Hooghly (district)
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Hooghly district হুগলী জেলা |
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|---|---|
| District of West Bengal | |
 Location of Hooghly district in West Bengal |
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| Country | India |
| State | West Bengal |
| Administrative division | Burdwan |
| Headquarters | Chinsurah |
| Government | |
| • Lok Sabha constituencies | Arambagh (with 1 assembly segment in Paschim Medinipur), Hooghly, Serampore (with 2 assembly segments in Howrah district) |
| • Assembly seats | Uttarpara, Sreerampur, Champdani, Singur, Chandannagar, Chunchura, Balagarh, Pandua, Saptagram, Chanditala, Jangipara, Haripal, Dhanekhali, Tarakeswar, Pursurah, Arambag, Goghat, Khanakul |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3,149 km2 (1,216 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 5,520,389 |
| • Density | 1,800/km2 (4,500/sq mi) |
| Demographics | |
| • Literacy | 82.55 % |
| • Sex ratio | 958 |
| Major highways | NH 2, NH 6, Grand Trunk Road |
| Average annual precipitation | 1,500 mm |
| Website | [hooghly.nic.in Official website] |
Hooghly district (/ˈhuːɡliː/) is one of the districts of the state of West Bengal in India. It can alternatively be spelt Hoogli or Hugli. The district is named after the Hooghly River.
The headquarters of the district are at Hooghly-Chinsura (Chuchura). There are four subdivisions: Chinsura Sadar, Serampore, Chandannagar, and Arambag.
The district of Hooghly derived its name from the town of Hooghly on the west bank of the Hooghly River about 40 km north of Kolkata. This town was a river port in the fifteenth century.
The district has thousands of years of rich heritage in the form of the great Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut. The first European to reach this area was the Portuguese sailor Vasco-Da-Gama. In 1536 Portuguese traders obtained a permit from Sultan Mahmud Shah to trade in this area. In those days the Hooghly River was the main route for transportation and Hooghly served as an excellent trading port.
Within a few decades the town of Hooghly turned into a major commercial centre and the largest port in Bengal. Later in 1579-80 Emperor Akbar gave permission to a Portuguese captain Pedro Tavares to establish a city anywhere in the Bengal province. They chose Hooghly, and it became the first European settlement in Bengal. In 1599 the Portuguese traders built a convent and a church in Bandel. This is the first Christian church in Bengal known as ‘Bandel Church’ today.
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Wikipedia