West Dinajpur district

For other uses, see Dinajpur (disambiguation).

West Dinajpur (Pron: ˈpoʃtʃim dinad͡ʒpur), or sometimes Paschim Dinajpur, is a former district in the Indian state of West Bengal, headquartered in Balurghat. On 1 April 1992, the district was bifurcated into two separate districts namely Uttar Dinajpur and Dakshin Dinajpur.^[3][4]

West Dinajpur
Former District
Clockwise from top: Durgapur Rajbari, Pramateshwar Mahadeb Mondir, Panchamukhi Shiva Temple in Aminpur, Manohali Zaimindar Bari, Dargah of Shah Ata, Pirpukur Dargah in Raiganj
Location of West Dinajpur district in West Bengal
Coordinates: 25°23′N 88°34′E
Country	India
State	West Bengal
Division	Malda
Headquarters	Balurghat
Government
• Subdivisions	Balurghat Sadar, Gangarampur, Raiganj, Islampur
• CD Blocks	Hili, Balurghat, Kumarganj, Tapan, Gangarampur, Bansihari, Harirampur, Kushmandi, Raiganj, Hemtabad, Kaliaganj, Itahar, Islampur, Chopra, Goalpokhar I, Goalpokhar II, Karandighi
• Lok Sabha constituencies	Balurghat, Raiganj
• Vidhan Sabha constituencies	Kushmandi, Kumarganj, Balurghat, Tapan, Gangarampur, Harirampur, Chopra, Islampur, Goalpokhar, Chakulia, Karandighi, Hemtabad, Kaliaganj, Raiganj, Itahar
Area
• Total	5,358 km2 (2,069 sq mi)
Population  (1991)
• Total	3,127,653
• Density	580/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
• Urban	349,359
Demographics
• Literacy	27.00 per cent
• Sex ratio	937 ♂/♀
Languages
• Official	Bengali[1][2]
• Additional official	English[1]
Time zone	UTC+05:30 (IST)
Website	www.westdinajpur.nic.in

History

Undivided Dinajpur district was part of the Pundra and Gauda Kingdom of ancient Bengal. The whole of Pundra was part of the Maurya Empire, and Jainism was spread in the region in the fourth century BCE. Their capital was at Pundrabardhan (now in Bangladesh), and two other ancient towns were Gourpur and Kotibarsha, now called Bangarh. Later multiple inscriptions show how the Guptas also controlled Pundra. After the reign of Gauda Kingdom, the district was then ruled by Pala Empire from 750 CE. The Senas overthrew the Palas in 1143. In 1204, Muhammad bin Bakhtiyar Khalji defeated the Senas and had Bangarh as its capital. After his murder, it was controlled by various governors sent by the Delhi Sultan from Gauda. In 1586, Mughal Emperor Akbar conquered Bengal and Dinajpur was controlled by the sarkars of Tajpur and Panjara. In 1765, it fell under the rule of the East India Company and was ruled from Murshidabad. In the later part of the 18th century, the district was home to the Sanyasi-Fakir rebellion until the early 19th century. At the time of India's independence, the former Dinajpur district of undivided Bengal was partitioned along religious lines,^[5] and West Dinajpur became one of the 14 districts of West Bengal.^[6] The other part of the district continues as Dinajpur district of Bangladesh.

With the States Reorganisation Act of 1956, some Bengali-speaking areas from Bihar were added to this district. On 1 April 1992, the West Dinajpur district was divided into Uttar Dinajpur district and Dakshin Dinajpur district.^[7][8]

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1901	741,284	—
1911	791,512	+0.66%
1921	695,536	−1.28%
1931	745,821	+0.70%
1941	834,726	+1.13%
1951	976,882	+1.59%
1961	1,323,797	+3.09%
1971	1,859,887	+3.46%
1981	2,404,947	+2.60%
1991	3,127,653	+2.66%
Note: After 1991, the West Dinajpur district was bifurcated into two separate districts namely Uttar Dinajpur and Dakshin Dinajpur. The census data is addition of two splitted districts. Source: Census of India[9]