Raiganj

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Raiganj
City
From the top : The Clock Tower of Raiganj Raiganj Railway Station Sudarshanpur Durga Puja
Raiganj Location in West Bengal, India Show map of West Bengal Raiganj Raiganj (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 25°37′N 88°07′E / 25.62°N 88.12°E / 25.62; 88.12Coordinates: 25°37′N 88°07′E / 25.62°N 88.12°E / 25.62; 88.12
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	Uttar Dinajpur
Government
• Type	Municipality
• Body	Raiganj Municipality
• Chairman	Sandip Bisawas(TMC)
• Superintendent of Police	Amit Kumar Bharat Rathod (IPS)
• District Magistrate	Ayesha Rani (IAS)
• Member of Parliament	Debasree Chaudhuri (BJP)
Area
• Total	36.51 km2 (14.10 sq mi)
Area rank	15th in WB
Elevation	40 m (130 ft)
Population  (2011)[1]
• Total	199,758
• Rank	15th in WB
• Density	18,378/km2 (47,600/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Bengali[2][3]
• Additional official	English[2]
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Telephone code	03523
Vehicle registration	WB-60/ WB-59
Lok Sabha constituency	Raiganj
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Raiganj
Website	www.raiganjmunicipality.com

Raiganj (pronounced [ˈraɪˌgʌnʤ]) is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Uttar Dinajpur district; the police station was set up 125 years ago and railway connectivity reached the place 115 years ago. The city houses the 106 year old Raiganj Coronation High School. Raiganj got its railway connection back in 1896; the train used to go to Parbatipur junction in Bangladesh from Raiganj. It is a 200 years old town; the word "Raiganj" came from "Rai" , means "Radha", The character of Mahabharata.^[4]

Etymology[edit]

The origin of the name Raiganj is not exactly known. There is a debate about the origin of the name; some say the name is linked to the royal family of Dinajpur whose surname was Rai. There are several views regarding the origin of the name. But, the widely accepted view is that the name originated from the abundance of rai sorshe (a special type of mustard) corps at this place from time immemorial. ^[5]Much numbers of people thought, the word "Raiganj" came from "Rai" means "Radha", The character of Mahabharata.And the word "Kaliaganj", nearest city of Raiganj is come from "Kalia" means "Krishna", The character of Mahabharata

Geography[edit]

[Full screen]

Cities and towns in the Uttar Dinajpur district M: municipal city/ town, CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, T: tourist centre Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly

Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary[edit]

Raiganj is known for Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary (also called the Kulik bird sanctuary), home to a large population of Asian openbills and other waterbirds and it is the largest bird sanctuary in Asia. Raiganj is situated at the banks of Kulik river which helped the town to become an important place for water connectivity. But, in course of time, navigability of Kulik river decreased and business through the waterway was stopped in the first half of the 1970s, especially after the dam was erected to prevent floods; the port area slowly lost its significance and, at present, it is the most backward locality of Raiganj.

Location[edit]

The area of this town is about 36.51 km². But the present growing tendency and trend of urbanization in the area adjacent to this town are also remarkable; the agglomeration areas are also experiencing this trend. Now the vast areas under Birghai, Maraikura, Rupahar, Bahin, karnojora, Maharaja Hat, is also growing with the population like the town of Raiganj and this population is dependent on Raiganj town.^[6]

In the map alongside, all places marked on the map are linked in the full screen version.

Police stations[edit]

Raiganj is home to the following police stations: Raiganj police station has jurisdiction over Raiganj municipal area and Raignaj CD block and covers an area of 472.13  km². It has two town outposts – Mohanbati TOP and Bandor TOP, it has another outpost – Karanjora outpost and a police camp at Bhatun.^[7][8]

Raiganj Women police station is located at Raiganj.^[9][10]

CD block HQ[edit]

The headquarters of Raiganj CD block is at Raiganj city.^[11][12]

Demographics[edit]

In the 2011 census, Raiganj Urban Agglomeration had a population of 199,758, out of which 104,966 were males and 94,792 were females; the 0–6 years population was 22,028. Effective literacy rate for the 7+ population was 81.71 per cent.^[13]

As per provisional reports of Census India, population of Raiganj in 2011 is 183,612; of which male and female are 96,388 and 87,224 respectively. Although Raiganj city has population of 183,612; its urban / metropolitan population is 199,690 of which 104,733 are males and 94,957 are females. Hinduism is majority religion in Raiganj city with 97.37% followers. Islam is second most popular religion in city of Raiganj with approximately 2.16% following it. In Raiganj city, Christianity is followed by 0.13%, Jainism by 0.16%, Sikhism by 0.05% and Buddhism by 0.05%. Around 0.00% stated 'Other Religion', approximately 0.11% stated 'No Particular Religion'.

