Historic attractions ) temple,
Karnagarh The Chapaleswar and Mahamaya temples at
Karnagarh built in the Odisha style of temple architecture aka
Kalinga Architecture, 10 km north of the town, are two of the most popular temples. Both were built in the 10th century by Karna Keshari of Keshari/Soma Vamsi Dynasty of Odisha. Other temples from the eighteenth century include the Hanuman-jeu Temple in Mirzabazar, the
Shitala temple at Barabazar, and the
Habibpur Kali Temple. One of the oldest temples in the town is the Rukmini temple at Nutanbazar which was built in the 17th century. The
Ramakrishna Mission also has a temple adjacent to an elementary and high school. The goddess
Kali at the Battala temple is an important temple in the locality, but is a more recent addition. There are numerous mazars and dargahs dotting the city. Jora Masjid is the most notable in the town and is the site of a notable annual
urs. Among the mazars, Dewan Baba's mazar near the District Court and Fakir Kua near the bus terminus are locally revered. According to local legend, the water of the well at Fakir Kua majar has mysterious healing powers, although the veracity of this claim is debatable. There are two old churches in the town.
St. John's Church, Midnapore was built in 1851 and the
Medinipur Baptist Church which was built in 1863. In the heyday of
Brahmo Samaj, Midnapore became a major centre of this society. Rishi Rajnarayan Basu, one of the luminaries in the Brahmo Samaj movement, worked as the head master of the Zilla School. The dilapidated hall of Brahmo Samaj, "Brahmo Samaj Mandir" near Midnapore Collegiate School is a silent reminder of the Brahmo presence of yesteryears. Some of the old administrative and educational buildings dating back more than 150 years are still functioning today.
Cultural distinctiveness Life, in general, is slow-paced in Midnapore, as a sort of tribute to the
mofussil provincial heart of the city. Midnaporeans in general are laid-back and friendly. It is not uncommon for shops to open late and to close during the hours of the afternoon in the hotter months of the year. Also shops can close for tea and sporting events such as
cricket and
World Cup football. Tea-shops and
paan-stalls abound and there is a high concentration of
mishtir dokaan (sweet-shops). Here you can find one of the very notable sweets in Bengal – 'Khirayer Gogjaa'.
Adda or Bengali gossip is prevalent and widely enjoyed. The local
Odia dialect is termed as Midnapori Odia. The local dialect of
Bengali is different from standard Kolkata pronunciation and though not as
Odia-centric as the dialects of
Contai and
Dantan, but shows similarities with Odia. Speech is very informal and the
talebossho,
murdhenoshho, and
dontesho are often pronounced differently from the standardised West Bengal dialect. A significant fraction of the population of the undivided district descended from
Vaishnavites – the followers of Shri
Chaitanya – although they follow the rituals and caste system of mainstream
Hinduism now. Since at certain points in history some parts of the area was under Odisha based rulers, it is better described as a mix of
Bengali and
Odia culture. There are
Marwari and
Bhojpuri speakers and a number of speakers of
Hindi in the town as well. Many of the Muslims of the town speak in a
pidgin dialect with a mixture of
Bengali,
Hindi,
Urdu, and
Bhojpuri words.
Entertainment Since many Midnaporeans are fond of walking, a number of parks have come up in recent years.
