Barasat
Barasat () is a city and a municipality of North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Barasat Sadar subdivision. It is close to Kolkata and a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). Located in the Ganges delta, Barasat is a regional transportation hub as a rail and road junction. National Highway 12 (formerly NH 34/ Krishnanagar Road towards North Bengal), NH 112 (formerly NH 35/ Jessore Road, leading to the Bangladesh border at Petrapole), Taki Road and Barrackpore-Barasat Road (both are part of SH 2) are the main connectivity links to the city. History During the Mughal Empire period, Sankar Chakraborty (a commander of the zamindar Pratapaditya and king of Jessore in present-day Bangladesh) came to Barasat, Kolkata in 1600 and established himself. In 1700, Hazarat Ekdil Shah moved to the town and was known as a social reformer. His tomb, in Kazipara, is a pilgrimage site for the Muslim community. Pratapaditya made his way to Kolkata from Jessore; Sirajudullah went to Kolkata from Murshidabad via Barasat on a road which became two national highways. Under the British Raj, East India Company officials from Calcutta (Kolkata) made Barasat a weekend retreat and built houses with gardens. Warren Hastings built his villa in the heart of Barasat and Bankim Chandra Chatterjee was the town's first Indian deputy magistrate. Indigo cultivation was a major industry and indigo merchants were known for their inhumane treatment of farmers. Titumir, a farmer, fomented a revolution against indigo merchants in Barasat. Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, Pyari Charan Sarkar and Kalikrishna Mitra were known for social reformation in the town, including women's education and widow remarriage. During the early nineteenth century, Barasat Cadet College trained new recruits and cadets from Europe; the college closed in 1811. From 1834 to 1861, Barasat was the seat of Barasat District. The district became a subdivision of the Twenty-four Parganas district in 1861, and Barasat is the headquarters of North 24 Parganas district. Geography Location Barasat is located in eastern India's Ganges Delta. The Bangladesh border, at Petrapole, is from the city. Its average elevation is . The nearest river is the Ganges, about to the west, and it is on the Gangetic plain. Area overview The area covered in the map alongside is largely a part of the north Bidyadhari Plain. located in the lower Ganges Delta. The area is flat. It is a little raised above flood level and the highest ground borders the river channels. 54.67% of the people of the densely populated area lives in the urban areas and 45.33% lives in the rural areas. 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. Climate Barasat has a tropical climate similar to the rest West Bengal. The region experiences a monsoon from early June to mid-September. The climate is dry in winter (mid-November to mid-February) and