Royal Insurance Building, Dalhousie Square

The insurance sector in India, in the days of the British Raj was initially completely dominated by British firms. Indians infact, were prohibited from buying insurance. Among the earliest companies to offer insurance to British subjects in India were Standard Life Assurance and The Oriental Assurance Company. Closely following them, came the Royal Insurance Company, and the grand building housing their offices in Calcutta survives to this day.

The Royal Insurance Building today

Royal Insurance was founded in 1845, and their Calcutta office was built in 1905. The architects were Edward Thornton and William Banks Gwyther. Located on the Western side of Dalhousie Square, at the corner of Charnock Place (now N.S. Road) and Koilaghat Street (now BTM Sarani), opposite the GPO building, the Edwardian style building, with it’s blood and bandage look has recently been spruced up, and looks very well maintained. The building sports a dome on it’s North East corner, which, though far more modest that the gigantic dome of the GPO, is elegant all the same. Originally accommodating Sandersons &. Morgans (Solicitors), and the Manufacturers' Life Assurance Company of Canada (1887) apart from Royal Insurance, the building continues to be used as an office.

Royal Insurance Building and GPO lit up to mark the visit of King George V in 1911

William Banks Gwyther, one of the two architects, is the man behind a prodigiously large number of buildings in Calcutta. Among them is the clock tower of Calcutta Port (1899), the Military Secretariat Building on Esplanade Row East (1901) and the headquarters of the Calcutta Municipal Corporation (1905). Gwyther received his technical training at the Thomason Engineering College, Rorkee, and entered the Bengal Public Works Department in 1876. He rose to be executive engineer, and was appointed Under - Secretary to the Government in 1892, reaching the rank of Superintending Engineer in 1903. His death, in Shillong, was announced in The Times of 29^th June, 1910.

The Royal Insurance Company today operates under the name RSA Insurance Group Plc., RSA being the abbreviation of Royal and Sun Alliance. RSA operates in some 31 countries today. Curiously enough, the Royal Insurance Building has a twin in Liverpool, which, however is in far worse condition. Plans are on to convert Liverpool’s Royal Insurance Building into a hotel.
 
- by Deepanjan Ghosh

The Black Hole of Calcutta

Let me start by differentiating between the place and the event. The Black Hole of Calcutta was a place, and about it’s existence, no controversy exists. The Black Hole Tragedy was an event which, many historians say, did not happen at all. My search was for the place, and it’s existence does not in any way corroborate the events alluded to by John Zephaniah Holwell in his letter of 1758.

Now, to the beginning. The original Fort William of Calcutta stood where the GPO, the Collectorate, the RBI and the Fairlie Place offices of Eastern Railway stand today. It’s construction began around 1696, and continued through 1706. The fort housed, among other things, the East India Company’s factory, the Governor’s mansion, living quarters for the employees or factors of the company, and various offices and godowns. When the new Nawaab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daula attacked Calcutta in 1756, the fort fell. St. Anne’s Church, Calcutta’s first Church, which stood where the main rotunda of the Writers’ Building stands today, was also destroyed in the attack. The heavily damaged fort was ultimately torn down, and the GPO and other buildings took it’s place.

Now, what was the Black Hole? The Black Hole was a military prison, within the walls of the old Fort William. It was located along the Eastern curtain wall of the fort, was about 18 feet by 14 feet, and was completely bricked up, save for two very small, barred windows. What happened here on the night of 20^th June, 1756, is a matter of great controversy. The acting Governor, Roger Drake, having fled the fort, it’s defenders chose a surgeon, John Zephaniah Holwell, to lead the defense of the fort against the far superior army of Siraj-ud-Daula. Outmanned and outgunned, the defenders ultimately surrendered, and the Nawab ordered the survivors to be confined for the night. It is most likely that these instructions filtered down through several subordinates, and hence it’s actual meaning was lost somewhere in the chain of command. Holwell claims that 146 people were forcibly driven into the Black Hole Prison, and in the night, through heat and suffocation, 123 of them died. Many eminent Historians argue that this event did not occur at all. However, Holwell did erect a monument to the dead just outside the site of the Black Hole prison, which eventually fell into disrepair and was dismantled. It’s place was taken by a replica built under orders of Lord Curzon, in 1901. That too had to be ultimately removed to the grounds of the St. John’s Church, due to energetic protests by Indian freedom fighters, led by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose.

