Samta (India)
| Samta | |
|---|---|
| Village | |
 | |
  Samta | |
| Coordinates: 22°28′00″N 87°54′29″E / 22.466705°N 87.908145°ECoordinates: 22°28′00″N 87°54′29″E / 22.466705°N 87.908145°E | |
| Country |
 India |
| State | West Bengal |
| District | Howrah |
| Area | |
| • Total | 0.396 km2 (0.153 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 6.37 m (20.90 ft) |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Bengali, English |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| PIN | 711324 |
| Telephone code | 03214 |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Uluberia |
Samta (pronounced: Bengali pronunciation: [ʃaːmt̪ aː]) is a small village and a Gram panchayat in the Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Samta is located between villages like Ghoraghata, Nabasan and Asaria. It is situated on the banks of the Rupnarayan River and is located between Howrah and Kharagpur on the Indian South Eastern Railway and just after the stations of Bagnan and Ghoraghata. It is also the second nearest village to Deulti station, after Mellock.
History
Early days of Zamindari and its collapse
Samta is a very reputed village. Its history dates back to centuries. It was earlier ruled by the "Roy Zamindars". The Zamindars were formerly surnamed Banerjee, but they were given the title of Roy, by the British. The Zamindars were then under the Bardhaman Raj Estate. The Zamindari started to collapse as the British introduced the system of Dual Government, then at the end of the mid seventeenth century, it finally collapsed and its functions were then taken by the Panchayat Samiti, and only the well educated members of the Zamindar family became the head of the Samiti and all the villagers would listen to them and their decisions. Ishan Chandra Roy was a famous sarpanch of Samta's Panchayat Samiti. He is still remembered for his good works. His samadhi which was located in front of the Roys' house can still be seen but is underwater at present. The Roy's still live in Samta but have scattered and started living in Samta, Deulti and its nearby villages. A cluster of the Roy family can be seen living in a hill located in the heart of Samta close to the famous, Shetola Maa Temple and the local barrage.
Arrival of Government and progress
Later, the village’s progress and all the public properties were taken by the Government of West Bengal but the Panchayat Samiti still exists but it is not much poupular like the early days. Still now there had not been much progress as in the cities but the villagers earn a good living and stay in pucca houses and hardly a few works as maids or servants but still there are no lampposts to lit roads at night. The main road called Sarat Road is made with pitch but they are derelict, the roads which pass through the village are made with bricks, mud or clay.
Clubs
Samta also has many clubs of which one needs special attention. That football club called Mellock Bisalakhi Athletic Club was established in 1905. The club is a football fan club and still exists in this village.
There is a club called 'Nabarun'. Nabarun organizes a cricket tournament every year between November to January in the ground of Panitras High School which is also known as 'Biswanath Chatterjee Smriti' Cricket Ground.
A new NGO has been established in Samta which is now known as "Samta Naibedya" and it is a philanthropic association and is serving the rural distressed people since 2009.
Temples
Many temples can be found in Samta, but there are mainly two primary and numerous small temples in the village. The main are the Shetola Maa Templa (or, Shitala Maa Temple) and the Madanmohan Jiu Temple.
Maa Shitala Temple
The Roys, who still live in the village worship Goddess Shitala and Goddess Singhabahini (Durga) in this temple. The actual idol of Durga was stolen. The present idol was bought and brought after the theft and is made up of eight kind of metals, so it is an ashtadhatu murti (idol of eight metals). It is believed that the thieves who stole it were cursed by the Goddess and became blind so they left their idol somewhere and fled away, but it is unknown that where was it left.
The people from the whole village come here and worship the Goddess along with Maa Shashti and Lord Shiva during festivals like Shitala Puja, Durga Puja, Itu Puja, Janmashtami and so on. It is the only temple of Goddess Shitala in Samta and its nearby villages and is the most reputed temple too.
Madanmohan Jiu Temple
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Madanmohan Jiu Temple situated at Mellock, near Samta locally known as Gopaler Mondir is a large, beautiful, terracotta ornamented, dilapidated temple of Radha & Madanmohan Jiu. It was built in 1651 AD by a wrestler known as Mukundaprasad Roychoudhury. It is one of the largest ‘atchala’ (roof with 8 slopes) temple in Bengal. The condition of the temple now is derelict and is presently under renovation.
