An old map of Calcutta

Ever since the British East India Company started their commercial operations in Calcutta some times in the last decade of the 17th century they have attempted to study and document the many facets of the city through maps, sketches and paintings. People often refer to the map of Calcutta drawn up in 1792/93 by Upjohn and the one prepared in 1828 by Capt. Prinsep.

Shown above is the Upjohn map of Calcutta.

The Prinsep map is shown above. A chance look at a book on Calcutta by Lord Curzon revealed yet an older map, as surveyed and prepared by Lt. William Wyllie in 1753. That makes it nearly forty year older to that of Upjohn.

This map of Calcutta naturally raises a number of questions. For instance, it shows the famous Dalhousie Square Tank, also known as "Lal Dighi", as being of a rectiangular shape. The position of some of the building such as the Court House, the Church of St. Anne and the original Fort William itself are to be seen in this map. Of course much changed following the attack on Calcutta in 1756 by the forces of Nawab Siraj-ud-daula.

Stained Glass in Kolkata churches

The art of "stained gass" in which molten glass is stained in small batches with mineral colours and is later assembled into large pictorial windows, was imported from Europe into India in the 18th and early 19th centuries, and especially into Kolkata, which at that time was the centre of the British administration.

This picure is of the stained glass to the right of the alter at the St. John's Church on Council House Street near BBD Bag in Kolkata.

The stained glass window at St. Thomas' Church on Middleton Row close to Park Street in Kolkata, is quite large and colourful.

The Bathing "Ghats" of Kolkata

The bathing "ghats" are part of the cultural tradition in Kolkata. Situated mostly on the eastern banks of the River Hooghly, itself a branch of the holy Ganges, the "ghats" or the steps leading to the river, at times with nice pavilions to shelter from the sun, go back nearly three hundred years. These sites are shown in several of the old maps. This one is from Upjohn's map of 1794, showing some of the "ghats" to the north of the present city.

The "ghats" are places where many people assemble for religious ceremonies on designated auspicious dates. A dip in the river is still considered to be part of a purification ritual. Many carry away a little bit of the river water to wash some part of their home or to use it for some household religious ritual.

Several of these "ghats" are linked up with the history of Kolkata, such as the Prinsep Ghat named after James Prisep, who first decoded the Brahmi script of Ashokan edicts, oe Babu Ghat, named after the husband of Rani Rashmoni, who in the mid 19th century had bested the British admnistration on several ccasions.

Discovering Calcutta - A book now in Bengali

 There are many books on Calcutta in both English and Bengali. Some deal mostly with the history, some are about a few of the well-known families of the city, some are on the Bengali cuisine, etc.

There is now - thanks to Ananda Publishers - a book that takes the reader around in easy-paced walks to discover the city for oneself. 

This book, "Paye Paye Kolkata" (or, Walks in Calcutta) guides the reader along the main routes to see the city more fully, in its history, architecture, something of its social history, the eateries, and so many things. There are sections on old maps of Calcutta, the well-known sweet-meat shops, old paintings and lithographs, and so on.  The book is available at most retail outlets, or from the office of Messrs. Ananda Publishers.

 

Bowali - An interesting Suburb of Kolkata

 Bowali, which is a suburb of Kolkata on its south-western fringe, is historically notable. Approachable via Tollygunge, Behala and Bakrahat, Bowali at one time was the ancestral residence of the Mondal family that had large land-holdings in that area dating back to the 18th century. Even now, some of the relics of that age, such as the "Rasha-mancha" shown below, may be seen.

One section of the family broke away in the late 18th century and came over to the Tollygunge area of Kolkata, just next to the famous Adi Ganga. Here was constructed in 1797 the huge "nava-ratna" or nine-pinnacled temple to the deity, Radhabinode by Ramnath Mondal of the Bowali family. It is said that this was taken as the model for the famous Dakshineswar temple built by Rani Rashmoni to the north of Kolkata.  

Barrackpore - once a colonial outpost

Much has been lost in Kolkata (till 2000 known much more widely as Calcutta, the first capital of British India) over the last one hundred years or so; but much still remains. Thanks to the personal interest taken by Shri Somen Mitra, Additional Director General of Police (West Bengal Police), the Governors' House in Barrackpore near Kolkata has received a new lease of life. Slowly, the classical architecture with the Doric facade is emerging out of the dust and shadows of years of neglect.

