Jaynagar is an ancient settlement. The name of Jaynagar comes from the name of the local goddessJoychandi, from which the city derived the name,Joychanditala. Over time it becameJoychandinagar and thenJoynagar orJaynagar.[4][5]
Another ancient settlement is Majilpur. The etymology of the name is an interesting one. Originally theGanges would flow over where the town is, but slowly it started silting down. This silting is calledMoje Jaoa in Bengali language, from which the city derived the name,Mojapur. Over time it becameMojpur,Mojipur and thenMojilpur orMajilpur.[4][5]
Manyjanapadas grew up along the oldBhagirathi channel from the ancient times until around the 16th century:Kalighat, Boral,Rajpur,Harinavi, Mahinagar,Baruipur,Baharu, Jaynagar Majilpur,Chhatrabhog etc.Bipradas Pipilai'sManasavijaya, composed in 1495, mentions many places in this region. "Chand Sadagar, a merchant character of theManasavijaya, reached Baruipur, from Kalighat, through the old Bhagirathi channel. From there he proceeded towards Chhatrabhog, and then traveling through Hatiagarh pargana reached the open sea".Chaitanyadeva (1486–1534) also went through this route. Travelling by boat toPuri he halted at the village of Atisara, near Baruipur. "His last stoppage in24 Parganas was at Chhatrabhog, now a village within the jurisdiction of theMathurapur police station. Chhatrabhog seems to have been an important river-port on the old Bhagirathi channel". Rama Chandra Khan, thezamindar of Chhatrabhog, helped Chaitanyadeva to continue with his journey.[6]
The town of Jaynagar Majilpur carries the memory of a very significant incident in the history of theBengal. WhenPratapaditya, the last independentHindu king of Bengal atJessore was defeated by theMughal forces, theState Diwan's (Grand vizier) family and theState Priest's family were forced to flee to avoid persecution and conversion. They settled down in the city to form the estate of theDuttas, and theBrahmin priest, Sree Krishna Udgata, who came over, settled down in what is today theBhattacharya Para. All theBhattacharyas in the city are his scions, with the current 13th generation being settled out of the city.[7][8]
The town is famous for the ancientDhanwantary Kali Temple, believed to be very benevolent, who listens to the prayers of her devotees promptly. An annual event is held, called theBesher Mela, where the goddessKali is dressed up asRadha Krishna and other goddesses. It attracts thousands of devotees, and is one of the most iconic yearly events in the town. Also, by the express direction of theDhanwantary Kali, every year, duringKali Puja, it is mandatory to host aKali Puja in everyBrahmin household of the city. It used to be a big annual festival, with hundreds of houses performingKali Puja on the night of theDiwali, and going out on the next day in a beautifully orchestrated procession, going around the town, before the immersion or theBisarjan. However, over the past few years, the number of houses performingKali Puja has fallen drastically, now performed in only twenty odd houses. This has been mainly due to the gradual outward immigration of people from the hamlet, the reluctancy of the younger generation, and their inability to get hold of funds considering the deteriorating economic condition of Bengal, the rise of public subscription or locally calledBarowari Puja.[9]
The town was also calledHalf-Calcutta owing to the development it had seen before independence, with stalwarts likeSivanath Sastri and Umesh Chandra Dutta emerging. It was also a centre for active freedom fighting, with names likeKanailal Bhattacharya and Rajaram Bhattacharya to name a few.[10][11][12]
Cities and towns in the southern part of Baruipur subdivision (including Baruipur, Jaynagar I & II, Kultali CD blocks) in South 24 Parganas district M: municipal city/ town, CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, N: neighbourhood, H: historical place/ religious centre Places linked with coastal activity are marked in blue Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly
Baruipur subdivision is a rural subdivision with moderate levels of urbanization. 31.05% of the population live in the urban areas and 68.95% live in the rural areas. In the southern portion of the subdivision (shown in the map alongside) there are 20census towns. The entire district is situated in theGanges Delta and the southern part is covered by the Baruipur-Jaynagar Plain.Archaeological excavations atDhosa andTilpi, on the bank of thePiyali River indicate the existence of human habitation around 2,000 years ago.[13][14][15]
Note: 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.
