Howrah Railway Station:-
It is one of the busiest train stations in the world. About 800 passenger trains pass through the station every day and serve more than one million passengers daily. The station is the divisional headquarters for the Eastern Railway. In the 1960s, the station was expanded to include 4 new platforms on the south side. At the same time, a new passenger accommodation (transit passenger facility) was built south of the front
of the main station. The new terminal complex was finished in 1992, creating a total of 19 platforms. This was extended by a further four platforms in 2009. Great crowds celebrated the first public departure from Howrah for the 23.5 miles to Hooghly on 15 August 1854. On
March 3, 1989, the first Rajdhani Express left Howrah for New Delhi. In October 2011, India’s first double decker train left Howrah for Dhanbad. The first service of Antyodaya Express started on March 4, 2016 between Ernakulam Junction and Howrah.
Howrah Bridge:-
Howrah Bridge is a balanced cantilever bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal. The bridge was completed in 1874, at a total cost of 2.2 million, and opened to traffic on 17th October of that year. The bridge was then 1528 ft long and 62 ft wide, with 7- foot wide pavements on either side. Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was renamed the New Howrah Bridge because it replaced a pontoon bridge at the same point connecting the two cities of Howrah and Calcutta (Kolkata). On 14 June, 1965, it was renamed Rabindra Setu after the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was the first Indian and Asian Nobel Laureate. With around 100,000 vehicles and possibly more than 1,50,000 pedestrians plying daily, it is one of the busiest cantilever bridges in the world. The thirdlongest cantilever bridge at the time of its construction, the Howrah Bridge is currently the sixth-longest bridge of its type in the world. The bridge does not have nuts and bolts, but
was formed by riveting the whole structure. It consumed 26,500 tons of steel, out of which 23,000 tons of high-tensile alloy steel, known as Tiscrom, were supplied by Tata Steel. The Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) is vested with the maintenance of the bridge.
Botanical Garden :-
Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, formerly known as Indian Botanic Garden and Calcutta Botanic Garden, is located at Shibpur, Howrah. The gardens display a wide collection of rare species and a total of more than 12,000 specimens spread over 109 hectares. It is under the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. The garden was
established in the 18th century by Colonel Robert Kidd, an army officer of the East India Company, primarily for the purpose of identifying new plants. Over the years, attractive display gardens have been created for the public and many types of plants have been cultivated for scientific observation. In the 1980s, the park launched a program to introduce improved food plants and other diversity of economic benefits to the people. The garden was named Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden on June 25, 2009 in honor of
Bengali polymath and natural scientist Jagadish Chandra Bose. The most famous landmark in the garden is The Great Banyan, a giant banyan tree (Ficus benghalensis) which is considered to be the largest tree in the world, more than 330 meters in circumference.
Belur Math :-
Belur Math is the headquarters of Ramakrishna Mission, established by Swami Vivekananda, the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. The 40-acre campus of Belur Math on the shores of Hooghly includes the temple dedicated to Ramakrishna,
Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda. The campus also houses a museum containing articles related to the history of Ramakrishna Monastery and the mission. Sri Ramakrishna Temple was consecrated on 14 January, the Makar Sankranti day, in 1938. It is notable for
its architecture that fuses Hindu, Islamic, Buddhist and Christian art and motifs as a symbol of unity of all religions. The Belur Math conducts medical service, education, work for women, rural uplift and work among the labouring and backward classes, relief, spiritual and cultural activities. The centre also celebrates annual birthdays of Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, Sarada Devi and other monastic disciples of Ramakrishna. The annual celebrations of Kumari Puja and Durga Puja are among the main attractions.
Sarat Chandra Kuthi :-
Sarat Chandra Kuthi :-
Sarat Chandra Kuthi is located in the village of Samta in the Howrah district on the banks of the river Rupnarayan. It has been mentioned as the home of Bengali novelist Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay for twelve years. Sarat Chandra passed away in February 1923. Sarat Chandra Kuthi is a heritage-historical site protected under the West Bengal Heritage Commission Act (IX) 2001. Parts of the house, such as the mud-walled kitchen, had collapsed and the house was damaged in the 1978 West Bengal floods. The Zilla Parishad repaired the house. In 2009, the house was renovated and the novelist’s personal belongings were preserved. The house is still owned by the descendants of Sarat Chandra and the same has been converted into a museum.
