About Asansol

It is situated about 200 km away from Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal. Asansol is listed under the 100 fastest-growing cities in the world; and is ranked 42nd in the world and 11th amongst the Indian cities.

The name Asansol is derived from two words – “Asan” which is the name of a tree and “Sol” means a flourishing land with minerals. The Asan tree is found in abundance here, on the banks of the River Damodar. Moreover, it is a land famous for its enriching minerals.

History of Asansol:

Originally, the Dravidian and Austroloid people occupied this region. But from about two thousand and five hundred years ago, Asansol became a primary locale of the Jains. According to a few, it was believed that the last Tirthankar of Jain religion, Mahavira Vardhamana, used to live and work in this area.



Subsequently the district and the town headquarters came to be acknowledged as Bardhaman. The worth mentioning Jain activity and Aryanisation of this region is believed to have initiated the spread of Jainism across West Bengal.

Administration of Asansol:

In 1850, a union board was formed to look after the public needs of Asansol. This municipality panel was approved in the year 1885, but started operating effectively since 1896. At present, the corporation of Asansol is governed by the Asansol Municipal Corporation. Asansol got its own Police Commissionerate in 2011.

Governing Bodies of Asansol are listed here:

• Commissioner of Police (CP): Ajay Kumar Nand, IPS (Asansol-Durgapur Police Commissionerate)
• Mayor: Tapas Banerjee - AITC (Asansol Municipal Corporation)
• Parliamentary constituency: Asansol (MP - Bangsha Gopal Chaudhuri - CPI(M))
• Assembly constituency:
• Asansol Uttar (MLA - Malay Ghatak - AITC)
• Asansol Dakshin (MLA - Tapas Banerjee - AITC)

Geography of Asansol:

The city of Asansol is located on the Gondwana rocks, in the midst of two famous rivers namely; the Damodar River and the Ajay River. A small rivulet, Nunia, flows past the city while another river called the Barakar, connects to the river Damodar near Dishergarh. 

To the north of Asansol lie both the Dumka and Birbhum district; and the Dhanbad district lies on the western part of the city. The Durgapur sub division of Bardhman district is situated on the eastern side. To the south, lies the Purulia and Bankura district in the valley of river Damodar.

Weather and Climate of Asansol:

The climate of Asansol is mainly divided into four seasons, i.e. summer, monsoon, autumn and winter. The standard temperature of this region in summer is around 30 Degree Celsius while in winter it remains about 15 Degree Celsius. Summer in Asansol usually starts from March to May, during which time the city experiences a hot and humid weather.

The nights are relatively cooler than the days in summer. The summer season in Asansol is typically longer than any other season here. Asansol city witnesses heavy rainfall and monsoon during the period between the months of June and September.

In the city of Asansol, winter approaches with the onset of the month of November and leaves usually by the end of February every year. The weather here is usually of tropical type.

So, the climate of Asansol experiences variations from dry and hot summers to chilled and cold winters. Though the city can be visited at any period of the year, but the best season is during the month of September to March; when the weather is quite pleasant here for holidaying.

Economy of Asansol:

The major factors that effects the economy of Asansol is its highly flourishing coal industry. Along with this the city’s economy is also dependent on its large scale iron and steel industries. To encourage the entire coal transportation business, the city started witnessing a substantial growth in its railway industry. Thus Asansol became house to one of the busiest railways in the country. Hence these bumper industrial metropolises helped tremendously in driving this growing city's economy.

Art and Culture in Asansol:

Asansol is located in the state of West Bengal, which is on the whole a culturally rich and ethnically diverse state in the country of India. In Asansol, people come from different religions and ethnicities. But together, everyone hang about unified as one. The majority of the people who reside here, primarily converse in Bengali.


The people of Asansol are very fond of music and dance, as well as movies and fine arts. People of West Bengal take an exceptionally high value in schooling and education. There are a number of good colleges and universities in Asansol for its citizens and quite a few in the close proximity, easily accessible from the city. Bengali literature along with Bengali music is quite famous in West Bengal as well as all over the country.

