Pandua, Hooghly


Pandua is a census town in Pandua CD Block of Chinsurah subdivision in Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

History

The place is best known for its minar and the ruins of Pandu Raja's Palace where all important state ceremonies were held. The 13th century minar soars to a height of 125 feet.
Shahid Shah Safiuddin was the nephew of Feroz Shah Khilji the Sultan of Delhi. It is said that Pandu Raja lived in Mahanad in Hooghly where cow slaughter was totally banned. However the Sultan settled in Pandua for the occasion of his son's circumciscion ceremony. So he had slaughtered a cow for feast to offer to his guests. This enraged the King and he sacrificed the saint's son to Goddess Kali. Shah Safiuddin went to Delhi and complained to the Firoz Shah Khilji about this horrific incident.The Sultan sent a large army under the command of Jaffar Khan Ghazi during. Taking the spiritual guidance from his guide Shah Bu Ali Qalandar at Panipat, Pandua was attacked. The imperial army was victorious after a long battle. However Shah Safiuddin was fatally wounded. He was buried at the spot where he fell during the battle, with lot of respect and joy. There remains his Dargah near Pandua GT road. A mosque was also built later.

The Shrikkhala Devi Shrine as a Shakti Peeth

The mythology of Daksha yaga and Sati's self immolation had immense significance in shaping the ancient Sanskrit literature and even had impact on the culture of India. It led to the development of the concept of Shakti Peethas and there by strengthening Shaktism. Enormous mythological stories in puranas took the Daksha yaga as the reason for its origin. It is an important incident in Shaivism resulting in the emergence of Shree Parvati in the place of Sati Devi and making Shiva a grihastashrami leading to the origin of Ganapathy and Subrahmanya.
Shakti Peethas are shrines or divine places of the Mother Goddess. These are places that are believes to have enshrined with the presence of Shakti due to the falling of body parts of the corpse of Sati Devi, when Lord Shiva carried it and wandered throughout Aryavartha in sorrow. There are 51 Shakti Peeth linking to the 51 alphabets in Sanskrit.

Geography

Location

Pandua is located at. It has an average elevation of 19 metres.
Pandua, Purusattompur and Namajgram form a cluster of census towns.
Pandua CD Block is a flat alluvial plain, known as the Hooghly-Damodar Plain, that forms part of the Gangetic Delta.

Demographics

As per 2011 Census of India Pandua had a total population of 30,700 of which 15,597 were males and 15,103 were females. Population below 6 years was 2,986. The total number of literates in Pandua was 22,604.
India census, Pandua had a population of 27,126. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Pandua has an average literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 72%, and female literacy is 62%. In Pandua, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Police station

Pandua police station has jurisdiction over Pandua CD Block.

CD Block HQ

The headquarters of Pandua CD Block are located at Pandua.

Economy

This is a rich agricultural area with several cold storages.
S.R.Industry, manufacturer of construction and agricultural machinery was established at Pandua in 1996.

Transport

/ GT Road passes through Pandua. Pundooah railway station situated on Howrah Bardhaman main line in Pandua.

Visitor attractions

Pandua has a rural hospital.