Kachua

Kachua or 'Kachuadham' is a village under Basirhat II block of North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India.[2] It is famous for being the official birthplace of Lokenath Brahmachari, a very renowned Hindu philosopher and Yogi in Eastern India.[6] Located in the Ganges delta, Kachua is a regional spot for thousands of Hindu devotees of Lokenath. It is situated at a distance of 28.9 km from sub-district headquarter Krishnapur. Barasat is the district headquarter of Kachua village. As per 2009 stats, 'Kemia Khamarpara' is the gram panchayat of Kachua village. The postal code of Kachua is 743424.[2][4]

Kachua
Kachuadham
Village
Streets of Kachua, near the Kachua Lokenath Mission
Streets of Kachua, near the Kachua Lokenath Mission
Kachua is located in West Bengal
Kachua
Kachua
Location in West Bengal, India
Kachua is located in India
Kachua
Kachua
Kachua (India)
Coordinates: 22.681261°N 88.725222°E / 22.681261; 88.725222
Country India
StateWest Bengal
DistrictNorth 24 parganas
RegionBasirhat Subdivision II [1]
Government
 • TypeGram Panchayat
 • BodyBasirhat Municipality [2]
 • MPNusrat Jahan Ruhi
 • MLARafikul Islam Mondal
Area
[3]
 • Total0.845 km2 (0.326 sq mi)
Elevation
[2]
5 m (16 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total704
 • Density830/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialBengali, English
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Postal Code
743424 [2][4]
Telephone code+91 (0) 33
Lok Sabha constituencyBasirhat[5]
Vidhan Sabha constituencyBasirhat Uttar[5]
Websitelocalbodydata.com/gram-panchayat-kachua-107850

The Indian National Highway NH12 connects to the village.

Geography

Location

Kachua is located 30 km from the state capital city Kolkata.[7] It is located in the Basirhat II Block in North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India.[2] The surrounding nearby villages and its distance from Kachua are Dhanyakuria 2.4 km, Kholapota 8.6 km.

Area overview

According to land area calculations, the Kachua village is approximately 84.5 hectares large. Since Kachua falls under the block of Basirhat II as graded by Ministry of Jal Shakti in 2021, it does not have a water supply scheme.[1] According to the same report, a number of water sources in the village are contaminated by arsenic, and should be analysed before use and crops with low water requirement can be grown in the area.

Demographics

According to a 2011 census, Kachua village itself has a population of just 704 whereas "Kachua-Swarupnagar" has about 8383.[1] A report by the Government of India predicted the population to spike at around 9392 in 2021 at a decadal growth of 12.04%.[1]

According to another report, there are 173 registered scheduled caste (SC) persons of which 77 are females and 96 are males. Females constitute 44.51% and males constitute 55.49% of the scheduled castes population. Scheduled castes constitute 24.57% of the total population.

Administration

When it comes to administration, Kachua village is administrated by a sarpanch who is elected representative of the village by the local elections.[8] The sarpanch of Kachua is Farida Bibi.[5] Kachua falls under the State Legislative Assembly of Basirhat Uttar Constituency headed by Rafikul Islam Mondal and under the Lok Sabha Constituency of Basirhat headed by TMC Member of Parliament Nusrat Jahan.

Religious significance and controversy

Kachua is often referred to as 'Kachuadham' and is considered the birthplace of the Hindu Yogi Lokenath Brahmachari.[9][10][11][12][6] It also consists of the temple compound around the birthplace, a holy pond and the Lokenath Mission - that is responsible for the administration of the temple grounds. Besides the Lokenath Temple, it even has a temple dedicated to Krishna and Radha Gobinda.

On 23 August 2019, on the eve of Janmashtami event, an accident happened, where an old wall broke off leading to a stampede, on devotees of Lokenath Brahmachari, and led to the injury of 16 people.[13] According to many reports, three people lost their lives in this incident too.[14][15] According to a "The Indian Express" article, 5 people lost their lives that day.[16]

Further reading
  • Ashutosh Kumar Singh (2019). "लोकनाथ मंदिर हादसा: क्या हुआ ऐसा जो चंद मिनटों में उत्साह का माहौल मातम में बदल गया". Patrika. Patrika Group. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  • "Kachua: GeoTagged Asset Report 2023". eGram Swaraj. Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR). 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.

References
  1. "Government of India (GOI) AQUIFER MAPPING AND MANAGEMENT PLAN IN PARTS OF NORTH 24 PARGANAS, SOUTH 24 PARGANAS & HOWRAH DISTRICTS, WEST BENGAL" (PDF). Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  2. "Soki India". Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  3. "India Growing". Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  4. "ABP News". Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  5. "Local Body Data: Kachua". Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  6. Bhowmick, Haripada (1983). ত্রিকালদর্শী মহাপুরুষ শ্রী শ্রী লোকনাথ ব্রহ্মচারীর জন্মস্থান প্রসঙ্গে. Lokenath Mission, Kachua. p. 3.
  7. "West Bengal: 4 killed and 21 injured in stampede-like situation near Kachua temple". Times of India. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  8. "Census 2011 India". Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  9. Das, Jitavati (2023). Visuddha Prema. Notion Press. ISBN 9798888839744.
  10. Banik, Shri Haribhakta (2013). বারদীর গোঁসাই: শ্রীশ্রী লোকনাথ ব্রহ্মচারী. Shri Shital Chandra Pal. p. 18.
  11. Bhowmick, Bishnupada (2011). প্রাণের ঠাকুর বাবা লোকনাথের মহাপ্রয়াণ শ্বরোণে - শ্রদ্ধাঞ্জলি ১২১তম তিরোধন দিবস. স্বামীবাগ রোড Branch. p. 30.
  12. "কচুয়ার লোকনাথধাম মন্দিরে দুর্ঘটনা, পদপিষ্ট হয়ে আহত অন্তত ১৬ জন". ABP Ananda (Bengali) (in Bengali). Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  13. "Hindustan Times - Three die in stampede near Bengal temple". Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  14. "The Week - Three killed, 25 injured in stampede near Loknath Dham temple in West Bengal". The Week. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  15. "The Indian Express - Janmashtami: 5 dead in Bengal temple". Retrieved 18 August 2023.
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