Other Famous Temples
The other famous temples are the temple of Lokenath Baba and the temple of Shiva|Lord Shiva at Shibtala (or, Shivatala), a spot in the village of Samta. Local temples are also located in the village but one which needs special attention is the temple of Maa Chandi, which is locally known as Shubho Chandi Tala, which literally means - "The temple of the lucky Chandi". The idol worshiped in this temple is very ancient and was found in the fishing net of a fisherman who was fishing in the Rupnarayan River. It is believed that some thieves stole it and were carrying it in a boat when somehow by some means the boat along with its occupants and this idol sank in the Rupnarayan River. It was found while rescuing their bodies from the river. The idol is kept in a temple under an Ashoka tree, near the barrage.
Geography
Samta is located on the fertile pains of the Rupnarayan river. It has an average elevation of 6.37 m (20.9 ft). It is situated about 1 kilometer away from the bank of Rupnarayan River. The main road passing through the heart of the village is built on a barrage is commonly referred to as the "Baandh" (a kind of breakwater created to protect the villages from floods). It is also connects to NH 6, called the Bombay Road though the nearby village called Mallock and the road passing through them which starts from the Bombay Road and leads towards Kalyanpur and Hooghly in the north, called the "Sarat Road". This is an unplanned village.
Present condition and surroundings
The village is surrounded by gardens and trees, there are also numerous ponds and swamps occupying most of the village. There are also fishes and different types of animals in Samta.
There is insufficient supply of electricity but water is available twice a day. There are no lampposts to lit roads at night. The main road called Sarat Road is made with pitch but it is derelict, the roads which pass through the village are made with bricks, mud or clay.
Rivers like Damodar and Rupnarayan flow along the village, thus, the soil here is very fertile for crops like that of rice, wheat and vegetables. Though earlier the river Rupnarayan was much closer to the village but later it changed its course and since then it has moved far away. But, nowadays the river water is breaking the shore and is coming close to the village. A small channel from the Rupnarayan passes through the village, so the water there was used with the help of machines, which collected the water but later the machines rusted and were destroyed and since then they have not been repaired. There the it is now controlled by a barrage, which is locally known as baadh. The baadh leads to Mellock in the south and to the immortal poet and novelist, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s house, Sarat Chandra Kuthi, in the north.
There is also a cremation ground on the banks of Rupnarayan River and beside the barrage.
The dry river bed where once the Rupnarayan River once flows is at present a popular picnic spot, countless people come here on holidays, visit Sarat Chandra Kuthi and spend the whole day at the river side. There are guest houses like the famous Nirala Resort but it is located 2 to 3 km away from the spot in the nearby village of Mellock. So, it is not even located in Samta, instead it is located in Mellock.[1]
Flora and fauna
Different types of animals along with domestic animals are found in Samta. Except domestic animals like cows, goats, etc. one can also find other animals like wolves and foxes and hear them howl at night. Wild cats, called bagrolin Bengali, Monitor lizards called gosap or guisaap (গোসাপ or গুই সাপ) in Bengali and different types of snakes, spiders and insects are also found here. Frogs are also found here.
At night one can hear the owls hooting and the wolves howling. The whole village is lit by the moon and the fireflies at night. It's a scene to gaze at and adore.
Different types of plants like bamboo, Sal tree, mango, Banana tree and so on are found here.
Birds like nightingale, cuckoos, parrots, common green pigeon, Yellow-footed Green Pigeon called holud kuri in Bengali (হলুদ কুড়ি), Pompadour Green Pigeon, Common Emerald Dove, Rock Pigeon, crows, Indian Cuckoo called bou katha kao in Bengali (বউ কথা কও), jungle babbler, Oriental Magpie Robin, ducks and Asian Koel are also found here.
All tropical crops like that of rice, wheat, vegetables, chilis, potato, mustard, cauliflower, cabbage, tomato and so on are grown here. Horticulture is also practiced here.
