Tamluk

According to T. N. Ramachandran, the name "Tamluk" is related to the older form Tamālikā, which is a variant spelling (found in the Trikāṇḍaśesha) of the ancient name Tāmraliptī (or Tāmralipta). Other names listed in the Trikāṇḍaśesha and the Abhidānachintāmaṇi as referring to Tāmraliptī include Staṁbhapura, Velākūla, and Vishṇugṛiha.{{rp|229}}

{{Main|Tamralipta}}

This ancient kingdom and port city was bounded by the Bay of Bengal in the south, Rupnarayan River in the east and Subarnarekha River in the west. The Rupnarayana is the joint flow of the rivers Dwarakeswar and Silai. The Bay of Bengal and these great rivers with their numerous branches created a prosperous and easy water navigational system fostering commerce, culture and early contacts with the people outside the region. At the same time, these rivers helped to develop the agriculture in this region.{{cite book |author=Dilip K. Chakrabarti |title=Archaeological Geography of the Ganga Plain: The Lower and the Middle Ganga |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OEZe-wAIiKIC&pg=PA125 |year=2001 |publisher=Orient Blackswan |isbn=978-81-7824-016-9 |page=125 }}

Archaeological remains show continuous settlement from about the 3rd century BC. It was known as Tramralipta (in the Puranas and the Mahabharata), Tamralipta (in the Mahabharata), Tamalika (in historical documents), Tamalitti (in foreigners' descriptions), or Tamoluk (in the British Raj). It was a seaport, now buried under river silt. For this reason, Tamluk has many ponds and lakes remaining today.{{Cite book|last=Schendel|first=Willem van|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Y2bBQAAQBAJ|title=A History of Bangladesh|date=2009-02-12|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-1-316-26497-3|pages=16|language=en}}{{Cite journal|last1=Tripati|first1=S.|last2=Rao|first2=S.|date=1994-01-01|title=Tamralipti: The Ancient Port of India|url=|journal=Studies in History and Culture|volume=2|pages=33–39}}{{Cite web |title=History {{!}} Purba Medinipur {{!}} India |url=https://purbamedinipur.gov.in/history/ |access-date=2022-03-18 |language=en-US}}

In the Mahabharata (Bhishma Parba/Nabam Adhyay), while describing the names of the holiest rivers and kingdoms of India, Sanjay took the name of "Tramralipta" to Dhritarashtra.{{Cite book|last=Puri|first=Baij Nath|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cz8uAAAAMAAJ|title=Cities of Ancient India|date=1966|publisher=Meenakshi Prakashan|pages=110|language=en}}{{Cite book|last=Choudhury|first=Pratap Chandra|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EE1uAAAAMAAJ|title=Assam-Bengal Relations from the Earliest Times to the Twelfth Century A.D.|date=1988|publisher=Spectrum Publications|pages=67|language=en}}

Tamluk was also known as Bhivas, in religious texts, and Madhya Desh, as the Middle State of Utkal/Kalinga and Banga.{{cn|date=March 2022}}

According to Jain sources, Tamralipti was the capital of the tamralipti janapada and was long known as a port.{{cite journal |last1=Schmiedchen |first1=Annette |title=Medieval Endowment Cultures in Western India: Buddhist and Muslim Encounters – Some Preliminary Observations |journal=Mondes de l'Asie du Sud et de l'Asie Centrale |date=2019 |page=7 |url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03012318/document}}{{Cite book |last=Paine |first=Lincoln |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6vglAwAAQBAJ&pg=PT265 |title=The Sea and Civilization: A Maritime History of the World |date=2014-02-06 |publisher=Atlantic Books |isbn=978-1-78239-357-3 |pages=265 |language=en}}{{Cite journal |last=Ramachandran |first=T. N. |date=1951 |title=Tāmraliptī (Taṁluk) |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3248590 |journal=Artibus Asiae |volume=14 |issue=3 |pages=226–239 |doi=10.2307/3248590 |jstor=3248590 |issn=0004-3648}}{{Cite book |last=Bhaumick |first=Manoranjan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TCFuAAAAMAAJ |title=History, Culture, and Antiquities of Tāmralipta |date=2001 |publisher=Punthi Pustak |isbn=978-81-86791-27-1 |language=en |pages=7-8}}

