Nicco Park
Saturday, August 27, 2011
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
Science City
Detail Information: -
Science City, the largest science centre in the sub-continent, under the National Council of Science Museums (the apex body of science museums/centres in India), consists of two facilities, the Science Centre and the Convention Centre. The Science Centre complex comprises Space Odyssey, Dynamotion, Evolution Theme Park, Maritime Centre and a Science Park. The Space Odyssey houses India’s first Large Format Film Theatre, Time Machine, 3-D Vision Space Theatre, Mirror Magic and exhibits on space science, motion, electricity and virtual reality. The Dynamotion Hall has a Butterfly Corner, Aquaria, an exposition on giant robotic insects and host of interactive exhibits on science & technology for both education and entertainment of the visitors.
The Convention Centre complex comprises the Grand Theatre (2232 seating capacity), one Mini Auditorium (392 seating capacity) and a Seminar hall building with 11 halls ranging from 15 to 100 seating capacity, indoor (270sq.m.) and open air exhibition ground (20000 sq. m). The auditoria’s and the seminar halls are fully air-conditioned. The Convention Centre of Science City is the most sought after destination for conventions, meetings, company AGMs and cultural programmes.
Ticket Rates: -
Entry: Rs. 25.00 Per Person
Space Theatre: Rs. 50.00 Per Person
Evolution Park: Rs. 10.00 Per Person
3D Theater: Rs. 20.00 Per Person
Time Machine: Rs. 10.00 Per Person
Road Train: Rs. 10.00 Per Person
Cable Car: Rs. 25.00 Per Person
For Organised Group: -
Entry: Rs. 20.00 Per Person
Space Theatre: Rs. 40.00 Per Person
Cable Car: Rs. 20.00 Per Person
Timings: -
Science City is open from 9:00 a.m to 9:00 p.m. It remains open on Sundays and Public holidays.
Location: -
24 km east by road from Howrah station. Address & contacts as follows
Science City, J.B.S Haldane Avenue, kolkata – 700046, India
Phone:+91-33- 22854343, 22852607, 23432569
Fax :+91-33- 22859895
Email: sctycal@cal.vsnl.net.in
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
Cossimbazar Kuthi Bari
History: -
Cossimbazar was notorious as a smugglers' den, and when Charnock assumed his new post on Christmas Day 1680 it was over the objections of Streynsham Master, president at Madras, who oversaw the Company's operations in the whole bay of Bengal. Master received a reprimand from the directors for his interference, but although they agreed to free Bengal from oversight by the Madras presidency, Charnock's hopes of promotion to the top Bengal post at Hooghly were dashed when in 1681 the directors sent out one of their own, William Hedges, as agent of the bay and governor of Bengal.
On Hedges's arrival at Hooghly Charnock found him to be an officious neophyte. The rivalry between the Company's two most senior servants in Bengal was aggravated by the intrigues of Company servants and interlopers keen to undermine Charnock's authority and resume their smuggling operations on the side. Charnock was further irritated by the fact that members of Hedges's staff from Hooghly were regularly sabotaging their colleagues' work in Cossimbazar by poaching the local commodities. In 1684 the exasperated directors restored supervisory control over Bengal to the new president at Madras, William Gyfford, and replaced Hedges in Bengal with John Beard, the elder.
When Beard died on 28 August 1685 Charnock finally assumed the position of agent and chief in the bay of Bengal. By this time a crisis had arisen over restrictions on trade, and in particular the Mughal emperor's imposition of a customs duty of 3½ per cent, which the English refused to pay on the grounds that it was in breach of the original firman which exempted them from customs. Relations with the Badsah deteriorated into violent conflict. When Charnock received word of his promotion Cossimbazar was under siege, and he could not leave to take up his responsibilities at Hooghly until April 1686. On his arrival he continued to resist what he saw as extortion, by force or persuasion, and when these did not serve, by taking the Company's business elsewhere.
Finding himself again besieged at Hooghly, Charnock put the Company's goods and servants on board his light vessels. Pursued by the Badsah's troops, on 20 December 1686 he dropped down the river 27 miles (43 km) to Sutanuti, then "a low swampy village of scattered huts", but a place well chosen for the purpose of defence. From Sutanuti he moved on to Hijli in February 1687, where he was again besieged from March to June 1687. After negotiating a truce and safe passage, he transferred the factory back to Sutanuti in November 1687.
This Palace is the headquarters cum residence of Charnock. From here he controlled every movement of East India Company in India. At present this heritage building has been occupied by Sugar & Spice Company.
Location: -
Cossimbazar King's Palace is just northern side of SSKM (Presidency General) Hospital, 11.8 km away from Howrah Station.
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
Firingi Kalibari (ফিরিঙ্গি কালীবাড়ী)
This is the famous Kali Temple established by a Portuguese – Hensman Anthony much popular as Anthony Kabiyal. It is named after it's founder as "Firingi Kali" or portuguese Kali temple. He was a Bengali language folk poet of Portuguese origin known for his works in Bengali devotional songs in the early part of the 19th century. He was also noted for his performance in literary face-offs known as Kavigan.
Location: -
It is on the main road of Bowbazar Street. It is about 2.7 km from away Howrah Station. Nowadays it is a popular holy place for Hindu religion in Kolkata.
Hensman Anthony (Bangla: অ্যাণ্টোনি ফিরিংগী), Biography: -
Born Hensman Anthony, the sobriquet Firingee (The foreigner) was used colloquially in deference to his Portuguese origins may be in 1836 (?). Although not much is known of his early life, Anthony arrived in Bengal sometime in early 19th century and subsequently came to settle in "Farashdanga", in the town of Chandannagar in West Bengal.
He married a Hindu Brahmin widow named "Saudamini" and was deeply influenced by Bengali culture and language, as well as the Hindu religion. Eventually, Anthony came to learn the Bengali language and composed a number of noted religious Bengali songs in devotion to the Goddesses Kali and Durga. He is noted for his Agamani Songs, celebrating the return of Goddess Durga to her parents’ home that marks the Bengali autumn festival of Durga Puja. Anthony is also noted for his literary face-offs in Kavigans, or Bard's duels, with a number of noted Bengali composers including Bhola Moira, Ram Basu and Thakur Singh. Anthony also helped construct a temple to Goddess Kali in the Bowbazar locality of North Calcutta that today is famous as The Firingee Kalibari (The Foreigner's Kali Temple).
In popular culture: -
A 1967 Bengali film by Director Sunil Banerjee celebrated the life and works of Anthony, and had noted Bengali actor Uttam Kumar in the title role. The film was noted for its music, composed by famous Bengali musicians Padmashree Manna Dey, Gouri Prasanna Majumdar among others and earned Uttam Kumar an Indian National Film Award for Best Actor in 1968. Mannay Dey had sung the songs against Antony's voice in this movie. They are in Bengali as follows –
১. আমি যামিনী, তুমি শশী হে - ভাতিছ গগনমাঝে
২. আমি যে জলসাঘরের বেলোয়ারী ঝাড়, নিশি ফুরালে কেহ চায় না আমায় জানিগো আর
৩. চম্পা চামেলী গোলাপের বাগে, এমন মাধবী নিশি আসেনি তো আগে
৪. মা, তুই আমায় দয়া করবি কি না বল
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
Lalbazar (Bengali: লালবাজার)
Lalbazar is a neighbourhood in central Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is part of the central business district adjoining BBD Bag area and is popularly known by the same name.
History: -
The road leading from the north-east corner of BBD Bag to Bowbazar was earlier known as ‘Avenue to the eastward’. It was also known as the Great Bungalo Road. The modern police office was the residence of John Palmer, one of the merchant princes of Kolkata. Earlier to that it was said to be ‘an old ruin of a house, formerly the residence of some black native.’ The house next to it was the Harmonic Tavern, the handsomest house in its day and pulled down long back.
Location: -
Lalbazar - The headquarters of the Kolkata Police is located at 18, Lalbazar Street, Kolkata – 700001 and situated in the far North West corner of BBD Bag area. It is just 2.6 km from Howrah station through Brabourn Road.
