Kalna City


Ambika Kalna is a city in the Purba Bardhaman district, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Kalna subdivision, situated on the western bank of the Bhāgirathi. The city is more popularly known as Ambika Kalna, named after a very popular deity, Goddess Kali, Maa Ambika. It has numerous historical monuments, such as the Rajbari and the 108 Shiva temples. The city of Kalna, is from Bardhaman.

History

The first reference to Ambika Kalna is found in a 6th-century text named Kubjika Tantra.
According to General Alexander Cunningham, the founder of the Archaeological Survey of India, Ambika Kalna was a frontier city of the Tamralipta kingdom during the 7th century A.D. During the reign of Shashanka in the 7th century, a naval-base was founded at Kalna. Kalna houses the only Chaitanya temple built in Sri Chaitanya's lifetime. It is the abode of pilgrimage for the Baisnabites. It was a celebrated place during Mohammedan rule in the 15th century.
It reached its pinnacle of glory during the late 18th century under the patronage of the Maharajas of Bardhaman, who built several magnificent temples with intricate terracotta ornamentation.

Geography

Location

Kalna is located at. It has an average elevation of 11 meters. It is located on the west bank of the Bhagirathi, a distributary of the Ganges, Ambika Kalna, or popularly known as Kalna, a sup-divisional town. It is a small reflection of a larger multi-dimensional background in Indian history.
The town can be accessed by rail, road or river.
By rail, it is connected on the loop line route from Howrah towards Katwa. Ambika Kalna, 81 km from Howrah, it is the main railway station. There are several local trains, as well as express trains on the route and almost all of them stop at the Ambika Kalna rail station.
By road, the town can be accessed from Krishnanagar, Katwa, Bandel, Pandua, Boinchi, Memari and Barddhaman.
Though part of the Burdwan district of West Bengal, it is located near the border with Nadia and Hooghly District, and is near to Nabadwip and Mayapur, known for the ISKCON center.
Kalna is located on the agriculturally rich alluvial plains between the Bhagirathi, Ajay and Damodar rivers. Temperatures in this region varies from 17–18 °C in winter to 30-32 °C in summer.

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census of India, Kalna had a total population of 56,722, of which 28,793 were males and 27,929 were females. Population below age six was 4,557. The total number of literate people in Kalna was 45,403.
According to the 2001 Census of India, Kalna had a population of 52,176 of which 51% were male 49% female. Kalna had an average literacy rate of 84.4%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 90.1%, and female literacy is 78.4%. In Kalna, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.
The steady flow of refugees from East Pakistan swelled the population of the area in the fifties.

Religion

is the main religion in Kalna with 94.75% of its citizens being Hindu. Islam is the second most followed religion with approximately 4.88% following it. In Kalna, most of the Muslim population is situated in Jabari para. 0.12% follow Christianity, 0.01% follow Jainism, 0.02% follow Sikhism and 0.07% follow Buddhism. Formally, they come from Assam and Bangladesh. Around 0.15% of the population doesn't follow a particular religion.

Attractions

Popularised by the sage Bhaba Pagla, the temple of Debi Bhabani holds a special puja on the last Saturday of the Bengali month of Baisakh. Close to it is Sri Gauranga Mandir. The temple complex houses Sri Chaitanya's manuscripts and personal belongings. A major landmark is the Siddheshwari Temple. It is dedicated to Debi Ambika, and it is after her that Kalna is also known as Ambika Kalna. The temple is nearly 800 years old.
A major attraction is the Nava Kailash or 108 Shiv Mandirs. Built in 1809, the temples are constructed in two circles. One consists of 74 temples while the other circle has 34. The former has white marble and black stone shivlingas, while the latter has only white marble ones. Due to its ingenious planning, all the shivlingas can be seen from the centre of the temple complex.
The Krishna Chandra Mandir, with its 25 steeples, is another popular landmark. Scenes from the epics are depicted on its terracotta walls. Doors remain closed from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.Worthwhile mentioning are also Lalji Mandir with 25 steeples and Pratapeshvara Mandir of the Rekha style. This temple has magnificent terracotta designs.
Maijir Bari was established in 1752 and has the Shyamchand Radharani Mondir. It has preserved a tradition of nearly 300 years and even today festivals like Dol Purnima, Rath yatra, Jhulan Purnima, Annakot, and Rash are celebrated every year involving the people of the region irrespective of caste, creed or religion.
Projapoti Bari is also quite well known. This landmark house has a huge butterfly emblem on top. Hemanta Banerjee, who inherited the house from his father, also owned Sur-O-Sathi. Apurba Banerjee, brother of Hemanta Banerjee, started Kali puja in 1947.
Gopalbari Mandir consisting of 25 steeples signifies a perfect sculpture. On the walls of these Temples, many Terracotta warriors are ornamented. There is an image of copulation engraved here. A hall adjacent to the Temple for devotional dancing and musical performances was erected. It is an indication of traditional sculpture, located in Bhaduri Para.
In 688, Siddheswari Kali Mandir was established by Rishi-Amburish. The first time the Goddess was worshipped through the ritual of earthen-pot. The ghatt sticks to a stone winnowing tray. This auspicious image is made of a single Neem log. This image represents the Bamakali Idol. The responsibility of this Goddess was shouldered on the part of -1. Sri Taraprassana Adhikari, 2. Kaliprassana Adhikari and now, the 7th generation personality Sri Sonatan Adhikari and Gopal Adhikari are the priest of this Temple. Long ago scarifies of humans to the altar of the Temple were in vogue. But at present he-goat, sugarcane, gourd, etc. instead of a human. The Goddess is worshipped during the new moon in the month of Kartik.
Anantabasudev Mandir is situated at Shyamrai Para. The temple is about 250 years old. His Honour, Maharaj Bahktipromode Puri Goswami had renovated this Temple about 60 years back. Now, Maharaj's nephews, nieces, and their husbands have got the responsibility of looking after it. About 250 years back, his Highness Maharaj of Burdwan founded this Temple.
Buddha Mandir is situated at Bara-Mitra-Para it is the oldest Buddhist temple in ‘Purba Burdwan District’ about 37 years old, a small Theravada Buddhist community looking after it. in the temple shrine, a six feet tall gold-plated metallic Buddha statue from Thailand and an old marble Buddha statue originating from Burma are the two main attractions.
There is also the famous Tamarind tree, more than 500 years old, below which Sri Chaitanya came and met Nityananda.
In the past, Pathuria Mahal Ghat was used for Ferry-ghat. Now it has got its identity as an auspicious bathing-ghat in the name of Late Naresh Chandra Kumar, an extraordinary personality and donor of the Bathing-Ghat. It is located at Pathuriyamahal, Kalna.
Recently, Kalna Porjoton Utsab is being organized on every winter. Since 2014, the entire Rajbari Temple Complex has been illuminated. Ras Manch is the main attraction there in the evening.

