24 Parganas Explained

24 Parganas district (cabbiś pargaṇā jēlā) is a former district of the Indian state of West Bengal. The district was split into two districts - North 24 Parganas district and South 24 Parganas district, with effect from 1 March 1980.^[1]

Etymology

The name is derived from the number of parganas or divisions contained in the Zamindari of Calcutta which was ceded to the East India Company by Mir Jafar in 1757.^[2]

History

Not much is known about the district's history before the fifteenth century. References to this portion of the Gangetic delta in the Puranas, Mahabharata and Raghuvamsa show that it lay between the kingdom of the Suhmas and the Vangas.

Cessation of land

On 20 December 1757, the then new Nawab of Bengal, Mir Zafar assigned the East India Company zamindari rights over the Zamindari of Calcutta. In 1759, Robert Clive received as a jagir the Zamindari of Calcutta as a result of services rendered in quelling rebellion of the Nawab's eldest son, Shah Alam. In 1765, another grant which received the Nawab's approval gave unconditional proprietary rights of the 24 Parganas for 10 years following which it the proprietary rights would go to the East India Company.

The original 24 parganas were:

Akbarpur
Amirpur
Azimabad
Balia
Baridhari
Basandari
Calcutta
Dakhin Sagar
Garh
Hathiagarh
Ikhtiarpur
Kharijuri
Khaspur
Maidanmal
Magura
Manpur
Mayda
Munragachha
Paikan
Pechakuli
Satal
Shahnagar
Shahpur
Uttar Pargana

Later developments

After that, the district's boundaries shifted over time as lands were transferred into the district. Some were transferred from Bardwan in 1816, but later transferred to Hugli in 1862. Some were transferred from Nadia and Jessore in 1834, forming the Barasat division, while the original 24 parganas became known as the Alipur division. Between 1861 and 1863, several more changes took place: all the lands west of the Hugli river were taken out of the district, but the district's northern border was expanded and it was also expanded on the east to include the Sundarbans.

List of parganas in 1875

By 1875, the name "24 Parganas" was no longer literally true. The British author W.W. Hunter listed 61 parganas in the district at that point, compiled from multiple sources:^[3]