Barrackpore can be easily reached by a short drive of less than an hour from Kolkata along the Barrackpore Trunk Road, turning left at Chiria More, or four-way crossing, towards the Barrackpore Cantonment; the main sites are to the left shortly beyond the small Lady Hardinge Bridge. One may go in a shorter time of about half an hour from Sealdah Railway station by suburban train up to Barrackpore; but such trains tend to be quite crowded.
The history of the governor's house at Barrackpore goes back to the life and  times of Lord Wellesley, governor-general at the Fort William in Calcutta in 1798. Since then it has served as the country residence of successive Governors-general and Viceroys of India under the British colonial rule, till India achieved Independence in 1947.

 

It was in the adjoining military cantonment at Barrackpore, that Mangal Pandey, a sepoy in the Native Infantry, lit the lamp of revolt against the British military establishment, that saw its rise into the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 (also known as India's first War of Independence) against British misrule in India. 

Barrackpore is a short journey by local suburban train (best over a week-end) or by car from Kolkata. After passing "Lat Bagan" (literally, the governor's garden) at Barrackpore,  one would have get permission from the local Directorate of Police Training and proceed to the Lady Hardinge Bridge a short distance from the "White Tiger Statue". The small museum in the basement of the Governor's House is a "must see" for local history - indeed for modern Indian history.

  

Kolkata - a city that grows on you

Tucked away in the far south-eastern corner of the Gangetic plains, about 1400 kms away from the bustling capital city of Delhi, Kolkata ( earlier known as Calcutta - once the second city of the British Empire) had not been given much attention earlier by tourists. It is overlooked that Calcutta was the administrative centre of British India during the days of the East India Company from about 1695 and later, from 1858, the seat of the British colonial administration in India. It was, in fact, capital of British India upto 1912, when this was shifted to Delhi. 

Now it is coming increasingly into its own. Teeming with people of all colours and creeds, with notable historical sites, a major centre for art and culture, cuisine of all sorts at affordable prices, many places to "chill-out" with friends, Kolkata seems to grow on you.

                                            The Calcutta Collectorate

Walking through the streets of Kolkata there are so many sights and sounds that one can experience: there is the Flower Market on way to the Howrah railway station, church bells on a Sunday morning, or chanting of prayers at a temple, or a horse carriage ride near the Victoria Memorial. The archtecture in the city is varied, from a ixture of Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque during the British adminitsration, to the Indo-Saracenic, to "ath-chala" of native Bengal; a few of these are illustrated on this page.

                                            Victoria Memorial

                                                        The Flower market

                                                        St John's Chirch

There is so much to see and do, so many interesting art galleries and museums, theatres (though mainly of Bengali plays). There are many books on the history and architecture of Calcutta, and the work "10 Walks in Calcutta" is a useful read, appreciated by Lonely Planet and Frommers. This book guides the visitor through easy walks to discover the city. For those who can read Bengali, one can leaf through the "Paye Paye Kolkata" recently published by Ananda Publishers, that should give a visitor a good introduction to the city.

Kolkata - College Street Coffee House

Coffee parlours are to be found in many places  in Kolkata, They offer a variety of flavours to match most tastes. But for the "regulars" - and   I mean regulars who would go to the same place day in and day out - it is the College Street Coffee House that stands out leagues ahead. Housed in what was once the Albert Hall (named after the Prince Consort to Queen Victoria) right in the middle of academia with the Sanskrit College on one side and the Presidency College on the other, with the Calcutta University and the Calcutta Medical College a short distance away, it was here that the students of all hues and interests thronged in their spare time away from the classes and library work.
Approached by an ancient winding staircase, the Coffee House became a focal point for informal debate, discussions, assignments for generations of students for the last eighty or ninety years. Completely unprepossessing, the drab and dingy place provided that essential ingredient for a vibrant student life - freedom: freedom to say what you like, as you like, feel what you like - provided you don't really hurt the feelings of some one else.

A bit of the Coffee House remains with one all the time, once one has sat at a table there, whether one is now working in Australia or in Canada, whether one is forty or seventy. For it is part of one's growing up.