Bolpur block is located amidst picturesque landscapes in Birbhum district of West Bengal. Earlier, in appreciation of its scenic beauty, pleasant climate and plentiful natural resources available, Birbhum was also known to the foreign travelers as ‘Switzerland of Bengal’. Locally, the name Birbhum had been explained as the land of the ‘Vir’. However, a variety of interpretations are available for the word ‘Vir’. It is said to reflect the richness of the soil or abundance of green jungle or the ‘manlier’ race of people that lived here or the title of the Hindu kings who had once ruled the place. The district has also had a significant place in the socioeconomic history of Bengal.
Bolpur existed as a small village of around 163 mud houses with agriculture of paddy, sugarcane and cotton. The name of the village originally refers to the place (Pur) of historic one thousand sacrifices(Boli) to the goddess by the local king Surath. East India company established the first railway line in 1859, when the Sahebganj loop line was extended beyond the river Ajay. Bolpur railway station was established in 1860. Along with this, court, police station, sub registry office, etc., were established in old Bolpur. Then people started residing here. Christan missionaries came; they founded a church that was known as Mission compound. Paddy storage house, stationary shops, grocery shops, garment shops etc. were on the east side near Bolpur railway station. The transformation of this traditional village Bolpur into the administrative block of today which includes 169 census villages and a municipality, has been influenced by the socioeconomic and political developments not only within, but also outside the country.
