Cities and towns in Haldia subdivision of Purba Medinipur district M: municipal city/ town, CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, S: port Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly
Like other Raj families of East Midnapore, Mahisadal Raj also belonged to a Mahishya family(arguably the word Mahishadal itself originated from the word "Mahishya"). It was founded by Bhuiya Ray Mahapatra, whose sixth descendant, Kalyan Ray, could not realize the revenue and had to furnish Janardan Upadhaya, a Brahmin of substance, as his security. The zamindari was held over a century by this Brahmin family till the Permanent Settlement.[1] During the days of Rani Janaki Devi, it reached its zenith in the 18th century.[2]
There are two palaces – the old one was built in 1840 and the new one in 1935. One can see stuffed animals, hunting weapons of the 16th and 17th century, paintings and furniture. Gopaljew and Ramjew temples are popular with tourists. The place is half an hours drive from Haldia.[3]
Mahishadal's old rajbari
Police station
Gopaljiu temple
Mahishadal police station has jurisdiction over Mahishadal CD block. Mahishadal police station covers an area of 135 km2 with a population of 182,365. The police station is located at Garh Kamalpur mouza.[4][5]
CD block HQ
The headquarters of Mahishadal CD block are located at Rangibasan.[6]
Urbanisation
79.19% of the population of Haldia subdivision live in the rural areas. Only 20.81% of the population live in the urban areas, and that is the highest proportion of urban population amongst the four subdivisions in Purba Medinipur district.[7]
Note: The map above presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.
Façade of Dewan Bari, within the Mahisadal Rajbari.
Demographics
As per the map of Mahishadal CD block and subsequent alphabetical list of villages in the District Census Handbook, Purba Medinipur, Mahishadal is a part of Rangibasan village.[8]
As per 2011 Census of India Rangibasan had a total population of 2,570 of which 1,321 (51%) were males and 1,249 (49%) were females. Population below 6 years was 231. The total number of literates in Rangibasan was 2,134 (91.24% of the population over 6 years).[9]
Transport
The Mecheda-Tamluk-Haldia Road passes through Mahishadal.[10]
Mahishadal Girls College was established in 1969 with the initiative of Dr. Satyendranath Bhuniya, Rabindranath Singha, Dr. Haridas Sarkar, Gopal Chandra Mondal and others. Affiliated to Vidyasagar University, it offers courses in arts and science.[14][15]
Culture
Mahisadal Rathyatra 2012
David J. McCutchion mentions the Madan Gopala temple as a West Bengal nava-ratna, plain and renovated, measuring about 39’ square.[16]
Healthcare
Basulia Rural Hospital located at nearby Basulia (with 30 beds) is the main medical facility in Mahishadal CD block. There are primary health centres at Natsal, PO Geonkhali (with 10 beds) and Rajarampur, PO Geonkhali (with ? beds).[17]
^"Mahishdal PS". Purba Medinipur District Police. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
^"District Census Handbook: Purba Medinipur"(PDF). Map of Purba Medinipur with CD Block HQs and Police Stations. Directorate of Census Operations, West Bengal, 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
^McCutchion, David J., Late Mediaeval Temples of Bengal, first published 1972, reprinted 2017, page 52. The Asiatic Society, Kolkata, ISBN978-93-81574-65-2
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