Chowringhee is one of the most famous and historic neighbourhoods of Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal. It is located in the heart of the city, along the eastern side of the Maidan, a large open park that stretches for about 3 km. Chowringhee is known for its colonial architecture, cultural landmarks, and vibrant street life.

While flipping through some old photographs, I found some pictures of Chowringhee and so thought of blogging on it. A few years ago, I stayed at the Peerless Inn on Chowringhee and clicked some pictures from the windows of my room.

Nobody is quite sure how Chowringhee, one of Kolkata’s most iconic roads, got its name. The name ‘Chowringhee’ has defied etymologists. There is, however, the legend of a Nath yogi, Chouranginath, who discovered an image of the goddess Kali’s face and built the first Kalighat temple.

Chowringhee was once the centre of power and prestige in Kolkata, where the British Raj built many imposing buildings and monuments, such as the Victoria Memorial, the Raj Bhavan, and the St. Paul’s Cathedral. It was also home to many elite clubs, hotels, and theatres, where the rich and famous mingled and entertained. Chowringhee was synonymous with elegance and sophistication in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The first records of Chowringhee find mention in the book ‘Calcutta During Last Century’ by Henry Ferdinand Blochmann, a German scholar who studied the Indian subcontinent and taught Persian during the 1860s in Calcutta. Blochmann’s writings on Calcutta show Chowringhee during the 18th century was a rural area, with small “puddles of water”.

In the seventeenth century or prior to it, the area now occupied by the Maidan and Esplanade was a tiger-infested jungle. At the eastern end of it was an old road, which had once been built by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family from Barisha to Halisahar. In that region were three small hamlets – Chowringhee, Birjee and Colimba.

Today, Chowringhee is still a bustling and lively area, where old and new coexist. You can find modern skyscrapers, shopping malls, and multiplexes alongside heritage buildings, museums, and art galleries. You can also enjoy a variety of cuisines, from street food to fine dining, in the numerous restaurants and cafes that dot the area. Chowringhee is also a hub for cultural activities, hosting many festivals, concerts, and exhibitions throughout the year. Chowringhee is not only the commercial heart of the city, but also the cultural heart. The Indian Museum and the Government Art College are located here, along with the Asiatic Society.

Just across is the Metropolitan Building — an iconic landmark in Chowringhee. Formerly known as the Whiteway Laidlaw department store, it was a famous department store in Calcutta during the British Rule in India. This net-baroque emporium — with domes, a clock tower, and arched recessed windows — exemplifies fashionable shopping during the British Raj in British India. The building was built in the year 1905.

Post Independence Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. assumed ownership, so people know it more commonly as Metropolitan Building. The building was restored by the Life Insurance Corporation of India.

Shahid Minar was erected in 1828 in 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.

In August 1969, it was rededicated to the memory of the martyrs of the Indian freedom movement and hence renamed the “Shahid Minar” in memory of the martyrs of the Indian independence movement.

Chowringhee’s close association with faith through the history of the city was because of its proximity to Kalighat. According to historian P. Thankappan Nair, Chowringhee was also known as ‘Pilgrim Road’ and ‘Road to Kalighat’ during the 18th century, because of the route worshippers took to the Kalighat temple, a Shaktipeeth.

An interesting version of the nomenclature can be traced to an issue of the National magazine published in December 1889 where author Sarat Chandra Mitra wrote that the name of the road comes “from the Hindustani word ‘Chowringhee’, which means many-coloured, the houses in that locality commanding views of various sorts and colours.”

Chowringhee too underwent a name change in 1964, ostensibly to shed its colonial nomenclature, but the switch to Jawaharlal Nehru Road after the first Prime Minister of India, was applied to only one segment of the road: the portion from Esplanade to Park Street. Nevertheless, for most city residents, the road and the neighbourhood at large continue to be synonymous with Chowringhee.

If you are visiting Kolkata, Chowringhee is a must-see destination that will give you a glimpse of the city’s past and present. You can walk along the wide boulevards, admire the majestic edifices, explore the diverse attractions, and soak in the vibrant atmosphere of this historic neighbourhood.