Suri, Birbhum

{{OSM Location map == Location ==

Suri is located at . Suri is 220 km from State capital Kolkata (Calcutta), 90 km from Durgapur, 34 km from Bolpur–Santiniketan, 55 km from Andal and 46 km from Rampurhat on the Andal–Sainthia branch line of Eastern Railway. It is on Panagarh–Morgram Highway.(known as N.H 60, now N.H 14). It has an average elevation of 71 metres (233 feet). It is situated on the extended part of Chota Nagpur Plateau. Tilpara barrage on Mayurakshi River is located 3 km north-west of Suri. As per the District Census Handbook 2011, Suri covered an area of 9.47 km2. ==History==

Prior to the advent of the British in India and their acquisition of the territory of Bengal, Suri was but merely a small village. Yet, the British colonists preferred to choose Suri as the district headquarters of Birbhum, probably owing to convenience of transport and communication. Suri was well-connected to many places via road, however, it is not possible to tell about the conditions of those roads clearly. These roads can be traced in James Rennel's map of the 'Jungleterry District'(1779). ==Economics==

The chief industries of Suri include rice milling, cotton and silk weaving, and furniture manufacture. In March 2008, a private Kolkata-based firm, Ramsarup Group, unveiled a proposal for large-scale investment in a greenfield power plant and cement manufacturing plant worth Rs 2200 crores (US$550 million) was submitted to the Government of West Bengal. Bakreshwar Thermal Power Plant is around 12 kilometres away from Suri town. ==Demographics==

{{Historical populations As of 2011 Indian Census, Suri had a total population of 1,06,789, of which 54,589 were males and 52,200 were females. The sex ratio in Suri is 963. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 8,935. The total number of literates in Suri was 94,348, which constituted 88.3% of the population with male literacy of 92.8% and female literacy of 85.7%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Suri was 92.9%, of which male literacy rate was 94.8% and female literacy rate was 89.9%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 28,857 and 927 respectively. Suri had 25385 households in 2011. ==Transport==

Suri has a well organized road transport system with both Govt. Bus Service (SBSTC, NBSTC & WBTC) and private bus service. The town is well connected to major towns and cities like - Kolkata, Durgapur, Asansol, Purulia, Bankura, Medinipur, Digha, Massanjore, Rampurhat, Bolpur, Burdwan, English Bazar, Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, Katwa, Balurghat, Raiganj etc. through roadway. Siuri is a model Railway Station. It is situated at the southern part of the town, at Hatjan Bazar. It connects Suri directly with places like Howrah, Kolkata, Bardhaman, Durgapur, Guwahati, Rampurhat, Malda, Siliguri, Puri, Chennai, Surat, Jhajha, Asansol, Ranchi Nagpur, Bilaspur, Bhubaneswar, Visakhapatnam, Dimapur, Jamshedpur, Purulia, Cuttack, Vijayawada, Raipur, Durg etc. Some of the important trains that run via Siuri are, • Vananchal Express • Surat–Malda Town Express • Ranchi–Kamakhya Express • Puri-Kamakhya Express (via Adra) • Mayurakshi Fast Passenger • Nagaon Express • Dibrugarh–Tambaram Express • Hool Express • Siuri-Sealdah Memu Express ==Language==

Principal language of communication is Bengali, Hindi and English. ==Education==

Colleges main entrance • Suri Vidyasagar College • Birbhum Mahavidyalaya. • Birbhum Institute of Engineering & Technology • Sri Ramakrishna Shilpa Vidyapith, also known as "L. C. College There few Diploma Technical Colleges (private), D.ED. Colleges and B.ED. colleges situated at Suri. Satsang Mission Medical College, Hospital & Cancer Research Institute is expected to be completed in the next 3 years. Schools • Total 18 Higher Secondary Schools including Birbhum Zilla School, U.P. Public School, Levelfield School, are there. Others schools are R.T. Girls' High School (established-1884 as River Thompson Girls' High School, Suri Public and Chandragati Mustafi Memorial High School, Suri Benimadhab Institution (established-1917), Kaligati Smriti Narishiksha Niketan, Suri Ramkrishna Vidyapeeth and Muuk-Badhir Vidyalaya (Deaf and Dumb School, established-1936). ==Libraries==

