| Bali Dewanganj | |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Pushpin Map: | India West Bengal#India |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in West Bengal, India |
| Coordinates: | 22.8122°N 87.7684°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | West Bengal |
| Subdivision Type2: | District |
| Subdivision Name2: | Hooghly |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Population Total: | 4,063 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Languages |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Bengali, English |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
| Postal Code Type: | PIN |
| Postal Code: | 712616 |
| Area Code Type: | Telephone/STD code |
| Area Code: | 03211 |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Lok Sabha constituency |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Arambagh |
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | Vidhan Sabha constituency |
| Blank2 Info Sec1: | Goghat |
Bali Dewanganj (also referred to as only Bali) is a village and a gram panchayat in the Goghat I CD block in the Arambagh subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Bali Dewanganj is located at 22.8122°N 87.7684°W. It is 13 km from Arambagh on the Arambagh-Ghatal Road.
The Arambagh subdivision, presented in the map alongside, is divided into two physiographic parts – the Dwarakeswar River being the dividing line. The western part is upland and rocky – it is extension of the terrain of neighbouring Bankura district. The eastern part is flat alluvial plain area. The railways, the roads and flood-control measures have had an impact on the area.[1] The area is overwhelmingly rural with 94.77% of the population living in rural areas and 5.23% in urban areas.[2]
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.
As per the 2011 Census of India, Bali had a total population of 4,063 of which 2,093 (52%) were males and 1,970 (48%) were females. Population in the age range 0–6 years was 376. The total number of literate persons in Bali was 2,922 (79.25% of the population over 6 years).[3]
Bali Dewanganj is a temple town. The Rautpara neighbourhood alone has five temples, but unfortunately out of these, three are in a dilapidated condition. The Mangal Chandi temple is said to have had 13 pinnacles, and all of them have fallen. In the other two ruined temples one can still see one pinnacle each. The most important structure is the 200-years old Durga temple, maintained by the state archaeological department. It is a rare and unique structure, with a nava ratna superstructure placed on a Jor Bangla base. The Shiva kutir is another place in ruins. A ras mancha still has some terracotta decorations. The pictures in the gallery show a small selection of terracotta work in the different temples.[4]
David J. McCutchion mentions:[5]
The temple of Shiva Durga at Bali Dewanganj (at Sr No S-WB-58) is included in the List of State Protected Monuments in West Bengal by the Archaeological Survey of India.[6]
Click on the pictures to enlarge picture size