Several archaeological find sites have been found in Tamluk, including a number of high mounds in the town as well as in and around various tanks. The Bargabhīmā Temple, in the middle of town, is built on one such mound.{{Citation |last=Pinakpani |title=English: Bargabhima, the ancient temple of Tamluk in Purba Medinipur district |date=2023-08-20 |url=https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bargabhima,_the_ancient_temple_of_Tamluk_in_Purba_Medinipur_district_02.jpg |access-date=2024-04-12}} Another mound is now occupied by the local Mission house. Here, people digging a well found wood fragments at a depth of 50 feet, which T. N. Ramachandran compared to the remains of the Maurya-era wooden palisade found at Pataliputra. At another high mound, this one by the Rupnarayan riverbank, a hoard of about 350 coins dated to the 1st-2nd centuries BCE was found by K. N. Dikshit in the early 1920s.{{rp|230-2}}

Just east of the Rajbari in central Tamluk is a large square tank called Khātpukūr, which probably dates from the 15th century. Digging here, Ramachandran's group found terracotta remains with similarities to Shunga-period artifacts, but because of where they were found, Ramachandran did not assign them a date. Among the artifacts found at Khātpukūr were a couple of Egyptian-style vases, which also could not be dated. They may have been either imports from Egypt or local imitations of Egyptian style. Either way, their presence indicates long-distance cultural contact due to maritime trade, as would be expected at a major port like Tāmraliptī. At another site, "an oblong tank next to the local school", old brick walls and terracotta fragments were found under Gurusday Dutt. Various items were found in and around a couple of tanks on Adhikaripara Road, Padambasan Road, and School Road.{{rp|230, 235-7}}

A group led by T. N. Ramachandran undertook a survey of various sites in Tamluk in the 1940s.{{rp|229-30}}

{{OSM Location map

| width=320| height=350| zoom=10

| coord={{coord|22|17|0|N|87|47|0|E}}| float=left|caption=Cities and towns in Tamluk subdivision of Purba Medinipur district
M: municipal city/ town, CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, H: historical/ religious centre
Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly

|mark-coord1= {{coord|22|24|35|N|87|42|0|E}} | label-pos1=left|label1=Panskura | numbered1=M| mark-title1= Panskura (M)|label-color1=#800000 |label-size1=13| mark-size1=13|shape1=l-circle|shape-color1=#800000|shape-outline1=white|label-offset-x1=2

|mark-coord2= {{coord|22|18|0|N|87|55|12|E}} | label-pos2=right|label2=Tamluk| numbered2=M| mark-title2= Tamluk (M)|shape-color2=black| label-size2=13|label-color2=black

|mark-coord3={{coord|22|26|5|N|87|52|12|E}} | label-pos3=right|label3=Kolaghat | numbered3=CT| mark-title3= Kolaghat (CT)|shape-color3=#A40000

|mark-coord4={{coord|22|25|20|N|87|53|35|E}} | label-pos4=right|label4=Amalhara | numbered4=CT| mark-title4= Amalhara (CT)|shape-color4=#C40000

|mark-coord5={{coord|22|26|20|N|87|50|37|E}} | label-pos5=left|label5=Mihitikri | numbered5=CT| mark-title5= Mihitikri (CT)|shape-color5=#C40000

|mark-coord6={{coord|22|25|20|N|87|51|4|E}} | label-pos6=left|label6=Kharisha | numbered6=CT| mark-title6= Kharisha (CT)|shape-color6=#C40000

|mark-coord7={{coord|22|24|30|N|87|52|42|E}} | label-pos7=right|label7=Kakdihi | numbered7=CT| mark-title7= Kakdihi (CT)|shape-color7=#C40000

