During the reign of the mighty Mughal Empire, Ram Sundar Mitra had got the Laminar at Barasat town. Sankar Chakrabrorty, a commander of Pratapaditya, the king of Jessore (At present in Bangladesh), came to Barasat in 1600s and established himself in Barasat town.
In 1700 AD, Hazrat Ekdil Shah, the Muslim saint, started residing at Kazipara, Barasat. He was known as a social reformer. His tomb, located in Kazipara, is a pilgrimage site for the Muslim community. During the British Raj, Company officials from Calcutta made Barasat a weekend retreat location. They created many garden houses at various places within Barasat town.
Warren Hastings had made his Villa in the heart of Barasat town. Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, the renowned Author, was the first Indian Deputy Magistrate of this town. Indigo cultivation was a major business in and around the town. The indigo merchants were known for their inhuman treatment towards the farmers. Titumir, a farmer of indigo cultivation, had declared revolution against british Indigo merchants for torturing the farmers and ultimately, he can able to stop the torture against scarification of his life.
Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar, Pyari Charan Sarkar, Kalikrishna Mitra were known for undertaking several social reformative actions in Barasat, including development of education, along with women education and widow marriages. In the early Nineteenth century, there was a college in Barasat called Barasat Cadet College, for the training of new recruits and cadets who arrived from Europe for the first time to India. The college was shut down in 1811.
From 1834 to 1861, Barasat was the seat of a joint-magistrate, known as "Barasat District". In 1861, the joint magistracy was abolished, and the Barasat District became a sub-division of the Twenty-four Parganas district. At present it is the district headquarters of North 24 Parganas district. Barasat Municipality was established on 1 April, 1869, but up till 1882, it did not have any independent existence. Like other offices it was controlled by the Magistrate Office.
After 1882, Barasat Municipality became an autonomous body. Barasat Association, a citizen's organization, had helped Barasat Municipality by donating land for the construction of the Municipal building. Previously, there were 4 no of wards under Barasat Municipality, which were increased to 18 nos. In 1995, after amalgamating with the surrounding Panchayat areas within Barasat Municipality, a total of 30 municipal wards were created. After that before 2010 municipal election that was increased to 32 no of wards and before Last election, the wards increased to 35 no of wards.
Source: Barasat Municipality