Varieties of fishes are also found in the rivers of Rupnarayan and Damodar but Samta is mainly famous for its Ilish.
Transport
Located near the South Eastern Railway station, Deulti, it is close to the NH 6, also known as Bombay Road. It is about approx. 60 km by rail and 67 km by road from Kolkata. Thus, proximity to Kolkata with good means of connectivity gives this place and added benefit and room for future growth.
The local transports exists in the form of rickshaws, rickshaw-vans and trekker (a kind of jeep). Recently, new routes have been started using trekkers from Deulti station to neighbouring villages and railway halts such as Bagnan, Mallock, etc. This has resulted in a significant growth in the number of daily commuters from these areas. People of areas such as Mallock would avail the trekker service to reach the Deulti station and then travel by train. These "Daily passengers" (as referred to in the local parlance) is gradually making Deulti a more happening and busy station.
The significance of Deulti to Samta
Samta and its nearby villages like Mellock, Birampur, Gobindopur, Baraberia, Kankte, Mashiara, Kalyanpur, Amrajol, Mankur and Dakaberia are often referred as Deulti (Bengali: দেউলটি) by tourists due to the popularity of Deulti, which also refers to the Deulti station. That is the main reason for why some mistake the house of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay to be in Deulti instead of being at Samtaber in Samta.
Deulti and Deulti Station
The Deulti Station is one of the oldest stations of Bengal Nagpur Railway and was built in 1890, when India was under British rule and then it was known as Deulti Local. After Indian Independence the name was changed to Deulti Station.
Deulti often refers to Deulti Station and its nearby villages, which consists of the shops of the Deulti Bazar, the nearest Bazaar to Samta. But, tourists refer even Samta and its nearby villages as Deulti due to the popularity of the station even in the present age.
Nearby villages and towns
After Samta comes before the famous census town of Kolaghat, where the Kolaghat Thermal Power Plant is situated,[2] and other small villages like Tamultala and Naupala. The nearby villages to Samta are Mellock, Panitras, Birampur, Gobindopur, Baraberia, Kankte, Mashiara, Kalyanpur, Amrajor, Mankur and Dakaberia.
Education
Many schools are found near Samta which includes- Panitras High School(H. S.), Which is situated in village Panitras, Samta Sarat Chandra Uccha Balika Bidyalay, Samta Primary School (which is located near Shibtala), Children's Institution is also situated in Panitras and the newly established, Vivekananda Institution. However, no college has been so far established. The education seekers have to travel to Bagnan to have higher educations.
Libraries
There are many libraries in the village but the oldest is "Samta Sarat Chandra Library". The library was established by the Roys and other villagers, especially Ishan Chandra Roy. The building of the library was destroyed in the 1978 floods. So then the villagers requested an international non-governmental organisation called Lutheran World Service[3] to rebuild it but they said that they could only help if the plot on which it is built is given to the government as it was a personal property. Since then the library is a property of the government.
Other libraries include the newly built "Sarat Smriti Granthgar".
Economy
Rice mill
A rice mill known as "Indumati Rice Mill" was set up on the Sarat Road, near to Mellock and Samta. This mill was a welcome move in the region as it promised jobs for the localities as well as development of the region. However, it later turned out that the rice mill was a source of huge pollution in the region. This mill is located far off from the nearest river, Rupnarayan. The discharge of poisons gases such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide was a cause of major concern for the neighbouring people. It does damages the road and pollutes the environment and the village but also employs to a huge number of people living in Samta and its nearby villages.
Market
The market is a major employment for the locals; there are as many as more than 100s of shops to fees the growing population of 5000 (including suburbs and remote areas). This main market place is located close to the station and is known as "Deulti Bazar" or "Station Bazar". This also becomes a place of "adda" for the all sections of the society.
All such shops are small retail and ration stores which are often unable to apply economies of scale; rather they often charge a premium when compared with the larger markets in Bagnan, Kulgachia, etc.