Bhot Bagan Math :-
The famous Bhot Bagan Math is a Tibetan Buddhist Temple or Monastery located at Ghusuri , Howrah. It was built in 16 AD in order to restore the connection between Tibetan Buddhism and India in the 11th -13th centuries. The complex,
surrounded by a brick fence, is a Vaishnava mahanta cemetery. Atchala temple has 8 east facing brick tombs and one west facing Shikhar style. There is also a south-facing brick flatroofed temple dedicated to the Buddhist goddess Tara. The combination of Buddhist and Shaivite culture can be seen in this temple. Hindu rituals are followed in the temple and Prajnaparamita Lakshmi is worshipped in the temple.
Sovonuddyan :-
The residence of Late Akshay Kumar Datta is located at Bally town in Howrah district. The name of Akshay Kumar Datta is known as one of the initiators of the Bengal Renaissance. He mastered the subject of Mathematics and had proficiency over
several languages including English, French, German, Sanskrit and Persian. He also studied in the Medical College to acquire knowledge on Botany and Zoology. He was the editor of Tattwabodhini Patrika, the most well-known journal of the Renaissance period. Monier Williams, Max Mueller and Rajendraalal Mitra were among the people who got impressed with his knowledge and scholarship. He was also a great author and composed several scholarly books like Dharmaniti, Prachin Hinduder Samudrayatra O Banijyabistar. Charupath was one of his books for the school children that got recognised as mandatory text-book. The book earned him a lot of money
and with it he purchased a garden house at Bally, on the banks of the Ganges. The house was named as Sovonuddyan. He set up a laboratory in his house and a botanical garden in the house premises. This house is the witness of the birth of Bharatbarsiya Upasak Sampraday –
the magnum opus written by Akshay Kumar Datta. He also established a geological museum which was later donated to the Indian Museum by him. Akshay Kumar Datta breathed his last at this house and later the house passed on to the hands of a ship repairing company.
Andul Rajbari :-
Andul Rajbari :-
Andul Rajbari was established in 1834 by Raja Rajanarayan Raybahadur and the palace was built by the Granville Macleod Company. He was the descendant of Ramlochan Roy. Rajanarayana himself designed his palace following Greek architecture, at a cost of Rs 26.2 million. In the front of the huge three-storied palace, which is more than sixty feet high, there is a pillar about fifty feet high, imitating the Doric architecture. The palace has been declared as a “Heritage Building” by the state government.
Sri Mayer Ghat:-
It is located on the west bank of the river Hooghly in the precincts of Belur Math. It is basically a bathing ghat known as Sri Mayer ghat. Originally, this huge brick structure consisted of 30 steps, with a total length of 15 meters and width 7.9 m. These steps are of bricks laid with lime mortar made 140 years ago. The holy mother Saradamani Devi used to sit regularly on the steps of the ghat here and so it is considered a sacred place.
Chintamoni Ghat :-
Chintamani Ghat is located in Chaura slum of Howrah city. The ghat
was established by Chintamani Dey. In 1896, Swami Vivekananda came here by boat with
his disciples. He came to the house of Sri Nabagopal Ghosh in Ramakrishnapur chanting the
name of Sri Ramakrishna. He worshiped Sri Ramakrishna here. In 2016, the West Bengal
Heritage Commission declared the ghat as a heritage site.
Herbarium House:-
One of the two oldest houses in the Botanical Garden. The house was
built in the last half of the eighteenth century. Established in 1795 at Howrah, the CNH
holds ca. 2 million specimens of seed plants. It includes 15,000 type specimens, 12,340
Wallichian specimens and 15,000 non-flowering plants. Dr. William Roxburgh, a Scottish
surgeon of East India Company was appointed as the first salaried Superintendent of the
Company’s Garden in 1793. Roxburgh established the ‘Calcutta Herbarium’ in the ground
floor of his house in 1795 in the garden at Shibpur. The herbarium was shifted to a 2-storied
building in 1883 by Sir George King. The present herbarium is in a 5-storied building
constructed during 1971–1972.
Semaphore Tower :-
The semaphore tower at Khatirbazar, Andul is one of the easiest to
spot. There was no telegraph then. The East India Company decided in 1817 to build the
eight-mile-long tower from Fort William to Varanasi. The cable will reach far and wide
through the Simafor signal. Lieutenant Weston was the architect of the tower.