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
History of Kolkata Police, Paschimbanga
The Kolkata Police has the task of policing the metropolitan area of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India, as defined under the Calcutta Police Act, 1866 and the Calcutta Suburban Police Act, 1866.
The history of the present structure of policing in Kolkata goes back to colonial times, when the city was known as "CALCUTTA", and was a fledging settlement of the English East India Company. Calcutta was founded by an Englishman, Job Charnock, who was then a key functionary of the Company, had anchored his boat Maddapollam at a village called Sutanuti on the eastern banks of the Hooghly, in 1690. This formed the nucleus of a fortified military settlement which in 1696 (3 years after Charnock's death) along with the villages of Gobindapur and Kalikata, became a prime location for the East India Company's operations in Bengal.
Policing in Calcutta's earliest days was confined to the Mughal administration and their local representatives. Bengal was still technically a part of the Mughal Empire, but the Nawabs of Bengal, based in Murshidabad in North Bengal, were its effective rulers. The Watch and Ward functions were entrusted to a "Kotwal" or town prefect who had 45 peons under him, armed with traditional weapons like staves and spears, to deal with miscreants. In 1720, the East India Company formally appointed an officer to be in charge of civil and criminal administration. He was assisted by an Indian functionary commonly known as "black deputy" or "black zamindar". Under him were three “Naib-dewans”, one of whom was in charge of the police. The settlement was divided into "Thanas" (Police stations) under "Thanadars" who had in turn contingents of "Naiks" and "Paiks". A small contingent of river police was also formed in the same time.
A statute passed in the year 1778 raised the strength of the police in Calcutta to 700 paiks, 31 thanadars and 34 naibs under a superintendent. In 1780 commissioners of conservancy were appointed for the town who also ooked after watch and ward. Policing was still very loosely organized.
In 1794 justices of peace were appointed for the municipal administration of Calcutta and its suburbs, under a chief magistrate who was directly in charge of the Police. In 1806 justices of peace were constituted as magistrates of 24 Parganas and parts of the adjacent districts within a 20-mile radius of the town.
The middle decades of the 19th century witnessed a greater systematization and institutionalization of policing in Calcutta. William Coats Blacquiere, a charismatic city magistrate inaugurated a network of spies or "Goendas". In 1845 a committee under J.H.Patton brought about key changes in police organization which now began to be modeled on the London Metropolitan Police. A Commissioner of Police was appointed with powers of a justice of peace to preserve law and order, detect crime and apprehend offenders.
In 1856 the Governor-General promulgated an Act treating Calcutta Police as a separate organization and S.Wauchope, who was then the chief magistrate of Calcutta, was appointed as the first Commissioner of Police.
He had to face difficult days because of the First War of Independence of 1857, the first upsurge against British rule. He handled the situation ably and was knighted for his achievement. During the incumbency of his successor V.H. Schalch the Calcutta Police Act and the Calcutta Suburban Police Act, which are still in force, were enacted in 1866. Two years earlier (1864) the Commissioner of Police had become the Chairman of the Justices as well and a Deputy Commissioner was appointed to look after the executive police.
It was Sir Stuart Hogg who first set up the Detective Department in Calcutta Police in November 1868 with A.Younan as the superintendent and R.Lamb as the first-class inspector. Hogg was both the Commissioner of Police and the Chairman of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation. His name is still remembered in the Hogg Market, more popularly known as the New Market, one of the landmarks of the city of Kolkata. Sir Fredrick Halliday, who was appointed as the Commissioner of Police in 1906, also introduced several changes in the administration of Calcutta Police including the system of running a Control Room. His biggest achievement was the creation of the Special Branch in June 1909. For his numerous contributions to the growth of the city police, he may rightly be called the father of modern Calcutta Police. During his tenure Calcutta Police was divided into three town divisions and two suburban divisions.
Another person who deserves mention is Sir Charles Augustus Tegart, who headed the Detective Department and virtually controlled the Special Branch since his joining Calcutta Police in 1902. He was the first officer of the Indian Police (IP) in the organization and on his report the Special Branch was created. He reorganized the city police force and made it efficient. A highly decorated officer, he was the Commissioner of Police in the years 1923-31 and was admired for keeping the city free from crime. However, he was unpopular with freedom fightersand his encounters with revolutionaries are a part of popular Bengali folklore. Worth mentioning here are the names of three more Bengalees named Ramgati Banerjee, Sukumar Sengupta and one Zakir Hussain who, for the first time in the Indian history, topped the written examination for the coveted job of Imperial Police (IP) Officers, in 1920. During the Salt movement, The Calcutta Police was controlled by Charles Tegart as Police Commissioner, Ramgati Banerjee as DC(South) and Sukumar Sengupta as DC(North). Later, Ramgati Banerjee left the job and took up teaching as profession, Zakir Hussain left job also to join as First Governor-General of East Pakistan and Sukumar Sengupta continued in the job to become the first Bengalee Inspector General of Police, West Bengal soon after independence.
It may be remembered that the history of Calcutta Police under British rule was an adjunct of the colonial administration. Hence its role was primarily repressive and anti-nationalist. After India gained independence from British rule in 1947, Calcutta Police was re-organised as an arm of a newly emerged nation-state keen on consolidating its freedom. Surendra Nath Chatterjee was the first Indian Commissioner of Police.
The logo: -
Each symbol of the Kolkata Police seal has a special significance.
At the center is the Ashok Stambha, which has been adopted from Ashoka's Sarnath Lion Capital.
The 24-spoked wheel is referred to as the Dharmachakra. Dharma or Religion is the manifestation of the inner conscience and as Swami Vivekananda said: "Religion is the manifestation of the divinity already in man".
Below the Dharmachakra is inscribed Satyameva Jayate which signifies that Truth always prevails.
In between the two circles, which encircle the Ashok Stambha, is the symbolic peacock, which is the national bird. The seal signifies upholding Truth, Valour and Justice. "We who enforce the law must not merely obey it. We have an obligation to set a moral example, which those whom we protect can follow."
Structure: -
At present Kolkata Police has 5 divisions covering 48 Police Stations. It has a strength of approximately 26,000 and a territorial jurisdiction of 185.0sq km**. There are 8 battalions of Armed Police well as specialized branches like the Detective Department, Special Branch, Reserve Force, Traffic Police, Enforcement Branch, Wireless Branch and Security Control Organization. The force is also incorporating Information Technology in a big way - a computer network connects all Divisions, Police Stations and Battalions and there is a separate Computer Section as well. Kolkata Police has thus evolved from a colonial force into a developmental and stability-oriented component of executive governance. It is an integral part of the vision of a free and fair society, which forms the basis of modern India Kolkata Police is an organization with a complex command structure that reflects the diverse range of tasks it is expected to undertake. The administration of the Kolkata Police Force is vested in the Commissioner of Police. The members of the Kolkata Police force, under the general supervision of the Commissioner of Police, are attached to one of the following units:
1) Headquarters Force
2) Detective Department
3) Special Branch
4) Home Guard
5) Mounted Police
6) Special Branch
7) Enforcement Branch
8) Traffic Police
9) Reserve Force
10) Wireless Branch
11) Security Control
12) Armed Police
13) Special Task Force
14) Combat Battalion
Also the organisation has been separated in some divisions:
1) North and North Suburban division
2) South and South Suburban division
3) South East Suburban division
4) Central division
5) Port division
6) Eastern Suburban division
Despite that Kolkata Police have some special forces
1) The Rapid Action force (RAF)
2) Special Action Force (SAF) with approximately 160 combat personnel
3) Commando Force with approximately 200 personnel
4) Kolkata Armed Police (KAP) - 8 Armed Battalion
Rank structure (in descending order of seniority):
Commissioner of Police
(One) Special Commissioners of Police
(Three) Additional Commissioners of Police
(Three) Special Additional Commissioners of Police
(Five) Joint Commissioners of Police
Deputy Commissioners of Police
Assistant Commissioners of Police
Inspectors
Sergeant/Sub-Inspector/Wireless Supervisor
Assistant Sub-Inspector
Naik
Constable/Sepoy
Wireless Helper
Jurisdiction: -
The jurisdiction of the Kolkata Police covers the area of Kolkata District and an adjacent area as well. That adjacent area, like Kolkata District, is within the boundaries of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The Kolkata Police's entire area comprises eighty-six wards of the KMC in their entirety, plus most of another six KMC wards. But it does not cover the entire KMC area.
