About Balurghat

Known for its closeness with nature, this scenic town, Balurghat is the headquarters of Dakshin Dinajpur (South Dinajpur). Balurghat is situated at 25.2200°North and 88.7600°East, River Atrayee runs from the heart of the city enhancing the beauty of the town further.


Balurghat city is surrounded by forest. The presence of this forest area in the region gives way to the several beautiful picnic spots. Many locals as well as tourists enjoy being in the lap of nature at these picnic spots. Two popular picnic spots of the town are; Doghachii and Ragunathpur.

History of Balurghat

Dinajpur district was split into West and East Dinajpur at the time of partition of India. East Dinajpur or Dinajpur came under the region of East Pakistan or Bangladesh and West Dinajpur came in the region of Indian Territory.

In 1956, West Dinajpur District was enlarged under the States Reorganisation Act and fw parts of Bihar were added to it. On 1st April, 1992 the district was again bifurcated into Uttar Dinajpur (North Dinajpur) and Dakshin Dinajpur (South Dinajpur), Balurghat became the headquarters of Dakshin Dinajpur.

This small town of Balurghat is known for its scenic beauty and pollution free environment.
The history of Balurghat dates back to ‘Pal’ and ‘Sen’ dynasties. During archaeological excavations some things were discovered which clearly indicated that the place was well habited in the past and was famous for its culture and education.

The mention of the district of which Balurghat is headquarters is also found in the ancient manuscripts and inscriptions, the district was famous with the name ‘Kotibarsha’ and had its capital at Devkot, which is near Gangarampur Town. Locally the place was known as Bangarh. Large number of inscriptions dating back to the age of Ashoka during middle era, has been discovered from the then capital of the district, Devkot. At those times the district was well connected with tree big rivers; Atrayee, Tangon and Punarbhaba.

Economy of Balurghat

The city of Balurghat also acts as a distribution centre for North West Bengal. Some of the main goods traded in Balurghat are; Rice, Sugar cane, Jute and Oilseeds. Jute is also grown in the outskirts of the city.

Geography of Balurghat

Balurpur is situated at 25.2200°North and 88.7600°East. The average elevation of the place is 82 feets.
The Atreyee River, which runs through the city, is an ancient river and is also mentioned in the Epic of Mahabharata.

This river originates from West Bengal and after entering Bangladesh it again enters in India. This is the main river of the area.

Balurghat is located near the border area of India and Bangladesh, Hili. This place is just 25 Km from the city. Read More, Here.

Tourism in Balurghat

Some famous places in and around this beautiful city are:

• Balurghat Museum
• Sarongbari
• Bolla Kali Temple
• Tapan Dighi
• Bangarh
• Patiram Thakur Estate
• Hilli
• Khanpur

Read More Here.

Culture and Festivals in Balurghat

The population of Balurghat consists of Hindus, Muslims and Christians. Muslims and Christians form the minority communities. Apart from national festivals like Republic day, Independence Day and Gandhi jayanthi etc. the region gets coloured with different shades of religious festivals.



The most popular religious festival of the region is Durga Puja. The other main festivals are:

• Poila Baishakh (Bengali New Year)
• Rthayatra
• Basant Utsav or Dolyatra
• Poush Parbon
• Diwali
• Kali Puja
• Laxmi Puja
• Saraswati Puja
• Eid-ul- Fitr
• Eid-ul Addha
• Muharram
• Christmas
• Budha Purnima
• Poucheshe Baishakh (25th day of Baishakh)

Transportation in  Balurghat

By Road: Balurghat is well connected with all major cities round like; Siliguri (290 kms), Malda (145 kms), Raiganj (105 kms) and Kolkata etc. by road.

By Rail: Balurghat railway station is located at the west bank of the river Atrayee. The city of Balurghat is on the east shore and both the shores are connected with the bridge.


There are two rivers which connect Balurghat with Kolkata; Tebhanga Express and Gour Express.

By Air: Balurghat also have an airports which is 6 Km from the main city. This airport is currently non-operational

Fact File of Balurghat

Latitude and Longitude - 25.2200°North and 88.7600°East
Population (2011) - 164593
Literates (2011) - 141381
Average Literacy - 91.66%
Sex Ratio - 996
River- Atrayee