Understand
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Bandel is a part of the Hooghly-Chinsurah Municipality, and despite being a single municipality, it is still considered to be divided into three towns: Bandel, Hooghly and Chinsurah. Bandel and Hooghly are former Portuguese colonies, while Chinsurah is a Dutch colony. This article covers the Bandel and Hooghly areas.
History
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Bandel's history can be traced to the heydays of Saptagram (সপ্তগ্রাম Saptagrām) or Satgaon (সাতগাঁও Sātgāno), a major port town in medieval Bengal. It is mentioned in various literary works at the time, including Manasāmaṅgal. However, the port town lost its significance by the late 16th century and eventually had to be abandoned in the 17th century, because of the silting up of the Saraswati River. Despite this, Saptagram has become more relevant in the 21st century due to the presence of an engineering college there.
Bandel and Hooghly are some of the oldest European settlements in Bengal. In 1536, Portuguese traders obtained a permit from Bengali Sultan Mahmud Shah to trade in this area. In 1579, Mughal Emperor Akbar gave permission to Portuguese captain Pedro Tavares to establish a city anywhere in Bengal. They chose Hooghly (Portuguese: Ugulim) and established Fort Ugolim there. Within a few decades, Hooghly became a major commercial centre and the largest port in Bengal.
In 1580, the captain obtained the emperor's full permission to preach the Catholic faith publicly, and erect churches. Thus, the Bandel Church was built in 1599, which is one of the oldest churches in West Bengal. In 1629, political disorder struck the city, and the Mughal governor of Bengal expelled the Portuguese. The Bandel Church was also burnt down. A newer church was built over the ruin in 1660 by Gomez de Soto.
In 1690, Job Charnock decided to shift the British trading centre from Hooghly to Calcutta. The reason behind this decision was the strategically safe location of Calcutta and its proximity to the Bay of Bengal. As a result, trade and commerce in Bengal shifted from Hooghly to Calcutta and Hooghly lost its importance.
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU IATA) in Kolkata.
By train
[edit]There are three stations in Bandel. Hooghly station and Hooghly Ghat station are stations in the lines between. The main station of Bandel is the most important.
If visiting from Howrah railway station, you can take a for 10 rupees directly from either station. It is important to know that all of the local trains stop at each station in between, so you can take express trains as they almost always stop at Bandel Jn. All express trains travelling on Howrah–Barddhaman line arrive at this station unless it's travelling on the Howrah–Barddhaman chord line in which it does not arrive at Bandel.
- 1 Bandel Junction Eastern (BDC). The main station and the junction of Howrah–Bardhaman main line, Bandel–Katwa line and Bandel–Naihati line. Many express trains on these lines stop at Bandel. Curiously, the station's main exit is at the opposite of the main city and you have to go through an underpass by road to get to the main city. The road meets the Grand Trunk Road at Bandel More.
- 2 Hooghly Eastern (HGY). One of the oldest railway stations in India. The first commercial railway service in Eastern India began on 15 August 1854 on its first run between Howrah and Hooghly.
- 3 Hooghly Ghat Eastern (HYG).
By car
[edit]Bandel is connected with Kolkata by the Grand Trunk Road and Old Delhi Road. Old Delhi Road is preferable whenever possible because the GT Road is consumed by local traffic, and it is a daunting task to drive through the potholed roads. Another important road is Bandel Station Road which starts from a little above Bally More and ends at Rajhat More connecting Chinsurah-Bansberia Road with Delhi Road. Bandel Station Rd is obviously named after Bandel Station. It is about 5 km in length.
Get around
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Auto-rickshaws, minibuses and cycle rickshaws are available from Bandel Junction to the attractions.
See and do
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- 1 Bandel Church (Bandel Basilica, Basilica of the Holy Rosary). One of the oldest churches in West Bengal, standing as a memorial to the Portuguese settlement in Bengal. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. The present church and monastery are said to be built in 1660 by Gomez de Soto having the keystone of the old church bearing the date 1599 over the eastern gate of the Monastery. In front of the church stands a ship's mast which was presented by the captain of a vessel which had encountered a storm in the Bay of Bengal and was allegedly saved by the grace of the Virgin Mary. There is the statue of "One lady of Happy Voyage" in the middle of the church. The church has three altars, a small organ and several tombstones.
