Mahishadal

Geography

Like other Raj families of East Midnapore, Mahisadal Raj also belonged to a Mahishya family (arguably the word Mahishadal itself originated from the word "Mahishya"). It was founded by Bhuiya Ray Mahapatra, whose sixth descendant, Kalyan Ray,  could not realize the revenue and had to furnish Janardan Upadhaya, a Brahmin of substance, as his security. The zamindari was held over a century by this Brahmin family till the Permanent Settlement. During the days of Rani Janaki Devi, it reached its zenith in the 18th century. There are two palaces – the old one was built in 1840 and the new one in 1935. One can see stuffed animals, hunting weapons of the 16th and 17th century, paintings and furniture. Gopaljew and Ramjew temples are popular with tourists. The place is half an hours drive from Haldia. File:Mahishadal Raj Bari.JPG|Mahishadal's old rajbari Mahishadal police station has jurisdiction over Mahishadal CD block. Mahishadal police station covers an area of 135 km2 with a population of 182,365. The police station is located at Garh Kamalpur mouza. The headquarters of Mahishadal CD block are located at Rangibasan. 79.19% of the population of Haldia subdivision live in the rural areas. Only 20.81% of the population live in the urban areas, and that is the highest proportion of urban population amongst the four subdivisions in Purba Medinipur district. Note: The map above presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.