Howrah facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This page is about the city in West Bengal, India. For its namesake district, see Howrah district. For other uses, see Howrah (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids Howrah
Metropolis
The Howrah Bridge Howrah Junction railway station, biggest (in terms of number of platforms), oldest and busiest railway station of India Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden at Shibpur Inside IIEST Shibpur campus Howrah Indoor Stadium at Dumurjala Sports City High-rise apartments in Santragachi
Nickname(s): Sheffield of India
Howrah Location in Kolkata Show map of Kolkata Howrah Location in West Bengal Show map of West Bengal Howrah Location in India Show map of India
State	West Bengal
Division	Presidency
District	Howrah
Region	South Bengal
Government
• Type	Municipal Corporation
• Body	Howrah Municipal Corporation
Area
• Metropolis	63.55 km² (24.54 sq mi)
• Metro	450.65 km² (174.00 sq mi)
Elevation	12 m (39 ft)
Population (2011)
• Metropolis	1,077,075
• Density	16,948.5/km² (43,896/sq mi)
• Metro	2,811,344
Languages
• Official	Bengali
• Additional official	English
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	711101 to 711114, 711201 to 711204 and 711302 and 711409
Telephone code	+91 33
Vehicle registration	WB-11 to WB-14
Lok Sabha constituency	Howrah
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Howrah Uttar, Bally, Howrah Madhya, Howrah Dakshin, Shibpur

Howrah (pronounced like "how-rah") is a big city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It sits on the western bank of the Hooghly River, right across from its twin city, Kolkata. Howrah is the main city in the Howrah district. It's famous for Howrah Junction railway station, which is one of India's largest and busiest train stations. This station connects Howrah to almost every part of India and is a major gateway to Kolkata.

What's in a Name?

The name Howrah comes from the Bengali word Haor. This word describes a swampy lake or a low-lying area where water, mud, and plants gather. This type of land was more common in eastern Bengal (now Bangladesh) than in western Bengal (where Howrah is).

Howrah's Past: A City's Journey

The city of Howrah has a history that goes back over 500 years. The area where the district is located was once part of an old Bengali kingdom called Bhurshut.

Early Mentions

Around 1578, an explorer from Venice named Cesare Federici wrote about a place called Buttor. He said large ships could sail there, suggesting it was a trading port. This place is thought to be the modern-day area of Bator. Bator was also mentioned in a Bengali poem from 1495.

British Rule and Growth

In 1713, the British East India Company wanted to gain control of five villages on the west bank of the Hooghly River. These villages included 'Harirah' (Howrah), 'Salica' (Salkia), and 'Battar' (Bator). By 1728, most of what is now Howrah district was part of two large land areas.

After the Battle of Plassey in 1760, the East India Company took over Howrah district. In 1843, Howrah district became separate from the Hooghly district.

People of Howrah

Howrah is the second most populated city in West Bengal, after Kolkata. In 2011, Howrah had over 1 million people living there.

Population Growth

Howrah's population grew very quickly in the late 1800s and early 1900s. This was because there were many job opportunities, which attracted a lot of people. For example, between 1896 and 1901, the number of men living in the city doubled!

Howrah town population by year
Year	Population	% increase	Males	Females
1896	84,069
1901	157,594		99,904	57,690
1911	179,006	13.59	114,566	64,440
1921	195,301	9.10	128,472	66,829
1931	224,873	15.14	145,120	79,753
1941	379,292	68.67	246,959	132,333
1951	433,630	14.33	268,412	165,218
1961	532,692	22.84	325,493	207,199
1971	737,877	38.52	439,457	298,420
1981	744,429	0.89	421,636	322,793
1991	950,435	27.67	528,396	422,039
2001	1,007,532	6.01	547,068	460,464
2011	1,077,075	6.90	561,220	515,855

Languages and Religions

Most people in Howrah speak Bengali. Other common languages include Hindi and Urdu.

Languages of Howrah (2011) Bengali (79.48%) Hindi (8.52%) Urdu (9.24%) Others (2.76%)

Religion in Howrah (2011)
Religion			Percent
Hinduism			82.72%
Islam			15.25%
Jainism			0.75%
Others			1.28%

Howrah's Climate

Howrah has a tropical wet-and-dry climate. This means it gets a lot of rain in the summers but very little in the winters. The average temperature is about 26.3°C, and it receives about 1744 mm of rain each year. Howrah is also known as one of India's "National Clean Air Cities."

