Bhagwangola was an important river port on the Ganges in the 18th century. It was 18 miles from Murshidabad. As a result of its strategic location it became an important trade and commerce centre. Bhagwangola controlled the trend of market prices in the entire region till Calcutta Port took over towards the end of the 18th century.[1]
Cities, towns and locations in the Lalbag and Domkal subdivisions, Murshidabad district M: municipal town, CT: census town, R: rural/ urban centre, H: historical place Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly
While the Lalbag subdivision is spread across both the natural physiographic regions of the district, Rarh and Bagri, the Domkal subdivision occupies the north-eastern corner of Bagri. In the map alongside, the Ganges/ Padma River flows along the northern portion. The border with Bangladesh can be seen in the north and the east. Murshidabad district shares with Bangladesh a porous international border which is notoriously crime prone (partly shown in this map). The Ganges has a tendency to change course frequently, causing severe erosion, mostly along the southern bank.[2][3][4][5] The historic city of Murshidabad, a centre of major tourist attraction, is located in this area. In 1717, when Murshid Quli Khan became Subahdar, he made Murshidabad the capital of Subah Bangla (then Bengal, Bihar and Odisha).[6] The entire area is overwhelmingly rural with over 90% of the population living in the rural areas.[7]
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivisions. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.
^Chattopadhyay, Arindam. "Socio Economic Development: A Case Study of Bhagawangola I and Bhagawangola II Blocks of Murshidabad District in W.B.". Background of the Study Area. Review of Research, 2012. CiteSeerX10.1.1.300.8564.