Fort Morning Point :-
In Gadiara, where the Bhagirathi and Rupnarayan rivers meet, there
are ruins of an ancient fort. It is said that Lord Clive built this fort so that no foreign ships
could enter the river. The wreckage was visible after the 1942 floods. It was unique in
construction style.
Howrah District Magistrate Bungalow :-
The bunglow is constructed in nineteenth
century tradition. It is said that a jute mill manager once had a bungalow on the banks of the
Ganges which was later acquired by the then District Magistrate and formally renamed at
Howrah District Magistrate Bungalow.
Bagnan Ananda Niketan :-
Ananda Niketan Bagnan is located Tempur Nabasan village of
Bagnan Block under Howrah district. The Meseum was set up by the initiative of Amal
Ganguly. Later it also got associated with various social welfare work. Ananda Niketan is
now known as one of the best museums in Howrah. Various archeological materials of the
district are found here.
Howrah Town Hall The construction of the Howrah Town Hall was completed in 1884 and
on 14th March 1884 the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal of that time inaugurated it. The
town hall is located in front of the court and the main post office in Howrah. The hall is 6 feet long, 42 feet wide and 21 feet high. There are verandas on both sides of the hall and
beside the staircases portraits of various eminent personalities are displayed.
Ramrajatala Temple :-
Ram-sita temple of Ramrajatala was established by Ayodhya Ram
Chowdhury about 250 years ago. It is said that Chowdhury saw an idol of Ram-Sita in a
dream. On the advice of Kulpandit Haldhar Nyaratna, he erected the idol in a grand
procession. In 1909, Maa Sarada came to Ramrajatla to visit Ramthakur. The worship of
Ram=-Sita begins on the day of Ramnavami in the month of Baishakh (April) and it
continues for four months. Every year on the day of Saraswati Pujo, the preparation of the
huge mud idol is started through Kathampujo in the mansamandir of Chowdhurypara. The
immersion of the huge idol is done on the last Sunday of the month of Sravan in river Ganga
(Hoogly). Fairs are held surrounding the temple premises in this four months. On the first
day of pujo in Ram Navami, lakhs of people gather at Ram Mandir. There are various stories
and beliefs associated with Lord Rama of Ramrajatla.
Khalore Kali Bari Temple:-
The main attraction of the village ‘Khalor’ on the border of
Howrah is this famous Kali temple. Bagnan was once part of the zamindari of Maharaja
Kandarp Narayan of Burdwan, a famous zamindar during the Mughal period. Later, the king
erected a Dakshinakali idol of about 6 feet high on the banks of Damodar. Inside this brick
temple is the traditional idol of Goddess Dakshinakali. This idol is made of neem wood.
However, it is rumored that the old statue may have been destroyed, but later the statue was
rebuilt. In front of the temple, two temples of Lord Shiva have been established on either
side of the Nat Mandap — Banlinga form of Lord Shiva in the eastern side and Mrityunjaya
form of Lord Shiva in the western side. In the months of Bhadra and Poush, the goddess is
worshipped here with special arrangements and a fair is organized entitled as “Mulokali
Mela” during this period.
Hazar Hath Kali Temple :-
The ancient Kali temple at Olabibitla in Shibpur, Howrah is a
hundred years old temple. It I believed that tantrik Ashutosh Mukherjee, son of Mukherjee
family at Olabibitla in Shibpur, saw Goddess Chandi in the form of a deity with 1000 hands
in his dream. According to the holy scriptures of Chandipuran, during the slaying of Asura,
Goddess Durga took many forms, one of which was the incarnation of her thousand hands.
The local Haldar family came forward to build the temple with such a form of idol. The
Idol’s armors and crown are made of 11-12 kg of silver. The umbrella on the head of the
goddess is also made of silver.
Salkia Boro Sitala Mata Temple :-
An ancient Shitala temple situated at the crossroads of
Shalikha. The locals addresses the Goddess as “Boro maa”. About 300 years ago, when Shalikha was a village, Sukdev Bera, a devout man from Medinipur, came here and
established the temple of Goddess Shitala. The significant occasion of the temple is where
the idol is taken on a chariot for a Snan Jatra (bathing journey) on the date of Maghi
Purnima. Thousands of people gathered to celebrate the occasion on the road. In the front
yard of the temple, there is a sacrificial wood pot. In the surface of the sanctum one could
find the Goddess Shitala worshipped in the form of Sila (large Stone).