Climate data for Howrah, 1981–2010
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	25.8 (78.4)	29.2 (84.6)	33.5 (92.3)	35.3 (95.5)	35.3 (95.5)	33.8 (92.8)	32.4 (90.3)	32.2 (90.0)	32.4 (90.3)	32.2 (90.0)	30.1 (86.2)	27.0 (80.6)	31.6 (88.9)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	14.1 (57.4)	17.8 (64.0)	22.4 (72.3)	25.3 (77.5)	26.4 (79.5)	26.8 (80.2)	26.5 (79.7)	26.4 (79.5)	26.0 (78.8)	24.1 (75.4)	19.7 (67.5)	15.2 (59.4)	22.6 (72.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	10.4 (0.41)	20.9 (0.82)	35.2 (1.39)	58.9 (2.32)	133.1 (5.24)	300.6 (11.83)	396.0 (15.59)	344.5 (13.56)	318.0 (12.52)	180.5 (7.11)	35.1 (1.38)	3.2 (0.13)	1,836.4 (72.3)
Average rainy days	1.1	1.7	2.2	3.4	7.0	12.8	17.7	16.9	13.9	7.4	1.3	0.5	85.9
Source: India Meteorological Department

City Management

The Howrah Municipal Corporation manages the city of Howrah. The Howrah City Police is in charge of keeping law and order.

History of City Management

Great Banyan Tree at the Botanical Gardens, Howrah by Francis Frith (1850s-1870s)

Howrah Municipality was started in 1862. In 1896, it began providing filtered water to the city. In 1984, Howrah became a municipal corporation, which is a bigger type of city government. The city is divided into 66 areas called wards, and each ward elects a representative.

City Development

Howrah is one of the biggest cities in its state. However, its growth has sometimes been unplanned. This has led to problems like traffic jams, a growing population, and pollution.

Recently, efforts have been made to improve the city. National Highways and local roads are being widened to help with traffic. There are also plans for new industrial projects. The West Bengal Government wants to make Howrah's city services as good as those in Kolkata.

Howrah's Economy

Howrah is often called the Sheffield of the East. This is because it's known for its engineering industry, especially light engineering. In 1823, a bishop named Reginald Heber said Howrah was a place "chiefly inhabited by shipbuilders." Today, there are many small engineering companies in Howrah.

Some big companies also have factories here. Burn Standard Company, which makes heavy machinery, has one of its oldest factories in Howrah. Shalimar Paints, established in 1902, had the first large paint factory in all of Southeast Asia located in Howrah.

Getting Around Howrah

Howrah has excellent connections by train, road, and even ferry services to Kolkata.

Train Travel

Howrah Station

Howrah railway station is the main train station for Howrah and Kolkata. It's the second busiest train station in India and has the most platforms. It opened in 1854, connecting the city to coalfields. Howrah Station is a major hub, linking to most big cities across India. There are also twelve other train stations within Howrah city, like Santragachi and Shalimar.

Metro Rail

Howrah Metro Station ( under construction )

Howrah is connected to Kolkata by the Kolkata Metro Line 2. This metro line goes under the Hooghly River through a tunnel! The metro connects Howrah to Esplanade, where people can switch to other metro lines. The Howrah Station and Howrah Maidan metro stations are now open to the public.

Roads

Howrah has about 300 km (186 miles) of roads. The Grand Trunk Road, built by the British, starts near the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden in Howrah. Howrah also connects to major national highways, NH 16 and NH 19, through the Kona Expressway.

Bridges

Howrah Bridge

Howrah and Kolkata are separated by the Hooghly River. Four bridges connect the two cities:

Howrah Bridge, also called Rabindra Setu
Vidyasagar Setu, also called the second Hooghly Bridge
Vivekananda Setu, also called Bally Bridge
Nivedita Setu, also called Second Bally Bridge

The Howrah Bridge and the Vidyasagar Setu are among the longest bridges of their kind in the world.

Other Ways to Travel

Ferry services have been available since the 1970s, connecting various points in Howrah and Kolkata across the river. Howrah is also served by Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, which is located in Kolkata. Soon, the metro will connect Howrah directly to the airport.

Howrah's Neighbourhoods

Howrah has many different neighbourhoods. Some of the most well-known include Shibpur, Santragachi, Belur, Salkia, Ramrajatala, Liluah, Howrah Maidan, and Bally.

Shibpur is home to the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, which has the famous the Great Banyan tree. The Avani Riverside Mall is also here, along with the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur.
Santragachi has a large railway station and a big lake called Santragachhi Jheel, where many birds come in winter.
Belur is where you'll find Belur Math, the main center of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission.
Ramrajatala has a famous Rama Temple.
Liluah has some of India's oldest railway factories and is also an important education hub in Howrah.

Education in Howrah

Howrah has many schools and colleges. The Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur is a public engineering and research university. It's one of the oldest engineering schools in India.

Schools in Howrah are run by the state government or by private groups. Students can study in Bengali, English, or Hindi. Schools follow different education boards, like the West Bengal Board or national boards like ICSE and CBSE.

Howrah Zilla School, started in 1845, is the only government school in Howrah. The first Bengali-medium school, Santragachi Minor School, opened in 1857. It's now known as Santragachi Kedarnath Institution, Howrah.

Sports in Howrah

Howrah has several places for sports. The Sailen Manna Stadium (also called Howrah Municipal Corporation Stadium) is used for football and other sports. Dumurjala Sports City is a big sports complex. The Howrah Rifle Club is a place for sports shooting.