Baharampur

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Baharampur v • d • e West Bengal • India
Baharampur
District(s)	Murshidabad
Coordinates	24.1° N 88.25° E
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 18 m (59 ft)
Population	160,168 (2001)

Coordinates: 24.1° N 88.25° E

Baharampur (Bengali: বহরমপুর)(also spelled Berhampore or Berhampur) is a city in the West Bengal state of India. Baharampur is the administrative headquarters of the Murshidabad district.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 References
5 Sources
6 External links

[edit] History

Baharampur was founded and fortified in 1757 by the British East India Company and continued as a cantonment until 1870. The cantonment was constituted as a municipality in 1876. In 1857 the first major armed battle of the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 took place in Baharampur. Then Berhampur was ruled by Raja Krishnath and his ancestors.

[edit] Geography

Baharampur is located at 24.1° N 88.25° E^[1]. It has an average elevation of 18 metres (59 feet).

The city is located approximately 185 km north of Calcutta at 24°4′N, 88°9′E and is situated on the east side of the Bhagirathi River, a major tributary of the Ganges. The city’s industries include silk weaving, ivory carving, rice and oil-seed milling, and precious-metal working ,Bell Metal from Khagra called "Khagrai Kansha" is famous and special type of fried sweets called "Chanabora" is also very popular. It is also a rail and road hub of the West Bengal state and is an important agricultural center.

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census^GRIndia, Baharampur had a population of 160,168. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Baharampur has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 53% of the males and 47% of females literate. 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Trivia - Baharampur is famous for the sweetmeat 'Chhana-bora' and the savoury 'Khaja'.