The Kolkata Police has the task of policing the metropolitan area of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), India, as defined under the Calcutta Police Act, 1866 and the Calcutta Suburban Police Act, 1866.
The history of the present structure of policing in Kolkata goes back to colonial times, when the city was known as "CALCUTTA", and was a fledging settlement of the English East India Company. Calcutta was founded by an Englishman, Job Charnock, who was then a key functionary of the Company, had anchored his boat Maddapollam at a village called Sutanuti on the eastern banks of the Hooghly, in 1690. This formed the nucleus of a fortified military settlement which in 1696 (3 years after Charnock's death) along with the villages of Gobindapur and Kalikata, became a prime location for the East India Company's operations in Bengal.
Policing in Calcutta's earliest days was confined to the Mughal administration and their local representatives. Bengal was still technically a part of the Mughal Empire, but the Nawabs of Bengal, based in Murshidabad in North Bengal, were its effective rulers. The Watch and Ward functions were entrusted to a "Kotwal" or town prefect who had 45 peons under him, armed with traditional weapons like staves and spears, to deal with miscreants. In 1720, the East India Company formally appointed an officer to be in charge of civil and criminal administration. He was assisted by an Indian functionary commonly known as "black deputy" or "black zamindar". Under him were three “Naib-dewans”, one of whom was in charge of the police. The settlement was divided into "Thanas" (Police stations) under "Thanadars" who had in turn contingents of "Naiks" and "Paiks". A small contingent of river police was also formed in the same time.
A statute passed in the year 1778 raised the strength of the police in Calcutta to 700 paiks, 31 thanadars and 34 naibs under a superintendent. In 1780 commissioners of conservancy were appointed for the town who also ooked after watch and ward. Policing was still very loosely organized.
In 1794 justices of peace were appointed for the municipal administration of Calcutta and its suburbs, under a chief magistrate who was directly in charge of the Police. In 1806 justices of peace were constituted as magistrates of 24 Parganas and parts of the adjacent districts within a 20-mile radius of the town.
The middle decades of the 19th century witnessed a greater systematization and institutionalization of policing in Calcutta. William Coats Blacquiere, a charismatic city magistrate inaugurated a network of spies or "Goendas". In 1845 a committee under J.H.Patton brought about key changes in police organization which now began to be modeled on the London Metropolitan Police. A Commissioner of Police was appointed with powers of a justice of peace to preserve law and order, detect crime and apprehend offenders.
In 1856 the Governor-General promulgated an Act treating Calcutta Police as a separate organization and S.Wauchope, who was then the chief magistrate of Calcutta, was appointed as the first Commissioner of Police.
He had to face difficult days because of the First War of Independence of 1857, the first upsurge against British rule. He handled the situation ably and was knighted for his achievement. During the incumbency of his successor V.H. Schalch the Calcutta Police Act and the Calcutta Suburban Police Act, which are still in force, were enacted in 1866. Two years earlier (1864) the Commissioner of Police had become the Chairman of the Justices as well and a Deputy Commissioner was appointed to look after the executive police.
It was Sir Stuart Hogg who first set up the Detective Department in Calcutta Police in November 1868 with A.Younan as the superintendent and R.Lamb as the first-class inspector. Hogg was both the Commissioner of Police and the Chairman of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation. His name is still remembered in the Hogg Market, more popularly known as the New Market, one of the landmarks of the city of Kolkata. Sir Fredrick Halliday, who was appointed as the Commissioner of Police in 1906, also introduced several changes in the administration of Calcutta Police including the system of running a Control Room. His biggest achievement was the creation of the Special Branch in June 1909. For his numerous contributions to the growth of the city police, he may rightly be called the father of modern Calcutta Police. During his tenure Calcutta Police was divided into three town divisions and two suburban divisions.
Another person who deserves mention is Sir Charles Augustus Tegart, who headed the Detective Department and virtually controlled the Special Branch since his joining Calcutta Police in 1902. He was the first officer of the Indian Police (IP) in the organization and on his report the Special Branch was created. He reorganized the city police force and made it efficient. A highly decorated officer, he was the Commissioner of Police in the years 1923-31 and was admired for keeping the city free from crime. However, he was unpopular with freedom fightersand his encounters with revolutionaries are a part of popular Bengali folklore. Worth mentioning here are the names of three more Bengalees named Ramgati Banerjee, Sukumar Sengupta and one Zakir Hussain who, for the first time in the Indian history, topped the written examination for the coveted job of Imperial Police (IP) Officers, in 1920. During the Salt movement, The Calcutta Police was controlled by Charles Tegart as Police Commissioner, Ramgati Banerjee as DC(South) and Sukumar Sengupta as DC(North). Later, Ramgati Banerjee left the job and took up teaching as profession, Zakir Hussain left job also to join as First Governor-General of East Pakistan and Sukumar Sengupta continued in the job to become the first Bengalee Inspector General of Police, West Bengal soon after independence.
It may be remembered that the history of Calcutta Police under British rule was an adjunct of the colonial administration. Hence its role was primarily repressive and anti-nationalist. After India gained independence from British rule in 1947, Calcutta Police was re-organised as an arm of a newly emerged nation-state keen on consolidating its freedom. Surendra Nath Chatterjee was the first Indian Commissioner of Police.
The logo: -
Each symbol of the Kolkata Police seal has a special significance.
At the center is the Ashok Stambha, which has been adopted from Ashoka's Sarnath Lion Capital.
The 24-spoked wheel is referred to as the Dharmachakra. Dharma or Religion is the manifestation of the inner conscience and as Swami Vivekananda said: "Religion is the manifestation of the divinity already in man".
Below the Dharmachakra is inscribed Satyameva Jayate which signifies that Truth always prevails.
In between the two circles, which encircle the Ashok Stambha, is the symbolic peacock, which is the national bird. The seal signifies upholding Truth, Valour and Justice. "We who enforce the law must not merely obey it. We have an obligation to set a moral example, which those whom we protect can follow."
Structure: -
At present Kolkata Police has 5 divisions covering 48 Police Stations. It has a strength of approximately 26,000 and a territorial jurisdiction of 185.0sq km**. There are 8 battalions of Armed Police well as specialized branches like the Detective Department, Special Branch, Reserve Force, Traffic Police, Enforcement Branch, Wireless Branch and Security Control Organization. The force is also incorporating Information Technology in a big way - a computer network connects all Divisions, Police Stations and Battalions and there is a separate Computer Section as well. Kolkata Police has thus evolved from a colonial force into a developmental and stability-oriented component of executive governance. It is an integral part of the vision of a free and fair society, which forms the basis of modern India Kolkata Police is an organization with a complex command structure that reflects the diverse range of tasks it is expected to undertake. The administration of the Kolkata Police Force is vested in the Commissioner of Police. The members of the Kolkata Police force, under the general supervision of the Commissioner of Police, are attached to one of the following units:
1) Headquarters Force
2) Detective Department
3) Special Branch
4) Home Guard
5) Mounted Police
6) Special Branch
7) Enforcement Branch
8) Traffic Police
9) Reserve Force
10) Wireless Branch
11) Security Control
12) Armed Police
13) Special Task Force
14) Combat Battalion
Also the organisation has been separated in some divisions:
1) North and North Suburban division
2) South and South Suburban division
3) South East Suburban division
4) Central division
5) Port division
6) Eastern Suburban division
Despite that Kolkata Police have some special forces
1) The Rapid Action force (RAF)
2) Special Action Force (SAF) with approximately 160 combat personnel
3) Commando Force with approximately 200 personnel
4) Kolkata Armed Police (KAP) - 8 Armed Battalion
Rank structure (in descending order of seniority):
Commissioner of Police
(One) Special Commissioners of Police
(Three) Additional Commissioners of Police
(Three) Special Additional Commissioners of Police
(Five) Joint Commissioners of Police
Deputy Commissioners of Police
Assistant Commissioners of Police
Inspectors
Sergeant/Sub-Inspector/Wireless Supervisor
Assistant Sub-Inspector
Naik
Constable/Sepoy
Wireless Helper
Jurisdiction: -
The jurisdiction of the Kolkata Police covers the area of Kolkata District and an adjacent area as well. That adjacent area, like Kolkata District, is within the boundaries of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. The Kolkata Police's entire area comprises eighty-six wards of the KMC in their entirety, plus most of another six KMC wards. But it does not cover the entire KMC area.
