History:
In 1690, Job Charnok, an agent of the East India Company chose this place for a British trade settlement. The site was carefully selected, being protected by the Hooghly River on the west, a creek to the north, and by salt lakes about two and a half miles to the east. There were three large villages along the east bank of the river Ganges, named, Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. These three villages were bought by the British from the local land lords. The Mughal emperor granted East India Company freedom of trade in return for a yearly payment of 3,000 rupees.
What was Calcutta like before the British came?
It was a village; the capital city of Bengal was Murshidabad, around 60 miles north of Calcutta. In 1756, Siraj-ud-daullah, Nawab of Bengal, attacked the city and captured the fort. Calcutta was recaptured in 1757 by Robert Clive when the British defeated Siraj-ud-daullah on the battle field of Plassy. In 1772, Calcutta became the capital of British India, and the first Governor General Warren Hastings moved all important offices from Murshidabad to Calcutta. Till 1912, Calcutta was the capital of India, when the British moved the capital city to Delhi. In 1947, when India gained freedom and the country got partitioned between India and Pakistan, Calcutta was included in the Indian part of Bengal, West Bengal. Calcutta became the capital city of the state of West Bengal.
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- ----- Chief Ministers of West Bengal -----
- Prafulla Chandra Ghosh (1947-1948)
- Bidhan Chandra Roy (1948-1962)
- Prafulla Chandra Sen (1962-1967)
- Ajoy Mukherjee (1967-1967)
- Prafulla Chandra Ghosh (1967-1968)
- President's Rule (1968-1969)
- Ajoy Mukherjee (1969-1970)
- President's Rule (1970-1971)
- Prafulla Chandra Ghosh (1971-1971)
- President's Rule (1971-1972)
- Siddhartha Shankar Ray (1972-1977)
- Jyoti Basu (1977-2000)
- Buddhadeb Bhattacharya (2000-)
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How did the city get the name Calcutta ? Different opinions:
- Kalikata is derived from the Bengali word Kalikshetra meaning "Ground of the Goddess Kali."
- Some say the city's name is derived from the location of it's original settlement on the bank of a canal (khal).
- Some match the name to the Bengali words for lime (kali) and burnt shell (kata), since the area was noted for manufacturing shell-lime.
- Another opinion is that the name is derived from the Bengali term kilkila (meaning, "flat area"), which is mentioned in the old literature.
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Geography:
The city proper today can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city. The old Kolkata Business District (CBD) is the seat of the West Bengal Government and houses other state government offices as well. The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street (Abanindranath Tagore Sarani) and AJC Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings - such as the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building - are located here. The Maidan is a large field situated between the river Ganges and Jawaharlal Nehru Road (earlier called Chowringhee Road). It is said to be the Lungs of Calcutta. The meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several other sports clubs. In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Bidhan Nagar's Central Park area.
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Weather:
Kolkata, situated in the eastern part of Indian subcontinent and close to the Bay of Bengal, has a tropical climate most of the year. The summers are usually hot and humid followed by the monsoon season, when the downpour is really heavy. Winters are nice and pleasant. The best time to visit Kolkata is between October and March. |
