Kharagpur

Kharagpur, city, south-central West Bengal state, northeastern India. It lies just south of the Kasai River, about 70 miles (110 km) west-southwest of Kolkata (Calcutta).

Kharagpur was originally only the railway suburb of Midnapore (Medinipur), but it is now an important rail junction, with workshops and a large, carefully laid-out railway settlement. Rice milling and the manufacture of chemicals, steel, shoes, and silk cloth are important industries. The city has a Muslim saint’s shrine that is venerated by Muslims and Hindus alike. Declared a municipality in 1911, Kharagpur has a museum and is the first seat of the Indian Institute of Technology (founded 1950), which has the status of a university. The city also has an air force base. Pop. (2001) city, 188,761; urban agglom., 272,865; (2011) city, 207,604; urban agglom., 299,683.