Ben: মেদিনীপুর mēdinīpura
‘Madani’s City’ [Madanipur, Midnapore] City/District, West Bengal
Thre most popular derivation is from Moulana Mustafa Madani, a Muslim scholar who was granted lands here by Aurangzeb, the 17thC Moghul emperor.
There are more than a few suggestions. Medinapur could have been named after any of the following:
- King Medinikar of Orissa in the 3rdC who is famous for his Sanskrit dictionary and may have founded the city.
- Medinimata, a local goddess whose name means ‘mother of the world’.
- Medina, the pilgrimage site in Saudi Arabia, famous for its mosques: perhaps the number or quality of mosques here compared favourably.
Midnapore was an important revolutionary centre under British rule and was the birthplace of many Indian martyrs including Khudiram Bose and Satyendranath Bosu. It was also a key area for two tribal rebellion against the East India Company and the zamindari system in the Santal Revolt (1766-1767) and the Chuar Revolt (1799).
Medinipur District is divided into Paschim and Purba Medinipur [from Ben: paścima, ‘east’; and pūrba, ‘east’].
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Midnapore Railway Station Krupasindhu Muduli