Chandannagar

First of all, my sincere thanks to theyyamdancer and Julia for inspiring me to start a thread on my hometown .

Chandannagar (also known as Chandernagore or Chandernagar) is a small town in West Bengal, located 35 k.m North of the state capital Kolkata. Situated beside the Ganges, it is the head quarters of a subdivision of Hooghly district and former French colony. The former French colony has a rich cultural history and is the seat of the famous Jagaddhatri Puja.

Origin of the name: The origin of the name of the place has several etymological explanatins. The name is possibly derived from the shape of the bank of river Ganga which is bent like a half moon near the town (Chand = Moon in Bengali; Nagar = town). Another theory suggests that the name might have been derived from the flourishing sandal wood business in that are at that time (Chandan = Sandalwood in Bengali). However, in earlier times the place was called ‘Farashdanga’ since it was a French colony (Farasi = French in Bengali, Danga = land).


History of Chandannagar : Unlike much of the rest of India which was ruled by the British, Chandannagar was a French settlement. The French came to Chandannagar (and also Bengal) in 1673. Duplessis, the French commander built a house in the Northern part of the town with the permission of Ibrahim Khan, the Nawab of Bengal. In 1687, Deslandes, the new French commander initiated a business at Bandel, 10 k.m from Chandannagar, however, he came across several inconveniences to run the business. At last in 1688, during the reign of Aurangzeb, the French received the permission to carry out duty free business in Bengal, Bihar and Orissa; and Deslandes laid the foundation of Chandannagar. Gradually, the town became the topmost economical hub of Bengal in trade and commerce, and maintained trade relations with China, Tibet, Jeddah etc. Chandannagar during this time was the home of people who contributed significantly to the economy of Bengal. Louis Bonnaud, who was the pioneer of indigo cultivation was a resident of the town. Batakrishna Ghosh, the first Benagli cloth mill founder, Dinanath Chandra, who established a factory manufacturing European tinctures and other medicines were natives of Chandannagar. For quite some time, Chandannagar continued to be the commercial centre of Bengal, until Colonel Robert Clive of the East India company and Admiral Watson of the British army captured the town in 1757. The French reclaimed the city by a treaty but again lost to the British in 1794. However, the city was again re-claimed by the French who ruled from 1816 to 1950. In 1947, the French Government declared Chandannagar a free city. In June 1948, the French Government went for a pole to decide the status of the city and in the opinion poll a overwhelming majority of 97% people expressed their desire to merge with India. As a result, in May 1950, the French made a defacto transfer of Chandannagar to the Indian Government and on 2nd February, 1952 they made De Jure transfer which was approved by the French Republican Society on 11th April 1952. On 2nd October 1955, Chandannagar completely became a part of India.

Places of interest :

1.Chandannagar strand : One of the best decorated pavements beside the Ganges along its 2500 k.m long course. Situated in what we natives fondly call ‘downtown Chandannagar’ , this 1 k.m long pavement is very popular among the locals as centre for ‘adda’ and tourists alike.

2.Institut de Chandernagor (Chandannagar meuseum and Institute): This meuseum has a good collection of French antiques and conducts regular French classes.

3.l'Eglise du Sacré Cœur(The Sacred Heart Church of Chandannagar): A classical example of French architecture which was construcetd near the strand in the 19th century.

4.Nandadulal temple : Built by Indranarayan Chowdhuri in 1740, the ‘ekchala’ temple provides an example of mediaval Indian sculpture.

5.Patal-bari (the underground house): The house is so called as its lowest floor was constructed in a way so that it remains submerged in the river Ganges. The floor can accommodate people and its outer walls are completely surrounded by the river. Many famous personalities of Bengal, including Rabindranath Tagore and Pt. Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar frequented this building.

6.Residance of Rashbihari Bose: Chandannagar was the hometown of famous revolutionary Rashbihari Bose. His house is located in Fatokgorah.

Jagaddhatri Puja: For most people in West Bengal, the name Chandannagar is associated with its most important socio-cultural event – the Jagaddhatri Puja (the worship of Godess Jagaddhatri).

