Previously Calcutta, now Kolkata, the capital city of the state of West Bengal, India once considered as the second city of the British Empire keeps at its centre Dalhousie Square, presently named as BBD Bag, was known as the White Town in the colonial era will unfold its grandure while you would walk down the streets of this area.
Dalhousie Square with its elegance is the best example of that line on which Britishers liked to build Calcutta. Stately buildeings built in Victorian, Neo-classical, Gothic architectural styles will tell stories of building of Calcutta on the lines of London.
There is a large waterbody still at the centre of Dalhosie Square known as Laldighi (red pond) spanning across 25 acres of land. The early British setellers in Calcutta used to drink its water. Surrounding this waterbody central Calcutta grew as the White Town. The town later was named after Lord Dalhousie who served as the Governor-General of India since 1847 to 1856.
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Calcutta was the capital of British India and Dalhousie Square was the city’s financial, social, and political nucleus.
A walk through Dalhousie Square will help interested ones to retrace the steps that gave birth to the city of Calcutta.
You are free to visit Dalhousie Square (presently Binoy-Badal-Dinesh Bag) area. There are guided walk arrangements too. On an average it is three hours’ walk.
Kolkata based Calcutta Walks coducts ‘In the footsteps of the Raj / White Town Walk: Dalhousie Square.’
contact: Explorer Ramanuj +91 98305 79800/ Explorer Tuhina +91 85840 33244/ Explorer Ifte +91 98301 84030.
Email: explore@calcuttawalks.com
