Monteswar

This article is about the village in West Bengal, India. For its namesake community development block, see Manteswar. For its namesake state assembly constituency, see Manteswar (Vidhan Sabha constituency).

Monteswar
Village
Monteswar Location in West Bengal
Coordinates: 23°25′21″N88°06′27″E / 23.42250°N 88.10750°E / 23.42250; 88.10750 Coordinates: 23°25′21″N88°06′27″E / 23.42250°N 88.10750°E / 23.42250; 88.10750
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	Purba Bardhaman
Parliamentary constituency	Bardhaman-Durgapur
State Assembly constituency	Manteswar
Population  (2011)
• Total	9,331
PIN	713145 (Manteswar)
Telephone/STD code	03453
Website	www.bardhaman.gov.in
monteswarblock.org/

Monteswar is a village situated in Manteswar CD block in Kalna subdivision of Purba Bardhaman district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

History

Most of the area between the Damodar and the Ajay, largely covering the later day Shergarh, Selimpur and Senpahari parganas, was broadly known as Gopbhum, where the Sadgop kings ruled for a long time, prior to the advent of the Muslims. They ruled from Amrargar and branched out to Bharatpur (on the bank of the Damodar) and Kanksa. The Sura kings occupy a somewhat mythical position in the region. It is estimated that they ruled between the late 4th century to around 11th century. They were believed to be based in Singheswar (in the northern Rarh region) and Gar Mandaran. One branch of the family was based in what is now Purba Bardhaman district. The capital of Bhu Sura, son of the legendary Adi Sura, was located at Surnagar or Surogram in the Monteswar police station area. ^[1]

See also - Gourangapur for information on Ichhai Ghosh

Geography

[Interactive fullscreen map]

Cities and towns in the Kalna subdivision of Purba Bardhaman district
M: municipal city/ town, CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, H: historical/ religious centre, C: craft centre.
Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly

Physiography

Monteswar is a part of the flat alluvial and occasionally flood-prone Bardhaman Plain, the central plain area of the district. ^[2]

Police station

Monteswar police station has jurisdiction over Manteswar CD Block. The area covered is 354.04 km². ^{[3] [4]}

When subdivisions were first formed by the British in 1860, Manteswar was one of the police stations of Kalna subdivision. It is also mentioned in Peterson's District Gazetteer of 1910. ^[5]

CD block HQ

The headquarters of Manteswar CD block are located at Monteswar. ^{[6] [7]}

Urbanisation

87.00% of the population of Kalna subdivision live in the rural areas. Only 13.00% of the population live in the urban areas. ^[8] The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Demographics

As per the 2011 Census of India Monteswar had a total population of 9,331, of which 4,731 (51%) were males and 4,600 (49%) were females. Population below 6 years was 923. The total number of literates in Monteswar was 6,759 (80.39% of the population over 6 years). ^[9]

Transport

State Highway 15 running from Dainhat (in Purba Bardhaman district) to Gadiara (in Howrah district) passes through this block. ^[10]

A bridge is located between Maldanga and Monteswar across the Khari river. ^[11]

Education

Dr. Gourmohan Roy College was established at Monteswar in 1986. It offers honours courses in Bengali, Sanskrit, English, history, geography, political science, philosophy and accountancy. ^{[12] [13]}

IID (Imperial Institute of Design), recognized by the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, government of India, is located in Monteswar. ^[14]

Culture

Dharmathakur, Gajan and Chamunda festival

Monteswar has two Dharmathakurs and a gajan festival is celebrated with its traditional fervour, during Baisakh Purnima. The Chamunda festival at Monteswar is particularly note-worthy. All sections of people participate in the festivities for the presiding deity of the village and it goes through numerous rituals. The idol of the goddess is taken out of the temple and the worshipping and festivities are held in the open. The idol and the priest are carried on shoulders and taken around the village. Animal sacrifices are carried out on a large scale. Scholars have pointed out the predominance of non-Aryan influence in practices during these festivities, that start in Vaisakha shukla paksha ^[15] Monteswar also has Shiva, Siddheswari and other temples. ^[16]

Sripat Denur

Denur is about 6–7 km from Monteswar bus stand and 28 km from Katwa. Denur is the birthplace of Kesava Bharati, who bestowed sannyasa on Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. The Viashnavite poet and author of Chaitanya Bhagavata, Vrindavana Dasa Thakura was a resident of Denur. The temple of Denureswar Shiva has exquisite terracotta carvings. The temple of Vrindabana Dasa Thakura has idols of Mahishamardini and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, a combination of Shaktism and Vaishnavism. ^[17]

Healthcare

Monteswar Rural Hospital at Monteswar (with 30 beds) is the main medical facility in Manteswar CD block. There are primary health centres at Dhanyakherur, PO Majhergram (with 10 beds), Moinampur, PO Katsihi (with 6 beds) and Putsuri (with 6 beds). ^[18]

See also - Healthcare in West Bengal

References

1. Chattopadhyay, Akkori, Bardhaman Jelar Itihas O Lok Sanskriti (History and Folk lore of Bardhaman District.), (in Bengali), Vol I, pages 150-152, Radical Impression. ISBN   81-85459-36-3
2. "Census of India 2011, West Bengal: District Census Handbook, Barddhaman" (PDF). Physiography, pages 13-14. Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal. Retrieved 24 February 2019.
3. "District Statistical Handbook 2014 Bardhaman". Tables 2.1, 2.2. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
4. "Purba Bardhaman District Police". Police Station. West Bengal Police. Archived from the original on 27 September 2018. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
5. Chattopadhyay, Akkori, Bardhaman Jelar Itihas O Lok Sanskriti (History and Folk lore of Bardhaman District.), (in Bengali), Vol I, pp. 369-370, Radical Impression. ISBN   81-85459-36-3
6. "District Census Handbook: Barddhaman" (PDF). Map of Barddhaman with CD Block HQs and Police Stations (on the fourth page). Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal, 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
7. "BDO Offices under Burdwan District". Department of Mass Education Extension & Library Services, Government of West Bengal. West Bengal Public Library Network. Archived from the original on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
8. "District Statistical Handbook 2014 Bardhaman". Table 2.2. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
9. "2011 Census – Primary Census Abstract Data Tables". West Bengal – District-wise. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
10. "List of State Highways in West Bengal". West Bengal Traffic Police. Retrieved 5 February 2017.
11. "লিঙ্ক রোড নেই, ভরসা সেই সাঁকো". Anandabazar Patrika (in Bengali). Retrieved 11 March 2017.
12. "Dr. Gour Mohan Roy College". GMRC. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
13. "Dr. Gour Mohan Roy College". College Admission. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
14. "Imperial Institute of Design". The Institute/ Contact IID. IID. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
15. Ghosh, Binoy, Paschim Banger Sanskriti, (in Bengali), part I, 1976 edition, pages 212-218, Prakash Bhaban
16. Chattopadhyay, Akkori, Bardhaman Jelar Itihas O Lok Sanskriti (History and Folk lore of Bardhaman District.), (in Bengali), Vol II, page 584, Radical Impression. ISBN   81-85459-36-3
17. Chattopadhyay, Akkori, Bardhaman Jelar Itihas O Lok Sanskriti (History and Folk lore of Bardhaman District.), (in Bengali), Vol II, pages 527-528, Radical Impression. ISBN   81-85459-36-3
18. "Health & Family Welfare Department". Health Statistics. Government of West Bengal. Retrieved 19 January 2019.