Burdwan Town
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Burdwan Town
{Bdrdhamdna, the 'increasing' or 'prosperous'). Head-quarters of Burdwan District, Bengal, situated in 23° 14' N. and 87° 51 E., on the Banka river. Population (1901), 35,022 (exclud- ing 3,669 persons within railway limits), of whom 25,453 were Hindus and 9,441 Musalmans, while 128 belonged to other religions. The town really consists of numerous small villages scattered over an area of 9 square miles, and the greater part of it is rural in character. In 1 814 the population was estimated at 53,927. For a long time the town was looked upon as a sanitarium ; but it suffered very severely from the Burdwan fever from 1863 onwards, and though now free from this virulent type of fever, it is still very unhealthy. It was the head- quarters of the Commissioner of the Burdwan Division from 1854 to 187 1, and again from 1884 to 1896.
The town is first mentioned in history as having been captured by prince Khurram in 1624, and again in 1696 by the Hindu rebel Subha Singh. There are several ancient tombs, the most interesting being those of Pir Bahram Shah, Khoja Anwar Shah, Sher Afghan, and Kutb- ud-d!n ; and a group of 108 Siva lingam temples constructed in 1788 is situated at Nawab Hat, about 2 miles from the town. Within the town itself the principal places of interest are the palaces and gardens of the Maharaja.
Cutlery is manuftictured, and there are two oil-mills ; a large annual fair is held at Kanchannagar, one of the suburbs. Burd- wan was constituted a municipality in 1865. The income during the decade ending 190 1-2 averaged Rs. 1,13,300, and the expenditure Rs. 1,00,300. In 1903-4, out of a total income of Rs. 1,43,000, Rs. 39,000 was derived from a tax on houses and lands, Rs. 24,000 from a water rate, Rs. 17,000 from a conservancy rate, Rs. 6,000 from a tax on vehicles, Rs. 4,000 each from tolls and from rents, Rs. 3,000 from markets, and Rs. 5,000 from educational institutions. The inci- dence of taxation was Rs. 2-8-7 per head of the population. In the same year the expenditure of Rs. r, 10,000 included Rs. 4,000 spent on lighting, Rs. 2,000 on drainage, Rs. 32,000 on conservancy, Rs. 11,000 on medical relief, Rs. 1 2,000 on roads, and Rs. 7,000 on education.
Water- works constructed at a cost of 2 lakhs were opened in 1884, the Maharaja of Burdwan contributing half a lakh, and the remainder being borrowed from Government ; the health of the town has since greatly improved. The town possesses the usual public offices. The District jail has accommodation for 256 prisoners, the chief industries being siirki pounding and the manufacture of oil and newdr ; carpets are also made, and indigo dyeing is carried on on a small scale. The most important educational institutions are the Burdwan Raj College, a free institution maintained by the Raj, and a technical school affiliated to the Sibpur Engineering College and maintained by the District board with a contribution from the municipality.
