Sainthia Nandipur | |
|---|---|
 Statue of horses at the Nandikeshwari Temple complex | |
| Nicknames: Business City Business Capital of Birbhum[1] | |
  Sainthia Location in West Bengal, India Show map of West Bengal Sainthia Sainthia (India) Show map of India Sainthia Sainthia (Asia) Show map of Asia.svg) Sainthia Sainthia (Earth) Show map of Earth | |
| Coordinates:23°56′42″N87°40′49″E / 23.9451°N 87.6803°E /23.9451; 87.6803 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | West Bengal |
| District | Birbhum |
| Established | 1987 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipality |
| • Body | Sainthia Municipality |
| • Chairman | Biplab Dutta[2] |
| • Vice Chairman | Kazi Kamal Hosein[3] |
| Area | |
• Total | 10 km2 (3.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 54.94 m (180.2 ft) |
| Population (2011)[6] | |
• Total | 44,601 |
| • Rank | 4th,Birbhum District |
| • Density | 4,460/km2 (11,600/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Sainthian / Sainthiabashi |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Bengali,English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 731234 |
| Telephone/STD code | 03462 |
| Vehicle registration | WB 54 |
| Literacy | 79.50% |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Birbhum |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Sainthia |
| Website | sainthiamunicipality |
Sainthia (formerly Nandipur) is acity and amunicipality inSuri Sadar subdivision ofBirbhum district in theIndianstate ofWest Bengal. The city is known asbusiness city of Birbhum district. The city is under thejurisdiction of Sainthiapolice station.[7] Sainthia is the fourth most populous city[8] in Birbhumdistrict and 95th most populous city[9] in West Bengal. The city covers anarea of 10 km2 and had a population of 44,601 in 2011. Located on the banks ofMayurakshi River, Sainthia has been a major humansettlement. The city is famous forNandikeshwari Temple, one of theShakta pithas inIndian subcontinent.
It is believed that the nameSainthia is derived from 'Saaita', a term used in 'Khero Khata' (Business Book) by the merchants of Sainthia after worshiping Goddess Nandikeshwari inPoila Boishakh andVijaya Dashami.[10][11]
Nandipur was the ancient name of Sainthia. The name Nandipur was originated from the famous temple of Nandikeshwari. The word Nandi comes from Nandikeshwari Temple and the wordPur is aSanskrit term used for city. Together these words created Nandipur.[10]
Sainthia was a small village.Urbanization of this area gained momentum in the recent past, when construction work of theSahibganj loop line and a bridge over theMayurakshi River started. Construction of the Khana-Rajmahal section ofSahibganj Loop was completed in October 1859. Construction of theSainthia railway station was done as part of building the entire line. This large project broughtpeople from different corners of the country to assemble and settle here. Sainthia, an old villagetrade center, a place ofpilgrimage has been emerged into a municipal city in the year 1987.[12]
Sainthia is located at23°56′42″N87°40′49″E / 23.9451°N 87.6803°E /23.9451; 87.6803. It has an average elevation of 54 m (177 ft). The city is situated in the southbank ofMayurakshi River. The soil is generally alluvial and fertile. There was a richreservoir ofgroundwater but this stands somewhat depleted due to overuse.
Sainthia's climate is classified as tropical. In winter, there is much less rainfall in Sainthia than in summer. The average annual temperature is 26.3 °C in Sainthia. The temperature goes very high and it is veryhumid in summer and quite cold in winter. In a year, the average rainfall is 1328 mm.[13]
The Sainthia municipalityarea spread over 10 km2 (3.86 sq mi) and comprises 16wards. The north–south dimension of the city is comparatively narrow, stretching from theMayurakshi River in the north to roughly Pariharpur Village in thesouth—a span of 2–3 km. The east–west dimension of the city is widest with the span of 5–6 km.
