Khijri
|
Khejuri II খেজুরী II |
|
|---|---|
| Community development block সমষ্টি উন্নয়ন ব্লক |
|
 Khejuri II
|
|
| Coordinates: 21°51′27″N 87°54′42″E / 21.8575100°N 87.9115520°ECoordinates: 21°51′27″N 87°54′42″E / 21.8575100°N 87.9115520°E | |
| Country |
 India
|
| State | West Bengal |
| District | Purba Medinipur |
| Area | |
| • Total | 137.46 km2 (53.07 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 139,463 |
| • Density | 1,000/km2 (2,600/sq mi) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Bengali, English |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 721431 (Janka) |
| Area code(s) | 03210 |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-WB |
| Vehicle registration | WB-29, WB-30, WB-31, WB-32, WB-33 |
| Literacy | 85.37% |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Kanthi |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Khejuri |
| Website | purbamedinipur |
Khejuri II is a community development block that forms an administrative division in Contai subdivision of Purba Medinipur district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Khijri (or Khejuri) today is a small village about 65 miles south of Calcutta on the right bank of the Hooghly river.
Sixteenth century maps project an emerging island in the area. Seventeenth century maps show two islands – Khejuri and Hijli. The entire area was submerged under water. Long embankments have been built to keep the saline water away and the land recovered with great effort. In the days of the Nawabs of Bengal, this area had many salt pans. In the early days of the East India Company, the port and the town flourished at Khejuri.
In the first half of the 19th century it was known to the British as Kedgeree. The British established their control over the area in 1765 and by 1780 had established a port and factory there.
A light-house was built in 1810 at Kaukhali, a village about five miles south of Khejuri. It is near the mouth of the Rasulpur River. It stood 75 feet high and was visible for 15 miles. Sagar Light House is located 13 miles away across the river on Sagar Island. Kaukhali light-house was abandoned in 1925.
Raja Rammohun Roy sailed for England from Khejuri port in 1825.
Later in the 18th century the British established the post office that was one of the most important post offices in Bengal. Vessels sailing to Calcutta from elsewhere would generally stop there to land their mail for onward carriage to Calcutta by land. (Adverse tides or winds might otherwise delay the mail's arrival by vessel.) The postmaster at Kedgeree maintained a small fleet of row boats to meet arriving and departing vessels, collecting mail from the arrivals and sending last minute mails on the departures.
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Wikipedia