Berhampore (now Baharampur) is a city in the state of West Bengal, India. It is located in the Murshidabad district, situated in the central part of the state. The total population of Berhampore is 1,95,223. It is the seventh largest city in the state of West Bengal. Berhampore is the administrative headquarters of the Murshidabad district. It is located about 200 km (124 mi) from Kolkata, the state capital.
The highest employment in the district is in Paper based, Leather based, Chemical based, Textile based and Mineral based industries. The district has 47% of the workforce employed in the Agricultural Sector, 35% in the Industrial Sector and the remaining 18% are Household workers.
Like other areas of Bengal, Murshidabad also made its contribution to the freedom struggle of India. The Murshidabad District Committee of the Indian National Congress was formed in 1921. Brajabhushan Gupta was its first President. The students participated in movements like the Boycott of Foreign Goods and had links with the revolutionaries. In the Krishnanath College of Berhampore revolutionaries like Surya Sen and Niranjan Sen spent their college days. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Kazi Nazrul Islam spent some of their prison days. Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. Rajendraprasad, C. R. Das and Netaji had also visited the district of Murshidabad during the freedom struggle days.
The district Murshidabad has occupied a distinctive position in the Agriculture Map of the State of West Bengal because the soil, weather & climate of this district permits multiple cultivation. The river Bhagirathi has distinctly divided this district into two zones viz. RARH and BAGRI which are situated on the Western and Eastern sides of the river Bhagirathi respectively. The structure and texture of soil of two zones are also different. The soil of RARH is mostly clay and lateritic clay type, comparatively heavy, gray or reddish in colour. The land is high and slightly undulating having gentle slop from West to East. The soil of the area is generally low in carbon content and acidic to neutral in reaction. The main crops are paddy, potato but oil seed and vegetables are cultivated successfully in all the three seasons. On the other hand, the soil of BAGRI is mainly alluvial type with comparatively light texture, low in organic carbon content and soil reaction is slightly acidic to neutral. The principal crops are Jute, Paddy, etc. The district is well-drained by a number of rivers and rivulets. The important rivers amongst them being the Ganges and its tributaries namely the Bhagirathi, the Jalangi and the Bhairab.