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
The Writers' Building (Bengali: মহাকরণ Mahakaran)
This is the secretariat building of the State Government of West Bengal in India. It is and is located in West Bengal's capital city of Kolkata. The Writers' Building originally served as the office for writers of the British East India Company, hence the name. Designed by Thomas Lyon in 1780, it received its impressive Corinthian façade, an example of the Neo-Renaissance style, in 1889. There is a statue of Britannia atop the main entrance.
The building is located on the northern shore of the water body locally called Lal Dighi in B.B.D. Bag area. Various departments of the West Bengal government are housed in this building. It is an edifice of great political significance and memories of the Indian Independence Movement. Writer's building is now being used as Chief Minister's Office and secretariat.
Location: -
Just 2.6 km from Howrah Station towards north and situated at BBD Bag Area of Central Kolkata.
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
B.B.D. Bag (Bengali: বি.বি.ডি.বাগ়)
BBD Bag formerly called Dalhousie Square, is the shortened version for Benoy-Badal-Dinesh Bagh. It is the seat of power of the state government, as well as the central business district in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Origin of name: -
BBD stands for three young Indian independence activists - Benoy Basu, Badal Basu and Dinesh Gupta, who on 8 December 1930 shot dead the Inspector General of Prisons, N.S. Simpson, in the balconies of Writers' building of the then Dalhousie square. Previously the square had been named after Lord Dalhousie, Governor General of India from 1847 to 1856. At different times it has been called ‘The Green before the Fort’ or Tank Square.
Significance: -
B. B. D. Bag continues to be like the 'HEART' of Kolkata and many famous buildings housing important businesses and bank share located here. The Writer's Building-secretariat of West Bengal government, Royal Exchange (a one-time residence of Robert Clive and now the office of the Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry), General Post Office (G.P.O.) of Kolkata, Telephone Bhawan, St. John's Church are all situated around the square. The place is locally known as the “Office Para” - meaning the locality of offices. A large part of the daily commuters to Kolkata from the neighbourhood area comes here for livelihood. The square is famous for the cheap food vendors that sell ready foods throughout the day to the "office-babus" and pedestrians, all the clerks and officers that work in the offices. However, in the night, the place becomes eerily silent as there are hardly any residential buildings in the district.
The St. John's Church's yard has the Mausoleum of Job Charnock. The building is supposedly the oldest piece of masonry in Calcutta.B.B.D.Bagh also has statue of famous philanthropist Maharaja Lakshmeshwar Singh of Darbhanga (1858 -1898) sculpted by Edward Onslow Ford.
Preservation: -
The Dalhousie Square was included in the 2004 and 2006 World Monuments Watch by the World Monuments Fund (WMF) due to "decades of neglect". After this listing the international financial services company American Express provided funding through WMF for the square's preservation.
Location: -
The BBD Bag area is located at the central Kolkata and is a square built around the old Lal Dighi tank. The old fort built by the British was around where the General Post Office now is. The area was in the heart of Kalikata or the White Town in old Calcutta.It is just 2.5 km from Howrah Station.
-: The Story of the Adyapeath Temple :-
To find the beginning of this story, it is necessary to go back in time, beyond the remarkable early-twentieth-century life of a Bengali man named Annada Charan Bhattacharya; beyond the even more remarkable nineteenth-century life of the great Bengali saint Sri Ramakrishna; beyond even the carving in antiquity of an exquisite black marble image of the Divine Mother--for this story begins at Creation itself and is continually beginning and being replayed in the cycle of birth, death, and renewal of every soul of every devotee of God.
Dreams and Visions: -
In 1915, a young Brahmin named Annada Charan Bhattacharya was setting up a successful practice in Ayurvedic medicine in Calcutta. A capable scientist, he had discovered seven patent medicines and went on to become a renowned doctor all over Bengal. Annada Thakur, as he came to be known, was a deeply religious man, filled with devotion to the Divine Mother Kali and Her great nineteenth-century Bengali saint, Sri Ramakrishna.
Nevertheless, even such a spiritual man as Annada was taken aback by the strange visions and dreams he began to have: A vision of four girls carrying an image (murthi) of the Divine Mother Kali down a Calcutta street, invisible to all but Annada, yet so real that he folded his palms and, to the puzzlement of passers-by, bowed to thin air. Two dreams of a hindu monk telling him to shave his head and bathe in the Ganges, to which the outraged Annada replied, "Reverend Sir, if you again talk of head-shaving, I shall hold you by the neck and push you out of the room." Then, stranger yet, dreams of Sri Ramakrishna himself, so real that Annada was convinced the venerable saint, though long departed from this life and had been in the room with him.
When the order came from Sri Ramakrishna to shave his head and bathe in the Ganges, Annada could hardly refuse. Sri Ramakrishna then told him to go to the Eden Gardens, a magnificent British-built public garden in Calcutta, and to look there for an image of the divine mother where a coconut tree and a pakur tree grew together. There, at the bottom of a pond, Annada and three companions found the image. A commemorative plaque marks the spot today. Goddess Adya Kali was a little more than a foot tall, carved out of one solid piece of black marble, with sparkling jewels set in her eyes. She was completely intact; not one lotus petal, not one finger, was chipped or cracked. Her form was that of the goddess Kali.
Annada's household worshipped her in the traditional manner, offering flower garlands, fruit, cheese, sweets, sandal paste, and incense. As word of her miraculous appearance spread, devotees came from all over the city to make offerings. Her very presence seemed to inspire the deepest devotion. Even prostitutes wept when they offered flowers to her.
Three men from the famous Indian Museum - Calcutta came also and judging the image to be very ancient, from the Buddhist period. They offered a large sum of money for it, which Annada refused. A later encounter with a unknown monk of Acharya Sankarachyrya organisation confirmed that the image had indeed originated in antiquity, in a temple in the district Gaya of Bihar.
Immersion: -
Then the strangest dreams of all began. The Divine Mother Kali Herself appeared to Annada and, to his horror, commanded him to immerse the image in the Ganges! How could he return her to the water within days of having brought her out of it? In three dreams in one night she appeared, commanding, pleading and threatening.
"I do not want to be worshipped only in one place," She said. "On the contrary, it is my wish to be worshipped in the home of every devotee, not merely according to scriptural rites. If anyone has pays homage and gives offerings to me in the simple and sincere language of the heart such as - O My Mother! Take this food, wear this garment and then uses those things himself, it will be regarded as good an act as worship. The prayer of a simple and sincere heart constitutes my worship."
Finally, she enumerated sixteen reasons for the immersion, and Annada, his reasoning mind appeased, could resist no longer. According to Her command, the image was photographed the following morning and copies circulated to any devotees who wanted them. Then, with a few companions, Annada hired a boat, rowed out into the middle of the Ganges, and plunged her into the water. There, as far as anyone knows, she remains today. The Divine Mother continued to appear to Annada in dreams. "I am Adyashakti ('Primordial Force'), and I am to be worshipped as Adya Ma," She said. She dictated to him a Sanskrit hymn in her honour, the Adyastotram, promising that anyone who sang it with devotion would find favour with her.
