The French Quarter of the Hooghly: Examining Colonial Heritage in Historic Chandannagore
The Hoogly River served as a very significant global waterway for trade and commerce across the Indian Ocean in the sixteenth century, and attracted Europeans of different nationalities. It integrated the world in the twentieth century not only in terms of merchandise but also culturally. Riparian settlements to the West of Hooghly towards North of Kolkata, developed by the Portuguese, Dutch, French and Danish forces invading India consist of four historic towns namely Bandel, Chinsura, Chandannagore and Serampore, respectively. This paper attempts to understand and highlight the characteristic settlement and architectural heritage of the colonial town of Chandannagore within this identified unique Colonial Heritage Zone along Hooghly. Colonial architectural expressions and settlement planning ideals blended seamlessly with the local social, cultural and climatic needs, resulting in unique neighbourhood character, and which, as Das et al put forth, yielded building typologies derived through this meeting of cultures and worldviews. Chandannagore’s French legacy, a post- colonial phenomenon may have been a product of Indian interests, had it been utilized optimally by preservation and conservation of heritage; and promoting tourism. Recommendations have been made in the interest of the heritage to reap manifold benefits off this French legacy.
Index Terms: Hooghly, Chandannagore, architecture, colonial, heritage.