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[14] Raiganj had a population of 165,222. Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Raiganj has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 79%, and female literacy is 71%. In Raiganj, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Climate[edit]

Raiganj has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa); the average high temperature in July, the warmest month, is 39 °C (102 °F), and in January, the coldest month, 26 °C (79 °F). The average annual temperature is 24.9 °C (76.8 °F). On average, 1,430 millimetres (56 in) of rain falls per year, with most of it falling in the wet season months of June through September; the wettest month is July, with 348 millimetres (13.7 in) of precipitation on average; the driest month is December, with only 5 millimetres (0.20 in).^[15]

Transport[edit]

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Rickshaws, auto-rickshaws, city auto are the most widely available public transport in Raiganj. Most of the residents of Raiganj stay within a few kilometres of the town centre and have their own vehicles, mostly motorcycles and bicycles.

Raiganj railway station is on the Barsoi-Radhikapur branch line. Railways connectivity reached here more than 150 years ago but, due to Indo-Bangladesh partition in 1971 the links through Bangladesh were lost and the railway became only a branch line. NH 34 passes through Raiganj which connects is to the capital of the state Kolkata. Conversion of the highway to 4 lanes is going on and the proposed highway will bypass Raiganj by about 6 km; the roadways connectivity suffers due to the traffic jam caused at Dalkhola on a regular basis. Raiganj also lacks in Railways connectivity because the Railway station is on a branch line; the nail in the coffin was hammered back in the 1960s when the broad gauge line was shifted to Malda-Barsoi-Dalkhola and thus bypassing Raiganj.^[17]

Roadways[edit]

Raiganj is connected by buses to few major cities through NBSTC and private bus services. NH 12 and SH 10A are its lifelines.^[18] SH 10A connects it to Kaliaganj, Balurghat, Hili. Buses are available all day long to Balurghat, Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Coochbehar, Malda, Kolkata and few other important cities. Overnight bus facilities are available mostly to Kolkata, Dhubri.

Railways[edit]

Raiganj railway station is on the Barsoi-Radhikapur branch line. One express train Radhikapur Express is available for reaching Kolkata and a link superfast express train Radhikapur-Anandvihar Express is available for going to New Delhi. Besides these couple of Katihar bound local passenger trains and a Siliguri bound DMU passenger can also be availed. Present C.M of West bengal Mamata Banerjee during her reign as a railways minister announced couple of railways projects for Raiganj which will definitely boost the communication.

• Raiganj-Dalkhola line (43.43 km)
• Raiganj-Itahar-Gazole line

Airways[edit]

Raiganj has no airport of its own.Government announced an airport in Raiganj named as Raiganj Airport

The nearest operating airport is Bagdogra Airport near Siliguri, about 166 km from Raiganj. IndiGo and SpiceJet are the major carriers that connect the area to Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangkok, Paro, Chandigarh and Balurghat airport

Tourism[edit]

Raiganj Bird Sanctuary[edit]

Situated along the National Highway and by the side of the Kulik river is the Raiganj Wildlife Sanctuary with an area of 35 acre and buffer area of 286.23 acre. It is largest bird sanctuary in Asia; the forest, water bodies and the river attract the migratory birds like Open Bill Strok, Night heron, cormorant, little cormorant & Egrets from South Asian countries and coastal regions. Local birds like dove, bulbul, sparrow, king fisher, woodpeckers, owl, duck & cuckoo, can also be seen in large numbers; the migratory birds arrive from end of May to Ist week of July and depart from mid December to end of January. The nesting time is from July to August & egg laying from August to September; the flying training to the young ones is the best time to observe the birds, around October to November. Every winter nearly 150 different bird species arrive here from the north in numbers ranging from 65,000 to 75,000; some of the common migratory birds seen here are Open-Billed Storks, Asian Open-billed storks, Egrets, Knight Herons, and Cormorants. Indian birds like kites, flycatchers, kingfishers, owls, woodpeckers, drongos, and bee eaters; the sanctuary has artificial network of man made canals which is connected to the River Kulik. During the months of monsoon the flood water from the river enters the plains of the sanctuary; this acts as the important source of food for most of the bird species.

