As we all know, Calcutta (now Kolkata) was the capital of India under the British Raj till 1911, when it was shifted to Delhi. Besides being the cultural capital of India, Calcutta was also the administrative hub of the country till 1911.
Today 75 years after the British left the country, Kolkata still houses some of the most extraordinary, elaborate architectural wonders that were once built by the Britishers and some other Europeans with the intention to turn Calcutta into a Victorian delight.
Who doesn’t know about the Victoria Memorial, Raj Bhavan, National Library, or Indian Meuseum? They are immensely popular all over the world! Believe me, this is not all… there are many more!
On the other hand, there is a lot of other architecture we don’t always pay attention to! In this article, I will pick only a few of these beautiful yet less-visited architectural wonders that are silently revealing the history of their glorious past even today.
The Metropolitan Building (Whiteway Laidlaw department store)
Metropolitan Building, formerly known as the Whiteway Laidlaw department store, was a famous department store in Calcutta during the British Rule in India. This neo-baroque emporium—with domes, a clock tower and arched recessed windows—exemplifies fashionable shopping during the British Raj in British India.
Whiteaway, Laidlaw & Co (nicknamed ‘Right-away & Paid-for’ because it operated on cash payments only, no credit) was ‘the’ colonial emporium or department store in India and became a household name throughout the East.
The company was founded in Calcutta by two eponymous Scotsmen in 1882 and also had branches in Bombay, Madras, Lahore and Simla as well as further afield in Colombo, Burma, the Straits Settlements and in Shanghai.
The Whiteway, Laidlaw & Co.’s departmental stores in Calcutta was considered the poshest and classiest department store this side of the Suez.
The building was built in 1905. Post Independence Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. assumed ownership, so people know it more commonly as Metropolitan Building. Currently it is owned by the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC). It is located near the Shaheed Minar and the Grand Hotel.
Just behind this marvelous building you get to see the age-old Dacker’s Lane, which is famous for Kolkata street food. If you are here, don’t afford to miss chicken stue from Chittobabu’s shop!
Saheed Minar (Ochterlony Monument)
Almost 200 years old Shaheed Minar or Martyrs’ Monument, formerly known as the Ochterlony Monument, is a monument in Kolkata that was erected in 1828.
The construction of this beautiful 157 feet high monument was started in 1825 and completed in 1828. J. P. Parker, a British engineer designed this monument.
It was built in the memory of Major-general Sir David Ochterlony, commander of the British East India Company, to commemorate both his successful defense of Delhi against the Marathas in 1804 and the victory of the East India Company’s armed forces over the Gurkhas in the Anglo-Nepalese War, also known as the Gurkha War.
On 9 August 1969, it was rededicated to the memory of the martyrs of the Indian freedom movement and renamed the “Shaheed Minar,” which means “martyrs’ monument” in both Bengali and Hindi, by the then United Front Government in memory of the martyrs of the Indian independence movement.
This monument gives you a spectacular birds’ eye view of the city. But after an accident took place in 1997, one has to take special permission from Kolkata Police to gain access to the top.
The last people to have been up there were former governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi and his family.
Bow Barrack: The Christmas Street of Kolkata
As you step into the tiny lane just behind the Bowbazaar Police Station in Calcutta, you find yourself in the mid of rich history of colonial legacy. These streets are bearers of stories and anecdotes that span the entire colonial history of the city.
During the first World War, Bow Barrack was built for the British soldiers who were supposed to be allotted flats according to their ranks. But they refused to move here and preferred to stay back at Fort William. It was then that these quarters were offered to the Anglo-Indian community, who by that time, had become an important part of the British workforce in India. Members of this community still live in the red brick houses in Bow Barracks in Calcutta!
Bow Barracks was designed by Halsey Ricardo, the same person who was the architect of the iconic Howrah Bridge of Kolkata. In present times, not only Anglo-Indian families, but Bow Barracks is also home to Chinese, Bengali and Gujarati families. As a cosmopolitan space, it is also a melting pot of different cultures.
However, the most special time of the year in Bow Barracks is none other than Christmas time, when the residents of the area come together in mirth and laughter. Bow Barracks in Calcutta is the only place in the world where Santa Claus arrives in a rickshaw. Usually, the celebrations begin a week before Christmas day. Trust me Christmas celebration at Bow Barrack is something spectacular and you cannot afford to miss it!
Guess what! WordCamp Kolkata has been scheduled on December 18, which is exactly one week before the Christmas, the same time when the celebration starts to happen at Bow Barrack too. Just don’t miss out. You must take home the special flavour of century old rich history of Anglo-Indian Christmas!
Magen David Synagogue (Kolkata)
Magen David Synagogue (or the “Shield of David“), one of those historical and architectural marvels of Kolkata, is located near Burrabazar. More precisely at the junction of Brabourne Road and Canning Street (Biplabi Rashbehari Road) in Kolkata. Magen David is the second operating synagogue in Kolkata. The other one is the Beth El Synagogue, located at Pollock Street.
Elias David Ezra built this synagogue back in 1884 (September 11 to be exact) in memory of his beloved father David Joseph Ezra. David Joseph Ezra was known to be as one of the successful real estate traders of Kolkata in the British era.
Elias David Joseph Ezra is associated with some of the well known buildings of Kolkata including Esplanade Mansion, Ezra Mansion and Chowringhee Mansion. The famous Ezra Street, also known as electronic center of the city, is also named after him.
The complex also houses the Neveh Shalome Synagogue, Calcutta’s oldest existing synagogue.
The Magen David Synagogue is approached through an arched door, containing the hexagonal “Star of David” and Hebrew inscription. The two side walls contains memorial plaques dedicated to the well known Jews of Calcutta.
Although the services of the Magen David Synagogue have long stopped, the interior is astonishingly well maintained. The chequered marble floor, gleaming chandeliers, stained glass windows and ornate floral pillars shipped from Paris enhance its Continental look.
The synagogue is built in the Italian Renaissance style with a stunning brick red finish.
S. S. Hogg Market (The New Market)
For as long as 135 years, the time when the British Raj was at its peak and Calcutta (Kolkata) was slowly being decorated in Victorian style, the S. S. Hogg Market, named after Sir Stuart Hogg Market, the then chairman of Calcutta Corporation, was an integral part of the British colonists and one of the largest shopping centers in the city!
New Market dates back to 1874. Even today the name of S. S. Hogg can still be seen above the entrance of this grand Victorian-Gothic building. The massive arcade has survived two fires in its history and remains one of Kolkata’s most popular shopping destinations till date.
The market, as of now, is over-crowded, chaotic but extremely colourful. New Market is a busy and enormous labyrinth of more than 2,000 stalls and shops, many under one roof.
New Market is open every day except Sunday and operates from midmorning to early evening. On Saturdays, it closes in the early afternoon. New Market could be accessed easily by taxis and numerous bus services.
Come here to find a vast range of merchandise from cheap clothing and expensive jewellery to fresh fruit and seafood.