Kharagpur
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Kharagpur ( Bengali: খড়্গপুর, Kharagpur ), with around 207,000 inhabitants ( 2011 census ) is the largest city in West Bengal Medinipur district Pashchim in India. It lies at an altitude of 28 m on average.
According to some researchers Kharagpur is mentioned in the Mahabharata, the Indian national epic - here is the demon king Hiramba have prevailed. The historical record, according to Kharagpur was in the 16th century still a small village and surrounded by jungle; large parts of the surrounding region were under the control of Orissa. With the increasing influence of the British, the near Kharagpur situated village Hijli developed into a small port town. Between 1687 and 1886, Kharagpur belonged to the erstwhile Kingdom Hijli; in this time the establishment of the Bengal temple falls in just five kilometers away in the village Malancha (→ weblink).
Founded in 1950, IIT Kharagpur elite university is the oldest Indian Institute of Technology.
Since the end of the 19th century, the city is connected to the network of the Indian Railways. There is a direct train to Howrah. With 1072.50 meters in length the platform of Kharagpur is one of the longest in the world.