History of Kolkata

Kolkata( Previousle Known as Calcutta)

In 1690, Job Charnock, an agent of the East India Company chose this place for a British trade settlement. The site was carefully selected, being protected by the Hooghly River on the west, a creek to the north, and by salt lakes about two and a half miles to the east. There were three large villages along the east bank of the river Ganges, named, Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. These three villages were bought by the British from the local land lords. The Mughal emperor (Jahangir) granted East India Company freedom of trade in return for a yearly payment of 3,000 rupees.

What was Calcutta like before the British came?

It was a village; the capital city of Bengal was Murshidabad, around 60 miles north of Calcutta. In 1756, Siraj-ud-daullah, Nawab of Bengal, attacked the city and captured the fort. Calcutta was recaptured in 1757 by Robert Clive when the British defeated Siraj-ud-daullah on the battle field of Plassey. In 1772, Calcutta became the capital of British India, and the first Governor General Warren Hastings moved all important offices from Murshidabad to Calcutta. till 1912, Calcutta was the capital of India, when the British moved the capital city to Delhi. In 1947, when India gained freedom and the country got partitioned between India and Pakistan, Calcutta was included in the Indian part of Bengal, West Bengal. Calcutta became the capital city of the state of West Bengal.

Kolkata is city of culture and history, with more than two centuries worth of memories packed in the chaotic place. The former capital of the British Empire in India, the city has seen people from a myriad range of cultures and countries. From the British themselves, to the Dutch, to the French, to the Iranians, to the Chinese, and the even people from Central Asia, everybody came to this cultural, political, and economic hub looking sometimes for riches, sometimes for freedom, and some simply in the search for a new life. And all this has made it a uniquely placed city, with some historical places in Kolkata having special resonance. Let’s find out which are some of the most unique places to visit in Kolkata, with historical relevance:

How did Kolkata get its name?

1690 August, Job Charnok, an agent of East India Company (established 1600) settles in Calcutta. 1698 East India Co. bought three villages (Sutanuti, Kolkata, and Gobindapur) from local landlord Sabarna Chowdhury. 1699 East India Company started developing Calcutta as a Presidency city.

The city's former name, Calcutta, is an Anglicized version of the Bengali name Kalikata. According to some, Kalikata is derived from the Bengali word Kalikshetra, meaning “Ground of (the goddess) Kali.” Some say the city's name derives from the location of its original settlement on the bank of a canal (khal)

In 2001 the government of West Bengal decided to officially change its capital city's name to Kolkata to reflect its original Bengali pronunciation.

Kolkata city tour