Santragachhi

Santragachhi or Santragachi is a neighbourhood of Howrah city in West Bengal, India. It has a railway station which serves as a railway junction for the South Eastern Railway. Santragachi is mostly a residential locality with a sizeable railway colony with some industries including a hll, a privately owned railway goods wagon making unit. Santragachi is also popular for its large lake known as Santragachhi Jheel which attracts migratory birds such as lesser whistling duck in the winter months. Recent development of new Bus stand and Bus routes from Santragachi is making it a preferred change over point for prople travelling by railways to Kolkata, specially South Kolkata, via Vidyasagar Setu.HistoryIn the early twentieth century, Santragachhi was a large village, with a part within Howrah municipality. According to a legend, the principal family there, the Chaudhuris, who were Barendra brahmins, started staying here 300 years from now. Inspired by them, other Barendra families moved to the place. The railway station of Santragachhi was named after this place, though this place is closer to another railway station at Ramrajatala. Ramrajatala area was considered a quarter of the area under this village.First vernacular school of the Howrah district was established in Santragachhi in 1857 with the help of a Government grant. For Indian girls, the first girls' school of the Howrah district with Indian management was established in Santragachhi in 1863, with a small grant from the Government.