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India

Chandernagore

In the middle of the February of 1910 Sri Aurobindo got Adesha left Calcutta. At night by river he moved to Chandernagore. 31 March 1910 Sri Aurobindo left Chandernagore for Pondicherry (through Calcutta).

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Chandernagore (now Chandannagar) is a city, southeastern West Bengal state, northeastern India, just west of the Hooghly River and part of the Calcutta urban agglomeration (sub-divisional town in the district of Hughli), located at 22°52’ N and 88°22’E, 35 km away from Calcutta. Population (1991) 122 351, (2001) 150 000

Duplessis, a French entrepreneur, first landed here in 1673 and settled the town. He built a warehouse and stayed up to 1676, but could not prosper.  The land was in Muhammad-Aminpur in Hughli Chakla, owned by the Bansberia-Sheoraphuli Zamindars. In 1688, a farman was obtained and a factory was built by the French at Gourhati. In 1697, Deslande built Fort D’Orliens, which stood near the present Laldighi and was destroyed during the Anglo-French war. In 1736, Demas, the governor of Pondicherry procured a nawabi farman authorising the French minting of gold and silver coins. In 1731, Joseph Francis Dupleix, the new governor, acquired lands from zamindars and extended the town from Taldanga in the north to Gourhati in the South. The city was administered by a council consisting of a governor-director and 5 members, besides 15 traders, 2 doctors, 1 artisan, 2 clergymen and 103 soldiers, of whom 20 were Indians.  Town was captured by the English in 1757 and again in 1794 but was restored to France in 1815. In 1909, there were 2000 brick-built houses and a population of 26,831. The European area had a convent, the fort, the river-port, the residence of the governor, the Thistle Hotel, the church of St Louis built in 1726, a beautiful palace at Gourhati, and a strand along the river. In 1757, before the battle of palashi, robert clive halted here to confirm whether mir jafar would betray sirajuddaula on the battlefield. Following the 1949 plebiscite, it merged with India. The town still retains some of its former character, with Roman Catholic Churches, powerful trading communities and some good English-medium schools.

Chandannagar was formed of three old mouzas viz Khalisani, Boro and Gondolpara and its area was about nine sq km including the chhitmahal of Gourhati. Mankundu and Chandannagar railway stations on the Howrah-Bandel Railway line serve the town. It is connected by road and rail with Calcutta and Burdwan. The grand trunk road passes through it. Unlike other European colonies, Chandannagar was well known for its prosperous trade even before the advent of the foreigners. The town is mentioned in Manasa Mangal and Kavi Kankan Chandi. Trade in articles like lac, wax, saltpetre, cane, timber, sandalwood, textiles, silk and spices flourished at Chandannagar. The town got its name either from sandalwood (chandan) or from its presiding deity Boraichandi or Mangalchandi. This Farasdanga (Frenchland), the nickname it earned through its French connection, was famous for its handloom products. Hindus of different castes, Muslims, Europeans and Armenians inhabited it. Chandannagar had well-established cottage industries producing textiles, silk, shola, conch-shell articles, etc. The French started a jute mill on the riverside. Besides St Louis Church and Tibet Mission Church, there were an older Boraichandi temple and about a hundred Shiva temples. Jagatdhatripuja was always the most popular festival of Chandannagar. Chandernagore has several colleges affiliated with the University of Burdwan.