Hoogly : An Untold Story.

Hoogly is not such a populer destination for the travelers they said.Though I felt, it could be an amazing destination if someone plan for one day trip .If you love to visit Historical places , then trust me , go and visit Hoogly.The district of Hooghly is just 47 km north of Kolkata and is steeped in history and heritage. Dotted with several small but important towns the district is testimony to the rule of foreign settlers- The British and Portuguese at Hooghly, The Dutch of Chinsurah , the French at Chandernagore and the Germans and Austrians at Bhadreswar. The Portuguese were the first to settle here in 1537, but were defeated by Saha Jahan in 1632. The British East India Company then followed and set up a factory here in 1651. Chadannagore (Chandernagore) was once a French colony and is still under the influence of French Language and Culture. Chinsura was a Dutch settlement from 1656 to 1825. It was later exchanged by the Dutch for British-held Indonesian island of Sumatra in 1825. The Hooghly, as the Ganga river is called here, dominates the landscape and people use ferries to cross from one town to another.

By train from Howrah station you can reach Hoogly station within one and half hour.

There are so many historical places in Hoogly but we selected of the places like Hoogly Imambara,Bandal
Chuch,Devanandapur,Hanseswari Temple,Ananta Vasudeb Temple.First we startted with Hoogly Imambara.Hooghly Imambara is a mosque cum imambara in Hooghly, West Bengal. The construction of the building was started by Muhammad Mohsin in 1841, which completed in 1861. The building is a two storied structure, which a tall clock tower over the entrance gate.The mosque within the complex has intricate designs and texts from Quran engraved on the wall. The interior of the mosque is decorated with marbles, candles and hanging lanterns.

After Hoogly Imambara we went to Bandel Church .The Basilica of the Holy Rosary commonly known as Bandel Church is one of the oldest Christian churches in West Bengal, India. Situated in Bandel, Hooghly district of West Bengal, it stands as a memorial to the Portuguese settlement in Bengal. Founded in 1599.

Then we went to Devanandapur tto visit famous writer of Bengal Sharat Chandra Chattapadhyay's house , in Bengali we refer it as "Jonmo Vite" .

Around 3:30pm we reached Hanseswari Temple .Hanseswari temple is a Hindu Temple of goddess Kali in the town of Banshberia at Hooghly District. The Hanseswari temple has a distinctive architecture different from the usual pattern present in this area, consisting 13 minars or Ratnas, each built as a blooming lotus bud. The inner structure of the building resembles human anatomy. It was started by Raja Nrisingha Deb Mahasay and later completed by his widow wife Rani Sankari.The architecture of the temples is the representation of "Tantrik Satchakrabhed".

There was another beautiful temple we noticed in the Hanseswari temple premises and that temple was Ananta Vasudeb Temple .Ananta Vasudeva temple is another famous temple of Bansberia that represents traditional 'Ekaratna' style of architecture. The temple has curved cornices, triple arched entrance and an octagonal tower. The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Krishna. Intricate terracotta carving on the walls of the temple showcases scenes of love, war, everyday life and Gods. Built in 1649.It was constructed by Raja Rameshwar Datta who was a strong follower of Vaishnavism. The architecture and artistry of the temple have a stark resemblance with the terracotta temples of Bishnupur. Besides the temple, the remains of Dattaroy Palace are also located here. Fragments of arches and broken walls of the palace are still found around Ananta Vasudeva temple. I can clearly remember it was that time when I first felt something for the art Terracotta .

Going : There are multiple trains to be boared to go to Hoogly station from  Howrah . You can get E-rikshaw (toto) easily to move further . To visit Hanseswari temple you need to reach Bandel station .From there one can easily get auto-rickshaw to reach the temple in Banshberia . The distance is quiet long from Bandel station so you have to burgain first before getting in to it .