Understand
[edit]Chinsurah 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 former Dutch colony.
History
[edit]In 1656, the Dutch erected a factory in Chinsurah. However, in 1685, a dispute having taken place between the English factors and the Mughals, the factory was bombarded and burned to the ground. The burned factory was rebuilt into a fort named Fort Gustavus in 1740, which was later demolished along with the Governor's House.
In 1759, the Dutch garrison of Chinsurah, on its march to Chandernagore, attacked a British force under Colonel Forde. The Battle of Chinsurah lasted less than half an hour and ended with the rout of the Dutch attackers. In 1795, during the Napoleonic Wars, a British garrison occupied the town. Although the peace of 1814 restored Chinsurah to the Dutch, the Dutch ceded all their possessions in India to the British in 1825.
Get in
[edit]
By plane
[edit]The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU IATA) in Kolkata.
By train
[edit]- 1 Chuchura Eastern .
By car
[edit]Chinsurah 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.
By ferry
[edit]- 2 Chinsurah Ferry Ghat. Ferry service to Naihati from 6AM to 10PM.
Get around
[edit]
Auto-rickshaws, minibuses and cycle rickshaws are available from the stations to the landmarks.
See
[edit]
- 1 Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist.
- 2 Bandemataram Bhaban (Bankim Bhawan). One of the residences of Bengali novelist Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. He lived in this house during 1877–1881. It is said that he composed the patriotic song Vande Mataram ("praise to the mother") at the Hooghly Riverbank. It was later converted into a museum describing the history of Chinsurah.
- 3 Chinsurah Clock Tower (Ghorir More). A clock tower built in 1914 to commemorate the life of the British King Edward VII. He was the eldest son of Queen Victoria. The statue in front of the tower is that of Bhupati Majumdar.
- 4 Chinsurah Court. The district court of Hooghly. The courthouse was originally a British military barracks built after the demolition of Fort Gustavus in 1829, which became the seat of the district court since 1871.
- 5 Dutch Cemetery. One of the few extant non-British colonial legacies in Chinsurah. It is one of the oldest Christian cemeteries of India dating from 1743 to the end of the 19th century. It is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
- 6 Susanna Anna Maria Memorial. The monument is a blend of neoclassical and baroque architectures. It is dedicated to Susanna Anna Maria (died 1809). She had married twice: once to the Dutch Director of Bengal and later to an English businessman. However, according to popular legend, she had seven husbands, which became the basis of Ruskin Bond's novel Susanna's Seven Husbands and the Hindi movie Saat Khoon Maaf ("seven murders (are) pardoned"). However, there's no evidence to support this legend.
Do
[edit]Being close to Chandannagar, Chinsurah also celebrates the city's famous Jagaddhatri Puja.
- 1 Mayurpankhi Ghat (ময়ূরপঙ্খী ঘাট Maẏūrpaṅkhī Ghāṭ, literally "peacock ghat"). A riverside platform with benches where you can relax and watch the flow of the wide Hooghly River. Many people engage in an āḍḍā at the ghat. Enjoy the vibrant colours at night, with the city lights of Naihati from the opposite side. Ganga Aarti is performed every Sunday night.
Buy
[edit]Various shopping malls have sprung up in the city, especially after 2000. Compared to foreign markets they are cheap, especially when buying wholesale. Bargaining is done here without anyone raising their brows. One can buy good handicrafts for souvenirs.
Eat and drink
[edit]Sleep
[edit]Connect
[edit]Cope
[edit]Hospitals
[edit]- 1 Imambara District Hospital.
Police stations
[edit]- 2 Chinsurah Police Station.
Go next
[edit]| Routes through Chinsurah |
| Bardhaman ← Bandel ← | NW  S
|
→ Chandannagar → Serampore |
| Nabadwip ← Bandel ← | N  S
|
→ Chandannagar → Serampore |
| Bardhaman ← Bandel ← | NW  S
|
→ Chandannagar → Serampore |