Basirhat is a city and a Greater Municipal Urban Agglomeration region of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It serves as the headquarters of the Basirhat subdivision and is the largest city in the eastern part of North 24 Parganas. Established on 1 April 1869, Basirhat is one of the oldest municipal boards in the Bengal Province.Basirhat Municipality - History . Basirhat Municipality official website. Retrieved May 2025. The city is famous for Durga Puja and home of more than 100 durga puja committees.
Basirhat ranks among the cleanest cities of India, in terms of waste management, according to a survey held by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs of Central Government of India. Basirhat is the first city of West Bengal to launch QR code based geo tagging system for real time monitoring of waste management.
Basirhat is officially set to become a new district. It was announced by Swapan Dasgupta, Finance Minister of West Bengal during the West Bengal state budget presentation of financial year 2026-27. It will be carved out of the existing North 24 Parganas district
Etymology According to Dr. Sukumar Sen (linguist), Basirhat is named after a person named 'Basi'. Referring to Bengali Dictionary, the word Basi means-Indriya Basban (ইন্দ্রিয় বসবান), Jitendriya (জিতেন্দ্রিয়), Apradhin (অপরাজেয়), Sadhin (স্বাধীন), and Swatantra (স্বতন্ত্র). From this it may be concluded that Basirhat was an independent tax-free business centre. Like present day's Free Business Centres.
The sources which are considered till now behind the naming of Basirhat are as follows:
•Basurhat – market for various items.
•Banserhat – market for buying and selling bamboos.
•Bastirhat – low land market.
There is a lot of controversy and debate regarding the naming of "Basirhat". But all explanations are satisfying and are causally related in some or other way.
History According to different historians, there are various sources of the name of Basirhat. At the time of formation of the sub-division, the place of administrative work was Bagundi village in present Soladana on the banks of Ichamati river. Bagundi was chosen by the East India Company as the center of the salt trade and the 'Salt Superintendent' office was established there. Salt was made from the saline water of Ichamati. Because of that, during the British period, salt balls were made in different villages of Basirhat along the Ichamati river. Basirhat city was a trading center for salt. In 1822, Prince Dwarkanath Tagore became the 'Nimki Dewan' or Serestadar. Dwarkanath used to come to Bagundi from Baranagar Ghat in Calcutta by way of Ichamati River. Taki's zamindar Munshi Kalinath Roychowdhury had his accommodation. Another product of trade here was indigo. Indigo cultivation started in Basirhat in 1810. Neelkuthi is built on both sides of Ichamati. British ran the business of salt and indigo cultivation centered on Basirhat. Hat on the banks of the Ichamati river in 1840 and the old bazaar of Basirhat was established 60 years later in 1900. Basirhat New Market was established in 1922. Rivers were the means of communication at will. Goods were brought by the river and sold in the market.
Geography
Location Basirhat is located at .
Area overview The area shown in the map is a part of the Ichhamati-Raimangal Plain, located in the lower Ganges Delta. It contains soil of mature black or brownish loam to recent alluvium. Numerous rivers, creeks and khals criss-cross the area. The tip of the Sundarbans National Park is visible in the lower part of the map (shown in green but not marked). The larger full screen map shows the full forest area. A large section of the area is a part of the Sundarbans settlements. The densely populated area is an overwhelmingly rural area. Only 12.96% of the population lives in the urban areas like Basirhat and 87.04% of the population in rural areas.
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full-screen map.
Urban structure Basirhat experienced moderate level of urbanization during the years 2001-2011 along with moderate population growth rate in those same years. Currently urbanization rate of this city is increasing rapidly.
Neighborhoods Lake Terrace, Tannery Garden, BowBazar, Chowmatha, Itinda Road, Sarat Biswas Road, Kacchari Para, Park Avenue, Ganapatipur, Sainpala, Prantik Square (College Para), Maitra Bagan, Munsi Bagan, Bhyabla.
Climate Basirhat is subject to a tropical savanna climate that is designated Aw climate under the Köppen climate classification."Climatic zone map of India as per Köppen's classification" (Figure). ResearchGate. Archived from the original on 21 February 2025. Retrieved 21 February 2025. According to a United Nations Development Programme report, its wind and cyclone zone is "very high damage risk"."Hazard profiles of Indian districts" (PDF). National Capacity Building Project in Disaster Management. UNDP. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 May 2006. Retrieved 21 February 2025. This municipal region is usually the hottest region of Basirhat subdivision due to its urbanized characteristics.
Special weather phenomena - Often, in April–June, the region is struck by heavy rains or dusty squalls that are followed by thunderstorms or hailstorms, bringing cooling relief from the prevailing humidity. These thunderstorms are convective in nature, and are known locally as Kalbaisakhi (কালবৈশাখী), or 'norwesters' in English.
Natural disasters Tropical Cyclones In May 2009, Cyclone Aila brought heavy rainfall and strong winds, causing damage to weak structures.