Occupation
The people earn their living by working in the city, Kolkata or in nearby factories or mills. They also work as teachers in schools or in coaching classes but the main occupation is agriculture, fishing in the Rupnarayan and jaggery, a few works as farmers, domestic help, and fishermen and so on. We can even find a few working as guides in the nearby heritage spots. The women are bound to the house works like cooking, washing and so on. Some are also horticulturists and are either professional gardeners or have a deep passion for gardening. Many even work as masons. There are more occupations by which the inhabitants of Samta earn their living.
Jaggery
Jaggery is a traditional unrefined non-centrifugal whole cane sugar, date palm and taal consumed in states of India. It is called "gur" (গুড়) in Bengali and is traditionally made in the village of Samta.
House of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay
Sarat Chandra was born into poverty in Debanandapur, Hooghly, West Bengal in India but he spent the later years of his lifetime as a novelist here in Samta. His house in Samta is often called by and shown as "Sarat Chandra Kuthi" (Bengali: শরত্চন্দ্র কুঠী) in the map of Samta in Howrah, West Bengal. He used to live in Samta and stay in his house with the fishermen and washer men. So the villagers separated him from the village, as fishermen and washer men were considered to be of low caste. So he along with the houses where he lived with the fishermen and washer men, used to call as a separate village called "Samtaber".
The Rupnarayan River then used to flow right outside the window of Sarat Chandra’s ground floor study. Now, the river has changed its route and has moved far away. The author would often gaze at the sparkling river while writing Abhagir Swarga, Kamal Lata, Shesh Prashna, Palli Samaj, Ramer Sumati, Pather Dabi and Mahesh. The two storied Burmese style house was also home to Sarat Chandra's brother Swami Vedananda, who was disciple of Belur Math. His along with his brother Swami Vedananda's samadhi can still be seen there. Swami Vedananda was a disciple in Belur Math. The trees like that of bamboo, galoncho and the guava trees planted by the renowned author are still tourist attractions.[4]
Parts of the house-like the mud-walled kitchen-collapsed and the house was damaged in the 1978 floods, the Zilla Parishad undertook its repair spending 
77000. After it was declared as a Heritage or Historical Site by the Clause 2 of the West Bengal Heritage Commission Act 2001 (Act IX of 2001)[5][6] in 2009 the whole house was renovated and the belongings of Sarat Chandra like his furniture, walking stick, shoes etc. were polished and are restored in showcases. The tress which was almost going to fall down and die was given proper care and support. The house’s boundary has been extended till the Samadhis, surrounding them which earlier used to lie on the road. Except these tress have been planted around the house which add to its beauty.
Opposite to the house there is also a pond, which he mentioned in his novel Palli Samaj; he mentioned about two fishes of the pond,-who lived there-as Kartika and Ganesh, in the novel.
Sarat Mela
Sarat Mela is an annual fair which is held in late January every year for seven days to showcase the different lifetimes of Sarat Chandra. The fair is solely dedicated to Sarat Chandra and his works. Sarat Mela was started in 1972. Complete with countless stalls of handicrafts and local products, giant wheels, merry-go-rounds, stalls of jalebi, papad, toys, utensils, etc. Cultural programmes mostly held by local talents, debate and singing competition is also held. Students display their handicrafts as do amateur and professional gardeners. They also display uniques like oversized vegetables and plants, series of terracotta relief plaques depicting the various phases of Sarat Chandra’s life like his childhood, his marriage, his homeopathic clinic for the poor, his last journey to Kolkata’s Park Nursing Home in a palanquin and so on which catch the eye. Also such clay “illustrations” of Sarat Chandra’s works like Mahesh are installed. The fair ends late at night with Chhau dance and a fireworks display.
The fair is held on the Panitras High School grounds some distance from Sarat Chandra’s house but if it could be shifted to the open space where the Rupnarayan River once flowed right in front of the house people could link the two more easily. The Government of West Bengal does not provide funds, only private and public donations allow the villagers to hold the fair. However, sometime the number of people it draws is reduced due to unpleasant weather conditions like rainfall.
