KHARAGPUR

also spelled Kharakpur, city, south-central West Bengal state, northeastern India, just south of the Kasai River. Originally only the railway suburb of Midnapore (Medinipur), Kharagpur is now an important rail junction, with workshops and a large, carefully laid-out railway settlement. Rice milling and the manufacture of chemicals, 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 seat of the Indian Institute of Technology (founded in 1950), which has the status of a university. Pop. (1991) city, 177,989; metropolitan area, 264,842.