Having seen his dreams begin to bear fruit, Annada died in January, 1929, at the age of 38, of a lung infection. Before his death, however, he wrote his remarkable story in the Bengali book “Swapna-Jeevana”, later translated into English as A Life of Visions. The dream of the temple lived on through the work of a group of devotees. The Shiva temples were restored, the girls' school was built in 1942, and the boys' orphanage was completed in 1951. The free clinic moved to a new building on the temple grounds in 1959. The temple itself, built of pure white marble, was completed in a number of phases and consecrated on January 14, 1967. Sri Ramakrishna had predicted that after the establishment of this temple, there would be a new religious stir in the country, starting in Bengal. At least three devotees each year, he said, would receive a direct vision of God in this temple and would dedicate their lives for the welfare of the world. Today, hundreds of pilgrims and devotees visit the temple daily, and its charitable outreach serves many hundreds of needy people.
To find the beginning of this story, it is necessary to go back in time, beyond the remarkable early-twentieth-century life of a Bengali man named Annada Charan Bhattacharya; beyond the even more remarkable nineteenth-century life of the great Bengali saint Sri Ramakrishna; beyond even the carving in antiquity of an exquisite black marble image of the Divine Mother--for this story begins at Creation itself and is continually beginning and being replayed in the cycle of birth, death, and renewal of every soul of every devotee of God.
Dreams and Visions: -
In 1915, a young Brahmin named Annada Charan Bhattacharya was setting up a successful practice in Ayurvedic medicine in Calcutta. A capable scientist, he had discovered seven patent medicines and went on to become a renowned doctor all over Bengal. Annada Thakur, as he came to be known, was a deeply religious man, filled with devotion to the Divine Mother Kali and Her great nineteenth-century Bengali saint, Sri Ramakrishna.
Nevertheless, even such a spiritual man as Annada was taken aback by the strange visions and dreams he began to have: A vision of four girls carrying an image (murthi) of the Divine Mother Kali down a Calcutta street, invisible to all but Annada, yet so real that he folded his palms and, to the puzzlement of passers-by, bowed to thin air. Two dreams of a hindu monk telling him to shave his head and bathe in the Ganges, to which the outraged Annada replied, "Reverend Sir, if you again talk of head-shaving, I shall hold you by the neck and push you out of the room." Then, stranger yet, dreams of Sri Ramakrishna himself, so real that Annada was convinced the venerable saint, though long departed from this life and had been in the room with him.
When the order came from Sri Ramakrishna to shave his head and bathe in the Ganges, Annada could hardly refuse. Sri Ramakrishna then told him to go to the Eden Gardens, a magnificent British-built public garden in Calcutta, and to look there for an image of the divine mother where a coconut tree and a pakur tree grew together. There, at the bottom of a pond, Annada and three companions found the image. A commemorative plaque marks the spot today. Goddess Adya Kali was a little more than a foot tall, carved out of one solid piece of black marble, with sparkling jewels set in her eyes. She was completely intact; not one lotus petal, not one finger, was chipped or cracked. Her form was that of the goddess Kali.
Annada's household worshipped her in the traditional manner, offering flower garlands, fruit, cheese, sweets, sandal paste, and incense. As word of her miraculous appearance spread, devotees came from all over the city to make offerings. Her very presence seemed to inspire the deepest devotion. Even prostitutes wept when they offered flowers to her.
Three men from the famous Indian Museum - Calcutta came also and judging the image to be very ancient, from the Buddhist period. They offered a large sum of money for it, which Annada refused. A later encounter with a unknown monk of Acharya Sankarachyrya organisation confirmed that the image had indeed originated in antiquity, in a temple in the district Gaya of Bihar.
Immersion: -
Then the strangest dreams of all began. The Divine Mother Kali Herself appeared to Annada and, to his horror, commanded him to immerse the image in the Ganges! How could he return her to the water within days of having brought her out of it? In three dreams in one night she appeared, commanding, pleading and threatening.
"I do not want to be worshipped only in one place," She said. "On the contrary, it is my wish to be worshipped in the home of every devotee, not merely according to scriptural rites. If anyone has pays homage and gives offerings to me in the simple and sincere language of the heart such as - O My Mother! Take this food, wear this garment and then uses those things himself, it will be regarded as good an act as worship. The prayer of a simple and sincere heart constitutes my worship."
Finally, she enumerated sixteen reasons for the immersion, and Annada, his reasoning mind appeased, could resist no longer. According to Her command, the image was photographed the following morning and copies circulated to any devotees who wanted them. Then, with a few companions, Annada hired a boat, rowed out into the middle of the Ganges, and plunged her into the water. There, as far as anyone knows, she remains today. The Divine Mother continued to appear to Annada in dreams. "I am Adyashakti ('Primordial Force'), and I am to be worshipped as Adya Ma," She said. She dictated to him a Sanskrit hymn in her honour, the Adyastotram, promising that anyone who sang it with devotion would find favour with her.
Having seen his dreams begin to bear fruit, Annada died in January, 1929, at the age of 38, of a lung infection. Before his death, however, he wrote his remarkable story in the Bengali book “Swapna-Jeevana”, later translated into English as A Life of Visions. The dream of the temple lived on through the work of a group of devotees. The Shiva temples were restored, the girls' school was built in 1942, and the boys' orphanage was completed in 1951. The free clinic moved to a new building on the temple grounds in 1959. The temple itself, built of pure white marble, was completed in a number of phases and consecrated on January 14, 1967. Sri Ramakrishna had predicted that after the establishment of this temple, there would be a new religious stir in the country, starting in Bengal. At least three devotees each year, he said, would receive a direct vision of God in this temple and would dedicate their lives for the welfare of the world. Today, hundreds of pilgrims and devotees visit the temple daily, and its charitable outreach serves many hundreds of needy people.
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
Activities of Dakshineswar Ramkrishna Sangha Adyapeath: -
Dakshineswar Ramkrishna Sangha Adyapeath is dedicated to serving the needy and alleviating human suffering both in its immediate area and throughout the state of West Bengal. Current activities include as follows.
Daily Worship (Puja):
Daily pujas are performed in the traditional manner. The images are lovingly bathed and dressed, then offered flowers, sandal paste, incense, and food. The types and quantities of food offerings were dictated to Annada Thakur by Sri Ramakrishna in dreams, and these instructions are still strictly followed today. Because the temple itself is rather small inside, the food offerings are made in the nearby Bhog Ghar, a separate building in full view of the temple altar. The food thus blessed by having been offered is then distributed as prasad to all visitors.
Nara Narayan Seva (Feeding of the Poor):
Feeding the poor in the name of God is one of the principal activities of the Sangha. Food is distributed to approximately 300 to 500 people daily, irrespective of caste, colour, and creed.
Sadhak Ashram and Sadkika Ashram:
Two separate ashrams, one for men and one for women. Together they house about 220 adults who wish to dedicate their lives to spirituality and service.
Adyapeath Balak Ashram (boys' orphanage) and Dakshineswar Balika Ashram (girls' orphanage):
Houses, feeds, and educates approximately 700 destitute and orphaned children from throughout West Bengal.
Banaprastha Ashram (Retirement Home):
Two separate ashrams for retiring elderly men and women along with modern medical facilities with resident doctor. Currently there are more than 150 in each ashram.
Adyapeath Matri Ashram (Widows' Home):
Houses approximately 85 widows without family to support them who wish to lead a religious life.
Charitable Dispensary:
An outpatient clinic has been set up with ultra-modern diagnostic pathological facilities, dental and eye treatment, and medicines, all free of cost to the patients. A mobile air conditioned dispensary and two ambulance services are also provided round the clock for the poor.
Monikuntala Balika Vidyalaya:
Dedicated to the memory of Monikuntala Devi, wife of Sri Sri Annada Thakur and mother of the Sangha, this school offers free education to approximately 650 girls up to class X (Standard tenth grade).
Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya:
It is one of the largest sanskrit schools in West Bengal, offering free basic Sanskrit teaching to more than 300 students.
Distribution of Clothing:
Poor people, irrespective of caste, colour, or creed, are given clothes free of charge on various occasions throughout the year.
Aid in Natural Calamities:
The Sangha comes to the aid of needy people in natural disasters such as famine, flod, and earthquake.