The GPO today

The Small Causes Court, Bankshall Street

One of the unique things about the many heritage buildings of Calcutta in general, and the Dalhousie area in particular, is that many of them remain in use as fully functional offices. Many of them continue to be used, in fact, for the very things that they were originally designed for. One such building is The Small Causes Court.

The Small Causes Court in 1878. Photo courtesy www.oldindianphotos.in

 In the Presidency towns of Calcutta, Bombay and Madras Presidency Small Cause Courts were established by the Charter of King George II, dated 8th January 1753. Initially dealing with cases whose value did not exceed Rs. 100, the Small Causes Court now deals with all cases whose value does not exceed Rs. 3000. Beginning it’s life in the premises of the Imperial Museum (now Indian Museum) in Sudder Street, The Small Causes Court moved to Mangoe Lane in 1870, and finally to this building, at the corner of Bankshall Street and Hare Street, in 1874. It was built on the site of the old General Post Office, designed by W.H. White of the Public Works Department, and though the building has echoes of the French Palladean style, it also has ionic columns. When the building was later expanded southwards, among the many old buildings that were demolished to make way was Calcutta’s only Ice House.

The Small Causes Court today

Before the Ice House was built, citizens of Calcutta were completely dependent for their supply of ice on The Tudor Ice Company of America, whose specially built wooden ships would cause a sensation when they arrived at the ghat near Hare Street. Large blocks of ice were slid down stairs into underground storerooms, and anyone in need of it, would have to send coolies who would carry the ice wrapped in blankets, something that one gets to see in Calcutta even today. The importers of the ice were the Dutt family of central Calcutta, who made a small fortune in the business.

Infact, the street the court is located on, Bankshall Street, gets it’s name from a Marine House which occupied the same space. Historians differ as to the origins of the word Bankshall. Some point to the Dutch word Bankshall, meaning Marine House, while others say it is an Anglicization of the Sanksrit expression Banik-Shala, meaning a gathering of traders, which is what the Marine House was.

HURU CHUNDER GHOSE

Hara Chandra Ghosh's bust

Located at what was once, presumably, the entrance to the Small Causes Court, is the beautiful marble bust of Huru Chunder Ghose. His name is spelt Hara Chandra Ghosh now (pronounced Haw-Row). Hailing from a family from Sarsuna in the South 24 Parganas, Hara Chandra Ghosh attracted the attention of Lord William Bentinck at a young age. He could not join Bentinck’s staff due to objections from his mother. Nevertheless, Bentinck appointed him Munsif of Bankura in 1832; a position from which Ghosh rose rapidly, through his hard work and diligence, to become a judge of the Small Causes Court in 1854. He remained in this position until his death in 1868.

Motifs on the three sides of the pedestal of the bust

Hara Chandra Ghosh was a member of Young Bengal, a loose organization of young, forward thinking Bengali men, influenced by the teachings of the formidable Henry Louis Vivian Derozio and clockmaker turned educationist, David Hare. His marble bust today is surrounded by filth and the view of the pedestal is blocked by benches and makeshift beds, possibly belonging to the many traders who operate roadside tea-stalls and the like from the area. But a closer inspection of the pedestal is possible, and this reveals three motifs carved on it’s three sides; a coconut tree (or possibly palm tree) with a crescent moon, the figure of justice, blindfolded and with scales in one hand, and a rather curious looking arrangement of flowers, whose meaning is not clear to me.

- by Deepanjan Ghosh

W. Leslie & Co., Chowringhee

Old photograph of W. Leslie & Co.

Millions pass by the twin domed building on Dharmatalla crossing without having any idea of it’s history. Although presently almost derelict, this building still houses offices, lights can be seen in the windows, fans can be seen whirring, and people can be seen hard at work. I would have never found out what the origins of the building was if it wasn’t for Montague Massey’s excellent book “Recollections of Calcutta for over Half a Century”. In the pages of the book is a photograph of something that is unmistakably this very same building. Voila!

