Kalna (India)

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Kalna
Kalna (India) (India)
Red pog.svg
State : IndiaIndia India
State : West Bengal
District : Bardhaman
Sub-district : Kalna
Location : 23 ° 13 '  N , 88 ° 22'  E Coordinates: 23 ° 13 '  N , 88 ° 22'  E
Height : 15 m
Area : 6.9 km²
Residents : 56,722 (2011)
Population density : 8221 inhabitants / km²
Kalna - temple complex
Kalna - temple complex

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Kalna (or Ambika Kalna ) is a city and capital of a municipality ( municipality ) with about 60,000 inhabitants in the eastern Indian state of West Bengal . The city is significant because of several Bengali temples from the 18th and 19th centuries.

location

Kalna is about 15 to 20 meters above sea level on the Hugli River . d. M. and approx. 100 km (driving distance) north of Kolkata ; From there buses run almost every hour (journey time approx. 3.5 hours). The city also has a train station with train connections to all major cities in the region. The district capital Bardhaman is about 60 km to the west.

population

Official population statistics have only been kept and published since 1991.

year 1991 2001 2011
Residents 47,229 52,182 56,722

Almost 95% of the mostly immigrant residents are Hindus and almost 5% are Muslims ; the other religious communities such as Buddhists , Jains , Sikhs and Christians form fringe groups. The male share of the population is only slightly higher than the female.

economy

Agriculture still plays the most important role in the villages around the city, which functions as a regional center of trade, crafts and services. After the partition of India (1947), many weavers from what was then East Pakistan (today Bangladesh ), only about 50 km away , settled in Kalna and the surrounding area - the fine silk and cotton fabrics from the region are famous for their quality. Regional (pilgrimage) tourism also brings income to the city's coffers.

history

108 Shiva temple
Lalji temple with vestibule ( mandapa )
Siddheswari Kali Temple

Little is known about the early and medieval history of Kalna. In the 12th century the rise of Islam began, which reached its climax under the Mughal rulers and spread to Bengal. The 16th to 18th centuries were the heyday of the place, which developed into a small port town under British rule .

Attractions

The most important sights are the many brick- built temples from the 17th to 19th centuries, the heyday of the largely independently ruling Maharajas of Bardhaman. They all belong to the Bengali temples , a special form of Hindu architecture, which is characterized by a special roof shape ( Bengali roof ) as well as by tower-like attachments ( ratnas ), which in architectural terms have little to do with the shikharas of the north Indian Nagara style to have.

  • The building complex of the 108 Shiva temples ( Nava Kailash ), consisting of two concentric rings with 34 or 74 consecutive temple shrines, is almost unique in all of India ; it was completed in 1809.
  • The Lalji Temple, completed in 1739, with its numerous turrets is a typical building in the mature Bengali style. As one of the few temples in the region, it has a spacious vestibule ( mandapa ).
  • The almost identical Krishnachandra temple was built in the years 1751–55.
  • The Siddheswari Kali Temple , dedicated to the goddess Kali or Ambika , is mentioned as early as the 7th century. However, the current building dates from 1740.
  • The Pratapeshvara Mandir was built in 1839 and is the last significant temple construction of Kalna. It is based on the tradition of the tower-like Deul temple, which also occurs in Bengal . Its outer walls are partially decorated with terracotta figures.
  • The Jagannath Temple is dedicated to the god Vishnu .

See also

There are further temples in Guptipara , just 8 km to the east .

Web links

Commons : Kalna  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Kalna - Census 2011
  2. Kalna - map with altitude information
  3. ^ Kalna - City Population 1991-2011
  4. ^ Kalna - Census 2011