The Currency Building: A Sunday Morning Adventure

In 1833, a handsome, three-storied building came up on the Eastern side of Dalhousie Square. It was built to serve as the headquarters of the Agra Bank, which went into liquidation in 1900. The British Indian government occupied a large portion of the building for it’s currency department in 1868, and that is how it came to be known as the Currency Building.

Built of brick and lime, in Italian style, it had a roof that was arched on an iron joist. That roof unfortunately has collapsed, thanks to decades of neglect. However, the Archaeological Survey of India has possession of the building at present, and is doing a great job of restoration. The officer on the spot informed us that the roof would soon be repaired, once funding was secured. You can see the dilapidated condition of the building in this government photograph, and the original state in this photograph from the1870’s.

While people are allowed to enter the building, free of charge, we (me and my friend Amartya) had to have some unique photograph, and hence embarked on a very dangerous adventure. While entrance to the building is from the front, we sneaked in through the rear entrance, which was unguarded. A few laborers stared at us, but did not attempt to challenge us in any way. The plan was to get on the roof, which we thought would give us a good view over Laal Dighi. But access to the roof could only be obtained by climbing the world’s most dangerous spiral staircase.

It was tall. It was old. It was rusty. And it shuddered with every step. I don’t think I have vertigo, but looking down from that staircase, seeing nothing below, was one of the most frightening experiences of my life. My fear was compounded by the fact that there was no such thing as a half landing, so once you get on, you keep climbing till you reach the roof. Getting on to the roof is a fairly frightening experience as well, since the staircase is held in place by one, single, rusty bolt, which fastens it not to the building, but the parapet. But the view we got from the top was well worth the risk.

The expression on the faces of the policemen stationed to guard the building, when we walked into the hall was worth a million dollars. They were completely flabbergasted, as the only proper way into the building was through the main gate, which they guarded. How did two boys come trotting into the hall? Where did they materialize from? We just continued walking around like we owned the place.

I do not recommend what we did for anyone else, but you can get some fairly spectacular shots from the hall itself.

Be warned, the overzealous guards can stop you from shooting with DSLR cameras, which makes absolutely no sense, since ASI rules prohibit only video cameras. Be prepared to argue, or get your photos done quickly when he isn’t looking.

Foreign & Military Secretariat, Esplanade Row East

Most Bengalis remember Lord Curzon for one thing and one thing only; the partition of Bengal. But the fact is that Curzon was behind many of Calcutta’s colonial landmarks, and did much to modernize the city and it’s administration. One example may still be seen on Esplanade Row East.

Built in 1909, and designed by PWD architect W Banks Gwyther, the Foreign and Military Secretariat Building, is a clear indication that the Brits wanted to create in Calcutta a mirror image of their beloved London. Afterall, Calcutta then, was still the capital city of British India. The vast Neo-Classical building, with it’s wide verandahs, recessed rooms and large central court yard, would not look out of place in Edwardian London. Sadly, the capital moved to Delhi only three years later, but the building is still occupied by the Ministry of Defence, and currently houses, among others, the office of the Ordnance Factory Board.

Being an MoD building, there are soldiers and guards who may harass you if they find you taking photographs of the building, even from the road, so if you must photograph, please do be discreet, or do what I did; turn up at some ungodly hour, like 6 am on a Sunday, when no one is around. 

Nakhoda Muslim Cemetery

Located slightly north of Maniktala Market, on APC Road, on the right, is the Nakhoda Muslim Cemetery, also known as the Nakhoda Kabristan. Unfortunately, not many details are available about the cemetery, although the name Nakhoda would seem to suggest an association with the Kutchi Memon Jamaat, responsible for Kolkata’s principal mosque, in Chitpur. The word Nakhoda, means mariner; the Kutchi Memons were primarily sea-faring traders. The cemetery seems to be still active, as is proved by the graves of the Usmans, who were buried as late as 2011.

The cemetery overall is in an extreme state of neglect and disrepair. Apart from damage, the fact that very little English is used on tombstones and other markers, makes information very difficult to glean for anybody not familiar with Urdu/Farsi/Arabic.

The principal attraction of the cemetery is the grave of Maulana Muhammad Khairuddin, who happens to be the father of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, one of the principal leaders of the Indian independence movement. Maulana Khairuddin was a scholar, who married the daughter of a well-known Arab cleric in Mecca, where Maulana Azad was born.

On the grounds of the cemetery is also an ornate shrine, no details about which can be had from the plaques on it’s walls.

There are also some rather ornate tombs, such as this one.

The grounds of the cemetery are now also used for processing scrap iron. 

There is no restriction on entry and photography, and visitors are few.

St. John’s Church

At the North-Western corner of Government House (Raj Bhavan) may be found Kolkata’s oldest Anglican Church, St. John’s Church. Built in 1787, St. John’s served as the Anglican Cathedral of Calcutta till 1847, when it was transferred to St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The land for the church was “presented” to WarrenHastings, by Maharaja Nabo Krishna Deb, founder of the Shovabazaar Raj family in 1783.

The church contains, among other things, a chair used by Warren Hastings, which may be seen with the help of the caretakers living on the premises.

Built on the lines of St. Martin in the Fields, St. John’s is made of both brick, and stone, and was called the “Pathure Girja” or Stone Church. Inside may be found the church’s ancient, but still fully functioning pipe organ, which is played by Mr. Johnny Purty for the Sunday Mass. The magnificent instrument can make the whole church vibrate when low notes are played. Check out a video of a performance, here.

