Labhpur

Labhpur
Census Town
Labhpur Location in West Bengal, India Show map of West Bengal Labhpur Labhpur (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 23°50′N87°49′E / 23.83°N 87.82°E / 23.83; 87.82
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	Birbhum
Elevation	35 m (115 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Total	5,419
Languages
• Official	Bengali, English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	731303
Telephone code	03463
Vehicle registration	WB
Sex ratio	944 ♂/♀
Lok Sabha constituency	Bolpur
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Labpur
Website	birbhum.nic.in

Labhpur is a census town in Labpur, a community development block in Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the hometown of novelist Tarashankar Bandopadhyay and is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas.

Geography

8km
5miles

S

Ajay River

R

Kopai River

Q

Bakreshwar River

P

Mayurakshi River

U

Visva-Bharati University

R

Kankalitala

R

Jaydev Kenduli

R

Khustigiri

R

Khujutipara

R

Raipur

R

Kirnahar

R

Sriniketan

R

Nanoor

R

Shantiniketan

M

Bolpur

CT

Labhpur

CT

Parota

CT

Surul

CT

Ilambazar

   

Cities and towns in Bolpur subdivision of Birbhum district
M: municipal city/ town, CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, U: University.
Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly

Location

Labpur is located at 23°50′N87°49′E / 23.83°N 87.82°E / 23.83; 87.82 . ^[1] It has an average elevation of 35 m (115 ft).

Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the area. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

It lies in the flood plains of Mayurakshi River and when water is released from Massanjore dam and Tilpara barrage in large quantities, flood waters wreak havoc in the area. In 2006, nearly 50,000 people were marooned in Labhpur and surrounding blocks of Birbhum district. ^[2]

Demographics

As per the 2011 Census of India, Labhpur had a total population of 5,419 of which 2,762 (51%) were males and 2,657 (49%) were females. Population below 6 years was 443. The total number of literates in Labhpur was 4,193 (84.26% of the population over 6 years). ^[3]

Infrastructure

As per the District Census Handbook 2011, Labhpur covered an area of 2.1069 km².

College

• Sambhunath College, Labhpur. (Estd. 1963) ^[4]

Culture

Tarashankar country

Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, the Bengali writer, was born at Labhpur on 23 July 1898. ^[5] He passed matriculation from Labhpur in 1916. ^[6] Many of his novels and stories carry vivid descriptions of the area. ^{[7] [8]}

House of Tarashankar Bandopadhyaya

In the novel Hansulibanker Upkatha, he writes, "The Hansulibank countryside is somewhat rough land. Here, man’s fight is more with land, than that with rivers. When drought comes, in extreme summer, the river becomes a desert, it is a land of sand – only deep water somehow manages to weave a narrow way through it. The land then is transformed into rock. The grass dries up. The land heats up as if it is a piece of heated-up iron." ^[9]

In his novel Ganadevata, he quotes a rural rhyme

Poush-Poush, golden Poush,

Come Poush but don’t go away, don’t ever leave,

Don’t leave Poush, Don’t,

The husband and son will eat a full bowl of rice. ^[9]

Notable people

• Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay, novelist
• Pranab Mukherjee, president of India

See also

• Labhpur travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Labpur railway station
• Ahmadpur–Katwa line

References

1. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc – Labhpur
2. "Rising flood waters claim 4". The Telegraph, 12 July 2006. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2007.
3. "2011 Census – Primary Census Abstract Data Tables". West Bengal – District-wise. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 1 February 2018.
4. Sambhunath College Golden Jubilee Souvenir
5. "House of Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay Aturghar (Birthplace) and Dhatri Devata". West Bengal Heritage Commission. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
6. Badiuzzaman (2012). "Bandyopadhyay, Tarashankar". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
7. "Labhpur Dhatridebata Museum: A small homage to a giant of Bengali literature". www.telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
8. SNS (28 July 2018). "Birbhum | Dhatridebata, the ancestral home of writer Tarashankar Bandopadhyay, to be renovated". The Statesman. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
9. Mukhopadhyay, Manabendra, Tarashankar’s Birbhum , Paschim Banga , Birbhum Special Issue, February 2006, (in Bengali), pp. 259-68, Information & Cultural Department, Government of West Bengal.