Rishra

Rishra is a city and a municipality in Srirampore subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). The origin of Rishra situated on the right bank of the River Hugli dates back to the pre-colonial era. The reference of Rishra was first seen to have occurred in the Bipradas Piplai poem “Manasamangal Kavya”, written in the fifteenth century. At the time of giving a description of the movement of Chand Saudagar along the River Bhagirathi in a barge for the business. There has been further and marked an evolution in the said spelling down the era as Reshra, Risshra, Isharah, Ichera, Icchra, etc. In Jadavpur University, a research work was conducted in respect of the names of villages in our country. It was noticed that there are several villages in our country in a single name. But the name of Rishra has been found to be unique during such research exercise. In the book written on traveling description by a French traveler Vernia, the name of the Rishra village was noticed which was situated eight miles away from Kolkata. During the Sen Dynasty, it is told that there were hermitages of the saints (Rishi) on the bank of the river Bhagirathi. It is presumed that the name “Rishra” might have been derived from the word Saint or Rishi with whom it is believed to have been associated over a pretty long time in the past. During the Mughal period, the village Rishra and its suburbs were thickly populated. The hot and humid climate of the area was congenial to the textile industry. The land was thus famous for textile and silk weaving. The Hindu weavers here used to manufacture fine cotton pieces, while Muslim weavers monopolized in silk manufacture. In the fertile land in and around the area, paddy, jute, and betel-leaf were grown in abundance. The Kaibartas utilized the marshy land for fishing. During the last phase of the industrialization under the Danish rule, the entire civic administration was completely disrupted. After taking over the possession of the town of Serampore, the British Company began to look after its civic amenities. The earlier “village committee” was transformed into Serampore Municipality. Rishra and Konnanagar were included.[1] Manasa Mangal is the first book or proof where Rishra's name can be found. Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose came to Rishra and took rest at the time of his great escape.