Leslie House today

What is seen in the photograph, is the office of W. Leslie & Co., “Ironmongers”, what we in Calcutta today call a “hardware business”. The business was founded in 1890 in Calcutta and Leslie House, was built in 1912. While World War I made life difficult for many, and forced many firms out of business, W. Leslie & Co. made a killing, supplying large orders of machinery and parts to various parts of India and Mesopotamia. The firm's premises were used as the headquarters for the munitions Department of the Government of India. After the founder W. Leslie passed away, his sons, Kenneth and Mark Leslie carried on the business till the early 1930’s. From private letters, we know that around 1934, the business was sold, and the brothers returned to England. Trading, in the name of the company was carried on for a while by P.B. Shah and Co..

Old photograph of Dharmatalla crossing. Leslie House's twin domes can be seen in the distance

Then, in 1939, W. Leslie & Co. was purchased by Ramji Hansraj Kamani, founder of the Kamani Group. The rest we know from a timeline on Wikipedia. Kamani shifted the company to Bombay in 1941, fearing a Japanese invasion of Eastern India. Further expansion happened, with a new factory being opened in Lahore, in 1942. Unfortunately, this was lost to Pakistan during partition. The W. Leslie & Co. name continued under the newly formed Kamani Engineering Corporation Limited, manufacturing aluminum, brass and stainless steel utensils and importing electrical and mechanical machinery and equipment and spare parts.

 

Infighting and litigation ensued on Kamani’s death in 1965, and the company accumulated heavy financial debt during the 1973 oil crisis and the 1979 energy crisis. The company was auctioned by the Maharashtra government in 1982 for recovery of dues and was acquired by the RPG Group. In a strange twist of fate, the building is actually just across the street from the headquarters of the RPG group’s power utility, the Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation.


- by Deepanjan Ghosh

W. Leslie and Company photograph from Recollection of Calcutta courtesy Anirban Hazra

The New Central Telegraph Office

There are only three buildings on Dalhousie Square South. All of them are heritage buildings, and magnificent examples of colonial architecture in Calcutta. There is the Standard Building, once home to The Standard Life Assurance Company, and now a government youth hostel, there is Hongkong House, now home to the HSBC Bank, and there are the two magnificent buildings of The Central Telegraph Office, one older, and one considerably newer.

CTO, Northern end

The Central Telegraph Office is one of the few Government offices that provides 365 days of service a year, without any breaks, even on public holidays. The site where the present CTO is located was occupied by a tank, or pond in 1757. It was filled up and the plot was occupied the auction firm of Tulloh & Co, who auctioned everything from Indigo factories, to entire libraries, to ale and even horses, and their advertisements may be found in publications such as the Calcutta Literary Gazette. The owner, Mr. Tulloh has been immortalized as Judas in Johann Zoffany’s painting of The Last Supper, which may be seen on the walls of St. John’s Church.

CTO, Southern end

In 1770, the first European style bank in India, Hindusthan Bank, started operating from the premises. When Government purchased the property now occupied by the Central Telegraph Office, Messrs. Burkinyoung, a music shop, selling pianos and the like, F.& C. Osler, makers of fine glass Chandeliers, candelabras etc., and Mackillop, Stewart & Co., a mercantile house, were in possession respectively of the properties once held by Tulloh, the Hindusthan Bank and John Prinsep. The original branch of the Central Telegraph Office is now difficult to miss, partly because of it’s prominent bell tower, and partly because of a particularly loud paint job, which makes the building look like a hunk of vanilla and strawberry ice cream.

While the old building was designed in 1868, and completed in 1876, the new wing of the CTO, which is entered from Wellesley Place (now Red Cross Place), was built in 1914. DBHKer’s notes point to an architecturally similar building in Rangoon, which was built a few years earlier and Melbourne’sMail Exchange, built a few years later.

The lower floors of the new wing of the CTO continue to be used for sorting and storing mail, while the upper floors have been converted into a sort of a guest house for postal employees, complete with kitchen, servants and enormous four poster beds. We met a postal employee from Ambala who was being transferred to Port Blair (!!!) and had stopped over in Calcutta for a bit of rest. He greeted us with a very warm “Good Maaaaarning”!

- by Deepanjan Ghosh

Spence's Hotel and The Treasury Building

Spence's Hotel photographed by Fredrik Fiebig, 1851. The railings and Western gate of Government House are visible on the left

Jules Verne, in his 1880 novel “The Steam House” (French - La Maison à Vapeur) wrote of a group of British colonists travelling around in a wheeled house, pulled by a steam-powered mechanical elephant. Like all his stories, it does not seem very fantastic or farfetched today. In the novel, there is a reference to a hotel in Calcutta. He writes, “I left the Spence’s Hotel, one of the best in Calcutta which I had made my residence ever since my arrival”. Started by John Spence in 1830, Spence’s Hotel was the first hotel of Asia, and was located at the corner of Esplanade Row West and Government Place West, just across the road from the Western gate of Government House (Raj Bhavan).