Amta Melaichandi Temple :-
Melai Chandi Mandir is located in the area adjacent to Amta
Bazar of Ganeshpur village of Uluberia sub-division in Howrah district. The Dalan style
temple, dedicated to Goddess Malaichandi was established by the local zamindar
Chaitanyacharan Ray in the early half of 19th century. The front wall is decorated with floral
motifs. This old temple is currently not used anymore and a new temple has been
constructed just beside it. According to the inscription on the temple, the temple was built in
1056 BS. Many consider it to be the oldest temple in Howrah district. The idol of the
goddess is made of stone which is about four feet in height and dark red in colour. The idol
of goddess was established on the day Buddhapurnima and the annual ceremony of the
temple is held on that day with great pomp.
Madan Gopal Jiu temple :-
The 450-year-old temple located at Mellok village near Samata
in Deulti town of Howrah district is locally known as Gopal’s Temple. The temple is
terracotta ornamented and built in the ath-chala style, referring to the eight slopes of its roof.
It was built in the 16th century by Mukunda Prasad Roychowdhury, a member of the
the Roychowdhury family, then Zamindars of Mellak. Hindu festivals including Dol Yatra
and Janmashtami are celebrated at the temple.
Shiva & Singhabahini Temple:-
The Shiva temple of Jagatballavpur is one of the oldest
temples of Howrah district. Scenes of war are intricately carved out on terracotta tiles on the
walls of the temple. Some of them got ruined over the years and some of the figures can
hardly be distinguished now. There was a Shivalinga made of kashti pathar (touchstone)
inside the temple. When Binod Behari Pal, a cashier at the court of Maharaja of Burdwan, received some 102
bighas land in Jagatballavpur, he decided to settle with his family on the banks of Kana
Damodar that flowed in this part of Howrah at that time. He played a key role in establishing
the Singhabahini Temple inside the Pal Mansion. Benod Bihari Pal is said to have found the
idol of Singhabahini (made of 8 metals) while bathing in Kana Damodar. The Durga puja
had started in this house after Singhabahini’s worship at the time of Buddhimanta Pal,
youngest son of Benod Behari Pal. Durga is not in the form of Mahishasuramardini here.
Instead, the deity is seated with Shaiva alongwith her two disciple-friend Jaya & Bijaya.
Narayan (Sridhar) Temple :–
It is located in Patihal village of Jagatballavpur in Howrah
district. The temple is dedicated to Narayan Sridhar Ji. It was founded by the Majumdar family. It is popular for its terracotta sculptures on the front of the temple. Archaeological
evidence suggests that the temple was established in the late 18th century. It is an east facing
brick temple of Pancharatna style. A battle scene of Ramayana is depicted on the east door
of the temple.
Siddeshwari Kali Temple :-
The Siddheshwari Kali temple in central Howrah is also
several centuries old. he present idol of the deity is made of precast stone about 60 years
ago. Apart from daily Puja, special arrangements are made on every Saturday and Tuesday.
Amaragori Dadhimadhav Temple:- This is one of the notable temples of Howrah district .
This temple is rich in terracotta carvings. The temple was built 35 years after the nearby
Ghajalakshi temple was established which is around 1764 A.D.
Uluberia Kalibari :-
Anandamayi Kali Mandir is a famous, century-old Kali temple located
in Uluberia town of Howrah district. On the 18th day of Baishakh of 1327 Bengali year, the
bow-shaped Navaratna Anandamayi Kali Mandir was established on the banks of the river
Bhagirathi.
Sri Sri Lakshmi Janardan Mandir :-
Sri Sri Lakshmi Janardan Mandir is situated at
Ganeshpur village in Amta of Uluberia sub-division in Howrah district. It was established by
the local zamindar Chaitanyacharan Ray. The temple was constructed in 1820 (1742 Saka
era, 1227 Bengali era) by the architect Ramprasad Chandra Mistry from the village of
Rautara. The temple is the abode of a Salgram Sila (Sila or stone dedicated to Lord Vishnu)
and no idols. It is an east facing brick built temple of Navaratna style standing on high
plinth. The temple is dedicated to Sri Sri Lakshmi Janardan. There are three arched doors
and a Garva Griha (Sanctum). There are two Dwar-pals on both side of the main door of the
sanctum. There are mythological scenes on the frontal wall of the temple.
| Place |
Howrah |
- Official Web Page : https://howrah.gov.in/
