Furfura Sharif (also known as Furfura, and Furfura Darbar Sharif) is a village in Jangipara community development block of Srirampore subdivision in Hooghly District in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a holy place for some Bengali Muslims. Before the afternoon prayers, people queue up at the mazar (shrine) of Mohammad Abu Bakr Siddique (1846–1939), a prominent pir (holy person) of the town. People say it is the second most prominent mazar in the country after Ajmer Sharif Dargah in Rajasthan.[1]
Furfura Sharif | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 Furfura Mazar | |
  Furfura Sharif Location in West Bengal, India  Furfura Sharif Furfura Sharif (India) | |
| Coordinates: 22°45′01″N 88°07′55″E / 22.7502292°N 88.1320064°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | West Bengal |
| District | Hooghly |
| Elevation | 11 m (36 ft) |
| Population (2001) | |
| • Total | 6,720 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Bengali, English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 712706 |
| Telephone code | 91 3212 |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-WB |
History
editThe masjid built by Muqlish Khan in 1375 is a site for Muslim pilgrimage, especially during the pir's mela (fair).[2] It attracts a large number of pilgrims during Urs festival.[3] Oral tradition holds that the Bagdi (Barga Kshatriya) king who ruled here was defeated by Shah Kabir Halibi and Karamuddin, both of whom were killed in the battle.[4] Their tombs are revered to this day by both Hindus and Muslims.[4] Veracity of the account and other details are unstudied.[5]
Furfura Sharif contains the mazar of one Pir Mohammad Abu Bakr Siddique and his five sons, popularly known as the Panch Huzur Qeblah.[6] He was a social and religious reformer, who founded charitable institutes, orphanages, madrasas, schools and learning centers. He encouraged female education by establishing a School for girls in Furfura Sharif named Siddiqua High School. He was the founder of the "Order Of Furfura Sharif" or "Silsila-e-Furfura Sharif" and a religious congregation observed on the 21st 22nd and 23rd of Falgun Bengali month (Approx 5, 6 & 7 March).[7][8]
Location
editFurfura is located at 22°45′16″N 88°07′48″E / 22.7545°N 88.1301°E
Villages in Furfura panchayat are as follows: Furfura, Purba Durgapur, Gopalnagar, Hosenpur, Dakshindihi, Rampara, Toralpur, Santoshpur, Chak Barada, Belpara, Ramnagar, Nilarpur, Charpur, Bakcha, Kashipur, Ramchandrapur, Hazipur, and Bhimpur.[9]
Demographics
editFurfura had a population of 6,720 out of which 1,133 belonged to scheduled castes and 195 belonged to scheduled tribes according to the census of 2001. [9]
Education
editFurfura High Madrasah is a coeducational institution affiliated to the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education. It has arrangements for teaching Bengali, English, history, geography, philosophy, political science, mathematics and economics.[10] Furfura High Madrasah, established in 1908, is the oldest high madrasah in the district.[11]
The Aliah University controls three other "madrasah colleges" in the state — the "colleges" at Batna (in Malda district), Beldanga (in Murshidabad district) and Furfura Sharif. With the introduction of "modern subjects" including computer application, the teachers for these colleges will now be recruited through the Public Service Commission.[12]
Sk Md Rofiqul Islam was Assistant Teacher and Teacher-in-Charge, Furfura Fatehia Senior Madrasah won the National Award for Teachers in 2007.[13][14]
Healthcare
editFurfura has a Primary Health Centre with 10 beds.[15][16][17]
References
edit- ^ hindu, the (17 January 2021). "The Hindu e-Paper Today: ePaper replica of the print newspaper". epaper.thehindu.com. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
- ^ "Hooghly District". Places of Interest. District administration. Archived from the original on 2 February 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
- ^ "West Bengal Tourism Policy, 2008". Fairs and Festivals Tourism. Government of West Bengal, Department of Tourism. Archived from the original on 24 September 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
- ^ a b Crawford, D. G. (October 2008). A Brief History of the Hughli District By D. G. Crawford. ISBN 9781443766128. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
- ^ Kabir, Humayun (2011). "Contested notions of being 'Muslim': Madrasas, ulama and the authenticity of Islamic schooling in Bangladesh". The Moral Economy of the Madrasa: Islam and Education Today. Routledge. pp. 146–7. ISBN 9780203840788.
- ^ Choudhury. Dewan Nurul Anwar Hussain (2012). "Siddiqi, Abdul Hai". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
- ^ Qadri, M. Aqib Farid. "Conveying Rewards to the Deceased (Isaale Sawaab)". Islamic Academy. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
- ^ "Dariapur Sharif's Isale Sawab on Jan 17". Financial Express, 14 January 2008. Retrieved 12 May 2009.
- ^ a b "Census Data District Name: Hooghly(12) Block Name: Jangipara (0016)". West Bengal Govt. Retrieved 4 February 2009. [dead link]
- ^ "Hooghly district exam venue". West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education. Retrieved 6 October 2018.
- ^ "Contents showing the district-wise total number of different types of Madrasahs recognised by West Bengal Board of Madrasah Education as on 30.04.2001". Hooghly District. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
- ^ Shamsi, Mohammed Shafi. "Finally, Calcutta Madrasa gets status of college". Indian Express, 3 March 2006. Retrieved 6 February 2009.[dead link]
- ^ "National Award to Teachers, 2007" (PDF). Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development, (Department of School Education & Literacy). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2009. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
- ^ Singh, Shiv Sahay. "16 state teachers to be honoured by Centre". Indian Express, 5 September 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2009.
- ^ "Health & Family Welfare Department". Health Statistics. Government of West Bengal. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- ^ "Hooghly.gov.phc". Archived from the original on 17 February 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
- ^ Singh, Shiv Sahay. "16 state teachers to be honoured by Centre". Indian Express, 5 September 2008. Retrieved 6 February 2009.