Kharagpur (Bengali: [kʰɔɽɔɡɔpuɾ] ⓘ) is a semi-planned urban agglomeration and a major industrial city in the Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal, India.

Kharagpur received its name from the twelfth king of the Mallabhum dynasty, Kharga Malla, when he conquered it.[when?

][8][9] Kharagpur was a part of the Hijli Kingdom and ruled by Hindu Odia rulers as a feudatory under Gajapati Kings of Odisha.

[10][need quotation to verify] Historians claim that in the 16th century, Kharagpur was still a small village surrounded by dense forests.

The only inhabited settlement near Kharagpur was Hijli, a small island village on the banks of the Rasulpur River, in the delta of the Bay of Bengal.

It had important towns like Tamluk, Panskura, and Debra, along with the Kelghai and Haldi rivers on the north, south, and east sides bounded by Bay of Bengal and Kharagpur, Keshiary, Dantan, and Jaleswar on the west.

[citation needed] Hijli was ruled by Taj Khan who was the disciple of Guru Peer Mackdram Sha Chisti.

It is said that Hijli had excellent business and trade centers with judiciary, prison, and administrative offices during the reign of Hindu kings[who?]

The loss suffered by Job Charnock forced him to leave Hijli and to proceed towards Uluberia, while the Mughal Emperor continued to rule the province.

In the 18th century Khejuri, another port town was set up on the banks of the Koukhali River in the delta region.

Kharagpur is the fourth largest city of West Bengal in area after Kolkata, Durgapur and Asansol.

Outside the railway settlement popular areas are Bhawanipur, Subhaspally, Kharida, Malancha, Inda, Jhapatapur, Talbagicha, Prem Bazaar, amongst others.

An important market place has developed in and around Gole Bazaar, a reliable but highly congested shopping destination for locals.

Kharagpur acquires its unique place in India as a town of mixed ethnicity and linguistic diversity.

[25][26] The state government is also working on setting up a separate police commissionerate[27] at Kharagpur to enhance the security of this growing region.

State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited, or BSNL, as well as private enterprises, among them Bharti Airtel, Jio and Vodafone Idea are the leading telephone, cell phone and internet service providers in the city.

[43] The public mood and the reaction of society on introduction of rail transport in this region has been nicely depicted by the famous Bengali Novelist Dr Ramapada Chowdhury (who was born and raised in Kharagpur) in his novel Prothom Prohor.

[44] Howrah – Amta light Railway (2 ft gauge - 610 mm) line was completed in 1898 and was operated by M/s Martin & Co. of Calcutta.

After closure of the light railways, the demand for a broad gauge line between Howrah and Amta gained momentum.

After Independence, the requirement of rail link connecting Panskura and Durgachak came up primarily for the purpose of constructing the Haldia Port.

The first phase linked Tamluk and Contai in November 2003, and the tourist destination Digha was connected to Howrah in December 2004.

[49] Geographical location of Kharagpur and its rail links with the rest of the country favored the construction of a centralized workshop with facilities to carry out major repairs of all broad gauge stock.

[50] The Railways also plan to have an East Coast Dedicated Freight Corridor stretching from Kharagpur in West Bengal to Vijayawada of Andhra Pradesh.

Dr Arthur Martin-Leake, Victorian Cross winner was appointed as Chief Medical Officer of Kharagpur Hospital in 1904.

[54] However the town still needs good private hospitals and advanced medication and healthcare facilities as in current situation its citizens have to depend on Kolkata for treatment, which is at a distance of 132 km.

Recently, since the city lies at an important junction of state and national highways, a Trauma Care Centre of level - 3 category is being set up in Kharagpur Sub-divisional Hospital.