|mark-coord8={{coord|22|23|40|N|87|52|7|E}} | label-pos8=left|label8=Shantipur | numbered8=CT| mark-title8= Shantipur, Purba Medinipur (CT)|shape-color8=#C40000

|mark-coord9={{coord|22|19|30|N|87|48|50|E}} | label-pos9=left|label9=Anantapur | numbered9=CT| mark-title9= Anantapur, Purba Medinipur (CT)|shape-color9=#C40000

|mark-coord10={{coord|22|19|12|N|87|49|48|E}} | label-pos10=right|label10=Dakshin Baguan | numbered10=CT| mark-title10= Dakshin Baguan (CT)|shape-color10=#C40000

|mark-coord11={{coord|22|14|57|N|87|47|43|E}} | label-pos11=right|label11=Goasafat | numbered11=CT| mark-title11= Goasafat (CT)|shape-color11=#c40000

|mark-coord12={{coord|22|7|30|N|87|48|43|E}} | label-pos12=right|label12=Kotbar | numbered12=CT| mark-title12= Kotbar (CT)|shape-color12=#C40000

|mark-coord13={{coord|22|5|10|N|87|52|19|E}} | label-pos13=right|label13=Erashal | numbered13=CT| mark-title13= Erashal (CT)|shape-color13=#C40000

|mark-coord14={{coord|22|22|45|N|87|52|41|E}} | label-pos14=left|label14= Chatara| numbered14=R| mark-title14= Chatara (R)|shape-color14=#C40000

|mark-coord15={{coord|22|28|5|N|87|41|14|E}} | label-pos15=right|label15= Shyamsundarpur Patna| numbered15=R| mark-title15= Shyamsundarpur Patna (R)|shape-color15=#C40000

|mark-coord16={{coord|22|25|28|N|87|44|21|E}} | label-pos16=left|label16= Uttar Mechogram| numbered16=R| mark-title16= Uttar Mechogram (R)|shape-color16=#C40000

|mark-coord17={{coord|22|21|38|N|87|53|30|E}} | label-pos17=left|label17= Janu Basan| numbered17=R| mark-title17= Janu Basan (R)|shape-color17=#C40000

|mark-coord18={{coord|22|14|0|N|87|47|0|E}} | label-pos18=left|label18= Moyna| numbered18=R| mark-title18= Moyna, Purba Medinipur (R)|shape-color18=#C40000

|mark-coord19={{coord|22|11|19|N|87|55|8|E}} | label-pos19=left|label19= Nandakumar| numbered19=R| mark-title19= Nandakumar, Purba Medinipur (R)|shape-color19=#C40000

|mark-coord20={{coord|22|5|31|N|87|51|22|E}} | label-pos20=left|label20= Chandipur| numbered20=R| mark-title20= Chandipur, Purba Medinipur (R)|shape-color20=#C40000

|mark-coord21={{coord|22|16|42|N|87|54|11|E}} | label-pos21=left|label21= Chak Srikrishnapur| numbered21=R| mark-title21= Chak Srikrishnapur (R)|shape-color21=#C40000

|mark-coord22={{coord|22|10|30|N|87|53|47|E}} | label-pos22=left|label22= Bhabanipur| numbered22=R| mark-title22= Bhabanipur, Purba Medinipur (R)|shape-color22=#C40000

|mark-coord23={{coord|22.3923|N|87.9426|E}}| label23=Rupnarayan| label-color23 = #77A1CB| label-angle23=80| label-pos23=right| label-size23=10| mark-size23=0| mark-title23=none

|mark-coord24={{coord|22|27|5|N|87|44|10|E}} | label-pos24=left|label24= Dakshin Maynadal| numbered24=H| mark-title24= Dakshin Maynadal (H)| shape-color24=#AA6666

|mark-coord25={{coord|22|26|15|N|87|44|49|E}} | label-pos25=left|label25= Purbba Gopalpur| numbered25=H| mark-title25= Purbba Gopalpur (H)| shape-color25=#AA6666}}

Tamluk is located on the right bank of the Rupnarayan river, about 19 km upstream from where it joins the Hooghly River.{{rp|226}}