- 2 Debanandapur (2 km (1.2 mi) W of suburban: Bandel Junction Eastern ). The birthplace of Bengali novelist Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (1874–1938). He had written several novels and short stories, and most of them were translated into other languages and even brought to silver screens. There also is a library named Sarat Smriti Pathagar, which includes a museum room containing the things used by the famous writer.
- 3 Hooghly Jail (Hooghly District Correctional Home). Founded in 1817 beside the Hooghly River, Hooghly Jail is one of the oldest prison centres in West Bengal. During British rule, political prisoners were kept there in solitary confinement.
- 4 Hooghly Imambara (suburban: Hooghly Ghat Eastern ). A congregation hall for Shia Muslims. It was built with the money of Haji Muhammad Mohsin from 1841 to 1861. The building is a two storied structure, with a tall clock tower over the entrance gate. The mosque has intricate designs and texts from Quran engraved on the wall. The interior of the mosque is decorated with marbles, candles and hanging lanterns.
- 5 Lahiri Baba Ashram (Adharalay), Old Delhi Road, Rajhat (W of suburban: Bandel Junction Eastern ). 10AM–noon and 4–6PM. The temple is known for its architecture and environment, and was built in 2003 on the philosophy of Yogiraj Shyamacharan Lahiri. It is open to all visitors regardless of creed and caste. The temple has blended the Rajasthani and South Indian temple architectures. The gopuram at the entrance is magnificent. There are numerous temples other than the main temple in the ashram area. Not only that, there are separate prayer rooms for Christians and Muslims. The campus is full of ancient mango trees and flower gardens on both sides. Free.
- 6 Sayed Jamaluddin Mosque. A medieval mosque in Saptagram, built in 1529, and it happens to be the only medieval remains of the flourishing port. The mosque was built by Syed Jamaluddin, son of Sayyid Fakhruddin of Amul. It is a brick-built structure complete with intricate terracotta ornamentation. As Islam provides the use of animal and human figures the ornamentation is restricted to floral and geometric patterns. The roof of the mosque has long collapsed and nothing much can be ascertained about the original structure. The mosque has four minarets on the four corners and the interior contains two stone pillars.
- 7 Tomb of Haji Muhammad Mohsin, Imambara Rd (N of suburban: Hooghly Ghat Eastern ; next to the Jubilee Bridge). Haji Muhammad Mohsin (1732–1812) was a philanthropist. He had inherited a lot of money from his relatives and spent them mostly in philanthropy. He had built a waqf trust in 1804 to spend his remaining money in philanthropy. The Hooghly Imambara, Hooghly Mohsin College and numerous other colleges were built with the money of Haji Muhammad Mohsin.
- Uddharan Dutta Thakur's Sripat, Adi Saptagram.
Jubilee Bridge and Sampreeti Setu
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The 8 Jubilee Bridge 
is a former rail bridge over the Hooghly River between Bandel and Naihati. The bridge was opened on 16 February 1885 in the golden jubilee year of the reign of Queen Victoria. The bridge served the people for 129 years, and several generations used the service to cross the River Hooghly. The bridge was the first permanent crossing over the Hooghly, which had been considered unbridgeable owing to difficult foundation conditions at that time.
The bridge was replaced by Sampreeti Setu (New Jubilee Bridge) in 2016, which is India's first continuous truss bridge. However, the aged Jubilee Bridge is still there and is obscured by Sampreeti Setu when viewed from the south.
Buy
[edit]- Bandel Bazar. One of the biggest and most important markets in Hooghly district. It's the hub of agricultural imports and export. Vegetables, fruits (especially mango, and watermelon) and rice are exported from the market.
Eat
[edit]- New Haji Biryani House, Bandel Station Road (Near Bandel More). An iconic biryani house in Bandel More. The restaurant is not much big and has few seats. Chicken biryani is 110 rupees and mutton biryani is 130 rupees. Aloo biryani is also available. 80-160 Indian rupees.
- B2 Biryani, Bandel More. A recently-opened biryani restaurant in Bandel More. It has a decent-sized seating place and a good amount of seats. It is the first Barrackpore-style restaurant in Bandel. 110 rupees for chicken and 160 rupees for mutton biryani. 100-220 Indian Rupees..
Sleep
[edit]Connect
[edit]Go next
[edit]| Routes through Chinsurah |
| Bardhaman ← | NW  S
|
→ Chinsurah → Serampore |
| Nabadwip ← Bansberia ← | N  S
|
→ Chinsurah → Serampore |
| Bardhaman ← | NW  S
|
→ Chinsurah → Serampore |