The annual mean temperature is 26.8 °C (80.2 °F); monthly mean temperatures are 19 to 30 °C (66 to 86 °F). Summers (March–June) are hot and humid, with temperatures in the low 30s Celsius; during dry spells, maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in May and June. Winter lasts for roughly2+1⁄2 months, with seasonal lows dipping to 9 to 11 °C (48 to 52 °F) in December and January. May is the hottest month, with daily temperatures ranging from 27 to 37 °C (81 to 99 °F); January, the coldest month, has temperatures varying from 12 to 23 °C (54 to 73 °F). The highest recorded temperature is 43.9 °C (111.0 °F), and the lowest is 5 °C (41 °F). The winter is mild and very comfortable weather pertains over the city throughout this season. Often, in April–June, the city is struck by heavy rains or dusty squalls that are followed by thunderstorms or hailstorms, bringing cooling relief from the prevailing humidity. These thunderstorms areconvective in nature, and are known locally asKal'bôishakhi, orNor'westers in English.[18]
Rains brought by theBay of Bengal branch of thesouth-west summer monsoon lash Jaynagar Majilpur between June and September, supplying it with most of its annual rainfall of about 1,850 mm (73 in). The highest monthly rainfall total occurs in July and August. In these months often incessant rain for days brings live to a stall for the town dwellers. The city receives 2,528 hours of sunshine per year, with maximumsunlight exposure occurring in March. Jaynagar Majilpur has been hit by several cyclones; these include systems occurring in 1737 and 1864 that killed thousands.[18]
According to the2011 Census of India, Jaynagar Majilpur had a total population of 25,922, of which 13,234 (51.05%) were males and 12,688 (48.95%) were females. It had a population density of 4,431 inhabitants per square kilometre (11,480/sq mi) with a sex ratio of 959 females for every 1000 males. There were 2,277 persons in the age range of 0 to 6 years which is 8.78% of the total population. The Scheduled Castes numbered 4,830 (18.63%) and the Scheduled Tribes numbered 24 (0.09%). The total number of literate persons was 20,898 (88.38% of the population over 6 years) out of which males numbered 11,092 (91.96% of the male population over 6 years) and females numbered 9,806 (84.66% of the female population over 6 years). Jaynagar Majilpur had a total of 6,036 households as per report released by 2011 Census of India.[20]
Jaynagar Majilpur Municipality covers an area of 5.85 km2 (2.26 sq mi). It has jurisdiction over the entire town of Jaynagar Majilpur. The municipality was established on 1 April 1869; 156 years ago (1 April 1869). It is divided into 14 administrative wards. According to the 2022 municipal election, it is being controlled by theAll India Trinamool Congress.[23][24]
The headquarters of the Jaynagar I CD block are located at Baharu.[27] The map of the CD block Jaynagar I on the page number 699 in theDistrict Census Handbook 2011 for the South 24 Parganas district shows the headquarters of the CD block as being located in Jaynagar Majilpur.[28]
The headquarters of the Jaynagar II CD block are located at Nimpith.[27] The map of the CD block Jaynagar II on the page number 725 in theDistrict Census Handbook 2011 for the South 24 Parganas district shows the headquarters of the CD block as being located in Jaynagar Majilpur.[29]
With the electrification of the railways, suburban traffic has grown tremendously since the 1960s. As of 2005–06, more than 1.7 million (17 lakhs) commuters use theKolkata Suburban Railway system daily. After the partition of India, refugees from erstwhile East Pakistan and Bangladesh had a strong impact on the development of urban areas in the periphery of Kolkata. The new immigrants depended on Kolkata for their livelihood, thus increasing the number of commuters. Eastern Railway runs 1,272 EMU trains daily.[33]
Dhruba Chand Halder College, established in 1965, is affiliated with theUniversity of Calcutta. It offers honours courses in Bengali, English, Sanskrit, history, political science, philosophy, economics, geography, education, mathematics and accounting & finance, and general degree courses in arts, science, and commerce.[34]
Jaynagar Institution is a Bengali-medium school for boys. It was established in 1878 and has facilities for teaching from class V to class XII.
Jaynagar P. C. Paul Institution is a Bengali-medium school for boys. It was established in 1915 and has facilities for teaching from class V to class XII.
Jaynagar Institution for Girls is a Bengali-medium school for girls. It was established in 1947 and has facilities for teaching from class V to class XII.[35]
Jaynagar Chamatkarini Balika Vidyalaya is a Bengali-medium school for girls. It was established in 1941 and has facilities for teaching from class V to class XII.
Majilpur J. M. Training School is a Bengali-medium school for boys. It was established in 1905 and has facilities for teaching from class V to class XII.
Majilpur Shyamsundar Balika Vidyalaya is a Bengali-medium school for girls. It was established in 1934 and has facilities for teaching from class V to class XII.
^Sengupta, Nitish (2001).History of The Bengali-speaking People, 2001/2002. UBS Publishers' Distributors Pvt. Ltd. pp. 132–137.ISBN81-7476-355-4.
^McCutchion, David J.,Late Mediaeval Temples of Bengal, first published 1972, reprinted 2017, p. 78, The Asiatic Society of Kolkata,ISBN978-93-81574-65-2
^Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/1998,Samsad Bangali Charitabhidhan (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, pp. 70-71, Sahitya Samsad,ISBN81-85626-65-0
^Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/1998,Samsad Bangali Charitabhidhan (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, pp. 522-523, Sahitya Samsad,ISBN81-85626-65-0
^Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 2013,Samsad Bangali Charitabhidhan (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, p. 117, Sahitya Samsad,ISBN978-81-7955-135-6
^"Jaynagar Majilpur Municipality".Department of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs. Government of West Bengal. Archived fromthe original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved18 May 2015.
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