Chandannagar Things to Do

4 more images

These rare photographs were taken last month when we revisited Chandannagore town with our VT friends from Kathmandu, Urvashi & her husband Dibya S.J.B.Rana. I could not take more as it was not permitted.

4 more images

This clock was purchased from a watch maker of London. It has letters in Arabic instead of Roman and weighs about 3 ton, made of solid brass. It has to be winded once in a week and the key weighs 20KGs!! It is still giving perfect time, we visited the place at 5.09PM and it was showing correct time. The people of Bandel and Hoogly are very fortunate to have this clock for them. It is now more than 100 years old and still perfect. One of the finest examples of British engineering.

4 more images

This prayer house was built by Haji Mohammad Mohsin, a decendant of Nawabs of Murshidabad( The Ruler of Bengal) in the year 1836. The gateway is flanked by lofty minarets, the walls are decorated with texts from the Koran and the interior has rich carvings and inlaid marble motifs.

In the main Mosque area there is a Throne ( high seat) dedicated for The Prophet ( Hajrat Mohammad). Inside the main prayer area the ceilings are decorated with thousands of Chandeliers, Carpets from Iran and the walls are embossed with the teachings from Koran. Just imagine the thousand Chandeliers being lit with candles!!!!

Their main function is Moharram, when they mourn for Hassan & Hossein, the grandchildren of the Prophet, who were killed by enemies by keeping them starved and thirsty for days!

place not to be missed

3 more images

Mohammed Haji Mohsin was the richest landlord or Zamindars of Bandel and was also an enlightened Moslem. He was from Shia clan. He also created the centre for learning or the Imambara of Bandel, which is still present there.

In this place he was laid to rest.

3 more images

One stormy morning of 1655 a Portuguese ship landed suddenly in the Ghat of Bandel church. It had survived a gail for few days in the Bay of the Bengal. The Captain of the ship prayed to " The Our Lady Of Bandel" and promised to donate his Mast to the first Church he will find in his way. He could see the Church at Bandel and donated one of his Mast to the church. It is still there bearing the testimony.

4 more images

It was the first European settlement in West Bengal and still bears the traces of its past. Bandel is the site of the Portuguese settlement. The Portuguese Church and the Monastry were built here in 1599. It was destroyed by Shah Jahan in 1640 but was rebuilt in 1660. The church is the main attraction which is the oldest Christian church in West Bengal, the Church of our Lady of Bandel and is dedicated to Nosa Senhora di Rozario. It was declared a basilica in 1988. The church is built in beautiful Doric architectural style of ancient Greece. Inside there are beautiful paintings depicting scenes from the life of Jesus.

…the Portuguese church, which is now the great sight of modern Bandel. This, the oldest Christian place of worship, if not in India, was founded in 1599, the year in which Queen Elizabeth sanctioned the establishment of the East India Company. It was burnt in the sack of Hooghly by the Moors in 1632, but the keystone with the date 1599 was preserved and built into the gate of the new church erected by John Comes de Soto in 1661. It is dedicated to Nossa Senhora di Rosario and contains a monastery once occupied by Augustinian friars, the last of whom died in 1869… Some 380 bigghahs of land, out of the 777 granted rent-free by Shah Jehan, are still enjoyed… Every November the church is thronged with pilgrims during the Novena of Notre Dame de Bon Voyage. [3]
—Cotton, H.E.A (1909)

It was the first European settlement in West Bengal and still bears the traces of its past. Bandel is the site of the Portuguese settlement. The Portuguese Church and the Monastry were built here in 1599. It was destroyed by Shah Jahan in 1640 but was rebuilt in 1660. The church is the main attraction which is the oldest Christian church in West Bengal, the Church of our Lady of Bandel and is dedicated to Nosa Senhora di Rozario. It was declared a basilica in 1988. The church is built in beautiful Doric architectural style of ancient Greece. Inside there are beautiful paintings depicting scenes from the life of Jesus.

…the Portuguese church, which is now the great sight of modern Bandel. This, the oldest Christian place of worship, if not in India, was founded in 1599, the year in which Queen Elizabeth sanctioned the establishment of the East India Company. It was burnt in the sack of Hooghly by the Moors in 1632, but the keystone with the date 1599 was preserved and built into the gate of the new church erected by John Comes de Soto in 1661. It is dedicated to Nossa Senhora di Rosario and contains a monastery once occupied by Augustinian friars, the last of whom died in 1869… Some 380 bigghahs of land, out of the 777 granted rent-free by Shah Jehan, are still enjoyed… Every November the church is thronged with pilgrims during the Novena of Notre Dame de Bon Voyage. [3]
—Cotton, H.E.A (1909)

3 more images

This marvellous structure used to be the residence of French magistrate. Built in 1878, now it is converted as Sub divisional court. What a waste, this building too could have been used as Museum or some tourist spot. The Court could have been constructed elsewhere. This is a highly crowded place on weekdays and people make it real dirty. I hope someday the Govt of west Bengal will wake up.