Festivals

is a festival of Kalna, which attracts people from all parts of the state. Large decorated pandals, illuminated with artistic idols pay homage to Goddess Saraswati.
Another festival of Kalna is Mahishmardini Puja in which people gather from all corners of Kalna Subdivision and even from outside. The puja lasts for 4 days. A fair takes place encircling the religious festival, covering almost half of the area of Kalna. Merry-go-rounds, Toy Train, Puppet Show, and Magic Show are the attractions of the fair.

Education

, one of the oldest colleges under the University of Burdwan, was founded in 1943. It is accredited B++ by the NAAC. Kalna Polytechnic was established in 2000. Besides, there are several Higher secondary and secondary schools. Some reputed schools in Kalna:
Kalna is famous for rice, food grains, potato, and jute production. The agriculture-based economy is flourishing in Kalna. There are several rice mills and cold storages. After the partition of India, many skilled weavers from Dhaka came and settled in West Bengal around Shantipur in Nadia district and Kalna of Bardhaman district, both traditionally renowned centers for hand-woven fabrics. With government encouragement and support, the talented weavers soon revived their ancestral occupation and the art of exquisite weaving once again flourished. Today, finely woven feather-touch textiles and saris in exotic designs and colors are being produced in the vast weaving belt of Shantipur, Phulia, Samudragarh, Dhatrigram and Ambika Kalnaeach center producing superb fabrics in its unique weaving style. Kalna is famous for tangails and gorgeous jamdanis. The produce is marketed through co-operatives and various undertakings. Rakhi and Bindi are manufactured at Kalna. In fine it is one sort of cottage industry here. Many people, especially women, are placed at the cottage industry and earn their living. However, the main business related to agriculture. Several banks like SBI, UBI, UCO, ICICI, Axis, HDFC, BOI, OBC Bank of Baroda, Kalna Town Credit Co-operative Bank, and PNB have branches in Kalna.

Transport

Being situated at the junction of three districts, Kalna has a well-developed transportation network. The main mode of local transport is cycle rickshaw and auto-rickshaw. In this year, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a River bridge project between Kalna and Shantipur.

Rail

Though the main railway station of the town is Ambika Kalna railway station, the northern part of the city can also be accessed through Baghnapara railway station. Ambika Kalna is 42 km and Baghnapara is 46 km from Bandel on the Bandel-Katwa Branch Line. There are many local trains and a few express and passenger trains from Howrah and Sealdah.

Road

Kalna is linked to important cities of South Bengal by road. The main bus stand is situated beside the STKK Road. Many private local and long route express buses are available. There is a Govt. bus depot of South Bengal State Transport Corporation. Long-distance express buses, connecting various cities of West Bengal and Jharkhand, are in service from SBSTC bus depot. Bus services are available for Krishnanagar, Shantipur, Phulia, and Ranaghat from Kalna Ghat bus stand on the bank of Bhagirathi River.

Temples at Kalna

04.Mahaprabhu Temple
05.Mahismardini Mata temple
06.Nityananda temple
07. Theravada Buddha Mondir