Treasury Building, Southern view

However, as the Empire grew, the colonial Government however, began aggressively acquiring all properties around Government House for construction of offices and residential quarters for the small army of staff that was needed to keep the government machinery functioning smoothly. The land on which Spence’s stood was taken over by the Government in the 1880’s, and Spence’s was relocated to Wellesley Place, from where it continued to operate, until it was eventually demolished.

Treasury Building, Northern view

What was once Spence’s is today a Government building. The plaque inside it’s gates tells us that it was constructed between 1882 and 1884, under the aegis of His Excellency The Marquis of Ripon, and that the government architect was a certain Mr. E.J. Martin. The massive building, extensively ornamented, occupying an entire city block, was originally meant to accommodate the Financial Department of the Government of India. It is presently home to the Principal Accountant General (audit & accounts), Government of West Bengal, and is called the Treasury Building or A.G. Bengal.

Phoenix ornamentation on a roof corner

The similarity in appearance between this building, and the more famous Writers Building, which is just down the road, is due to both being built in the same late-French Renaissance style. Along with it’s exquisite external ornamentation, the building has tall, beautifully arched windows, matching sets of Corinthian pillars and railed roofs with pair of phoenixes at intervals. Although officially built for the Financial Department, the building has, during the Raj years, housed various other departments as well, such as the Pay Office, the Revenue Department, the Records Department and the ominously named General Superintendent of Thuggee & Dacoity.

Plaque inside the building with details of construction

All these offices would pack up for the summer months, and head to Simla, with their documents and all, to operate out of the new Imperial Secretariat Building there at Gorton Castle, built in 1904. Although a 130 year old heritage building, the Treasury Building is still a fully functional government office, and hence entry and photography inside the building are not ordinarily permitted. There is no restriction on shooting it from outside though.

- by Deepanjan Ghosh

Spence’s Hotel photograph courtesy http://heritagestructurewb.blogspot.in/

McLeod House, 3, N.S. Road

McLeod House today

Calcutta’s Dalhousie Square is one of the last surviving colonial areas of the world. Due to it’s proximity to the Hooghly river, it developed as a major centre of commerce, and is dotted with heritage buildings, all originally belonging to mercantile houses. Now, whenever Indians think of colonial rule, the vast majority think of English people. But the fact is that an extremely large number of mercantile houses in Calcutta, and indeed all over the world, were run by the Scots. In the Dalhousie Square area may be found evidence of this in the form of Balmer, Lawrie & Co, Gillanders, Arbuthnot & Co, Mackinnon, Mackenzie & Co, Shaw, Wallace & Co and many others. Calcutta’s Scottish connection is not limited to Mercantile houses either. There is a Scottish Cemetery at the crossing of Karaya Road and Acre Road which is the final resting place for more than 1600 of Scotland’s sons and daughters.

McLeod & Co. was founded in 1887 and was one of the largest merchants and agents in Calcutta at the beginning of the twentieth century with interests in tea, coal, rubber, steamer services, indigo and light railways. McLeod House may be found on the Western side of Dalhousie Square, located near the crossing of Council House Street and Hare Street, next to the much more flamboyant Royal Insurance Building. Although the building is not as extensively ornamented as some of the other buildings in the Dalhousie Square area, it is in good condition, and continues to be used as an office today. 

- by Deepanjan Ghosh

Ezra Mansion, 10 Govt. Place, East

Ezra Mansion

At the corner of Waterloo Street, opposite Great Eastern Hotel, stands a derelict, exposed brick structure. Only the letters I, O and N are visible on it’s façade. Those three letters form the last part of the word mansion, and the name of the building is Ezra Mansion. As far as I can tell, it was constructed by Calcutta’s Jewish real estate tycoon, David Joseph Ezra, in the early 20th century. The portico extending over the pavement originally had cast iron posts which have been replaced with brick piers. The cast iron railings however remain. This is the man who was behind the Esplanade Mansions, Chowringhee Mansions and Ezra Street is named after him.