Legal status of the Forest:-

Reserved Forest	573.71 Acre
Protected Forest	249.50 Acre
Unclassed Forest	660.54 Acre
Total	1483.75 Acre = 610.71 Ha = 6.01 Sq. km

This bird sanctuary is all set to be rejuvenated as plans of developing a deer park and a tortoise park soon at the core of the sanctuary by State government.^[19]

Raiganj Church[edit]

The Raiganj Church is dedicated to St. Joseph the Worker, the patron saint of Raiganj Diocese; the spacious building has glass and ceiling paintings, prominent pillars on both sides modeled on Greek pillars, carved doors and a high altar with an hexagonal dome on top of it.

Jain Temples[edit]

Ayodhya is the birthplace for 5 tirthankars Adinath, Ajitnath, Abhinandannath, Sumatinath and Ananthnath. Shri 1008 Digamabar Adinath Jain Mandir is one of the most famous temple in aodhya. A 31 feet tall Adinath idol in standing posture is present here; this place has been recently developed with the blessings of Acharya ratna Deshbhushanji Maharaj and Ganini Pramukh Aryika Gyanmati Mataji. There is a famous shvetambar temple dedicated to Ajitnatha with a copper-colored idol of 30 cm as its Moolnayak. There are other jain temples including Kamal Mandir, Chaubisi temple etc.^[20][21][22]

Other notable places[edit]

There are few other notable tourist destination nearby which spreads throughout the Uttar Dinajpur district. ^[23]

Sap nikla forest and tourists visit the lake and the forest for site seeing. Development of an Eco park is underway.	Chopra block, 22 km from Islampur
Eco Tourism at Bijolia More is being developed. Here river Sudhani forms an island by dividing into 2 branches and joining again.	Bijolia More
Temple of Goddess Bhairabi	Bindole
Mosque of Burhana fakirs. Mosque of Burhana fakirs
Temple of Goddess Kali of Baira.	Kaliaganj
Terracotta pottery & Malgaon.	Kunore
Museum	Karnajora
Park	Karnajora
Banabithi Resort	Barui, Barduari.
Soni Tempal	Maharaja Hat, Raiganj

Educational Institutions[edit]

Schools[edit]

Raiganj's schools usually use English and Bengali as their medium of instruction, although the use of Hindi language is also stressed; the schools are affiliated with the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) or the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. Schools include:-

• Raiganj Coronation High School This is the oldest school in the town, established in 1911.
• Sudarshanpur Dwarika Prasad Ucha Vidyachakra on the town outskirts.^[24]
• Raiganj Girl's High School a girls only school established in 1933.
• Kendriya Vidyalaya Raiganj
• Durgapur Public School
• Raiganj Sri Sri Ramkrishna Vidya Bhaban
• Raiganj Mohanbati High School
• Kailash Chandra Radharani Vidyapith
• Maharaja Jagadish Nath High School
• Devinagar Gayalal Ramhari Girls High School
• Debinagar Gayalal Ramhari High School
• St. Xaviers School
• Sarada Vidya Mandir
• Parbati Devi Balika Vidyalaya
• Maharaja Hat High School (H.S)
• Karnajora High School
• Raiganj Ten Class Girls High School
• Raiganj Sarala Sundari G.S.F.P School
• Subhasganj High School, established in 1952
• Raiganj Sarala Sundari G.S.F.P School, established in 1968
• Durgapur Public School (DPS), located at Bekidanga Itahar

Colleges[edit]

There are several colleges and a govt. polytechnic in the town. Recently, Raiganj College has been upgraded to Raiganj University, an autonomous, state-owned university; the colleges of Raiganj were affiliated to University of North Bengal but after establishment of University of Gour Banga at Malda in 2008, the colleges are now affiliated to University of Gour Bangal.

