Bankura
—  city  —
Bankura Location of Bankura in West Bengal and India
Coordinates	23°15′N 87°04′E / 23.25°N 87.07°E / 23.25; 87.07Coordinates: 23°15′N 87°04′E / 23.25°N 87.07°E / 23.25; 87.07
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District(s)	Bankura
Parliamentary constituency	Bankura
Assembly constituency	Bankura
Population	138,036 (2011[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 78 metres (256 ft)
Codes • Telephone • +03242
Website	http://bankura.org

Bankura (Bengali: বাঁকুড়া) is a city and a municipality in Bankura District in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura District.

Etymology[link]

In the Mahabharata, Bankura was described as Suhmobhumi. The word Larh or Rarh (in nagari: rāḍh) was introduced after 6th century A.D. It comes from the old Austric word ráŕhá or ráŕho which means “land of red soil”;^[2] it is worth noting that in ancient times "China called Ráŕh by the name of “Láti”".^[3] In Santali, lar means thread, rarh means tune and larh means snake. Perhaps the Jain and Greek scholars used this original Austric word Larh to indicate this dry forest region which was very difficult to access that time. The popularity of Manasa Puja, the worship of Snake-Goddess Manasa, proves this opinion might have some relevance. According to Nilkantha, a famous commentator of the Mahabharata, both the words Suhmo[bhumi] (sanskrit: suhma-bhūmi) and Rarh, are synonymous.

Scholars differs in their opinion about the etymology of the name Bankura. In the words of the Kol-Mundas, orah or rah means habitation. Many places of Rarh are named with the an added rah at the end of the name. One of the most influential God of the district Dharmathakur is called Bankura Roy. The name of the district may come from his name. Linguist Suniti Kumar Chatterjee thinks that the name came from the word Banka (zig-zag), and its word-corruption Banku, which means extremely beautiful, and he who must be worshiped. In 1979, the word “Bancoorah” was found in the map of Renal. In 1863, Gastrel referred this region as Bancoonda.

Geography[link]

Bankura is located at 23°15′N 87°04′E / 23.25°N 87.07°E / 23.25; 87.07.^[4] It has an average elevation of 78 metres (255 feet).

Demographics[link]

In the 2011 census, Bankura municipality had a population of 138,036, out of which 70,734 were males and 67,302 were females. The 0-6 years population was 10,760. Effective literacy rate for the 7+ population was 87.27 per cent.^[5]

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[6] Bankura town had a population of 1,28,811. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Bankura has an average literacy rate of 74%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 81% of the males and 67% of females being literate. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Bankura Railway Junction[link]

Bankura Railway Junction/ Station is managed by the South Eastern Railways and is situated on the Adra-Midnapore rail route. It is located in Bankura town. Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani Express, Rupashi Bangla Express, Aranyak Express, Puri-New Delhi Superfast Express, Ernakulam-Patna Express, Howrah-LTT Samarsata Express and Purulia-Howrah Express pass through this station. Computerized reservation facility is available. Going north-west, Adra Junction Railway Station is the nearest main station and moving south, Midnapore Railway Station is the major station next to Bankura.^[7] The Bankura Railway Station & bridge over Dhaleshwari River were built by Gujarati Railway Contractors of the town Jeewan Gangji Savaria and Lalji Raja Vadher in 1900 working for Bengal Nagpur Railway.

Cultural contribution[link]

Bankura has a rich cultural contribution to the school of Bengal. From Terracotta to modern art and from classic north Indian musical genre Bishnupur Gharana to rock bangali band Jiggasa and its own engineering college rock bands Edge of The Spirit and 7th String.

Tourism in Bankura[link]

Bankura has gained much popularity among the tourists hailing from different places in India. The place has a rich cultural and traditional heritage. It is famous for its paintings, music and other forms of arts. It has gained lot of popularity among the tourists from all over India due to the beautiful locations and some historical destinations. The place has contributed great deal towards modern Bengal art and architecture. You can see the beautiful terracotta art and architecture in Bankura.^[8]

The other places to watch are Susunia hills and Beharinath hill. Jairambati and Bishnupur temples can also be visited from Bankura. Durgapur barrage, Koropahar are also near Bankura which offer excellent tourists sites. To the south of Bankura there are places like Mukutmanipur, Sutan, Jhilimili, ECO Park at Taldangra, Panchmura. Susunia hill is a famous trekking spot which the trekkers from all over India visit.^[9]

Education[link]

• Bankura Christian College
• Bankura Sammilani College
• Bankura Sammilani Medical College
• Bankura Unnayani Institute of Engineering

See also[link]

• Culture of Bankura district

References[link]

External links[link]

• Bankura Community Website
• Bankura Official Website
• Bankura Christian College
• SOFIA - A Social-welfare organization of Bankura
• National Informatics Centre website
• Bankura Unnayani Institute of Engineering website
• Upcoming website with pictorial database on plants growing in Bankura district

v t e Cities, towns and locations in Bankura District Cities and Towns Bankura Sadar subdivision Bankura Barjora Beliatore Bishnupur subdivision Bishnupur Sonamukhi Khatra subdivision Khatra Locations other than cities and towns Bahulara Dharapat Dihar Ekteswar Harmasra Jayrambati Jhilimili Mukutmanipur Panchmura Pakhanna Sonatapal Related topics Bankura topics People from Bankura district Villages in Bankura district Cities, towns and locations in other districts Bardhaman Birbhum Cooch Behar Dakshin Dinajpur Darjeeling Hooghly Howrah Jalpaiguri Malda Murshidabad Nadia North 24 Parganas Paschim Medinipur Purba Medinipur Purulia South 24 Parganas Uttar Dinajpur West Bengal portal