History: The history of the origin of Jagadhatri Puja is unclear. It is believed that Indranarayan Chowdhuri introduced the puja in Chandannagar, just as it is thought that Raja Krishnachandra did in Krishnanagar. However, Jagaddhatri puja started in Krishnanagar in 1762 and Indranarayn Chowdhuri died in 1756. Hence it is postulated that the Jagaddhatri Puja was started by Indranarayan Chowdhuri around 1950 at his residence. Raja Krishnachandra, who used to borrow money from Indranarayan Chowdhuri was attracted to the greatness of the Godess and introduced the festival in Krishnanagar.

The idol: The idols are built in traditional style. The four handed godess is carried by a lion which has an elephant at its feet. The face of the idol is longish with large eyes and the four hands display conch, discus, shaft and bow. The major attraction of the idol lies in the artwork of shola (stick) and gorgeous golden ornaments.

The celebration: The festival is celebrated for 4 days starting exactly a month after the Durga Puja. Huge pandals that house the idols dominate the city which teems with people all day and night. However, the greatest attraction of the festival lies in its artwork with lights. Beautifully patterned small light bulbs decorated over wooden frames illuminate the city during the days of the festival.

Transportation: Chandannagar is situated 35 k.m from Kolkata, and there are regular and frequent local train services from Howrah. The city lies on the Howrah-Burdwan main line, and can be reached in an hour from Howrah. There’s also a ferry service that connects Chandannagar and the cross river town Shyamnagar.

Courtsy :
1. Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandan...ge_and_culture

2. http://www.chandannagar.com/htmlfiles/chanhistory.htm

Pictures of Jagaddhatri puja:

1. Idols : http://www.chandannagar.com/images/Idols/index.htm

2. Pandals : http://www.chandannagar.com/images/Pandals/index.htm

3. Street lights : http://www.chandannagar.com/images/S...ghts/index.htm

4. Procession : http://www.chandannagar.com/images/Procession/index.htm

Here's pic of Ma Jagaddhatri, taken by me:

Beautiful writing, sagarneel. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Speaking of Jagaddhatri Pujo, I visited Chandannagore once during the Pujo, had a harrowing time getting back to Kolkata. But the light shows were fantastic. I really love the promenade in Chandannagore. Shondhebelay phurphure hawa (gentle evening breeze), aha!

P.S: Did you take all those pictures (the ones in the galleries you linked to)? If you have a picture of "Ganga'r paar", I would love to see it.

No Arindamda, the pics in link that I posted are not mine, only the attached image is. If everything goes per plan, I will be in Chandannagar this year during Jagaddhatri Puja. Pictures (of Pujo and strand) garunteed!

would love to see those. when is it?

Nice thread. I am told there is a traditional restaurant there run by a Bengali that serves authentic French food or perhaps some bakery products. Is that correct? Could you please give some details? Or is it just hyperbole if not outright myth?

Here, it goes.

sweet. In 2008, I visited Chandannagore College, and spent the evening along that promenade before coming back to Kolkata.

First week of November, exactly a month aftre Durga Puja.

Thanks Calcuttan. I have never heard of any such restaurant. Although, I am sometimes amazed to find the handsome number of people in Chandannagar who speak fluent French. Any info if this restaurant has come up recently?? I have been out of town for the last 6 years now.

Wow....this is the place where our group of friends would meet for the weekly 'adda' on Sunday. Miss those days.
Nice pic!!

right, right, shob bhulte boshechi (forgetting everything). speaking of food, I was given a box of nolen gurer shondesh ... man, those were delicious.

Now I am going to run to the 'Kolkata gastronomy' thread ....Chandanagar, for foodies is famous for the 'Jolbhora sandesh' alternatively called the 'Taalsaansh'....the ones made of Noen gur are simply amazing.

there you go ... taalshnash'er moto jinish hoy na (nothing like taalshnash) :-)

I also haven't heard of any such restaurant. There are a number of bakeries but i doubt they prepare any such products.

Abzzie, are you from Chandannagar?

And that too, the ones made by 'Surjo Modok'. I am told that all the sweets weigh exactly the same: 58 grams.

Many other shops have tried to copy the formula, but the 'taalshansh' of Surjo Modok (and the various shops run by his grandsons) are just unbeatable in taste.