1. Agarpara: Located between the Bidhyadhari and Jamuna rivers, just north of the Sundarbans, its total area was listed as 17.40 square miles as of 1875. Its main village was Taki, which had a thriving rice trade.^[3]
2. Amirabad
3. Amirpur
4. Anwarpur: Located in the north of the district, its area was listed as 141.29 square miles as of 1875. Its main town was Barasat; it also had important market villages at Kadamgachhi, Dattapukur, Jaipul, Kamdebpur, and Thakurpukur (aka Badu Bazar). These markets were all important places for the sale of local agricultural produce such as rice, sugarcane, tobacco, mustard, linseed, hemp, grain, and peas. Another notable place was the village of Kazipara, where an annual fair was held at a Muslim shrine. The Sonai, Nona, and Padma rivers were important means of water transport.^[3]
5. Azimabad: This pargana consisted of two separate detached portions, with a total area of 54.78 square miles of 1875. The main market villages in the northern part were Rajahat, Chara Sultanganj, Shahpur, Iarpur, Rajapur, Maukhali, and Balarampur. In the southern part, the main places were Dayarampur and Kalpi. Kalpi had a large bazar which was an important trading place for rice.^[3]
6. Baghmara: A tiny pargana with an area of 0.12 square miles as of 1875; it had previously belonged to Nadia district.^[3]
7. Bajitpur Located in the east of the district, with the Sundarbans on the south and the Jamuna river on the west, this pargana covered an area of 74.27 square miles as of 1875. This whole area was low-lying with many tidal creeks, and it was often subjected to flooding by the Jamuna and Kholpetua rivers in spring. Its main village was Nalta; other major villages were Naopara, Raghunathpur, Barasimla, and Nangla. Other market villages included Nitkhali, Khansi, Tarali, Tetulia, Kaliganj, Johilpur, Damdama, Kusal, Fathipur, Bazur, Fakir, Ramnagar, Sankarkati, and Kasimari. This pargana was intensively cultivated with rice.^[3]
8. Balanda: Located east of Calcutta and north of the Sundarbans. The Bidhyadhari flowed through this pargana into the Sundarbans. Its main village was Harua; other market villages were Gosainpur, Hadipur, Maziranti, Nayabad, Behari, Khatra, Chaital, Janarddanpur, Chandpur, Khurd, Haripur, and Gopalpur. A large marsh, called the Kulgachhi bil, was located in this pargana, south of Harua, but it was in the process of being drained in the late 1800s.^[3]
9. Balia North: Located in the northeast of the district, with the Jamuna river forming part of the pargana's eastern border. As of 1875 it had a total area 126.54 square miles. Basurhat was its main town; other major villages were Baduria, Simulia, Dalthitha, Jafarpur, Tetra, Soladana, Rajendrapur, Pipa, and Nalkura.^[3]
10. Balia South: South of Calcutta, on the banks of the Hugli. Its total area as of 1875 was 46.40 square miles. Its main village was Santospur; other important villages were Alampur, Hausnacha, Baita, Raipur, Santosbati, Pujali, Bojanhari, Nijgarh, Bangla, Srirampur, Raspunji, and Nauhazari. Other important places were the fort at Budge Budge, telegraph station at Achipur, and powder magazine at Mayapur.^[3]
11. Baridhati: A densely populated and intensively cultivated area south of Calcutta, with a lot of tidal streams. It had a total area of 65.57 square miles as of 1875. Its main village was Bishnupur. Major markets were at Jainagar and Magrahat. Other major villages were Banmalipur, Nij Mathurapur, and Malkia.^[3]
12. Bhaluka: This pargana was dominated by rivers and marshes, with almost all transport and communication done by boat on its many navigable waterways. These included the Kholpetua, Kabadak, Banstala, Guntiakhali, Galghasia, Marichchap, Hamkuria, Gurali, Budhata, Sobnali, Tikter, Habra, and Betna rivers, all of which were influenced by the tide and navigable by large boats. Their water was generally brackish, and they often overflowed their banks during the spring tides, flooding the surrounding areas. As a result, a lot of the soil was very salty and drinking water was scarce. Major crops were rice, kalai, mustard, and vegetables. As of 1875, the pargana had an area of 146.84 square miles. Neighbouring parganas to the north were Khaliskhali, Dantia, and Buran; Jamira was on the west, Bajitpur was on both the south and west, and Buran was on the west. On the east, the Kabadak river formed a natural boundary with Jessore District. The main villages in pargana Bhaluka were Asasuni, Budhata, Chandpur, Khayraghati, Kalmikhali, Ballali, Parulia, Phingri, Barnia, and Kadakati.^[3] ^[3]
13. Buran: This pargana covered an area of 145.46 square miles as of 1875, of which about 30 were marshes. These marshes were a source of reeds used in making baskets, mats and various wicker items, but they were also a source of malaria. The non-marshy parts of the pargana were intensively cultivated. Plantain, mango, and date orchards surrounded many villages. The main commercial trade in the pargana was exporting date sugar and rice both to Calcutta and to elsewhere in the district. Tobacco, gram, oats, and wheat were also grown but not exported; they were mostly just for local consumption. The main river was the Jamuna, which formed part of its southwestern border; the Betna river was also accessible to large boats. The pargana's main town was Satkhira, which was a major commercial entrepôt for agricultural produce grown in the hinterland. A canal connected it to the Jamuna in the west and to Magura in the east. There were also major roads connecting it to Kalaroahat, the uppermost navigable part of the Betna river, and to Bayra; both Bayra and Kalaroahat were important grain markets in their own right. Satkhira had many Hindu temples and was the site of a major Dol Jatra fair lasting for 8 days during February. Besides Satkhira, Kalaroahat, and Bayra, important market villages in pargana Buran were Bithari, Aturia, Baikari, Jhaudanga, Madhabkati, Bhatpara, Agardari, Sripur, Ustir Pranshahr, Bakla, Alipur, Pushpakati, Mahadebnagar, and Lakshmidari.^[3]