• Netaji Subhash Ch. Bose Teachers Training College (B.ed), Bindole, Raiganj
• Raiganj B. Ed. College
• Raiganj Polytechnic College
• Raiganj Surendranath Mahavidyalaya
• Mohiniganj Teachers Training College
• Halalpur P.T.T.I College
• Uttar Goalpara Teachers Training College
• raiganj teachers training college
• Durgapur Women's College

University[edit]

Raiganj University[edit]

Raiganj University is a public university in Raiganj, in the Uttar Dinajpur district, it offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses in arts, commerce and sciences. It became a university in August 2015. Earlier it was a university college, which was affiliated to the University of North Bengal, it also offers Ph.D. programmes in Humanities- and Science-based subjects.

Healthcare[edit]

As of 2016, the healthcare system in Raiganj consists of a government super speciality hospital, under the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal, and quite a few private medical establishments. ^[25]

Raiganj Government Medical College and Hospital[edit]

It is inaugurated in 2019. There are two different campuses namely, Abdulghata campus and Dr. B.C Roy Street campus.^{[citation needed]}

Raiganj District Hospital[edit]

There are a total of 400 existing beds for patients in different wards of Raiganj district hospital, but there was no infrastructure for the treatment of dying patients and the patients who suffer from complicated diseases of kidney and heart. Hence, on most occasions, the complicated patients are being transferred either to North Bengal Medical College & Hospital in Siliguri or Malda medical college and even to Kolkata which is 444 km away; the patient parties are facing great crisis to shift their patients either to Siliguri or Malda. Sometimes, patients die on the way as a result of complexities. On 27 November, the state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her visit to Raiganj announced that Raiganj District Hospital would be upgraded to a Super Specialty Hospital and to start new Raiganj Medical College & Hospital in 2018.^{[citation needed]}

Economy[edit]

Raiganj remains an important trading centre, running daily business transaction of at least 6 crore on average, next only to Siliguri. Around two lakh people visit Raiganj everyday for business. But, there is no industry as such in Raiganj. In the suburbs, there is a government-undertaken spinning mill with about 800 employees but even that it is gasping, it could shut down any day. Economy of Raiganj also depends greatlyon agriculture. Raiganj is the sole producer of a special quality aromatic basmati rice named as Tulaipanji. Tulaipanj rice has got Geographical Indication Tag from Government of India.This rice was even sent to London Olympics for its aroma and taste. A special kind of brinjal is also produced at Raiganj which is much bigger and tastier than its other species.^[26][27]

Civic administration[edit]

There is Raiganj municipality, it is divided into 27 wards a.Currently, the All India Trinamool Congress, which has elected most councillors, controls the municipal board. Mr.Sandip Biswas of the All India Trinamool Congress is the current chairman of the ongoing board. Raiganj is not really the district headquarters though we term the town as the headquarters of North Dinajpur; the administrative buildings are located at Karnajora - a gram panchayat area five kilometres from Raiganj town. All along, Raiganj was developed in a scattered manner; when West Dinajpur existed, this side was deprived since the district headquarters was in Balurghat.^{[28] [29]}

Raiganj Bhavan[edit]

In year 2008 23 March, The Union I&B and Parliamentary affairs minister Mr Priyaranjan Dasmunshi inaugurated the newly constructed Raiganj Bhawan in Kolkata(Kasba area).^{[citation needed]}

Culture[edit]

• Local Dances: Khan dance, Natua, Jang Gan, Mokha Dance and Halna Halnani dances Bhogta dances
• Handicrafts: Terracota and jute decorative articles

Media[edit]

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• Newspaper: Newspapers in Raiganj include English language dailies, The Statesman and The Telegraph, which are printed in Siliguri, and The Hindustan Times Hitvada and the Times of India, which are printed in Kolkata and received after a day's delay. In addition, Hindi and Bengali publications, including Anandabazar Patrika, Bartaman, Ganashakti, Uttar Banga Sambad and Dainik Jagran, are available.
• Radio: The public station All India Radio is the only radio channel that can be received in Raiganj.
• Telecommunications: Airtel, Aircel, BSNL, Idea Cellular, Reliance Mobile, Tata Docomo, Vodafone, Jio 4G etc.
• Television: Raiganj receives almost all the television channels available in the rest of the country. Apart from the state-owned terrestrial network Doordarshan, cable television serves most of the homes, while satellite television is common in the outlying areas and in wealthier households. Besides mainstream Indian television channels, the town receives Nepali television channels and Bangladeshi television channels.

References[edit]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Raiganj.

• Raiganj travel guide from Wikivoyage