Bengal District Gazetteers Nadia 1910

Abstract

The district of Nadia forms the north-eastern portion of the general , Presidency Division, .and lies between north latitude 24° 11' and 22° 53', and east longitude 89° 22' and 88° 9'. It extends over an area of 2,793 square miles, and has a population, according to the Census of 1901, of 1,667,491 persons. It takes its name fronj^ the town of Nadia or Nabadwip, situated at present on the west bank of the Bh&girathi, but the administrative headquarters and chief city of the district (although not the most populous) is Krishnagar, on the Jalangi river, in latitude 23° 24' N. and longitude 88° 31' E. The district is separated on the north from the districts of Bound- Pabna and Rajshahi by the Padma or Ganges; on the north- aries‘ west, from the district of Murshidabad, for about three-quarters of this boundary, by the Jalangi or Kharis, and on thf> west from the districts of Bardwan and Hooghly by the Bhagirathi or Hooghly. On the remaining sides of the distriot |there are no natural boundaries, but it is bounded on the south by the 24- Pargannahs district), on the south-east by Jessore, and on the east by Paridpur. On the western boundary there were two strips of land included in the distriot, though they lie,«at present, on the west bank of the Bhagirathi. On the southernmost of these, which has an area of about 11 square miles, lies the town of Nadia or Nabadwip; it is probable that this strip would have been transferred to the district of Bardwan, within {he natural boundary of which it now falls, had it not been for the previous history of the river and the anomaly *which would have been caused by including within another district the town from which the Madia district derives its name : indeed the order for transfer was actually passed by Sir George Campbell, but was rescinded in the following year by his successor, Sir\Riohard Temple. The other strip is the island of Agradwip, which lies about 15 miles north of Nadia: this, however, was transferred to the district of Bardwan with effect from 1st April 1888.