Inside, on the walls, may also be found memorial plaques, erected by grieving relatives for the many Brits who died in Calcutta, in the service of the company. The most famous among them, thanks to Mr. William Dalrymple’s book “The White Mughals”, is Lt. Col. James Achilles Kirkpatrick, resident of Hyderabad, and the man behind the beautiful “Koti Residency”.

The other attraction is a painting of the last supper, done by Johann Zoffany, which is interesting because instead of being an exact copy of Leonardo’s masterpiece, Zoffany adds Indian touches to various aspects of the scene. More details about this may be found here.

The grounds of the church contain the controversial Holwell Monument.

There is the grave of Lord Brabourne, Governor of bengal and Bombay.

There is also the memorial to the first and second Rohilla wars.

Charlotte Stuart, Countess Canning, is known to Bengalis for her fondness for the Bengali sweet “Pantua”. The sweet is today known as “Ledikeni”, a colloquial version of Lady Canning. Lady Canning is buried in Barrackpore, but a memorial maybe found here as well.

But the most famous person by far, to be buried here is the man known to many as the founder of Calcutta, Job Charnock. The octagonal mausoleum, contructed in the Moorish style, was erected by Charnock’s son in law, Charles Ayer. The stones used for construction, were brought all the way from South India, and are now known as Chranockite.

St. John’s is now a protected monument, and an entrance fee of Rs. 10/- is charged. There is no restriction on photography.

The Mitra-Mustafis of Sukharia

My paternal grandmother, the recently deceased Smriti Ghosh had a very interesting maiden name. It was Mitra-Mustafi. Now Mitra is a Hindu surname. Mustafi is a title, and I am led to believe this title was given them by none other than Emperor Aurangzeb. The Mitra-Mustafis were accountants or treasurers to the kings, and made quite a fortune. Unfortunately almost all the magnificent houses they had constructed are now completely in ruins. What survives in very decent shape are several temple complexes built by them within their fortified place of residence.

A local train brought us to Hoogly station, from where a pre-booked car took us to Sakharia, Somra Bazaar. With the help of (very confusing) directions from locals, our tour began with what the locals call “Biswas Bari”.

This is in fact, the home of Radhajivan Mitra-Mustafi. It is in a completely ruined state now. No members of the family live here, and a family of caretakers of the nearby Anandamayee temple inhabit the small portion of the house that remains habitable. 

The Anandamayee temple complex was constructed around 1813 by Bireswar Mitra-Mustafi. The complex is open to all, and the temples themselves are in surprisingly good shape, although some have settled and tilted at odd angles. My father tells me that the Birlas had, at one point, provided financial aid for the restoration of the the temples. The Mitra-Mustafi family have set up a trust that looks after the temple now.

Next in line, the “Thakurdalan” of Lakshmidas Mitra-Mustafi. Again in a completely dilapidated state, photographing this relic can prove to be quite a challenge, since the present resident, who claims to be from the Mitra-Mustafi family, is clearly not in complete possession of his senses, is extremely aggressive, ill-mannered, and attempts to prevent photography of any kind. I was lucky enough to take a few snaps when he was not around. His neighbours tell me that they do not speak to him, since all he does, they say, is quarrel and sue, in court, for the smallest reasons.

Two more temples have recently been completely restored by the Mitra-Mustafi family. The first of them is the Harasundari temple, constructed around 1814 by Ramnidhi Mitra-Mustafi.

The second is the Nistarini temple, constructed around 1847, by Kashigati Mitra-Mustafi.

Marble plaques around the Harasundari temple have the history and family tree of the Mitra-Mustafis. Unfortunately a long history of family feuds has ensured that I am not in touch with any of these people. For further information, please refer to their facebook page, and do have a look at this interesting blog post by Rangan Datta. 

Scottish Cemetery

Deep in the heart of Karaya Road, in the Park Circus/Mallickbazaar area, lies Calcutta's only Scottish Cemetery. You can find it on Google Maps by clicking here.

Established in 1820, it was abandoned around the 1940's and remained in a very neglected condition for many years. But, in the last 5 years conservation work has begun with funds and expertise from Scotland. Most of the graves are in fairly bad shape at present.

The cemetery contains around 1600 plots with around 2000 burials, and while many of the graves have obviously Scottish names, some of the graves are of Bengali Christians, such as the grave of the Bhattacharya family.

Some of the graves have been restored by surviving family members of the deceased.

The caretaker, Mr. Norman Hall is genial and helpful and accompanied me on my walk around the place. He stays right there with his family, and had a good laugh when I asked him if he was scared of ghosts.

The most famous resident of the cemetery of course is Rev. Thomas Jones, who was a Welsh Missionary known for his work in the Khasi Hills, where he helped develop the Khasi alphabet.

It is possible to visit the cemetery on any day of the week, and there is no entrance charge. However, I recommend that you visit in the winter, as during summer or the monsoons, there is the risk of snakes.

For those really interested, it is possible to obtain a list of those buried here from the government, and I am led to believe that a complete list is held by St. John's Church.

The site is a reminder of Calcutta's colonial history, and for me, now in 2013 it is a strange experience to look at graves bearing names such as McGregor. It is one thing to read about the people who were once our colonial masters. It is quite another to look at their graves. It makes them seem more like real people somehow, and it makes me wonder what made people from halfway around the world want to come and live and die in our country. Perhaps this was their home then, as much as it is mine now.