Smita's Kolkata Chronicles

Raj Bhavan is the official residence of the governor of West Bengal.  This three-storied majestic building comprises of a central area with large halls, curved corridors on all four sides.  The Government House as it was called at that time was completed on January 18, 1803 . Twenty-three Governors-General and, later, Viceroys lived in this house, until the capital shifted to Delhi in 1912. The purpose of construction of this building was to keep 'plebeian' and the 'common man' out of the vicinity of the abode of the Governor General. It was a seat of the power and might of the Monarch and the Throne.  The Raj Bhavan Building The North Gate At the North Gate The building at a distance About the building : Construction work started in 1799 and was completed in 1803. Wellesley started residing in the year 1802. The building has six gates, the north gate for commoners, the south gate for the entry of the Governor and two gate...

Fort William stands as one of the most remarkable and abiding legacies of the British rule in India. It was built not merely as a barrack for the Army personnel but to proclaim the power and sovereignty of the British monarch. Post-independence, it symbolizes the status and strength of the Indian Army. This historical monument serves as a military bastion which holds within itself a small independent township. The present fort was built by the East India Company after the old one was stormed down by the last independent Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daula. Building of the old fort started in 1696 to honor King William of England. The construction of the old fort was completed in 1702 at the present day Koilaghat Street area. The old Fort included the General Post Office, Eastern Railway Headquarters and a part of the Writers’ building.  The College of Fort William was a brainchild of Lord Wellesley. It was conceptualised as 'Oxford of East'. The purpose was to prepare all those who...