Hugli-Chinsurah

Hugli-Chinsurah (Bengali: হুগলি-চুঁচুড়া Hugli-Cum̐cuṛā) is the headquarters of the Hooghly district of West Bengal, India. Lying on its namesake Hooghly River, north of Kolkata, Hooghly has a strong significance in the history of Bengal.

Understand
Hugli-Chinsurah (হুগলি-চুঁচুড়া, HOOG-lih CHOOn-choo-rrah) is actually an amalgamation of the three port towns of Bandel, Hooghly and Chinsurah. Bandel and Hooghly were Portuguese colonies from 1580 to 1629, while Chinsurah was a Dutch colony from 1626 to 1825. Unfortunately, except Bandel Church and Dutch cemetery, nothing much of non-British colonial legacy remains in these towns.

History
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 it became the first European settlement in Bengal. Hooghly became a major commercial centre and the largest port in Bengal within a few decades.

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 1656, the Dutch erected a factory in nearby 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 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.

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.

Talk
Like most of West Bengal, the native language of the people of Hooghly is Bengali. Although it is generally not a problem getting by with English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother.

By plane
The nearest airport is Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata.

By train
Hooghly-Chinsurah has four railway stations, Bandel Junction (BDC), Chuchura (CNS), Hooghly (HGY) and Hooghly Ghat (HYG).

is 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.

and on Howrah–Bardhaman main line are some 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.

is on the branch line connecting Bandel and Naihati.

By car
Hugli-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.

Get around
Auto-rickshaws, minibuses and cycle rickshaws are available from the stations to the prominent attractions, including the Bandel Church, Imambara and Dutch Cemetery.

Jubilee Bridge and Sampreeti Setu
The 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 (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
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.

Go next

 * Kolkata