Though today it is in serious need of repair, in it’s heyday, Ezra Mansion housed Cuthbertson & Harper, one of Calcutta’s best shoemakers, and J.C. Hanhart & Co., jewelers. Cuthbertson and Harper's sign can be seen in the photograph of the building in Intach's book, "Calcutta: Built Heritage Today". It continues to function today as an office block. 

- by Deepanjan Ghosh

Francis, Harrison, Hathaway and Company, Govt. Place, East

In the late 19^th Century, departmental stores in Calcutta rivaled those in European cities. The modern departmental store evolved from shops that were originally known as “drapers”. “Draper” was a term for a retailer or wholesaler of cloth that was mainly for clothing, says Wikipedia. One of the earliest such shops in Calcutta was Francis, Harrison, Hathaway and Company of Government Place, East.

Francis, Harrison, Hathaway and Company in it's heydays

My investigation was sparked by a photograph of Francis, Harrison, Hathaway and Company in Montague Massey’s Recollections of Calcutta for Over Half a Century. The building, I thought, looked familiar, and upon sifting through my photographs, I realized I had photographed it on one of my earliest walks through the Dalhousie area, which is the central business district of Calcutta. Back then, when we had no name for it, we referred to it simply as the Times of India building, since the newspaper’s offices occupied part of the building. A phone call to Sashi Dhacholia, a very senior member of the Benett, Coleman & Co Ltd (TOI’s parent body) team, revealed that the newspaper had infact occupied these premises for four decades or more, on rent. The owners were the Mallicks, of Marble Palace fame.

The building today

A phone call to Hiren Mallick of the family revealed a treasure trove of information. The property had been acquired by the family in the 1850’s, and TOI had been operating from the premises since their arrival in Calcutta. The building has been home to many British firms over the years, one of them manufacturing one of the earliest “Arrowroot” biscuits in India. It is still home to the (originally German) machine tools company Francis Klein, and the Ranger’s Club, which was once The Calcutta Naval Volunteers Club. The famous Ranger’s Lottery would happen from these very premises. Tito's bar operates from one corner of the building. The property was particularly prized for it’s overlooking Government House (now Raj Bhavan) and members of the Mallick family would gather on the building’s two balconies which offered a unique view of the Viceroy’s processions from the eastern gate of Government House.

Tito's bar

Francis, Harrison, Hathaway and Company had around 11 European staff members which was considered very large for the time. By the end of the century they had around 40. Among them were several people who went on to start successful businesses of their own. In 1880, there was a certain Mr. E. Whiteaway who ten years later was the partner of Whiteaway Laidlaw, in Chowringhee. Their humongous building is now known as the Metropolitan Building and is still one of the architectural landmarks of the city. There were also P. N. Hall and William Anderson, who started Hall & Anderson’s, which, within a few years, began to give tough competition to Francis, Harrison, Hathaway and Company.

The building today clearly looks battered and bruised. I hope that the Mallick family will consider renovating it sometime soon. It would be a pity to lose yet another one of the city’s connections to it’s colonial past.

- by Deepanjan Ghosh

2, Camac Street

His name was Arathoon Stephen and he was born in Isfahan, Iran, in 1861. An Armenian, he came to Calcutta as a penniless refugee sometime in the early 19^th century, and began life by selling jewellery from a wheelbarrow. Later he set up shop on Chowringhee, and made his fortune in the real estate development business. He is the man who built The Grand Hotel on Chowringhee and Stephen Court on Park Street. Both structures are standing and are in use today.

Newspaper advert of Stephen's shop on Chowringhee

Not too many people are aware that this millionaire lived in Camac Street, and the building that he lived in also remains standing. On 2 Camac Street, on the corner of Middleton Row, stands a nondescript old building. The only way to tell that this isn’t just another building, is when stands infront of the petrol pump on Camac Street and looks up. The ornate decorations on the terrace wall, along with the urns are a clear indication of the period this house was built in. This was once home to the real estate magnate, who died on the 14^th of May, 1927.

External view of 2 Camac Street, with part of the petrol pump visible in the bottom left

The building is in a grubby state, although a peep inside will tell you that it was once quite something. The solid wooden staircase, the porcelain tiles along the walls, and beautiful wooden elevator all bear witness to this. The building is currently in mixed usage, with residential flats and a few offices. Mayfair hotels was said to have it’s offices in this building.

