Hooghly district

Hooghly (হুগলি Hugli or হুগলী Huglī) is a district of West Bengal, India.

Map of Hooghly district

• 22.89555688.40251 Chinsurah (চুঁচুড়া Cũcuṛā) — district headquarters, former Dutch colony
• 23.12244488.4632782 Balagarh (বলাগড় Balāgaṛ) —
• 22.92277888.3794443 Bandel (ব্যান্ডেল Byānḍel) — former Portuguese colony, home to Bandel Church
• 22.9788.44 Bansberia (বাঁশবেড়িয়া Bāⁿśbeṛiẏā) —
• 23.1999488.430775 Guptipara (গুপ্তিপাড়া Guptipāṛā) —
• 22.90589988.369926 Hooghly (হুগলি Hugli or হুগলী Huglī) — historic port city, former Portuguese colony
• 23.0888.287 Pandua (পাণ্ডুয়া Pāṇḍuẏā) —

• 22.7988.328 Baidyabati (বৈদ্যবাটি Baidyabāṭi) —
• 22.86705888.3674119 Chandannagar (চন্দননগর Candannagar) — a former French colony, famous for Jagaddhatri Puja and the immersion rally
• 22.788.3510 Konnagar (কোন্নগর Konnagar) —
• 22.7588.3411 Serampore (শ্রীরামপুর Śrīrāmpur) — A former Danish colony
• 22.6788.3512 Uttarpara (উত্তরপাড়া Uttarpāṛā) —

• 22.8887.7813 Arambagh (আরামবাগ Ārāmbāg) —
• 22.9561288.0319414 Dasghara (দশঘরা Daśgharā) —
• 22.9067587.6500915 Kamarpukur (কামারপুকুর Kāmārpukur) — birthplace of Sri Ramakrishna
• 22.8988.0216 Tarakeswar (তারকেশ্বর Tārakeśbar) — the "City of Shiva", a popular pilgrimage spot and a major bus terminus.

• 22.7488.131 Furfura Sharif (ফুরফুরা শরীফ Phurphurā Śarīph) — An Islamic pilgrimage site for the shrine of Mohammad Abu Bakr Siddique. It is said to be the second most prominent Islamic shrine in India after Ajmer Sharif.

The Hooghly district gets its name from the old riverside town of Hooghly, founded by the Portuguese in 1579.

Hooghly has thousands of years of rich heritage as part of the Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut, also known as Bhurishrestha. Its riverside urban area is called the "Little Europe of India", with each town having its unique fragrance of history and culture, as different European powers colonised them. For example, the Portuguese held Bandel, the Dutch held Chinsurah, the French held Chandannagar and the Danish held Serampore. However, many of these colonies later came under British rule, and most of their distinctive non-British colonial charms in their heydays are now lost.

But Chandannagar remained under French rule, outside British hoards until 1954, when it came under India. The city is known for the conservation of its non-British colonial heritage.

During the 20th century, the Hooghly district was home to many industrial complexes, including one of the largest car-making plants in India, the Hindustan Motors plant in Uttarpara. However, at the dawn of the 21st century, the once-flourishing manufacturing belt still has some units working well, but the industrial area is no longer in the pink of health and is often in the news for the wrong reasons.

Official websites:

• Hooghly District
• Chandannagar Police – covers the riverside towns
• Hooghly Rural Police – covers the rest of the district

Hooghly is served by two main railway lines: Howrah-Bardhaman main and Howrah-Bardhaman chord, and three branch lines: Sheoraphuli-Bishnupur, Bandel-Naihati and Bandel-Katwa.

Bandel, Sheoraphuli and Tarakeswar are major railheads in the district, served by trains from different districts.