Atithi Seva (Feeding of Guests):
Sri Annada Thakur said, "A hungry guest should never be refused." Accordingly, every Atithi (guest) is served with food (Prasadam). Each day, 1000 to 2500 such devotees are served.
Hospital Project:
A project has begun to build a well-equipped 100-bed hospital for patients with contagious and infectious diseases. The estimated cost is over five crore rupees ($1.4 million US). The foundation was laid by the Chief Minister of West Bengal. They are collecting donations at home and abroad to full fill this commitment.
Bangladesh Project:
The temple and hospital were inaugurated in March, 1998, in the Chittagong district of Bangladesh. The temple serves the spiritual needs of Hindus in this mainly Muslim area, but its charitable outreach, including the hospital, are for the poor of all faiths.
Dakshineswar Ramkrishna Sangha Adyapeath is dedicated to serving the needy and alleviating human suffering both in its immediate area and throughout the state of West Bengal. Current activities include as follows.
Daily Worship (Puja):
Daily pujas are performed in the traditional manner. The images are lovingly bathed and dressed, then offered flowers, sandal paste, incense, and food. The types and quantities of food offerings were dictated to Annada Thakur by Sri Ramakrishna in dreams, and these instructions are still strictly followed today. Because the temple itself is rather small inside, the food offerings are made in the nearby Bhog Ghar, a separate building in full view of the temple altar. The food thus blessed by having been offered is then distributed as prasad to all visitors.
Nara Narayan Seva (Feeding of the Poor):
Feeding the poor in the name of God is one of the principal activities of the Sangha. Food is distributed to approximately 300 to 500 people daily, irrespective of caste, colour, and creed.
Sadhak Ashram and Sadkika Ashram:
Two separate ashrams, one for men and one for women. Together they house about 220 adults who wish to dedicate their lives to spirituality and service.
Adyapeath Balak Ashram (boys' orphanage) and Dakshineswar Balika Ashram (girls' orphanage):
Houses, feeds, and educates approximately 700 destitute and orphaned children from throughout West Bengal.
Banaprastha Ashram (Retirement Home):
Two separate ashrams for retiring elderly men and women along with modern medical facilities with resident doctor. Currently there are more than 150 in each ashram.
Adyapeath Matri Ashram (Widows' Home):
Houses approximately 85 widows without family to support them who wish to lead a religious life.
Charitable Dispensary:
An outpatient clinic has been set up with ultra-modern diagnostic pathological facilities, dental and eye treatment, and medicines, all free of cost to the patients. A mobile air conditioned dispensary and two ambulance services are also provided round the clock for the poor.
Monikuntala Balika Vidyalaya:
Dedicated to the memory of Monikuntala Devi, wife of Sri Sri Annada Thakur and mother of the Sangha, this school offers free education to approximately 650 girls up to class X (Standard tenth grade).
Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya:
It is one of the largest sanskrit schools in West Bengal, offering free basic Sanskrit teaching to more than 300 students.
Distribution of Clothing:
Poor people, irrespective of caste, colour, or creed, are given clothes free of charge on various occasions throughout the year.
Aid in Natural Calamities:
The Sangha comes to the aid of needy people in natural disasters such as famine, flod, and earthquake.
Atithi Seva (Feeding of Guests):
Sri Annada Thakur said, "A hungry guest should never be refused." Accordingly, every Atithi (guest) is served with food (Prasadam). Each day, 1000 to 2500 such devotees are served.
Hospital Project:
A project has begun to build a well-equipped 100-bed hospital for patients with contagious and infectious diseases. The estimated cost is over five crore rupees ($1.4 million US). The foundation was laid by the Chief Minister of West Bengal. They are collecting donations at home and abroad to full fill this commitment.
Bangladesh Project:
The temple and hospital were inaugurated in March, 1998, in the Chittagong district of Bangladesh. The temple serves the spiritual needs of Hindus in this mainly Muslim area, but its charitable outreach, including the hospital, are for the poor of all faiths.
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
An appeal of Dakshineswar Ramkrishna Sahgha Adyapeath: -
Donations are the Sangha's only source of income to accomplish all of these charitable activities. Daily expenses total more than 35,000 rupees ($1,000 US). All donations qualify for exemption under section 80G of the Income Tax Act of India, 1961. Donations may be made by international money order or personal check payable to Dakshineswar Ramkrishna Sahgha Adyapeath, in either rupees or U.S. dollars. Contact the Sangha for information on donating in other currencies. Send to the Head Office:
Dakshineswar Ramkrishna Sangha Adyapeath
Dolpiri, Ariadaha
Calcutta 700 007
West Bengal
INDIA
Phone: 91-33-2553-5553 or 91-33-2553-1999
Fax : 91-33-2553-1999
Brahmachari Riten Bhai, President
Brahmachari Mural Bhai, General Secretary
Donations are the Sangha's only source of income to accomplish all of these charitable activities. Daily expenses total more than 35,000 rupees ($1,000 US). All donations qualify for exemption under section 80G of the Income Tax Act of India, 1961. Donations may be made by international money order or personal check payable to Dakshineswar Ramkrishna Sahgha Adyapeath, in either rupees or U.S. dollars. Contact the Sangha for information on donating in other currencies. Send to the Head Office:
Dakshineswar Ramkrishna Sangha Adyapeath
Dolpiri, Ariadaha
Calcutta 700 007
West Bengal
INDIA
Phone: 91-33-2553-5553 or 91-33-2553-1999
Fax : 91-33-2553-1999
Brahmachari Riten Bhai, President
Brahmachari Mural Bhai, General Secretary
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
Adyapith Temple, Dolpiri, Dakshineswar
Location: -
Just approximate 2 km from Dakshineswar Kali Temple Complex.
The Temple: -
Dream visitations from Sri Ramakrishna also continued. He offered Annadamoksha, but Annada, confronted by a vision of thousands of his suffering fellow humans, responded, "I do not care for liberation. I would rather go through a hundred thousand hells doing well to others: This is my religion." In 1919, Sri Ramakrishna revealed what Annada's life's work was to be: the establishment of a temple to the Divine Mother Adya Ma. The temple was to be in reality three temples enveloping one another: the first to Sri Ramakrishna, the second to Adya Ma, and the third to Krishna and Radha. The altar was to be three altars built like large stair steps: Ramakrishna on the bottom, Adya Ma in the middle, and Radha-Krishna on the top, encircled by the sacred syllable “OM”. In conjunction with the temple, there were to be separate ashrams for men and women, boys' and girls' orphanages and schools, a free clinic to prevent the spread of contagious disease, and distribution of food and clothing to the poor. At Sri Ramakrishna's behest, Annada Thakur spent a year with his parents in Raujan, in what is now Bangladesh, and then returned to Calcutta and carried out spiritual practices for a year on the bank of the Ganges. Then, on January 14, 1921, a celebration was held, which is still celebrated at the temple asSiddhotsab. The same year a committee was formed for the establishment of the Dakshineswar Ramakrishna Sangha. In early 1927, the organisation acquired a piece of land with some adjoining old Shiva temples, and on January 31, 1928, Annada Thakur broke ground for the temple on a compound of nearly 14 acres.
Architecture and Symbolism: -
The main temple of Adyapeath is unique in both its architecture and its symbolism. Made of immaculate white marble, it is really three temples nestled inside one another.
The temple's symbolism denotes not only the unity of all aspects of the Hindu faith, but the unity of all religions toward a common goal: humanity's realization of God. Its spire combines Shiva's Trident, the Moon and Star, the Cross, and the Hand Fan--the symbols of Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and Buddhism respectively.
The Main Altar: -
Like the temple itself, the main altar also takes a very unusual configuration: three altars, one atop the other, like stair steps. On the bottom altar is an image of Sri Ramakrishna, with the word "Guru" inscribed nearby. On the middle altar is a replica of the image of Adya Ma found by Annada Thakur in the Eden Garden. This image is made of eight metals. Nearby is inscribed "Knowledge and Work."
