It is the headquarter of the Kalna subdivision, situated on the western bank of the Bhāgirathi river.

[2] According to General Alexander Cunningham, the founder of the Archaeological Survey of India, Ambika Kalna was a frontier city of the Tamralipta kingdom during the 7th century.

Kalna houses the only Gaudiya Vaishnavist temple built in the lifetime of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu and the city was also an abode of pilgrimage for the Barnabites.

[2] On the first day of Ramadan 939 AH (27 March 1533), a congregational mosque was built in Kalna by Ulugh Masnad Khan, who was the governor, commander and minister of Alauddin Firuz Shah II, the former Sultan of Bengal.

[3] The city reached its apex during the late 18th century under the patronage of the Maharajas of Bardhaman, who built several temples with intricate terracotta ornamentation.

By road, the town can be accessed from Krishnanagar, Katwa, Bandel, Pandua, Boinchi, Memari and Barddhaman.

The total number of literate people in Kalna was 45,403 (80.04% of the population being over six years of age).

[9] The steady flow of refugees from East Pakistan swelled the population of the area in the 1950s.

[11] Religion in Kalna (2011)[12] Popularized by the sage Bhaba Pagla, the temple of Debi Bhabani holds a special puja on the last Saturday of the Bengali month of Baisakh.

The Krishna Chandra Mandir (1751–1752), with its 25 steeples, depicts several scenes from the epics upon its terracotta walls.

It has preserved a tradition of nearly 300 years and, even today, festivals such as Dol Purnima, Rath yatra, Jhulan Purnima, Annakot, and Rash are celebrated every year involving the people of the region, irrespective of caste, creed, or religion.

Projapoti Bari is also quite well known and is featured in Kalna cruise port lines as a historical destination.

A hall adjacent to the Temple for devotional dancing and musical performances was erected.

His Honour, Maharaj Bahktipromode Puri Goswami had renovated this Temple about 60 years back.

There is also the famous Tamarind tree, more than 500 years old, below which Sri Chaitanya came and met Nityananda.

Recently, Kalna Porjoton Utsab is being organized on every winter (2nd Week of January).

The main mode of local transport is cycle rickshaw and auto-rickshaw, Toto(Electric rickshaw)In this year, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched a River bridge project between Kalna and Shantipur.

Though the main railway station of the town is Ambika Kalna, the northern part of the city can also be accessed through Baghnapara.

There is a Government bus depot operated by South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC) which services Long-distance express buses, connecting various cities (Asansol, Durgapur, Bardhaman, Bankura, Dumka, Digha, Malda, Bishnupur, Balurghat, etc.)

Bus services are available for Krishnanagar, Bongaon, Duttapulia, Tarakeswar, Shantipur, Bagda, Helencha, Phulia, and Ranaghat from Kalna Ghat bus stand (Kalnaghat, Nrisinghapur, Nadia district) on the bank of Bhagirathi River.