In 1901, according to L. S. S. O'Molley's Bengal District Gazetters, Sainthia had a population of 2622 and in 1911 Sainthia had a population of 3551.[14]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 2,622 | — |
| 1911 | 3,551 | +35.4% |
| 1941 | 7,584 | +113.6% |
| 1951 | 8,704 | +14.8% |
| 1961 | 12,096 | +39.0% |
| 1971 | 15,929 | +31.7% |
| 1981 | 24,081 | +51.2% |
| 1991 | 30,024 | +24.7% |
| 2001 | 39,145 | +30.4% |
| 2011 | 44,601 | +13.9% |
| Sources: 1901-1911,[14] 1941-2011[15] | ||
As of2011 Census of India, the SainthiaMunicipality has apopulation of 44,601, of which 22,856 are males while 21,745 are females. The population of children under age 6 is 4511, which is 10.11% of the total population of Sainthia. In Sainthia, the female sex ratio is 951, against the state average of 950. The child sex ratio is around 880, compared to the West Bengal state average of 956. Theliteracy rate of Sainthia is 79.50%, higher than state average of 76.26%. Male literacy is around 84.70% while female literacy is 74.08%. Out of the total population, 16,485 were engaged in work or business activity. Of this, 13,481 were males while 3,004 were females. In the census survey, a worker is defined as a person who does business, job, service, cultivator, or labour activity. Of the total 16,485 working population, 92.97% were engaged in main work while 7.03% were engaged in marginal work. Sainthia has over 10,229 houses.[16]
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 86.96% | |||
| Islam | 11.38% | |||
| Christian | 0.08% | |||
| Jain | 1.37% | |||
| Sikh | 0.02% | |||
| Buddhist | 0.02% | |||
| Others | 0.05% | |||
| Not Stated | 0.13% | |||
Ward number 16 is the most populous ward with population of 3814 and ward number 4 is the least populous ward with population of 1638.
Sainthia is an economically important city and one of the busiest business hubs in the middle part ofWest Bengal. Sainthia city is the main trading centre in the district. The economy is based on agricultural products and their allied businesses. Rice mills, mustard oil mills, bran oil mills, puffed rice mills, jaggery/gur and galvanized wire product units and other businesses run here. Sainthia is the leader inedible oil industry in Birbhum and one of the leading edible oil producers in West Bengal. There are 10 edible oil mills in Sainthia out of which 9 are Mustard oil mills and 1 is Rice Bran oil mill.[17] The economy of Sainthia stands tall due to the sales of agricultural products. The city is known as an export and import centre for cottage industry and agricultural based different goods. The hinterland of business of Sainthia spreads up to the districts ofJharkhand in the west andAssam in the north east. The city is well connected to different parts of the country. From the city, the agricultural products are exported to different parts of the State and also to different parts of the Eastern India through high roads and railroads. That makes the city the business centre of all sorts of goods distribution and transportation. Its socio-economical status is quite strong and education ratio is steadily increasing.[18]
Sainthia is an important centre for banking and finance. There are 14 bank branches in the city. 10 of them arepublic sector banks and remaining 4 areprivate sector banks.[19]
Sainthia's industrial prominence owes much to the Chandra family, who established the iconic "Lion Marka" (Lion Brand), the coconut oil manufactured and processed in a factory located beside the Mayurakshi River. It gained widespread popularity across the state and nationwide for nearly 45 years. However, operations ceased in 1992.[20]
TheNational Highway 114 and State Highway 11 runs across the city. These highways links important cities and towns inWest Bengal.
Public transport systems in Sainthia include the Government and privatebuses,electric rickshaws,taxis andauto rickshaws.
The nearest domestic airport isKazi Nazrul Islam International Airport. The airport is roughly 74 kilometers from central Sainthia.
Sainthia railway station[22] serves the entire city and is one of the important railway station of Birbhum district. It also serves as the originating station of 4 MEMU Locals. TheSainthia railway station connects to both ofKolkata's two busy rail terminals,Howrah railway station andSealdah railway station.[23][24]
On 19 July 2010, at 02:13, theSainthia train collision occurred, when Bananchal express was crashed by Uttarbanga express at platform no. 4.[25]
The city has 1government fundedState General Hospital, 8 private hospitals and 1 veterinary hospital.[2]
Sainthia is known for its temples, including the famousNandikeshwari Temple.[26]
There are two colleges in Sainthia:
There are 30 primary schools in Sainthia.[29]
There is one government-sponsored public library in Sainthia.
The Kamodakinkar Stadium (Jalibagan)[2] is afootball and acricket stadium at Vivekananda Pally, Sainthia, operated by Sainthia Sports Association.
Ananda Mohan Chakrabarty (born 1938),microbiologist andscientist
Sainthia is influenced much by the culture of West Bengal. Festivals in Sainthia are inherited by the entire state of West Bengal. The language that is generally spoken here are Bengali and Hindi. However, people from other parts of India who have settled in Sainthia, obviously speak other languages. The festivals that are most commonly celebrated are theDurga Puja,Kaali Puja,Diwali,Saraswati Puja,Chhath Puja,Holi,Christmas. Also,Ganesh Puja is done duringSankashti Chaturthi.
The festivals like Durga Puja is sincerely celebrated throughout the city of Sainthia by the local people. Though this festival is celebrated throughout India, the people of Sainthia give more importance to this festival.[26]
Sainthia travel guide from Wikivoyage