The topmost altar is adorned by the images of Radha and Krishna, known all over world as the divine couple. They are encircled by the sacred syllable “OM”, and at their feet is inscribed the word "Love." Thus love is the foremost virtue and the clearest path to God.
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
Dakshineswar Kali Temple
History:-
In the year 1847, Rani Rashmoni of Jan Bazar Bengal began the construction of the great Kali Temple. Rani, who was a rich and pious widow of colonial Bengal, had a divine revelation ordering her to construct a temple dedicated to goddess Kali. She started building the magnificent temple after this revelation. In spite of immense wealth she did not come from a very high caste being a Shudra. The Shudras, being the menial class were not qualified to offer cooked rice to the deity as an offering. But rani out of her intense devotion didn't want her much loved Kali to go half-starved by eating only fruits and uncooked rice. She called upon the Brahmins of greater Bengal to come and adjudicate on this problem. No Brahmin was liberal enough to break the unequal social evils and strictly forbade rani to offer cooked food to the goddess. Rani grew morose. At this time a learned scholar, Ramkumar Chattopadhay, who was the elder brother of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa came forward to Rani's rescue. He advised that if Rani donated the temple to a Brahmin, the Brahmin could then offer cooked rice on behalf of Rani. This would not break the traditional rules and yet help in fulfilling Rani's wish of offering cooked rice. This revolutionary suggestion created a storm in the social circles of Bengal in those days. The rani then proceeded to inaugurate the temple on an auspicious day. Rani had the temple installed on the occasion of the Hindu festival of Snanyatra. It was a luxurious and flamboyant occasion. Brahmins invited for the installation came from as far as Kanauj, Chattagram, Orissa, and Navadwip. Each of them was gifted a silk garment and a gold coin. Thousands of people gathered to witness the spectacle. At the time, nine lakh rupees were spent by the Rani for this occasion.
Claim to fame: -
Dakshineswar Kali Temple, built between 1847 and 1855. It became the workplace for Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the famous 20th century saint of India, also regarded as an incarnation of God on earth by many. For the upcoming years Dakshineswar would witness spectacular sadhana and unparalled asceticism by Ramakrishna. It would eventually draw numerous intellectual and aristocratic Hindus from the nearby city of Calcutta which was the capital of British Empire at that time. Ramakrishna formed around him a gathering of spiritual aspirants that condensed into later Ramakrishna Mission. His greatest discipleVivekananda would proclaim the superiority of vedic culture over others which eventually gave rise to Bengali nationalism that intensely affected India as a whole. Before the temple was built, the nawabs of Chitpur used to hunt tigers at Dakshineswar.
Thus Dakshineswar could be counted as an important place of origin of the great socio religious renaissance of India.
Location: -
Dakshineshwar is located at 22°39′20″N 88°21′28″E.
It is situated alongside the Vivekananda Setu (Bally Bridge), in the North 24 Parganas district, north of Calcutta, on the East bank of Hoogli River, is famous for its temples. Dakshineswar is 14 km from Sealdah on the Sealdah-Dankuni section of Eastern Railway and about 10 km from Howrah station towards north by road.
Friday, August 26, 2011
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
Raj Bhavan(The Governor's Residence)
Location: -
About 3 Kilometer south from Howrah station between BBD bag and Esplanade.
History:-
Raj Bhavan used to be 'Government House' in the Raj era, the seat of British imperial power. The structure was built in 1799–1803 to the designs of Captain Charles Wyatt of the Bengal Engineers, during the tenure of the Marquess Wellesley as the Governor-General of India. It now serves as the residence of the Governor of the Indian state of West Bengal, and is referred to by its Hindi name: 'Raj Bhavan'.
Architecture: -
The three storied structure of Raj Bhavan was inspired by Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire, Great Britain. Interestingly, Kedleston Hall is the ancestral home of Lord Curzon, who became the Viceroy of India (from 1899 to 1904) and lived in Government House exactly a century after Lord Wellesley.
While the basic features of Kedleston, such as the Palladian front, the Dome, etc., have been faithfully copied, Government House is a much larger, three storeyed structure. Also, the Government of India evidently did not have the funding constraints that forced the Curzons to leave their house incomplete. Government House has all four wings originally conceived for Kedleston. So today, a 'complete' brick-built Kedleston, on a much grander scale, is located in its acres of gardens in the heart of the Kolkata business district. Raj Bhavan has a total area of 27 acres and the building has 84,000 sq ft (7,800 m2) of floor space.
Interior: -
The residential portion is divided into four suites. The Prince of Wales Suite in the north-west wing of the first floor is where the President, Vice-President and the Prime Minister of India reside when visiting the state of Paschimbanga. The Wellesley Suite is located on the second floor in the north-eastern wing, the Dufferin Suite is on the second floor of north-west wing, and the fourth suite is the Anderson Suite.
Occasional public meetings by the Governor are held in the magnificent marble hall on the ground floor. The Council Chamber used to be the meeting place of the Executive Council of the Governor General. The Brown Dining Room was used as the breakfast room, while the adjoining Blue Drawing Room is the room where the Governor meets guests. The Throne Room is like a Durbar where princes were welcomed and durbars held, and there is also a Banquet Hall and the Ballroom.
There is a gun mounted on a dragon towards the north gate. Around the main gun there are ten guns that were taken from the Chinese, in commemoration of the peace initiated by the Treaty of Nanking by the military and naval forces of Great Britain and India under the command of Vice-Admiral Sir William Parker and Lieutenant-General Sir Hugh Gough.
Photography and books: -
A few vintage photographs dating back to the British Raj era, mostly taken by Samuel Bourne and Johnston & Hoffmen, are available at some libraries and Universities. Some post-Independence photographs are also there as official records.
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
Armenian Church
Location: -
Armenian Church is located in Armenian Street, at the north-west corner of Barabazaar, near Brabourn Road Flyover in Kolkata.
About the Church: -
Built in 1764, designed in the early 18th century, the Armenian Church is today the oldest extant church in Kolkata. The interiors of the church are decorated with marble, and the overhead gallery contains mural tablets. The altar has a cross, the gospels and 12 candlesticks symbolizing Christ and his Apostles. There is a staircase leading to an overhead gallery whose walls are full of mural tablets. Three oil paintings - 'The Holy Trinity', 'The Last Supper' and 'The Enshrouding of Our Lord' - by the English artist A E Harris also adorn the altar. Remains of the Armenian cemetery can be seen in the premises.
Some opine that this is the oldest Church in Calcutta. The Armenians have been staying in India since remote antiquity. The Armenians claim to have arrived in India before the British. They also claim to have been the forerunners to be converted into Christianity in the European continent. On 22nd June, 1688, the East India Co. had entered into a contract with the Armenians in Europe. Sir Josia Child on behalf of the East India Co. and Khoja Sarhad along with Khoja Phanoosh on behalf of the Armenians, signed the contract. As per the contract, the East India Co. was supposed to construct a church in all corners of India where a minimum of 40 Armenians would inhabit. The former would also grant 50 pounds to the appointed priest as his remuneration.
In 1690, Job Charnock came to Calcutta for the last time. After 17 years, the East India Co. built a tiny wooden church at the south-eastern wing of the present Armenian Church. A different opinion suggests that an Armenian named Aga Nazar had collected funds painstakingly and constructed this church.
In 1734, this church was built by Aga Mamed Hazaar Maliyar. The interior decoration of the church was done by Katchik Arfiel. He was of Armenian origin. He built residential abodes for the priests and erected high wall around the cemetery. He also donated the wonderful church clock.
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
Aquatica Water Park - kolkata
Fact File
» Timing- 10.00 A.M. To 6.30 P.M. (Everyday)
» Covered Area - 8 Acre
» Entry Fee - Moderate but changes from time to time
Location: -
Located at Kochpukur, Rajarhat, 6 km. from Nicco Park, Aquatica is the latest addition to Kolkata's hangouts.
About Aquatica: -
An 8-acre water park has very recently come up near Kolkata on 22 July, 2000. Known as Aquatica, this theme park offers visitors a cool respite from the heat and grime of city life. With artificial waves buffeting you from all sides, tornadoes and dance floors, all ready to whip up a wet dream, Aquatica is no doubt the ultimate cool hangout.
