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Tamluk

Coordinates: 22°18′N 87°55′E / 22.3°N 87.92°E / 22.3; 87.92
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Tamluk
Tamralipta, Tamralipti, Tamolika
City
Bargabhima temple at Tamluk
Bargabhima temple at Tamluk
Tamluk is located in West Bengal
Tamluk
Tamluk
Location in West Bengal, India
Tamluk is located in India
Tamluk
Tamluk
Tamluk (India)
Tamluk is located in Asia
Tamluk
Tamluk
Tamluk (Asia)
Coordinates: 22°18′N 87°55′E / 22.3°N 87.92°E / 22.3; 87.92
CountryIndia
StateWest Bengal
DistrictPurba Medinipur
Government
 • TypeMunicipality
 • Body
  • Tamluk Municipality
  • Haldia Development Authority
Area
[1]
 • Total
17.86 km2 (6.90 sq mi)
Elevation
7 m (23 ft)
Population
 (2011)[2]
 • Total
65,306
 • Density3,700/km2 (9,500/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialBengali[3][4]
 • Additional officialEnglish[3]
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
721636 721627 721648 721649
Telephone code91-3228
Vehicle registrationWB 29-xxxx, WB 30-xxxx
Lok Sabha constituencyTamluk
Vidhan Sabha constituencyTamluk
Websitepurbamedinipur.gov.in
Ruins of Tamluk Rajbari
Radhamadhab and Radharaman Deul temple in Tamluk

Tamluk (/ˈtæmlʊk/) is a town and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Purba Medinipur district. Though there is some controversy, scholars have generally agreed that present-day Tamluk is the site of the ancient city variously known as Tamralipta or Tamralipti, where Hien Chang, a Chinese traveller, visited the town, is now located on the banks of Rupnarayan River, close to the Bay of Bengal.

Name

[edit]

According to T. N. Ramachandran, the name "Tamluk" is related to the older form Tamālikā, which is a variant spelling (found in the Trikāṇḍaśesha) of the ancient name Tāmraliptī (or Tāmralipta). Other names listed in the Trikāṇḍaśesha and the Abhidānachintāmaṇi as referring to Tāmraliptī include Staṁbhapura, Velākūla, and Vishṇugṛiha.[5]: 229 

History

[edit]
Main article: Tamralipta

This ancient kingdom and port city was bounded by the Bay of Bengal in the south, Rupnarayan River in the east and Subarnarekha River in the west. The Rupnarayana is the joint flow of the rivers Dwarakeswar and Silai. The Bay of Bengal and these great rivers with their numerous branches created a prosperous and easy water navigational system fostering commerce, culture and early contacts with the people outside the region. At the same time, these rivers helped to develop the agriculture in this region.[6]

Archaeological remains show continuous settlement from about the 3rd century BC. It was known as Tramralipta (in the Puranas and the Mahabharata), Tamralipta (in the Mahabharata), Tamalika (in historical documents), Tamalitti (in foreigners' descriptions), or Tamoluk (in the British Raj). It was a seaport, now buried under river silt. For this reason, Tamluk has many ponds and lakes remaining today.[7][8][9]

In the Mahabharata (Bhishma Parba/Nabam Adhyay), while describing the names of the holiest rivers and kingdoms of India, Sanjay took the name of "Tramralipta" to Dhritarashtra.[10][11][6]

Tamluk was also known as Bhivas, in religious texts, and Madhya Desh, as the Middle State of Utkal/Kalinga and Banga.[citation needed]

According to Jain sources, Tamralipti was the capital of the tamralipti janapada and was long known as a port.[12][13][5][14]

Archaeology

[edit]

Several archaeological find sites have been found in Tamluk, including a number of high mounds in the town as well as in and around various tanks. The Bargabhīmā Temple, in the middle of town, is built on one such mound.[15] Another mound is now occupied by the local Mission house. Here, people digging a well found wood fragments at a depth of 50 feet, which T. N. Ramachandran compared to the remains of the Maurya-era wooden palisade found at Pataliputra. At another high mound, this one by the Rupnarayan riverbank, a hoard of about 350 coins dated to the 1st-2nd centuries BCE was found by K. N. Dikshit in the early 1920s.[5]: 230–2 

Just east of the Rajbari in central Tamluk is a large square tank called Khātpukūr, which probably dates from the 15th century. Digging here, Ramachandran's group found terracotta remains with similarities to Shunga-period artifacts, but because of where they were found, Ramachandran did not assign them a date. Among the artifacts found at Khātpukūr were a couple of Egyptian-style vases, which also could not be dated. They may have been either imports from Egypt or local imitations of Egyptian style. Either way, their presence indicates long-distance cultural contact due to maritime trade, as would be expected at a major port like Tāmraliptī. At another site, "an oblong tank next to the local school", old brick walls and terracotta fragments were found under Gurusday Dutt. Various items were found in and around a couple of tanks on Adhikaripara Road, Padambasan Road, and School Road.[5]: 230, 235–7 