Gopegarh Heritage Park is a good picnic spot for families and youth and was opened in 2001. Booking for picnic spot and boating facilities can be arranged at the ticket counter. The most popular park of the town is Sukumar Sengupta Smriti Uddan (popularly known as Police Line Park) which is near to Central Bus Stand. Other parks are Sishu Uddan and Khudiram Park. Many people can also be seen in the cooler morning and evening hours walking near the riverfront. There are a number of major theatres in the town including the Aurora, Mahua and Hari Cinema Hall. But Aurora, Mahua are closed now, only Hari Cinema Hall is still running A number of private and government operated halls include the Zilla Parishad Hall, Vivekandanda Hall (inside Midnapore College), and Vidyasagar Hall. These are often the venue for numerous cultural events like the hosting of dramas, concerts, poetry-recitals, and dance programs. Some of these are venues for numerous "Melas" or canivals hosted each year on adjacent grounds such as the Midnapore College-collegiate ground, Church School ground (for the Christmas fair), and the river ground (for large political assemblies). The bank of
Kangsabati River (also variously known as Kasai and Cossye) is great for sightseeing and fishing and a common destination for picnics during the Christmas and New Year's breaks. The bank is being eroded by new construction, brick-kilns and new communities.
Food Midnapore has its unique food culture which people outside the city do not know about. People have their own eating styles which is way different from those living in Kolkata or other parts of the state. There are many amazing dishes and cooking styles which have evolved from this place. Some of the notable ones are "Maacher Tel Jhal" cooked in West Midnapore and "Maacher Tok", a spicy and tangy dish prepared by using dried mangoes or raw mangoes with the fish which is cooked in the East Midnapore. Another unique dish is the "Posto Bati" which is very different from the "Posto Bata" or posto paste (opium seeds) which everyone else in Bengal knows about. Also Khirer Goja is a unique sweet of Midnapore Town.
Religious beliefs and festivals In the month of Asadh, (roughly corresponding to mid-September),
Rathayatra is celebrated as is the case in the rest of
Odisha. A fair is hosted near the local
Jagannath temple. And during Christmas, a fair on the grounds of Nirmal Hriday Ashram is well participated. The church is opened to all on this occasion and people from all communities gather in the prayer hall to view the murals narrating the life of Jesus. The resident students recreate the scene of Jesus' birth with clay models. Apart from that, the regular festivals like
Durga Puja,
Saraswati Puja, and
Kali Puja are well attended. In the last few years, local clubs and communities have competed with each other for designing the best Durga Puja
murtis (idols),
mandaps (interior of abode), and
pandals (bamboo and cloth makeshift enclosures) with hundreds of thousands of rupees often being spent by each club. In recent times, the Pujas hosted by Rangamati Sharbajanin Club, Keranitola, Burdge Town, Chottobazaar, Raja Bazaar, Bidhan Nagar, Ashok Nagar, and Judge's Court have been highly rated. Other common Pujas in the worship of
Shitala,
Jagaddhatri,
Holi,
Janmashtami,
Manasa,
Kartika, and
Ganesh are common but not such a major cause of celebration.
Vishwakarma Puja is popular in the city. Unlike in
Kolkata, Vishwakarma Puja is not celebrated with flying kites. With respect to its tribal history, people in Midnapur fly Kites to celebrate "Mage Porob","Baa Porob","
Baraam Puja", the day of a "Ho" tribal god. This is on the last day of the month of Poush, i.e. Poush
Sankranti. Apart from kite-flying, a fair is also held on Poush Sankranti. It has a rural flavour and is characterised by the trading of handicraft and household goods. The items of trade include spades, knives and other iron tools, combs and other goods made of buffalo-horn, baskets (
jhuri and
dhama) and platters for husking (
kula) made of bamboo and cane, etc. Bheema Puja is another Puja that is not widespread elsewhere. And many more religious festivals are held in Midnapore each year.
Urs of the venerated saint
Syed Shah Murshed Ali Alquadri Al Jilani son of
Syed Shah Mehr Ali Alquadri Al Baghdadi is a major occasion for
Bengali Muslims of West Bengal and
Bangladesh. This is held each year near the Jora masjid (twin mosques). Many devout Muslims observe fasts during the month of
Ramadan, which ends in celebration at
Eid ul-Fitr.
Eid ul-Adha locally known as
Bakhri-Eid is also celebrated. During the
Remembrance of Muharram, processions throng the streets enacting mock stick-fights in remembrance of
Husayn ibn Ali. ==Education==