Image:Purba medinipur.png

Tamluk police station has jurisdiction over Tamluk (municipality) and Tamluk CD Block. Tamluk police station covers an area of 214.14 km² with a population of 352,748.{{cite web |url = http://www.dospiwb.org.in/site.php |title = District Statistical Handbook 2014 Purba Medinipur |work = Tables 2.1, 2.2 |publisher = Department of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of West Bengal |access-date = 10 November 2016 |url-status = usurped |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170729135056/http://www.dospiwb.org.in/site.php |archive-date = 29 July 2017 |df = dmy-all }}{{cite web| url = http://emdp.co.in/detailstation/TAMLUK |title = Tamluk PS | publisher= Purba Medinipur District Police | access-date = 10 November 2016}}

{{Historical populations

|1972 |5,849

|1881 |6,044

|1891 |6,612

|1901 |8,085

|1911 |8,048

|1921 |8,348

|1931 |9,095

|1941 |12,079

|1951 |13,599

|1961 |17,986

|1971 |22,478

|1981 |29,367

|1991 |

|2001 |

|2011 |65,306

|footnote=

|source=Census of India{{cite journal|first=Pranab |last= Ganguly |first2=Suvas |last2=Bose |date=|title=Population Trends in Midnapore District, West Bengal, 1872–1981 |journal=Vidyasagar University: Journal of Social Sciences |others=Inaugural Number 1991–1992 |url=https://www.academia.edu/7661574/Population_Trends_in_Midnapore_District_West_Bengal_1872_1981 |publisher=Vidyasagar University |location=Midnapore |pages=1–13 }}}}

According to 2011 Indian Census, Tamluk had a total population of 65,306, of which 33,260 were males and 32,046 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 6,180. The total number of literates in Tamluk was 53,318, which constituted 81.6% of the population with male literacy of 85.0% and female literacy of 78.1%. The effective literacy rate of population (7 years and above) of Tamluk was 90.2%, of which male literacy rate was 94.0% and female literacy rate was 86.2%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 4,441 and 201 respectively. Tamluk had 14489 households in 2011.{{cite web |title=Census of India: Tamluk |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/pca/SearchDetails.aspx?Id=390725 |website=www.censusindia.gov.in |access-date=9 October 2019}}

Tamluk has two railway stations - Tamluk Junction and Sahid Matangini.

• Sudhir Memorial Institute Tamluk :- It is an CBSE English - Medium School
• Tamralipta Public School, an ICSE and ISC affiliated school
• Matangini Mission School, Tamluk :- It is a Bengali & English - Medium School
• Tamluk Hamilton High School :- A school under West Bengal board, established on 1852.
• Rajkumari Santanamoyee Girls' High School :- A school under West Bengal board
• Tamluk High School :- A school under West Bengal board
• Demari High School :- A school under West Bengal board
• Tamralipta Vidyapith School : A school under West Bengal board
• Ratnali Adarsha Valika Vidyalaya : A school under West Bengal board
• Radhaballavpur Bhima Charan Basu Vidyapith : A school under West Bengal board
• Kulberia Bhimdeb Adarsha Vidyapith :A school under West Bengal board
• Bhander Beria Debendra High School : A school under West Bengal board
• Kakgechia Satyanarayan High School : A school under West Bengal board
• Jogikhop Girl High School : A school under West Bengal board
• Banhichar High School : A school under West Bengal board
• Kelomal Santoshini High School : A school under West Bengal board
• Nakibasan High School : A school under West Bengal board
• Daharpur Tapashili High School
• Salgechia High School
• Zilla Public School

File:Tamralipta Mahavidyalaya.jpg]]

• Tamralipta Mahavidyalaya was established in 1948. It is affiliated to Vidyasagar University. It offers courses in arts, science, commerce and education.{{cite web| url = http://tamraliptamahavidyalaya.org/main/ |title = Tamralipta Mahaviyalaya | publisher= TM | access-date = 1 April 2017}}
• Shahid Matangini Hazra Government College for Women was established at Nimtouri, Tamluk in 2015. It is affiliated to Vidyasagar University.