A group led by T. N. Ramachandran undertook a survey of various sites in Tamluk in the 1940s.[5]: 229–30 

Geography

[edit]
Map
About OpenStreetMaps
Maps: terms of use
8km
5miles
Purbba Gopalpur
H
Purbba Gopalpur (H)
Dakshin Maynadal
H
Dakshin Maynadal (H)
Rupnarayan
Bhabanipur
R
Bhabanipur, Purba Medinipur (R)
Chak Srikrishnapur
R
Chak Srikrishnapur (R)
Chandipur
R
Chandipur, Purba Medinipur (R)
Nandakumar
R
Nandakumar, Purba Medinipur (R)
Moyna
R
Moyna, Purba Medinipur (R)
Janu Basan
R
Janu Basan (R)
Uttar Mechogram
R
Uttar Mechogram (R)
Shyamsundarpur Patna
R
Shyamsundarpur Patna (R)
Chatara
R
Chatara (R)
Erashal
CT
Erashal (CT)
Kotbar
CT
Kotbar (CT)
Goasafat
CT
Goasafat (CT)
Dakshin Baguan
CT
Dakshin Baguan (CT)
Anantapur
CT
Anantapur, Purba Medinipur (CT)
Shantipur
CT
Shantipur, Purba Medinipur (CT)
Kakdihi
CT
Kakdihi (CT)
Kharisha
CT
Kharisha (CT)
Mihitikri
CT
Mihitikri (CT)
Amalhara
CT
Amalhara (CT)
Kolaghat
CT
Kolaghat (CT)
Tamluk
M
Panskura
M
Panskura (M)
Cities and towns in Tamluk subdivision of Purba Medinipur district
M: municipal city/ town, CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, H: historical/ religious centre
Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly

Tamluk is located on the right bank of the Rupnarayan river, about 19 km upstream from where it joins the Hooghly River.[5]: 226 

Police station

[edit]
Map of Purba Medinipur showing Tamluk

Tamluk police station has jurisdiction over Tamluk (municipality) and Tamluk CD Block. Tamluk police station covers an area of 214.14 km2 with a population of 352,748.[16][17]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1972 5,849—    
1881 6,044+3.3%
1891 6,612+9.4%
1901 8,085+22.3%
1911 8,048−0.5%
1921 8,348+3.7%
1931 9,095+8.9%
1941 12,079+32.8%
1951 13,599+12.6%
1961 17,986+32.3%
1971 22,478+25.0%
1981 29,367+30.6%
1991 —    
2001 —    
2011 65,306—    
Source: Census of India[18]

According to 2011 Indian Census, Tamluk had a total population of 65,306, of which 33,260 were males and 32,046 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 6,180. The total number of literates in Tamluk was 53,318, which constituted 81.6% of the population with male literacy of 85.0% and female literacy of 78.1%. The effective literacy rate of population (7 years and above) of Tamluk was 90.2%, of which male literacy rate was 94.0% and female literacy rate was 86.2%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 4,441 and 201 respectively. Tamluk had 14489 households in 2011.[2]

Transport

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Tamluk has two railway stations - Tamluk Junction and Sahid Matangini.

Education

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Schools

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  • Sudhir Memorial Institute Tamluk :- It is an CBSE English - Medium School
  • Tamralipta Public School, an ICSE and ISC affiliated school
  • Matangini Mission School, Tamluk :- It is a Bengali & English - Medium School
  • Tamluk Hamilton High School :- A school under West Bengal board, established on 1852.
  • Rajkumari Santanamoyee Girls' High School :- A school under West Bengal board
  • Tamluk High School :- A school under West Bengal board
  • Demari High School :- A school under West Bengal board
  • Tamralipta Vidyapith School : A school under West Bengal board
  • Ratnali Adarsha Valika Vidyalaya : A school under West Bengal board
  • Radhaballavpur Bhima Charan Basu Vidyapith : A school under West Bengal board
  • Kulberia Bhimdeb Adarsha Vidyapith :A school under West Bengal board
  • Bhander Beria Debendra High School : A school under West Bengal board
  • Kakgechia Satyanarayan High School : A school under West Bengal board
  • Jogikhop Girl High School : A school under West Bengal board
  • Banhichar High School : A school under West Bengal board
  • Kelomal Santoshini High School : A school under West Bengal board
  • Nakibasan High School : A school under West Bengal board
  • Daharpur Tapashili High School
  • Salgechia High School
  • Zilla Public School

