, the Shibpur entrance to the
Vidyasagar Setu Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, is an Cable-stayed bridge, cable-stayed six-laned toll bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India, linking the cities of Kolkata and Howrah. Opened in 1992, Vidyasagar Setu was ...
, a very popular jogging track and rendezvous point. It was named 'Mandirtala' due to two popular
Mandir A Hindu temple, also known as Mandir, Devasthanam, Pura, or Kovil, is a sacred place where Hindus worship and show their devotion to deities through worship, sacrifice, and prayers. It is considered the house of the god to whom it is dedica ...
s of
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 ...
situated here. Nearby popular places are Sashthitala, Shibpur Bazar, Hajar Hath Kalitala, Mallick Phatak, Dumurjala Indoor Stadium etc. Shibpur Bazaar is a busy marketplace, where most of Shibpur's shops and stalls are located. Besides Mandirtala and Nabanna Bus Terminus, Buses ply along
Grand Trunk Road Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sadak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sadak, and Long Walk) is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. It r ...
/Andul Road (part of State Highway 6), Foreshore Road, Jagat Banerjee Ghat Road, College Road/Botanical Garden Road, Kona Expressway and Netaji Subhash Road in Shibpur. The nearest railway station Shalimar is a terminus station for South Eastern Railway and also has a port near it. The Shalimar port is even older than the Kolkata port made by the colonial rulers. Shalimar port was in function during the
Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...
, which was connected to the rest of the country with
Grand Trunk Road Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sadak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sadak, and Long Walk) is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. It r ...
. One manufacturing unit of the second largest Paint Company,
Berger Paints Berger Paints India Ltd is an Indian multinational paint company, based in Kolkata. This company has 16 manufacturing units in India, 2 in Nepal, and 1 each in Poland, Russia and Pakistan. It has manufacturing units at Howrah, Rishra, Arinso, ...
is situated here. The largest mall-cum-multiplex of
Howrah Howrah (; ; alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River, opposite to its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively ...
, Avani Riverside Mall on the west bank of
Hooghly River The Hooghly River (, also spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') is the westernmost distributary of the Ganges, situated in West Bengal, India. It is known in its upper reaches as the Bhagirathi. The Bhagirathi splits off from the main branch of the G ...
is located here (on Jagat Banerjee Ghat Road). It was launched in 2012 and has a gross leasable area of 6 lakh square feet. There are many schools and colleges in Shibpur. One of the best institutions in India Bengal Engineering College, the second oldest engineering college, was given the status of a
university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
, making it the first university in
Howrah Howrah (; ; alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River, opposite to its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively ...
. It was renamed as Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur in 2004, in recognition of its contributions for more than 150 years. This engineering university was transformed into the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur (an Institute of National Importance) in 2014 by the Government of India. Shibpur Dinobundhoo Institution (College) is one of the best colleges of Howrah district. Shibpur Hindu Girls High School, B. K. Paul's Institution, Shibpur Srimat Swami Projnanananda Saraswati Vidyalaya, Howrah Vivekananda Institution, Shibpur Bhabani Balika Vidyalaya, Shree Jain vidhyalaya, Maria's day school, St. John's high school, Heritage Academy high School and B. E. College Model School are some of the well known schools in this area.


References


External links

* {{Kolkata neighbourhoods Neighbourhoods in Howrah Neighbourhoods in Kolkata Kolkata Metropolitan Area