Understand
[edit]Hooghly lies on the namesake Hooghly River close to Chandannagar, 35 km (22 mi) north of Kolkata.
History
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Hooghly'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.
Portuguese colony
[edit]In 1536, Portuguese traders obtained a permit from the Bengali Sultan Mahmud Shah to trade in this area. In 1579, Mughal Emperor Akbar permitted 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.
Dutch colony
[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
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By plane
[edit]The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU IATA) in Kolkata.
By train
[edit]- 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 on the opposite side 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.
There are three other railway stations, where mainly local trains stop: Chuchura Eastern (CNS), Hooghly Eastern (HGY) and Hooghly Ghat Eastern (HYG).
By car
[edit]Hooghly is connected with Kolkata by the Grand Trunk Road and Delhi Road. 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.
By ferry
[edit]- 2 Chinsurah Ferry Ghat. Ferry service to Naihati from 6AM to 10PM.
Get around
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Auto-rickshaws, minibuses and cycle rickshaws are available from the stations to the landmarks.
See
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- 1 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.
- 2 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.
- 3 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.
- 4 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.
- 5 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.
- 6 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.
- 7 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).
- 8 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.
Bridges
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The 9 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.
Places of worship
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- 10 Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist.
- 11 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.
Do
[edit]Being close to Chandannagar, Chinsurah also celebrates the city's famous Jagaddhatri Puja.
- 1 Aqua Marina, ☏ +91 98312 22880. 10:30AM-6:00PM. This water park contains the Wave Pool, the Slide Pool and the Pogo Pool, as well as roller skating, boating and a picnic garden. ₹500 for adults, ₹400 for children aged 5-10.
- 2 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 as souvenirs.
- 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 and drink
[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]Cope
[edit]Hospitals
[edit]- 1 Imambara District Hospital.
Police stations
[edit]- 2 Chinsurah Police Station.
Nearby
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- 1 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.
- 2 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.
- 3 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.
Go next
[edit]| Routes through Hooghly |
| Bardhaman ← Pandua ← | NW  S
|
→ Chandannagar → Serampore |
| Nabadwip ← Bansberia ← | N  S
|
→ Chandannagar → Serampore |
| Bardhaman ← Pandua ← | NW  S
|
→ Chandannagar → Serampore |