Driveway of 2 Camac Street

While the Calcutta Corporation has declared this a heritage building, there have been attempts made by unscrupulous developers to bring it down, and although a heritage structure not too many people seem to be aware of the history of the building. Stephen’s granddaughter, Irene Harris, was said to be living in Stephen Court at the time of the devastating fire of 23^rd March, 2010.

Dumraon House, 26 Camac Street

The en masse migration of labourers and daily wage earners of Bihar to Calcutta is well known. They still form a large part of the menial workers of the city. But not many are aware that the upper crust of Bihar society also had a presence in Calcutta, and like all other communities that came here, they left their mark on the city.

Surrounded by new flats and glitzy commercial buildings, at 26 Camac Street, stands Dumraon House. Dumraon is one of Bihar's oldest municipalities and one of India's oldest princely states. It came into being under Narayan Mal, who through his friendship with Mughal Prince Khurram, received the title of Raja. The 4th ruler of the dynasty, Raja Horil Shah (1708 – 1746) shifted the capital to Dumraon, which was initially called Horilnagar. Skip ahead 200 years and we have the birth of Maharaja Bahadur Ram Ran Vijay Prashad Singh in 1907. Ascending the throne on death of his father, Maharaja Bahadur Sir Keshav Prashad Singh in 1933, Ram Ran Vijay Prashad Singh inherited a depleted treasury and massive debts owed due to almost continuous litigation. He was able, through his short reign, however, to revive the fortunes of the family. To augment the family’s incomes, properties were acquired outside Bihar in places like Calcutta , Dehradun, Mussoorie, Shilong and many other places. The property on Camac Street was acquired during this period, and Dumraon House was constructed in 1922.

Some will no doubt recall the company Dumraon Textiles, which was started by the Maharaja’s son, Maharaja Bahadur Kamal Singh in 1968.  Dumraon House today continues to function as what the official records call a building of “mixed usage”. There are residential flats, as well as commercial establishments functioning out of the building. There is a large open space in the rear, which is used as a car park, and part of it has been converted into a garden where the building’s ‘darwaan’ lives with his family.

One of the most famous people to emerge from Dumraon was the Shehnai maestro, Ustad Bismillah Khan, who was born in Dumraon, on 21 March 1913.

- by Deepanjan Ghosh

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• I am grateful to Shivang Vijay Singh of the Dumraon royal family for his comments on the article.
• Thanks also to Tirtha Tanay Mandal for pointing out certain errors in the original post, which have now been corrected.

SOURCES

• http://members.iinet.net.au/~royalty/ips/d/dumraon.html
• http://www.zamindar.info/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20&Itemid=16

Nakhoda Masjid

Nakhoda Masjid as seen from an elevated position across the street

It is perhaps difficult to imagine for anyone living in the city now, but Calcutta was once a bewildering melting pot of people and cultures, much more so than it is today. The capital of British India, and the principal port in the East, people from all over India, and indeed, all over the world, settled here, and each of these communities left their mark on the city. Among the settlers were the Memons of Kutch. The Kutchi Memons are a community of Sunni Muslim traders, and their contribution to the city’s architecture may be seen even today, towering above the chaos of Burrabazaar, Calcutta’s central business district. Nakhoda Masjid is Calcutta’s principal mosque, with a capacity of 10,000. Completed in 1926, at the cost of Rs. 1,500,00.00, the architecture of the mosque is an imitation of the mausoleum of Mughal emperor Akbar in Sikandara, a suburb of Agra.

The courtyard

A friend once asked me, “why is it called Nakhoda? Doesn’t that seem like an ungodly name”? Unlike what many may think, Nakhoda does not mean the place of no God. The Kutchi Memons, who built the mosque, were a community of seafaring traders, and the word Nakhoda means mariner. Nakhoda Masjid therefore means Mariner’s Mosque. The mosque may be entered, and most parts of it are open to visitors, at all times except during prayer. Women must remember to dress modestly, which means no shorts, mini skirts, spaghetti tops and the like. It is advisable for women to cover their heads using scarves or something similar. Shoes must be removed before entering the mosque, and you would do well to carry a bag in which to place them and carry around with yourself, because, according to locals, people with nimble fingers are all around.

