Kharar is a historical town of Ghatal and one of the oldest towns in Asia. This city is located in the Ghatal Subdivision of the Indian state of West Bengal. This town was part of Hooghly District, eventually being merged with the Medinipur district.

In 1884, according to section 8 of the then Bengal Municipality Act Kharar municipality had been established with Rayerdanga, Krishnapur, Udaygunge and Dalapatipur village under its jurisdiction. Initially Kharar was under Arambagh subdivision of Hooghly district. Later it was transferred to Ghatal subdivision of Paschim Medinipur

Kharar is located at 22°42′N 87°41′E / 22.7°N 87.68°E / 22.7; 87.68.

Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, scholar, social reformer and a key figure of the Bengal Renaissance, was born at Birsingha on 26 September 1820.

Ghatal subdivision, shown in the map alongside, has alluvial soils. Around 85% of the total cultivated area is cropped more than once. It has a density of population of 1,099 per km², but being a small subdivision only a little over a fifth of the people in the district reside in this subdivision. 14.33% of the population lives in urban areas and 86.67% lives in the rural areas.

Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

In ancient times, this area was known for its brass and bell utensils and as goldsmiths.

The principal crops are paddy and potato.