Haorah

The name of the city comes from the Bengali word "haur", which means a marshy , dull place.

The history of Khaora dates back to the 16th century . The Venetian explorer Caesar de Federici, who visited India in 1565-79, mentions Battor in his notes in 1578 . According to his description, it was a place to which large ships could reach Hugli , and where docks were located for unloading and loading the goods of these ships. This place is identified with the modern location of Haora.

In 1713, the Bengal Council of the British East India Company , upon the emperor Farruksiyar’s accession to the throne of Delhi , sent a delegation to him with a petition to transfer the company of five villages on the western bank of the Hooghly River and thirty villages on the eastern one under its control. The list of villages is indicated in the consultation book of the Bengali Council of May 4, 1714 . The five villages on the western coast were: Salika, Haura, Kasundah, Ramkrishnapur and Bator, all villages were located on the territory of modern Khoora. The petition was granted except for these five villages. By 1728, most of the villages in the area belonged to one of two zones: Burdvan or Muhammand Aminpour. After the Battle of Plessis in accordance with the agreement signed with Bengal’s Nawab Mir Kasim on October 11, 1760, the Haura district came under the control of the East India Company. In 1787, the Hugli district was created, and until 1819, the entire modern territory of Haora was included in it.

With the creation of the Haur railway station in 1854, rapid industrial growth of the city began. In 1855 the first jute factory was created, by 1870 five jute productions were already operating near the station.

By 1914, almost all the major cities of India were connected by rail and an increase in the demand for rolling stock and its repair led to the creation of railway repair shops in the city. The engineering boom continued until the end of World War II and led to a fast uncontrolled urbanization — the emergence of slum areas around industrial enterprises.

According to the Indian census of 2001, 1,008,704 people live in Haore. Males constitute 54% of the population, females 46%. The literacy rate in the city is 77%, which is higher than the national average of 59.5%; literacy among men is 81%, among women 73%. In Haore, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.

It is noteworthy that according to the Indian census of 1896, only 84,069 people lived in the city, in 1901, 157,594 people already lived in Haor. Such a rapid growth in numbers is due to rapid industrial growth and the presence of a large number of vacant jobs. During this period, there is a 100% increase in the male population, while the female population has grown by only 60%.

The Burn Standard Company (BSCL, established in 1781) is a large heavy engineering company that is now part of Bharat Bhari Udyog Nigam Limited (BBUNL), the oldest production in Haor.

In 1823, Bishop Reginald Heber described the Haoru district as a place inhabited mainly by shipbuilders. The paint factory “Shalimar” founded in 1902 was the first large paint factory not only in India but also in all of Southeast Asia.

After the separation of Bengal in 1947, the jute industry was severely affected as the main areas of jute production were located in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh ).

Haoru is often called the " Sheffield of the East", it is an engineering hub mainly in the field of light engineering. Small engineering companies are located throughout the city, especially in the area around the Haora railway station.

Despite the fact that the city is one of the largest agglomerations , the infrastructure is very poorly developed as a result of explosive growth in the last century. In this regard, Haora continues to experience many years of problems, such as traffic congestion, overcrowding, and environmental pollution. Migration from the agricultural regions of India and neighboring countries also contributes; immigrants are attracted to Haoru by cheap livelihoods and the availability of jobs.

But recently, a lot of work has been done on the expansion of national highways and roads in the city. These activities are expected to help improve traffic. A further increase in the construction of roads and the organization of passenger traffic is required, since many new industries are being built in Haore, old industrial enterprises are also being rebuilt, all of which will lead to further population growth and deterioration of the transport situation in the city.

Hauora Railway Station is one of the main transport hubs of Khaora, Kolkata , and other neighboring areas. It was built in 1854, when the railway was connected, connecting the city with the entire Bardhaman district.

This station is part of two Indian Railways divisions: the Eastern Railway and the South-Eastern Railway; through which it is connected with all major cities of India. It is also the station to enter the suburban railway network of Calcutta. Within the city there are six more stations: Tikiapara, Dasnagar, Ramrajatala, Santragchi, Padmapukur and Shalimar. All of these stations are located on the Southeast Railway. The next station after the train station on the Eastern Railway is Lilounach, which is located in Bell County Municipality. Tikiapara, Dasnagar, Ramrajatala and Padmapukur are small suburban stations. Santragachi is a major railway junction. Shalimar since its creation in 1883, served as a cargo terminal and also as a depot. Recently, due to the increased load on other stations, Shalimar began to serve trains of suburban and intercity traffic.

Two bridges were built across the Hooghly River between the Khaora and Calcutta. Haora Bridge, which is a console structure, and cable-stayed bridge Vidyasagar-Set . In addition, a ferry service introduced in the 1970s has been established between twin cities. On the side of Haora there are four marinas: Ramkrishnapur, Shibpur, Shalimar and Nazirganzh.

The total length in Haore is about 300 km. One of the most important roads is the Grand Trunk Road, which starts from the Indian Botanical Garden . This road was built by the Public Administration Department of the British Administration. Work on the project was started in 1804.

In the 1990s, roads were built connecting the Vidyasagar-Set Bridge with the main thoroughfares of the city. One of the most important is the Kona Expressway 8 km long, which was built by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). This road serves as an access road to Calcutta (via Vidyasagar-Set) from National Highway 2 (NH 2) and, therefore, is part of the Golden Four Way Road. Near the Nibra, the Kona Expressway also connects to National Highway 6 (NH 6).

The Shibpur region in Haor has been associated for centuries with a huge tree - the Great Banyan , which has the largest crown area in the world. Banyan continues to grow to this day, occupying all new quarters of the city and looks like a forest in itself.

In 1786, the British established the Indian Botanical Garden , located between the Great Banyan and the Hooghly River.

Located at Shibpur, Bengal College of Engineering is the second oldest engineering college in India.

There is a famous Rama temple in Ramrajatal, where great services are held here every year on the last Sunday of the month of Shravan.

Not far from the train station is the large Santragachi Lake, which attracts many migratory birds in the winter. Small whistling duck is the most numerous species presented here. The West Bengal Ministry of Forestry intends to establish a protected natural area on the lake’s territory.

• History of Howrah from India Government Site
• Howrah Municipal Corporation Site
• Haura - an article from the Great Soviet Encyclopedia .
• Haura // Dictionary of modern geographical names / Rus. geogr. oh Mosk. Centre; Under total ed. Acad. V.M. Kotlyakov . Institute of Geography RAS . - Ekaterinburg: U-Factoring, 2006.