In May 2020, Cyclone Amphan affected the area with maximum sustained wind speed of 150 km/h. This severe cyclone caused major damage to houses and crops in the area. Prime minister Narendra Modi was received at the airport by governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and chief minister Mamata Banerjee who accompanied him on the aerial survey of some of the worst-affected parts of the state before landing in Basirhat College, 50 km from Kolkata airport. After holding a conference in Basirhat, Modi announced Rs 1,000 cr immediate relief for cyclone hit areas.
Earthquake On 27 February 2026, an earthquake of about 5.3 on the Richter scale, as reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), struck near the India–Bangladesh border, with its epicentre located roughly 26 km southeast of Taki in West Bengal at a shallow depth of approximately 9.8 km. Tremors from the quake were felt in Basirhat city region and other parts of North 24 Parganas, causing panic among residents and prompting many to evacuate homes, offices, and schools in Basirhat. Only minor structural cracks in buildings were reported in the urban region. The seismic event occurred within the seismically active Bengal Basin region, where the Indian Plate's northward movement against the Eurasian Plate generates occasional moderate earthquakes.
Tornado In April 1983, Basirhat-Bongaon tornado occurred in the area with maximum sustained wind speed of 200 km/h caused widespread damage and more than 30 fatalities across the area.
Hailstorm On 19 February 2025, a series of severe Hailstorm and Convective thunderstorms occurred in the Basirhat subdivision, including the municipal region, causing minor damages to weak structures and agriculture.
A similar incident occurred on 22 March 2014, when a 20-minute hailstorm event caused damage to approximately 2,500 homes in parts of North 24 Parganas, including Barasat, Basirhat, Barrackpore and Bongaon.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census of India, Basirhat Municipality had a population of 125,254. Basirhat had a sex ratio of 981 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 87.35%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 18.94% and 0.41% of the population respectively.
Basirhat is an urban agglomeration consisting of four different neighborhoods; Basirhat City (M), Uttar Bagundi (CT), Raghunathpur (CT) and Dandirhat (CT).
Projection based on past growth rates estimate that as of 2026, the population of Basirhat city is around 180000 to 190000. While the broader UA region is estimated to have an population of approximately 212000. The current literacy rate of Basirhat is projected around more than 97.5%.
Bengali is the predominant language, spoken by 99.77% of the population.
Greater Basirhat Urban Agglomeration
The Greater Basirhat Urban Agglomeration comprises the municipal urban agglomeration of Basirhat city along with two additional municipal towns, Taki and Baduria. According to the 2011 Census of India, the Basirhat Municipality recorded a population of around 125,000, while Taki and Baduria municipalities had populations of about 38,000 and 52,000 respectively. With the inclusion of nearby census towns and peri-urban settlements, the Greater Basirhat Urban Agglomeration is estimated to have a population of approximately one million, thereby qualifying as a greater urban agglomeration under Indian census definitions. It forms the second major urban cluster in North 24 Parganas after Barasat-Barrackpore-Baranagar belt.
Art and Culture
Durga puja
Celebrations Durga puja is the biggest festival of Basirhat. With more than 100 installations in the city, Basirhat is regarded as one of the major centers of Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal, reportedly hosting the fourth highest number of puja pandals in the state after Kolkata, Asansol-Durgapur and Siliguri. The City of Basirhat experiences a festive and vibrant atmosphere during Durga Puja, with majestic themed pandals like Kolkata, illuminated streets, and an energetic urban crowd that reflects the cultural enthusiasm. The city attracts significant crowd every year. Bengali media outlets including Anandabazar Patrika, News18 Bangla, and Zee 24 Ghanta have reported Basirhat as a prominent centre of Durga Puja in North 24 Parganas, often referring to it as a cultural gem for its elaborate and thematic celebrations. Prantik Square Sorbojonin is the biggest puja committee of Basirhat, often resembling Kolkata's Maddox Square puja committee because of its atmosphere. This place becomes a meeting point of all ages during the puja days.
Traditions For more than 150 years, the Durga idol has been immersed on boats in this city. On the day of Vijayadashami, people usually come in Basirhat to see the immersion festival. The idols and installations have changed in the modern era, but the immersion continues to be done in the Ichamati River by boat according to the ancient tradition. A fair is held on both banks of the river centering on the immersion. The special attraction of this fair is wooden furniture and various wooden items. After Vijayadashami, local government organise a puja carnival with the idols of top 10 puja pandel.
Kali Puja and Diwali Basirhat also celebrates Kali Puja and Diwali vibrantly as many club communities also organise this festival properly. Basirhat Dakshina Kali Temple is famous for its unique rituals. This temple's origin dates back more than 300 years back as Raja Krishnachandra established this temple.
Cultural centers Basirhat has got plenty of cultural and community centers for promoting the art and culture of the city, Rabindra Bhaban is one of them. Located near the Lake Terrace area, many concerts, performances, drama and art events are usually happen during the festive time or on the weekend. In 2017, Basirhat municipality allocated 4 Cr rupees for the further development of Rabindra Bhaban.
Literature