The park easily accommodates 5,000 people. An artificial river meanders through the park. Visitors are allowed to swim and wade in it. The river water is recycled every hour, keeping it crystal clear and welcoming. Aquatica features great rides and adventures such as the Black Hole, where one enters a dark hole from a great height and emerges at the ground level. Tower No. 1 - a 100 feet structure of convoluted tubes - whisks your adrenaline as you slide past twists and turns at blinding speeds. Comic scenes will awaits one at Tornado - a smaller version of Tower No. 1 - with fewer turns and more inclines. One can also opt for the Slide, and enter the water from a great height after sliding down on special mats.
The water of Aquatica is just five feet deep which is enough for the Kolkatans to ward off their inhibitions. The artificially created waves are the best in India and are making quite a splash. One may also bask in the surf on the placid blue water or enjoying rafting and spinning in mountain rivers.
Enchanting Attraction: -
The main attraction of Aquatica is Aqua Wave Pool because of its changing waves. It is a unique spot with the ambience of a leach sans the sun on a sweltering summer day. Around the pool, you can enjoy with car rides which is especially for the kids. Surin suits, tube slides, body slides etc. are available on hire.
Most popular spot among the adults is the Cyclone Pool, better known as the Tornado. Its chief attraction lies in its precarious nature and the possible risks involved (apparently). It is a sweeping fall through a huge tumbler leading into a large pool.
Another place of cool 'masti' is the 'Aqua Dance' or the discotheque on water. Fountains are springing from the small dance floor, where hundreds of soggy bodies jostle with each other as one drenched mass with the sound of non-stop music. Fashion shows and Dandia parties are also held regularly.
Within the park there is the 'Aqua Caffe, a restuarants. It serves pure vegetarian food like rice, dal, jablis (sweetmeat). Your visit to Aquatica will not only provide you a cool atmosphere, surely will also make your Kolkata tour an unforgettable experience in your life time.
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
Tollygunge Golf Club
The Tollygunge Golf Club, popularly called the Tolly Club, is a country club with, among other facilities, a 18-hole course located in Tollygunge in South Kolkata. The course has a yardage of 6520/5686 and Par: 71.
Sir William Cruikshank established the club as an equestrian sports facility in the year 1895 to "promote all manner of sports". It is spread over 100 acres (400,000 m2) with a club house that is over 200 years old.
History: -
The extensive grounds of the Club were originally an Indigo Plantation laid out in 1781 by the Johnson family who were amongst the pioneers of the plantation industry in India.
Later the grounds were to become a Royal Park at the heart of the princely estate established by the exiled family of Tipu Sultan, the deposed ruler of Mysore and the house which the Johnsons had built as their home became the Garden House of the new Mysore Estate.
In 1895, the entire property was acquired from the Mysore family by the Tollygunge Club Limited and the old Johnson home is today the Tollygunge Club House.
Natural surroundings: -
The Club grounds boast an enviable collection of flowering trees and tropical plants, many of which have been brought from far afield as Australia and South America. These provide a natural sanctuary for a variety of exotic birds. Birds & Trees of Tolly, written by Kushal Mookherjee, explores these in greater detail.
"KOLLOLINI" Kolkata - Tourist spot
James Princep Memorial Ghat
Location: -
The James Princep Memorial Ghat situated opposite of Jorge Gate - Fort William Army Head Quarters. It is approximate 10 Kilometer from Howrah Station towards South direction on Strand road.
James Prinsep (20 August 1799 – 22 April 1840) was an Anglo-Indian scholar and antiquary. He was the seventh son of John Prinsep, a wealthy East India merchant and Member of Parliament. From 1832 to 1838 he was assay-master in the India Government Mint, Kolkata, Apart from architectural work (chiefly at Benares), his leisure was devoted to Indian inscriptions and numismatics. He is most noted as a philologist for fully deciphering and translating the rock edicts of Asoka from Brāhmī script.
Assay Master: -
He arrived in Calcutta on September 15, 1819 and at the age of twenty, joined the service of the East India Company as Assay Master at the Government mint in Banares under Dr. Horace Hayman Wilson, the distinguished Sanscrit Scholar. He ultimately became assay-master at the main Government mint at Calcutta in 1832, succeeding Dr. Wilson, whom he likewise succeeded as secretary of the Asiatic Society. During James Prinsep's years in the mint he reformed weights and measures, introduced a uniform coinage and devised a balance so delicate as to indicate the three-thousandth part of a grain.
Architect: -
Prinsep was indeed a many-sided genius. He studied architecture under the gifted but eccentric Augustus Pugin. Though an eye-affection prevented him from initially following that profession, he was an excellent architect. His eyesight later being completely restored, James Prinsep was able to undertake many architectural and engineering tasks of importance in addition to his work at the Mints at Calcutta and Benares. While at Benares, he completed the new mint building according to his own plan and also built a church. He also rebuilt the famous minarets of Arungzeb and built a fine bridge over the Karamansa River. At Calcutta he was on the committee for municipal improvements and distinguished himself by improving the city drainage system by constructing a tunnel connecting the Hooghly River with the Sunderban Mangrove forest.
Asiatic Society secretary: -
He succeeded to the Secretaryship of the Asiatic Society on H. H. Wilson's return to England and started his own journal in 1832: "The Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal". Prinsep appealed to all those officers who had 'opportunities of forming collections in the upper provinces' for more coins and inscriptions. He was endowed with the rare capacity of instilling some of his own enthusiasm and ardour into others. Prinsep's appeal was enormously successful. He was in no time flooded with coins and inscriptions - materials which changed the very trend of the Indian antiquarian researches.
Numismatist: -
Appropriately for the assay-master of the Calcutta mint, coins always remained Prinsep's first interest. He interpreted Bactrian and Kushan coins. Also all the indigenous Indian series coins, including the punch-marked ones — indeed the term was coined by Prinsep himself — the series of the autonomous republics, the Gupta series and so on. It was Prinsep who propounded the theory of the descent of the Gupta coins from the Kushan prototypes and this discussion also brought him to the question of the different stages in the technique of coin manufacture in India. He recognised the three stages represented by the punch-marked, the die-struck and the cast coins.
Brahmi script philologist: -
But the crowning achievement of all his labours over the decade was the decipherment of the Brahmi script and the consequent clearing up of many of the mysteries of ancient Indian history. Thus more than forty years after 1788, Sir William Jones's hope was realised when Prinsep was able to produce the key to unlock all the remaining secrets of the Brahmi script. However, it is only fair to remember that much of the Brahmi script had already been deciphered before the final achievement of Prinsep. Prinsep followed clues provided by others regarding the decipherment of Kharosthiand after some mistaken readings he was finally able, before his departure, to find the values of nineteen single letters and one compound of Kharosthi as well. The idea of the Corpus Inscriptionum Indicarum also goes back to the time of Prinsep and to his idea.
Legacy:-
Prinsep literally worked himself to death. Desperately ill as he became, he had to leave unexpectedly in the midst of his labours and hence much of his work remained unfinished. As the new editor of the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal commented: '... collectors in all parts of India were in the habit of submitting to his inspection whatever they lighted upon as unusual, and sought his reading and interpretation — but the study and exertions required were too severe for the climate of India, and the Editor's robust constitution sank at last under the incessant labour...' Yet before taking leave he had managed to set forth the main lines of Indian archaeological research for at least the next fifty years. Returning to England in 1838 in broken health, he died in London of softening of the brain, on April 22, 1840 .
Prinsep's Ghat, an archway on the bank of the Hooghly River, was erected to his memory by the citizens of Calcutta. It is now the venue of the Prinsep Ghat Cultural Festival, a unique cultural event organised by the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in collaboration with corporate sponsors.
His research and writing were not confined to India. Prinsep also delved into the early history of Afghanistan, producing several works that touched on archaeological finds in that country. After James Prinsep's death his brother Henry Thoby Prinsep published in 1844 a volume exploring the numismatist's work in Afghanistan.
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