Hooghly - Hugli OR Hooghly-Chuchura OR Hooghly River OR River Ganga OR Holy Ganga OR A Cultural Hub

The Hooghly District of West Bengal has several interesting tourist destinations, where one can spend his holiday vacations. This includes Bandel, Chinsurah and Chandannagar – all of which were earlier under the control of different colonial powers, such as the Portuguese, Dutch, and the French respectively. However, these tourist places have much more to offer than just the remains of their colonial legacy.

Bandel

The scenic town of Bandel was founded by Portuguese settlers. It is located in the Hooghly District, West Bengal. Nearly 40 km away from Howrah station it is a key junction station of the Eastern Railway. Previously, there was a Portuguese settlement at this place.

The chief attraction of Bandel is its Church and the Monastery which were built in 1660 by the Portuguese settlers. Bandel Basilica or the Bandel Church, as it is called, is one of the oldest Christian churches in West Bengal and a key pilgrimage destination for the worshipers of Mother Mary. Among nearby attractions, Debanandapur is a well-known name. Located three kilometers west from the Bandel Station, Debanandapur’s claim to fame rests on the fact that it is the birth place of the celebrated Bengali author, Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay.

Chinsurah

A historic Dutch colonial town situated on the banks of the Hooghly River, 45 km away from Kolkata, Chinsurah is the Headquarters of Hooghly District. The Chinsurah Railway Station is a regular stop on the Howrah-Burdwan chief line by train.



It has some excellent remains of its past glory. Chinsurah boasts of several attractions, including Fort Gustavus, Octagonal Dutch Church, Bandemataram House, Imambara, Shandeswara Temple, Mahisasurmardini Temple, Circuit House, Rabindra Bhavan, besides Anna Maria Tomb.

This place is also closely related with the work and lives of some of the renowned personalities from the region, including Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Rabindranath Tagore, not to mention Kazi Nazrul Islam.

Chandannagar

The former French colony situated 30 kilometres north of the capital, Kolkata, Chandannagar, is yet another key tourist destination of the Hooghly District and has a rich colonial legacy. Earlier called Chandernagore or Chandernagar, it is presently a small city situated on the Hooghly River.

The modern Chandannagar has come of age and developed as a small but established commercial hub in the West Bengal. Although the city boasts of numerous attractions, the remains of the French buildings are the most important ones. During the Napoleonic Wars, the French structures built here were subjected to worst kind of damage. Still, whatever remains here could be said to be living testimonials of the French occupation, bedsides the closely fought Napoleonic Wars. Other attractions of Chandannagar include Museum, Rabindra Bhavan, Strand, and Church, besides Temples.

Chandannagar is linked to the capital of Kolkata by railway, roadways and river. It takes just an hour or so to reach the destination by car.