Festivals in Asansol:

Being an integral part of West Bengal, Asansol is quite rich in terms of culture, ethnicity, traditions and festivals. The fairs and festivals are celebrated in the city of Asansol with great enjoyment and religious emotions.


These celebrations keep the city entrenched to its traditional and spiritual ground. Durga Pooja is undeniably the most significant festival celebrated all over Bengal, including Asansol.

Other core festivals also celebrated in Asansol are:

• Charak Puja
• Basant Utsav
• Bera Utsav
• Jagaddhatri Puja
• Holi
  

Travel and Tourism in Asansol:

The city of Asansol is equally important for tourism purposes as well. It offers an ample amount of sightseeing attraction to its visitors. There are several parks, dams, picnic spots and religious places to visit in Asansol. Within a radius of 20 km around the city, one can find several places of interest that will keep you pre-occupied on a holiday trip.


The tourist sites in and around the city of Asansol are very calm and rejuvenating The Maithan dam is one ideal picnic spot in the city, which is taken for pleasure in by the tourists as well as the local individuals. There are also a number of famous temples nearby frequently visited by the residents here. Placed in such a stunning natural forte, Asansol reveals itself as a favourite holiday getaway.

Some important places to see in Asansol are:

• Kalyaneswari Temple
• Maithan Dam
• Nehru Park
• Churulia
• Panchet Dam
• Satabdi Park
• Joychandi Pahar
• Rabindra Bhavan
• Sarat Mancha
• Ghagharhbudi Temple
• Chandrachur Temple
• Jaydev Kenduli
• Asansol Mall and Asanasol Centrum
• Sugam Park
  
  

Shopping in Asansol:

Asansol's is at present a trendy fast-paced city that homes several malls and shopping places, like the Galaxy Mall, Arugho Complex, Burnpur Market, Big Bazaar etc. From cheaper street shopping to branded items shopping, the city offers you all.

There are a lot of shops available for buying garments, fashion accessories, electronic goods, sweets, and sports items etc. The famous footpath Hutton rd - Raha lane area offers you to shop for various classy yet cheap and bargain-able items.

Transportation in Asansol:

Air: There is no direct air link to Asansol, with the exception of a private airfield at Burnpur. The nearest major commercial airport to Asansol is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU / VECC) in Kolkata, which is about 200 km from the city, from where one can get cabs and taxis regularly to reach Asansol. The other major airports near to Asansol are the Birsa Munda Airport (IXR / VERC) at Ranchi (about 229 km away) and Jessore Airport (JSR / VGJR), Bangladesh (about 278 km away).

Rail: Asansol is very well connected by railways; in fact it is the heart of railway transportation in this area.  The Asansol Railway Division is currently a part of the Eastern Railway Zone. Accordingly, Asansol gains superb connectivity with all the major cities of the country.



Asansol is one key junction of the Howrah-Delhi railway track. There are many trains moving to and fro through this busy junction and most of the trains stop here.

Road: Asansol falls on the Grand Trunk Road i.e. NH 2. The highway is straight, conventional and superb for travelling. It is a smooth four lane road with a divider in place. Many AC/Non AC Volvo and other state buses runs daily from Asansol to all the major regions of West Bengal. Though the primary means of transport inside the city is the public bus facility, one can always opt for travelling via auto rickshaws, taxis and cabs.

Facts and Figures about Asansol:

• Coordinates: 23.68'N 86.99'E
• Area (Metropolitan City): 127.3 km2 (49.2 sq mi)
• Elevation: 97 m (318 ft)
• Population (recorded as of 2011)
• Metropolitan City: 1,243,008
• Density: 4,434/km2 (11,480/sq mi)
• Metro: 1,243,008
• Time zone: IST (UTC 5:30)
• Sex ratio: 1.08
• Literacy: 84.82%
• Website: asansolmunicipalcorporation.org
• PIN: 713 3xx
• Telephone code: 0341
• Vehicle registration: WB 37 / WB 38 / WB 44
• Official Languages: Bengali, Hindi, English, Urdu