• Tamralipto Government Medical College and Hospital, established in 2022. It is affiliated to WBUHS.

File:Riverside tamluk.jpg

• Rupnarayan river bank: The bank of river Rupnarayan is famous for picnic.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}
• Devi Barghobhima: Nearly 1150-year-old Temple of Kali named as Devi Bargobhima. This temple is a part of 51 Shakti Peethas. Puranas say that the small finger of left feet of Sati/Parvati fell here when Lord Vishnu cut the sacred Body of Goddess Sati into several pieces to pacify Lord Shiva.
• Tamluk Rajbari: Located on the outskirts of town, the old ruined royal abode of the Bhanj dynasty (Mayur/Peacock),{{citation |title=Bargabhima temple: seeking an unknown mystery |publisher=IIJCRT |url=https://www.ijcrt.org/papers/IJCRT2102193.pdf |author=Shashwati Pandit |date=2 February 2021 }} is a tourist destination.
• Rakhit Bati: It is another place to visit in Tamluk. In the beginning of 19th century it was a secret centre of the then revolutionary party Anusilan Samiti & Gupta samiti. The historian late Shri Tailakyanath Rakhit rebuilt this building.
• Geonkhali: At geonkhali river Rupnarayan joins Hooghly river.

• Khudiram Bose, young revolutionary and martyr
• Matangini Hazra, Indian independence movement revolutionary and martyr
• Satish Chandra Samanta, Indian independence movement activist and leader of Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar
• Ajoy Mukherjee, former chief minister of West Bengal.
• Sushil Kumar Dhara, Co founder of Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar of British India & after independence he also served the state government as `Industry and Commerce Minister'.
• Paresh Maity, artist.
• Mani Lal Bhaumik,{{Cite web|title=.:: Dr. Mani Lal Bhaumik ::.|url=https://www.midnapore.in/people/mani_lal_bhaumik.html|access-date=2021-07-16|website=www.midnapore.in}} Indian American physicist and best-selling author
• Ashok Dinda, former cricketer of Indian National Cricket Team and a politician.

Image: Khudiram Bose 1905.jpg|Khudiram Bose

Image: Tamluk Junction railway station.jpg|Tamluk Junction railway station

Image: Tamluk Junction Foot-over Bridge.jpg |Tamluk Junction Foot-over Bridge

Image:A view from foot over bridge.jpg |A view of station from foot overbridge

Image:Tamluk, rupnarayan river.jpg|Rupnarayan river bank, Tamluk

Image:Ruined royal palace of Tamluk, a heritage building in East Medinipur 19.jpg|Ruined royal palace of Tamluk

Image:Bargabhima, the ancient temple of Tamluk in Purba Medinipur district 07.jpg|Bargabhima, the ancient temple of Tamluk

Image:East Medinipur District and Session Court at Tamluk, Old and New building 02.jpg|East Medinipur District and Session Court at Tamluk

• Tamluk (Lok Sabha constituency)
• Tamralipta
• Tamluk Royal Family

{{Reflist}}

{{EB1911 poster|Tamluk}}

• {{Commons category-inline|Tamluk}}
• {{Wikivoyage-inline|Tamluk}}
• [http://www.tamlukmunicipality.org/ Tamluk Municipality]
• [http://www.purbamedinipur.gov.in/ Purba Medinipur District Official Website]
• [http://www.paschimmedinipur.gov.in/ Paschim Medinipur District Official Website]
• [http://www.tamraliptamahavidyalaya.org/ Tamralipta Mahavidyalaya]
• [http://www.hindubooks.org/temples/bengal/midnapore/page4.htm On temples of Midnapur]

{{Purba Medinipur District}}

{{Municipalities of West Bengal}}

{{Purba Medinipur topics}}

{{Authority control}}

{{West Bengal}}

Category:Cities and towns in Purba Medinipur district

Category:Cities in West Bengal