Colleges

[edit]
Tamralipta Mahavidyalaya


Landmarks and tourist places

[edit]
Rupnarayan Riverside Tamluk
  • Rupnarayan river bank: The bank of river Rupnarayan is famous for picnic.[citation needed]
  • Devi Barghobhima: Nearly 1150-year-old Temple of Kali named as Devi Bargobhima. This temple is a part of 51 Shakti Peethas.[15] Puranas say that the small finger of left feet of Sati/Parvati fell here when Lord Vishnu cut the sacred Body of Goddess Sati into several pieces to pacify Lord Shiva.
  • Tamluk Rajbari: Located on the outskirts of town, the old ruined royal abode of the Bhanj dynasty (Mayur/Peacock),[20] is a tourist destination.
  • Rakhit Bati: It is another place to visit in Tamluk. In the beginning of 19th century it was a secret centre of the then revolutionary party Anusilan Samiti & Gupta samiti. The historian late Shri Tailakyanath Rakhit rebuilt this building.
  • Geonkhali: At geonkhali river Rupnarayan joins Hooghly river.

Notable people

[edit]
[edit]
  • Khudiram Bose
    Khudiram Bose
  • Tamluk Junction railway station
    Tamluk Junction railway station
  • Tamluk Junction Foot-over Bridge
    Tamluk Junction Foot-over Bridge
  • A view of station from foot overbridge
    A view of station from foot overbridge
  • Rupnarayan river bank, Tamluk
    Rupnarayan river bank, Tamluk
  • Ruined royal palace of Tamluk
    Ruined royal palace of Tamluk
  • Bargabhima, the ancient temple of Tamluk
    Bargabhima, the ancient temple of Tamluk
  • East Medinipur District and Session Court at Tamluk
    East Medinipur District and Session Court at Tamluk

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Tamluk Info". sudawb.org. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Census of India: Tamluk". www.censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Fact and Figures". www.wb.gov.in. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  4. ^ "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. p. 85. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e f Ramachandran, T. N. (1951). "Tāmraliptī (Taṁluk)". Artibus Asiae. 14 (3): 226–239. doi:10.2307/3248590. ISSN 0004-3648. JSTOR 3248590.
  6. ^ a b Dilip K. Chakrabarti (2001). Archaeological Geography of the Ganga Plain: The Lower and the Middle Ganga. Orient Blackswan. p. 125. ISBN 978-81-7824-016-9.
  7. ^ Schendel, Willem van (12 February 2009). A History of Bangladesh. Cambridge University Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-1-316-26497-3.
  8. ^ Tripati, S.; Rao, S. (1 January 1994). "Tamralipti: The Ancient Port of India". Studies in History and Culture. 2: 33–39.
  9. ^ "History | Purba Medinipur | India". Retrieved 18 March 2022.
  10. ^ Puri, Baij Nath (1966). Cities of Ancient India. Meenakshi Prakashan. p. 110.
  11. ^ Choudhury, Pratap Chandra (1988). Assam-Bengal Relations from the Earliest Times to the Twelfth Century A.D. Spectrum Publications. p. 67.
  12. ^ Schmiedchen, Annette (2019). "Medieval Endowment Cultures in Western India: Buddhist and Muslim Encounters – Some Preliminary Observations". Mondes de l'Asie du Sud et de l'Asie Centrale: 7.
  13. ^ Paine, Lincoln (6 February 2014). The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World. Atlantic Books. p. 265. ISBN 978-1-78239-357-3.
  14. ^ Bhaumick, Manoranjan (2001). History, Culture, and Antiquities of Tāmralipta. Punthi Pustak. pp. 7–8. ISBN 978-81-86791-27-1.
  15. ^ a b Pinakpani (20 August 2023), English: Bargabhima, the ancient temple of Tamluk in Purba Medinipur district, retrieved 12 April 2024
  16. ^ "District Statistical Handbook 2014 Purba Medinipur". Tables 2.1, 2.2. Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  17. ^ "Tamluk PS". Purba Medinipur District Police. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  18. ^ Ganguly, Pranab; Bose, Suvas. "Population Trends in Midnapore District, West Bengal, 1872–1981". Vidyasagar University: Journal of Social Sciences. Inaugural Number 1991–1992. Midnapore: Vidyasagar University: 1–13.
  19. ^ "Tamralipta Mahaviyalaya". TM. Retrieved 1 April 2017.
  20. ^ Shashwati Pandit (2 February 2021), Bargabhima temple: seeking an unknown mystery (PDF), IIJCRT
  21. ^ ".:: Dr. Mani Lal Bhaumik ::". www.midnapore.in. Retrieved 16 July 2021.
[edit]
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Tamluk".
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