Jirat is a census town located in Hooghly District in the Indian State of West Bengal. It is the administrative headquarter of Balagarh Block. It is birthplace of the Dr. Gangaprasad Mukherjee, Writer

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Jirat
Town
Clockwise from top: Jirat Railway Station, Headquarter of Balagarh Block, Jirat Bus Stand, Jirat College, Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, Sri Sri Sarvamangala Kali Mata Temple
Jirat Location in West Bengal, India Show map of West Bengal Jirat Jirat (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 23°5′54″N 88°27′42″E
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	Hooghly
Population  (2011)
• Total	7,430
Languages
• Official	• Bengali, English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	712501
Telephone Code	03213
Vehicle registration	WB 15 WB 16 WB 18
Sex Ratio	3,606 (49%) ♀ 3,824 (51%) ♂
Literacy	79.01%
Lok Sabha Constituency	Hooghly
MP	Locket Chatterjee (BJP)
Vidhan Sabha Constituency	Balagarh
MLA	Manoranjan Byapari (AITC)
Highway	State Highway 6 (West Bengal)
Website	hooghly.gov.in
Ancestral town of Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee

Charuchandra Banerjee, Tollywood actor Anil Charteree, Sonet Writer Debendranath Senthe Poet Mohitlal Majumder etc. 2kms south from Jirat Railway Station Smitimandir has a beautiful Radhagopinath temple. Annual festival of 'Pancham dol' is held here during the month of March and the famous 'Rash Utsab' in November. 1kms east from Jirat station is the historical place of Kaliagarh, the banks of river Bhagirathi was the 'Gang of Dacoits' settlement in Hooghly District. It has an ancient Kali and Siva temple, which is the oldest temple in Jirat. The Siva temple name of 'Mahakal Bhairav' has sculptured terra-cotta tiles representing ships , Hindu God's scencs from the Ramayana.

Geography

Location

Jirat is the Main Administrative Center (Sadar) of Balagarh Block. Balagarh BDO Office are located in Jirat. The Balagarh CD Block is mostly part of the Hooghly Flats, one of the three natural regions in the district composed of the flat alluvial plains that form a part of the Gangetic Delta. The region is a narrow strip of land along the 80 km long stretch of the Hooghly River, that forms the eastern boundary of the district.[1]

Urbanisation

There are 13 statutory towns and 64 census towns in Hooghly district. The right bank of the Hooghly River has been industrialised over a long period. With foreigners dominating the area’s industry, trade and commerce for over two centuries, it is amongst the leading industrialised districts in the state. At the same time the land is fertile and agricultural production is significant.[1]

In Chinsurah subdivision 68.63% of the population is rural and the urban population is 31.37%. It has 2 statutory and 23 census towns.[2] In Chinsurah Mogra CD Block 64.87% of the population is urban and 35.13% is rural. Amongst the four remaining CD Blocks in the subdivision two were overwhelmingly rural and two were wholly rural.[3]

The map above shows a portion of Chinsurah subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Religions

Hinduism is majority religion in Jirat. Islam is second most popular religion, most of the Muslim population situated in Dwarpara. Christianity is followed by minority of peoples.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

As per the 2011 Census of India, Jirat had a total population of 7,430, of which 3,824 (51%) were males and 3,606 (49%) were females. The total number of literates in Jirat was 5,308 (79.01% of the population over 6 years).[3]

Transport

Railway

Jirat railway station is an important railway station in the Bandel-Katwa Branch Line.

By Road

The State Highway 6 (West Bengal) passes through Jirat, connects Tribeni, Kalna, Nabadwip and Katwa by road.[4]

Airlines

The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Dum Dum (58 kilometres distanced).

Driving Distance to Kolkata

Approximate driving distance between Kolkata and Jirat is 71 km (44 mi).

Bus Route

Jirat is connected with Chuchura by Bus (Bus Route 8).

Autorickshaw and Jeep Cars

Jirat is connected with Mogra, Tribeni, Guptipara by autorickshaw and Jeep Cars.

Temples

The oldest temples in Jirat are:

• Sri Sri Radhagapinath Jeu
• Sideswari Kali and Mahakal Bairav Temple
• Sri Sri Sarvamangala Kalimata Temple
• Darmaraj Temple
• Bura Siva Temple
• Hanuman Balaji Temple
• Jora Siva Temple
• Sri Sri Mrinmoyee Kalimata Temple
• Pravu Jagannath Temple

Festivals

Durga Puja is the main attraction of the town. Among the old houses where Durga Puja is held are 'Mathbari', 'Borobari', 'Chotobari', 'Bhanubabur Bari' and 'Roy Bari'. People of Jirat celebrates Kali Puja, Saraswati Puja, Rash Utsav, Hurum Mela, Panchamdol, Rathyatra too.

Healthcare

A variety of hospitals, nursing homes, and sub-health centers have branches in Jirat, with notable examples being Jirat Rural Hospital, Ahammedpur Block Health Care Center, Envision Eye Foundation, Aastha Nursing Home etc.

Education

College

• Balagarh Bijoy Krishna Mahavidyalaya (Jirat College)

School(s)

• Jirat Colony High School
• Holy Child Academy(Not any board school normal Private School with few teachers)
• Kabura Panchpara High School
• Ashutosh Smritimandir Girls High School
• Balagarh High School

Sport School

• Jirat Cricket Academy (Cricket Academy)

Notable Persons

• Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, Educator and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta
• Panchanan Karmakar, Inventor of wooden Bengali alphabet typeface
• Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Politician
• Anil Chatterjee, Indian Actor
• Mohitlal Majumdar, Poet
• Ashim Kumar Majhi, Indian Politician

References