The first library set up in Suri was the library of Birbhum Zilla School (established-1851). Then, "Ratan Library" was set up by Sibratan Mitra, The Ramaranjan Town Hall and Public Library was set up in 1900. The District Library of Birbhum (established-1955), set up during the implementation of the first five-year plan, stands beside the Vivekanada Library and Ramaranjan Town hall. ==Civil Administration==

Suri municipality is ninth oldest municipality of West bengal after that of Kolkata, Uttarpara, Shantipur, Howrah, Krishnanagar, Burdwan, Basirhat, and Berhampore. It is divided into 21 wards. It was controlled by the Indian National Congress-Trinamool Congress alliance. In the 2010 municipal elections, the municipality faced a hung verdict. Later, the Trinamool Congress with 8 councillors, formed the municipal board by taking the support of 6 Congress councillors. In municipal elections of 2015, TMC won 15 seats, INC won 3 seats, and BJP got 1 seat. Municipal Election 2021 Trinamool Congress won all 21 wards. ==Local specialities==

Suri is famous for a special sweetmeat called Murabba & Achar (fruits/vegetables preserved in sugar syrup) comes in a wide number of varieties, which includes Murabba of Satamooli. ==Places of worship==

“Serious scholars of terracotta have accepted Birbhum as the place where some of the finest terracotta temples of Bengal are found… the oldest and the finest temple — known as Radha Damodar temple — is in Suri town. It’s a majestic aatchala dedicated to Damodar, the other name of Shiva.” David J. McCutchion mentions the aatchala Radha-Shyam temple built in the 17-18th century, brick-built with phulpathar facades richly carved. Suri is one of those places where religious harmony is found. Some famous temples are situated in Suri. Moumachhi Club has established a Kali temple in Suri, which is unique and grand in this town. Other famous temples are Bamni Kalibari, Bhabatarini Kalibari, Dangalpara Anandapur Sarbajanin Matrimandir and Shib Mandir, Radha Ballav Mandir, Shani Mandir, Damodar Mandir, Rabindrapalli Kalibari, Rakshakali Temple, Kendua Dakshin Para Kali Mandir. Durga temple of Chattoraj family is a very old and heritage temple of the town. it is situated at Seharapara. A lot of people visit this temple during the Durga Puja. The newly established Shiv Mandir attracts many people of the area. People will love to experience the rituals of the traditional Durga Puja. Singha Bahini Mandir, situated in Barui-Para is another very old temple which attracts many devotees every day. The traditional-style Durga puja and Kali puja at the Singha Bahini Mandir is also enjoyed by the devotees. There are a few mosques in Suri and among them, the Masjid at Masjid More and the one at Madrasa Road deserve special mention. Suri is famous for Dargah of Hazrat Data Mehboob Shah. Dargah is flocked by thousands of devotees every day. There are three churches in this town. The oldest one is Northern Evangelical Lutheran Church, Suri situated near Lalkuthipara in Suri. ==Festivals==

Every year in Suri there is a very famous fair held, called the 'Barobagan Mela'(Now postponed due to political problems). This historic fair was inaugurated by the then Governor of Bengal Lord Brabourne. Religious festivals like Durga Puja, Laxmi Puja, Kali Puja, Diwali, Jagaddhatri Puja, Janmashtami, Eid, Muharram, Christmas are celebrated in Suri. Book-fairs are also held every 3–4 years. 'Suri Utsav' which is an alternative attempt to the famous 'Barobagan Mela' has been started from the year 2023-24. It brings a joyful festival atmosphere to the people of Suri. The credit of this Suri Utsav Festival goes to the Chairperson of the City. ==Climate==

The climate of the district is generally dry, mild and healthy. The hot weather usually lasts from the middle of March to the middle of the June, the rainy season from the middle of June to the middle of October, and the cold weather from middle of October to the middle of March. They do not always correspond to these limit. The wind is from the south-east in the summer and from the north-west in the winter. The minimum and maximum temperature data for Suri is given below - For the Year 2011 (in degree Celsius)- For the year 2012 (in degree Celsius)- The average precipitation in Suri is 1307 mm (130.7 cm). It is the lowest in December with an average of 3 mm, while it is the highest in August (299 mm) and in July(297 mm). The average annual temperature is 26.2 °C. ==See also==