Kharagpur

Kharagpur is a big city in West Bengal, India, 120 km west of Kolkata. It's known for having the oldest and largest Indian Institute of Technology, IIT Kharagpur. It also has one of India's biggest railway workshops and the fourth longest railway platform in the world at Kharagpur Junction.

History

Kharagpur got its name from King Kharga Malla. It used to be part of the Hijli Kingdom, ruled by various dynasties including Hindu Odia rulers and later the Mughals. Back then, Kharagpur was a small village surrounded by forests, while Hijli was a nearby port town. In 1687, Captain Nicolson, an English colonialist, captured Hijli, but due to losses in a war with the Mughals, Job Charnock left. This eventually led to the establishment of the East India Company in India. In the 19th century, the British created what we now know as Kharagpur. Another port town, Khejuri, was established in the 18th century but was destroyed by a cyclone in 1864. Today, Kharagpur is a small part of what was once the Hijli Province.