The main entrance to the mosque

The fascinating architecture of the mosque makes for great photographs. One the outside, there are 3 domes and the two principal minarets are 151 feet high. There are an additional 25 smaller minarets. On the inside, the gateway is an imitation of the Buland Darwaza of Fatehpur Sikri. Intricate carvings and beautiful ornamentation may be seen on the walls.

The area surrounding the mosque is filled with shops serving some of the most delicious food. For beef eaters in particular, the biryani from Aminia, the chaap from Bombay Hotel (aka Bambaiya), and if you’re lucky, the nihari served at the crack of dawn in winter, at Sufiya Hotel, directly opposite the mosque, is top class. Don't eat beef? No problem. Chicken and mutton are available as well. If you visit during the holy month of Ramzan, and can brave the crowds, do pick up some of the Bakarkhani, a kind of sweet, flat, bread, sold on the streets.

Fountain and the pool for ritual ablutions. Marble blocks seats all along the edge.

Prayer times for the faithful

- by Deepanjan Ghosh

Who is the Manik of Maniktala?

The plaque atop the entrance of Manik Baba's shrine

Maniktala, or Manicktollah, many say gets it’s name from the Pir, or Muslim saint Manik Baba, who’s mazaar or shrine stands near the crossing of Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road and Maniktala Street. The mazaar may be entered through a narrow passage, shoes must be left outside, but photography once inside the shrine is permitted. All that is known about Manik Baba is that his real name is Syud Husain-ud-Din Shah, and that he came to Calcutta from upper India, some time in the early 1800’s. But, Maniktala is clearly marked in Wood’s map of Calcutta, which is from 1784. This would seem to rule out any possibility of Manik Baba’s name being given to the place. The only other option left to us then, is that of Manikchand. Manikchand ruled Calcutta as the deputy of Bengal’s Nawaab Siraj-ud-Daulah, after the siege of Calcutta in 1756. Siraj renamed the city to Alinagar, after his grandfather, Alivardi Khan. 

Walter Granville's Incredibly Gothic High Court

“Close to the eastern bank of the Hooghly river…near Fairlie Place, stands the majestic sandstone and red brick structure of the Calcutta High Court…” – from The High Court at Calcutta, 150 Years: An Overview

Front view of the Calcutta High Court. Standing tall is the statue of Surya Sen

3, Esplanade Row (West), was once the location of the Supreme Court of Bengal. The adjoining apartments were home to Sir ElijahImpey, it’s first Chief Justice, and his family. The stucco buildings were demolished in 1862, and in it’s place came up the present main building of The Calcutta High Court.

Designed by the then government architect, Walter L. B. Granville, The Calcutta High Court is the oldest high court in India. Granville was also responsible for the G.P.O. Building, which came up in place of the old Fort William, The Imperial Museum, which is now the Indian Museum, and the Calcutta University’s erstwhile Senate Hall. Although the court was established as the High Court of Judicature at Fort William on 1 July 1862, the neo-gothic style building was constructed in 1872. The Calcutta High Court is said to be based on the famous Cloth Hall of Ypres, Belgium. When the Cloth Hall was destroyed by German artillery in World War I, the plans of the High Court were sent for, to aid in it’s reconstruction. The impressive pillars on the front of the building contain some extremely beautiful capitals, carved out of Caenstone. Biblical figures of Truth, Benevolence, Charity and others appear surrounded by foliage. 

The capitals on the pillars, carved out of Caen stone.

There is a provision for visitors to enter the High Court, after obtaining a special pass, but photography inside the building is not allowed. A painting of Sir Elijah Impey hangs in Court Room No. 1, painted by the celebrated Johann Zoffany, who’s Indian take on Da Vinci’s Last Supper may be seen on the walls of St. John’s Church.

The Calcutta High Court presently has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the islands of Andaman and Nicobar. The statue of Masterda Surya Sen, mastermind of the Chittagong Armoury Raid, infront of the court was placed there post independence. Thacker's Guide to Calcutta confirms that "in the plot of ground before the High Court is the full length statue of Lord Northbrook (Viceroy 1872-1876) and beyond is that of Lord Auckland (Governor General, 1836-1842) looking towards the gardens which bear his family name". The bit about Auckland is probably a reference to the Eden Gardens, conceived in the late 1840's by him, and initially named Auckland Circus Gardens. It was rechristened Eden Gardens in 1854, after Emily and Fanny Eden, the sisters of Lord Auckland.