Bandel (ব্যান্ডেল Byānḍel) is a former Portuguese colony at the Hooghly River, in the Hooghly district of West Bengal.
Understand
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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.
In 1580, after founding the colony of Hooghly, Portuguese captain Pedro Tavares obtained the full permission from Mughal Emperor Akbar 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. The Mughal governor of Bengal later expelled the Portuguese after a political disorder in 1629, and the Bandel Church was also burnt down. A newer church was built over the ruin in 1660 by Gomez de Soto.
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU IATA) in Kolkata.
By train
[edit]- 1 Bandel Junction Howrah (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. If visiting from Howrah railway station, take a for ₹10 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.
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 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 Howrah ). 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 Lahiri Baba Ashram (Adharalay), Old Delhi Road, Rajhat (W of suburban: Bandel Junction Howrah ). 10AM–noon and 4–6PM. 📵 Shoes, cameras and mobile phones not allowed inside building. 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.
- 4 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.
- Uddharan Dutta Thakur's Sripat, Adi Saptagram.
Buy
[edit]- Bandel Bazar. One of the biggest and most important markets in the Hooghly district. It's the hub of agricultural imports and exports. 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 very big and has few seats. Chicken biryani is ₹110, and mutton biryani is ₹130. Aloo biryani is also available. ₹80-160.
Sleep
[edit]Connect
[edit]Go next
[edit]| Routes through Bandel |
| Bardhaman ← Pandua ← | NW  S
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→ Chinsurah → Chandannagar |
| Nabadwip ← Bansberia ← | N  S
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→ Chinsurah → Chandannagar |
| Bardhaman ← Pandua ← | NW  S
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→ Chinsurah → Chandannagar |