Festivals
Almost all Hindu festivals are celebrated here as the entire village has a Hindu population. But the main celebrated festivals are as follows:
- Local Dol Yatra is held every year on a Purnima (full-moon day). However the villagers celebrate Holi a day after the full moon day. On the day of Holi the idol from the Gopaler Mondir is carried to a nearby house by a palanquin. There special rituals are performed and at evening it is brought back to the temple in a traditional way. The road is surrounded by burning bonfires. The people have to make their way and carry Gopal by an ancient wooden palanquin through the road surrounded by burning bonfires. Aciidents do happen in this kind of festival but no loss of life has been recorded so far.
- Durga Puja is organised to pay homage to Goddess Durga either by the clubs on the road, by building temporary pandals built by bamboo or it is held in the temples of the village mainly in the Shetola Maa Temple. Sacrifice of animals is still practiced here
- Shitala Puja is held to pay homage to Goddess Shetola only in the Shetola Maa Temple in the whole village. Sacrifice is practised in this festival too.
- Janmashtami is also held in almost all the temples of Krishna in the village.
- Special puja is held on the birth anniversary of Lokenath Baba in the temple of Lokenath Baba.
Other festivals celebrated with great pomp and show include Bengali New Year, Shivaratri, Arandhan and so on. Gajans are held daily in all the temples dedicated to Krishna.
The annual fair called Sarat Mela is also held in Samta.
Famous people from Samta
| Name | Details |
|---|---|
| Amulla Ghoshal | He was a famous science teacher in Samta. |
| Khagendra Nath Ghoshal | He was a social worker and was born and brought up here in Samta. The Sarat Road, which leads towards Kalyanpur and Hooghly in the north and Bombay Road in the south, was built by selling his wife's ornaments. |
| Sarat Chandra | Sarat Chandra is a famous novelist who was born into poverty in Debanandapur, Hooghly, West Bengal in India but he spent his early years of his lifetime as a novelist here in Samta. Sarat Chandra lived here from 1926 till his last illness in 1938. |
Major disasters
| Disaster | Time | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Storm | October 1942 | A severe storm ragged the village. Trees got uprooted and houses collapsed leading to the death of many people. This disaster took place during Durga Puja, which is the most celebrated and awaited festival in West Bengal. People took shelter in their houses or the temples. That year Durga Puja was not celebrated in the village. It took place at the time of the 1942 hurricane and flood at Bombay and the tropical cyclone called the "Bengal Cyclone" which affected the city of Calcutta.[7] |
| Floods | 1978 | Thousands of houses were flooded as the banks of the River Damodar broke and the water poured in Samta and the other villages surrounding it. The crop fields were all destroyed. Huge amount of property was destroyed leading to loss of thousands of life. The water level on the ground of villages was 15 to 20 feet. It took 1and a ½ months to get back to the previous condition and for the water to move into the Rupnarayan River. This was the worst floods in living memory. Much of the crops were ruined and fresh water supplies were contaminated. The government helped a lot during this flood.[8] |
| Storm | December 2004 | This storm took place at the time of the 2004 Tsunami. The effects of the storm was same as the 1942 storm but there was no loss of life. |
| Storm | May 2009 | This storm took place at the time of the Cyclone Aila, the storm also ragged the city of Kolkata and was locally known as Aila storm. A huge storm was accompanied by rain. Trees got uprooted, and parts of the mud-walled houses in the village collapsed. There was no recorded life loss in the village of Samta.[9] |
Gallery
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A pond situated in the heart of the village.
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The mud idols of Lord Kartik left under a tree to get washed off by the rain, after Kartik Puja.
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One of the two stones used by Mukunda Roychowdhury to do bodybuilding. They are kept in the campus around the Madanmohan Jiu Temple. The other one is lost. One can even see the imapct of his energy which made curves on the stone.
See also
References
- ↑ Nirala Resort's Website
- ↑ "Plants". The West Bengal Power Development Corpn. Ltd. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
- ↑ Lutheran World Service's Rural and Urban Development
- ↑ House of Sarat Chandra
- ↑ Origin of W.B. Heritage Commission
- ↑ West Bengal Heritage Commission Act 2001 (Act IX of 2001)
- ↑ 1942 Bengal Cyclone
- ↑ "1978 Floods". BBC.
- ↑ "Cyclone Aila death toll reaches 82, rescue on". Times of India. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Samta (India). |
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