Palashi | |
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Coordinates | |
Country | India |
State | West Bengal |
District(s) | Nadia |
Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
Area |
• 17 metres (56 ft) |
Palashi (Bengali: পলাশী Pôlashi, formerly rendered in English: Plassey) is a small hamlet on the Bhagirathi river, located approximately 50 kilometres north of the city of Krishnagar in the Nadia District of West Bengal, India. The nearest major town is Beldanga. It has its own local gram panchayat. It is particularly well known due to the battle fought there in 1757.
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The name Palashi is derived from the red flower Butea (Bengali: পলাশ Pôlash - Butea frondosa or Butea monosperma; the English version of the name is presumably from a western Indic form like Urdu palāśi, pronounced [pəˈlaːsi]. Common name in English: Flame of the Forest or Bastard Teak), which flowers in the spring. The word officially used is 'Plassey' not 'Plashi'.
Pâlāshi achieved historical significance when, on 23 June 1757, the Battle of Plassey was fought between the forces of Siraj Ud Daulah, the last Nawab of Bengal (and his French support troops) and the troops of the British East India Company, led by Robert Clive. This event, part of the Seven Years War, ultimately led to the establishment of British rule in Bengal, and eventually, the whole Indian subcontinent. During British rule it became part of Nadia District of Bengal.[1]
In 1998, the Khaitan Group, which operates a factory in Plassey for making sugar, had tried to change the name to Khaitan Nagar. Voluble protests from the local press led the industrialists to give up the idea.
Palashi is located at [2]. It has an average elevation of 17 m (56 ft).
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