Kachua Explained

Kachua
Other Name:Kachuadham
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:India West Bengal#India3
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in West Bengal, India
Coordinates:22.6813°N 88.7252°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: India
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Type3:Region
Subdivision Name1:West Bengal
Subdivision Name2:North 24 parganas
Subdivision Name3:Basirhat Subdivision II [1]
Government Type:Gram Panchayat
Governing Body:Basirhat Municipality [2]
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Footnotes:[3]
Area Total Km2:0.845
Elevation M:5
Population Total:704
Population As Of:2011
Population Density Km2:auto
Demographics Type1:Languages
Demographics1 Title1:Official
Timezone1:IST
Utc Offset1:+5:30
Postal Code Type:Postal Code
Postal Code:743424 [4]
Area Code:+91 (0) 33
Area Code Type:Telephone code
Blank1 Name Sec1:Lok Sabha constituency
Blank1 Info Sec1:Basirhat[5]
Leader Title2:MP
Leader Name2:Nusrat Jahan Ruhi
Leader Title3:MLA
Leader Name3:Rafikul Islam Mondal
Demographics1 Info1:Bengali, English
Blank2 Name Sec1:Vidhan Sabha constituency
Blank2 Info Sec1:Basirhat Uttar

Kachua or 'Kachuadham' is a village under Basirhat II block of North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India.[2] It is known for being the birth place of Lokenath Brahmachari, a Hindu philosopher and Yogi in Eastern India.[6] Located in the Ganges delta, Kachua is a regional spot for thousands of Hindu devotees of Lokenath. It is situated at a distance of 28.9 km from sub-district headquarter Krishnapur. Barasat is the district headquarter of Kachua village. As per 2009 stats, 'Kemia Khamarpara' is the gram panchayat of Kachua village. The postal code of Kachua is 743424.[2] [4] The Indian National Highway NH12 connects to the village.

Geography

Location

Kachua is located 30 km from the state capital city Kolkata.[7] It is located in the Basirhat II Block in North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India.[2] The surrounding nearby villages and its distance from Kachua are Dhanyakuria 2.4 km, Kholapota 8.6 km.

Area overview

According to land area calculations, the Kachua village is approximately 84.5 hectares large. Since Kachua falls under the block of Basirhat II as graded by Ministry of Jal Shakti in 2021, it does not have a water supply scheme.[1] According to the same report, a number of water sources in the village are contaminated by arsenic, and should be analysed before use and crops with low water requirement can be grown in the area.

Demographics

According to a 2011 census, Kachua village itself has a population of just 704 whereas "Kachua-Swarupnagar" has about 8383.[1] A report by the Government of India predicted the population to spike at around 9392 in 2021 at a decadal growth of 12.04%.[1]

According to another report, there are 173 registered scheduled caste (SC) persons of which 77 are females and 96 are males. Females constitute 44.51% and males constitute 55.49% of the scheduled castes population. Scheduled castes constitute 24.57% of the total population.

Administration

When it comes to administration, Kachua village is administrated by a sarpanch who is elected representative of the village by the local elections.[8] The sarpanch of Kachua is Farida Bibi.[5] Kachua falls under the State Legislative Assembly of Basirhat Uttar Constituency headed by Rafikul Islam Mondal and under the Lok Sabha Constituency of Basirhat headed by TMC Member of Parliament Nusrat Jahan.

Religious significance and controversy

Kachua is often referred to as 'Kachuadham' and is considered the birthplace of the Hindu Yogi Lokenath Brahmachari.[9] [10] [11] [12] [6] It also consists of the temple compound around the birthplace, a holy pond and the Lokenath Mission - that is responsible for the administration of the temple grounds. Besides the Lokenath Temple, it even has a temple dedicated to Krishna and Radha Gobinda.

On 23 August 2019, on the eve of Janmashtami event, an accident happened, where an old wall broke off leading to a stampede, on devotees of Lokenath Brahmachari, and led to the injury of 16 people.[13] According to many reports, three people lost their lives in this incident too.[14] [15] According to a "The Indian Express" article, 5 people lost their lives that day.[16]

Further reading

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Government of India (GOI) AQUIFER MAPPING AND MANAGEMENT PLAN IN PARTS OF NORTH 24 PARGANAS, SOUTH 24 PARGANAS & HOWRAH DISTRICTS, WEST BENGAL. 18 August 2023.
  2. Web site: Soki India. 18 August 2023.
  3. Web site: India Growing. 18 August 2023.
  4. Web site: ABP News. 18 August 2023.
  5. Web site: Local Body Data: Kachua. 18 August 2023.
  6. Book: Bhowmick, Haripada. ত্রিকালদর্শী মহাপুরুষ শ্রী শ্রী লোকনাথ ব্রহ্মচারীর জন্মস্থান প্রসঙ্গে. Lokenath Mission, Kachua. 1983. 3.
  7. Web site: West Bengal: 4 killed and 21 injured in stampede-like situation near Kachua temple . Times of India. 18 August 2023.
  8. Web site: Census 2011 India. 18 August 2023.
  9. Book: Basak, Tushar Kanti. কচুয়া: লোকনাথ-গঙ্গার ত্রিবেনী সঙ্গম. Lokenath Mission, Kachua. 2023. 6.
  10. Book: Das, Jitavati . Visuddha Prema. Notion Press. 2023. 9798888839744.
  11. Book: Banik, Shri Haribhakta. বারদীর গোঁসাই: শ্রীশ্রী লোকনাথ ব্রহ্মচারী. Shri Shital Chandra Pal. 2013. 18.
  12. Book: Bhowmick, Bishnupada. প্রাণের ঠাকুর বাবা লোকনাথের মহাপ্রয়াণ শ্বরোণে - শ্রদ্ধাঞ্জলি ১২১তম তিরোধন দিবস. স্বামীবাগ রোড Branch. 2011. 30.
  13. Web site: কচুয়ার লোকনাথধাম মন্দিরে দুর্ঘটনা, পদপিষ্ট হয়ে আহত অন্তত ১৬ জন. ABP Ananda (Bengali). 18 August 2023. bn.
  14. Web site: Hindustan Times - Three die in stampede near Bengal temple. 18 August 2023.
  15. Web site: The Week - Three killed, 25 injured in stampede near Loknath Dham temple in West Bengal. . 18 August 2023.
  16. Web site: The Indian Express - Janmashtami: 5 dead in Bengal temple. 18 August 2023.