Uttarpara

Uttarpara উত্তরপাড়া
town
Uttarpara Location in West Bengal, India
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	Hooghly
Government
• Body	Municipality
• Municipality Chairperson	Dilip Yadav
Languages
• Official	Bengali, English
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	712258
Lok Sabha constituency	Serampore
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Uttarpara

Uttarpara is a town of Hooghly District, West Bengal, India. It is a part of the area covered by Uttarpara Kotrung Municipality.

It is a town of historical importance. Uttarpara is home to some of the biggest industrial setups in the state. It has the United Spirits Distilliery, Shalimar Wire Products, Hindustan Motors which was the only vehicle plant in West Bengal which manufactured the car Ambassador.

Uttarpara Kotrung is the municipality. Uttarpara Kotrung Municipality was established in 1853, much before the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (1876).

Geography

Uttarpara is located at , within 10 km from Kolkata, the capital of the state of West Bengal. It has an average elevation of 15 metres (52 feet). Located at the south-eastern tip of the Hooghly District, on the banks of the river Ganges, it is just across the Dakshineswar Kali Temple. There is a man-made canal name "Balli Khal" that clearly marks the boundary between Uttarpara and the adjoining Howrah District.

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Uttarpara Kotrung had a population of 150,204. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Uttarpara Kotrung has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 76%. In Uttarpara Kotrung, 8% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Economy

Hindustan Motors

Uttarpara is home to India's first car factory - Hindustan Motors. Efforts are being made to revive the plant.

Transportation

Uttarpara is well connected by road and rail. There is a railway station at Uttarpara that connects Uttarpara with Howrah via the main line axis which connects the metropolis of Kolkata with the rest of India. At Bally, just a kilometre off, three major railway lines converge. The historically famed and the nation's prime road artery, the Grand Trunk Road passes through Uttarpara. Central Kolkata (Esplanade) is just 14 km away from Uttarpara.

Culture

Uttarpara Joykrishna Library Uttarparajkl.gif.

Uttarpara boasts of a rich cultural heritage. Philanthropic zamindar of Bengal, Sri Joy Krishna Mookherjee, who was related to the family of founder Ratneshwar through marriage, contributed towards establishment of library, a public hospital and a school. The town once boasted of sylvan peace, beautiful buildings, epitome of great architectural works and steeped in cultural heritage. But, that is fast giving way to flats and modern apartment buildings to accommodate the ever increasing populace. Bengali poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt spent his last days in Uttarpara Joykrishna Library.

In 1909, Aurobindo Ghosh gave his last political speech before leaving for Pondicherry to embrace monkhood. This speech, known as 'Uttarpara Speech', is a valuable work for understanding Hinduism and Sanatan dharma by Sri Aurobindo.

Education

• Raja Peary Mohan College
• Uttarpara Govt. High School
• Uttarpara Amarendra Vidyapith (Boys')
• Uttarpara Amarendra Vidyapith (Girls')
• Swami Niswambalananda Girls' College
• Dreamland School

Notable people

• Pramoda Charan Banerji, judge in the Allahabad High Court
• Amarendra Chatterjee, freedom fighter
• Malay Roy Choudhury, founder of Hungry generation Movement
• Samir Roychoudhury member of Krittibas group and co-founder of the "Hungryalist" movement
• Tapan Sinha, Indal Union Leader

See also

• Uttarpara Public Library

External links

• Website of Uttarpara Municipality
• Website of Uttarpara
• Uttarpara Govt. High School
• Website of Raja Peary Mohan College (Uttarpara College)
• Website of Uttarpara Amarendra Vidyapith(Boys)