14. Calcutta: This pargana consisted of areas not including Calcutta or its suburbs. It covered an area of 164.22 square miles as of 1875. On the north and east, its boundary was marked by the Nona and Bidhyadhari rivers. On the south, it was bordered by the Adi Ganga (which the British called "Tolly's Canal") along with parganas Khaspur and Maidanmal. There was a major saltwater lake in this pargana; the main canal from Calcutta heading east passed through this lake. Major towns and villages included Barrackpore, Dum Dum, Nimta, Baranagar, Dakhineshwar, Ariadaha, Agarpara, Khardah, Natagarh, Belgharia, Tardah, Telinipara, Raikjuani, Gopalpur, Bishnupur, Patarghata, Beuta, Ghazipur, Uriyapara, Karamba, and Kasba.^[3]
15. Chaurasi: It covered 14.16 square miles (as of 1875) in the northern part of the district. It had "recently" been transferred from Nadia district as of 1875.^[3]
16. Dakhinsagar: It covered 3.16 square miles "in the heart of the detached portion" of pargana Azimabad. It had 15 villages, of which the main one was Madhusudanpur.^[3]
17. Damrai: It covered 0.82 square miles.^[3]
18. Dantia
19. Dharsha
20. Dhullapur
21. Garh
22. Hathiagarh North
23. Hathiagarh South
24. Havelishahr: A densely populated pargana bordering Nadia district on the north, pargana Ukhra on the east, and parganas Calcutta and Anwarpur on the south. Its main places were Naihati, Havelishahr, Ichhapur, Samnagar, Bhatpara, and Kanthalpara. The main crops were rice, jute, sugar cane, and (particularly in cold weather) pulses and oilseeds.^[3]
25. Hilki: On the north, it bordered Nadia district; on all three other sides it bordered pargana Buran. As of 1857 it had 25 villages, of which the main ones were Baksha, Baliadanga, Mukamtala, and Bansdaha.^[3]
26. Husainabad: A small pargana with an area of about 0.75 square miles. it was mainly known as an anchorage for sailors approaching Calcutta from the east – they would "wait for the tide" here before entering the Dhansara canal.^[3]
27. Husaindanga: An extremely small pargana, covering just 0.08 square miles as of 1875.^[3]
28. Jamira: Located in the southeast of the district; different sources gave different values for its size. On the north, it bordered pargana Bhaluka. On the east, the Kabadak river formed its border with Jessore District. On the south were the Sundarbans, and on the west, the Kholpetua river formed the boundary with pargana Bajitpur. The main village in pargana Jamira was Pratapnagar, which had a thriving market and is located next to the Kholpetua river. The other main places were Ekshora and Khazra. Most travel in this area was done by water.^[3]
29. Kalaroa Husainpur
30. Katsali: A small pargana on the edge of the Sundarbans. Patnikhanpur was its only market village.^[3]
31. Katulia: This pargana consisted of 23 scattered villages, all surrounded by Balia North.^[3]
32. Khajura
33. Khaliskhali: On the north and east, the Kabadak river formed the border with Jessore District. On the south and west was pargana Bhaluka, and also on the west was pargana Dantia. The main market villages were Rambhadrapur, Kasiadanga, Dhulua, Jithua, Srimantkati, Maniktala, and Balia. The main crop was rice; date and coconut palms were also widely cultivated in the north, where the ground was higher. Many waterways traversed this pargana, including the Tetultala, Chopdarmara, Pakuria, Kalikatala, Mukamkhali, and Kodaleswar Khals.^[3]
34. Khalor
35. Khari: This pargana was on the edge of the Sundarbans and included part of the forest in its territory. It covered 10.96 square miles as of 1875, but had just two villages: Khari and Prankrishnapur. Old temple and tank ruins were noted in the forest, as were a couple of large archaeological mounds.^[3]
36. Khaspur
37. Kusdaha
38. Magura: This large pargana contained the Calcutta suburb of Alipur, which served as the headquarters for the entire district. Kidderpur, now also part of Kolkata, served as the main market for the pargana. Garden Reach, also now part of Kolkata, was also in this pargana. Other places were the "large market villages" of Chetla, Bakra, Amtala, Banhugli, Debipur, Kagramuri, Raipur, Chata Banghi, Gandhabhadoli, Amgachhia, Andharmanik, Sikarbali, Chaluari, and Kismat Sarsana. On the north, the Hugli river marked the western boundary of pargana Magura. To the east were parganas Panchannagaon, Khaspur, and Maidanmal; to the south were parganas Azimabad, Baridhati, and Penchakuli; and to the west were parganas Garh and Balia.^[3]
39. Maidanmal
40. Maihati
41. Mayda
42. Muhabbatpur
43. Mulghar
44. Muragachha: The main village in this pargana was Kalagachhia. It also included the anchorage of Diamond Harbour.^[3]
45. Nakipur: The main village in this pargana was the historic village of Ishwaripur.^[3]
46. Nurnagar
47. Paighati
48. Panchannagaon ("the 55 villages")
49. Panchnaur
50. Penchakuli
51. Phalaya
52. Phingri
53. Raipur
54. Sarfrazpur
55. Shahnagar: This pargana was divided into two separate portions. The northern part was wedged between parganas Muragachha and Baridhati, and the southern part was between parganas Hathiagarh South and Shahpur. The northern part had 19 villages as of 1857, and the southern part had 9.^[3]
56. Shahpur No. 1
57. Shahpur No. 2
58. Shyampur
59. Sobnali
60. Tala
61. Ukhra: Located in the northern part of the district; "recently" transferred from Nadia district as of 1875.^[3]

Hunter also listed 4 others - Guntalkati, Ramchandrapur, Salimabad, and Sayyidpur - which he had been told existed, but which he could not find in any sources.^[3]

Notes and References

Book: Mandal , Asim Kumar . Google books preview from The Sundarbans of India: A Development Analysis. Indus Publishing. 168–169. 81-7387-143-4. 2003. 2008-09-04.
Book: Bengal District Gazetteers: 24-Parganas. O'Malley. Lewis Sydney Steward. I.C.S. 2009. Concept Publishing Company. 9788172681937. en.
Book: Hunter . W. W. . A Statistical Account of Bengal, Volume I. Districts of the 24 Parganas and the Sundarbans . 1875 . Murray and Gibb . Edinburgh . 222-41 .