It maintains its importance to date, with most major government offices as well as the headquarters of banks and insurance companies located here. In this Coloured Lithograph from , we can see the square from the steps of the Scotch Kirk. One can see a bustling bazaar with a bewildering mix of vernacular and European architecture.
In the 18th century, it became the main European residential area and was characterised by Grand Palladian Houses set in spacious gardens.
Here we can see the street it in its early days. Held in April on the eve of the Bengali New Year, the festival is still popular and can be seen on the outskirts of the city. This coloured aquatint was created by James Moffat, a Scotsman based in Calcutta. The fact that it was an important port is very clearly reflected in this coloured aquatint, with etching by Daniell, which shows a view of Calcutta from the Hoogly river. This crowded scene has passenger boats, pleasure boats and trading vessels along with the houses and warehouses of wealthy merchants on the bank.
This exhibition helps us visualise Calcutta as it underwent this massive transformation. But cities are constantly in flux. While some of the sites we see in the exhibition have either been lost or changed, many new ones have come up, defining a modern Kolkata. Our aim is to bring alive the many stories that make India and get our readers access to the best research and work being done on the subject. If you have any comments or suggestions or you want to reach out to us and be part of our journey across time and geography, do write to us at contactus livehistoryindia.
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The city's origins date back to the Maurya and Gupta period. The city has also been mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. From Kalikata to Kolkata It is believed that Kalikata was the ancient name of the city and was derived from the Bengali word 'Kalikshetra', which means "Ground of Goddess Kali. The British gave the city, the name Calcutta, which is an anglicized version of the Bengali name Kalikata. In , the Indian government renamed Calcutta to Kolkata. The hold of British on Calcutta became powerful post its declaration as the capital city of British India, in The city underwent rapid industrialization.
Richard Wellesley, the Governor General of Kolkata, worked diligently on the architecture of the city and developed it as the "City of Palaces". This was the era of a high British influence on the culture of Kolkata. Top Hotels In Kolkata. View All Hotels In Kolkata. Shopping Shopping In Kolkata. In the case of Calcutta, Charnock did not chance upon barren land because settlements predated his arrival.
It is true that Job Charnock came on a day and there are records of that and he decided that there would be a settlement here. A city means a lot of people staying together; there are institutions, government, there is economic activity, cultural activity. Datta believes that one of the most significant developments that gave the city a semblance of urban formation occurred in when the Nawab of Bengal Siraj ud-Daulah lay siege to Calcutta in retaliation for the British East India Company engaging in unauthorised development of the structure that is now known as Fort William.
The East India Company was defeated in a decisive battle, making them realise the vulnerability of the fort. Dutta says that post when the fort was remade and fortified with enhanced protection, the construction was exceptionally well done.
It was really this attack on Fort William, a bastion of the British and other Europeans living there, that changed the map of Calcutta. They knew that if there was an attack, there was infrastructure to save them. That is when places like Chowringhee, Esplanade were set up.
Simultaneously, while the fort was being rebuilt and fortified, there was another important development happening on the sidelines. The British East India Company had started an ambitious initiative for which they required a large number of labourers.
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