43-752: Shibpur is a neighbourhood in Howrah of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal . It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). It is well known for being the location of the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden , the IIEST Shibpur and the Hajar Hath Kali Temple. The famous Bengali linguist Suniti Kumar Chatterji
86-512: A chequered history in the field of culture. The residents of this place are well known for their interest in music, the arts and literature. Many luminaries of West Bengal in the fields of sports and athletics reside here. The only indoor stadium in Howrah , the Dumurjala Indoor Stadium , is located in the western fringe of Shibpur ( Dumurjala ) on Dr. Bholanath Chakraborty Sarani (Formerly Drainage Canal Road). The legacy of
129-512: A grand and powerful image to this public institution and Writers’ received a makeover in French Renaissance style with the parapet being put in place and edifying statues sculpted by William Frederick Woodington lining the terrace, installed in 1883. The statue of Minerva stands above the central portico. 1930: Assassination of Colonel N. S. Simpson On 8 December 1930 Benoy Basu , Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta , members of
172-405: A ground coverage of 37850 Square Feet was completed in 1780. It occupied one side of what was then called Tank Square ( Dalhousie Square ). It was built on a purely functional premise, shunning decorations for a straight facade and enclosure style compound in the back. The building initially opened with 19 residential quarters, each with three sets of windows, and was counted as a bit of an eyesore by
215-405: A popular metonym for the government of West Bengal, and especially the unbroken 34-year long Left Front rule in the state. The building has also played a fundamental part in shaping the history of the immediate region , as the village of Kalikata became British Calcutta and finally Kolkata. From its conception, the building was designed to become the focal administrative and business hub of
258-420: A temporary basis. The building has been called a mini-township of sorts with a built-up area of around 550,000 square feet. Before the shifting of the state secretariat, the building housed 34 departments of the state government, and served as the office for approximately 6,000 employees. As of October 2020, the renovation of the building continues. The Writers' Building was designed by Thomas Lyon in 1777 for
301-572: Is a terminus station for South Eastern Railway and also has a port near it. The Shalimar port is even older than the Kolkata port made by the colonial rulers. Shalimar port was in function during the Mughal Empire , which was connected to the rest of the country with Grand Trunk Road . One manufacturing unit of the second largest Paint Company, Berger Paints is situated here. The largest mall-cum-multiplex of Howrah , Avani Riverside Mall on
344-516: Is also geared towards luxury living with some big real estate projects like Ideal Grand, Clubtown Riverdale building up luxury apartments with plenty of open spaces and amenities of mini townships in old Tram Depot area and Shibpur market between G.T. Road and Foreshore Road. That place is currently occupied by dilapidated warehouses. Over the last ten years, Shibpur has developed into a popular residential community. Many multi-storied apartment complexes have been built (e.g. Shree Apartment - being one of
387-515: Is named after the trio and is called B.B.D. Bagh. A statue of Benoy, Badal and Dinesh stands in front of the Writers' Building, showing Benoy, the group leader, leading his comrades in their final battle. 1945-47: Open courtyards sealed by expansion Due to requirements of huge space, block A, B, C, D, were constructed. As a result, 19314 square feet was added to the building. Since 1947: Further expansion & Centre of West Bengal politics At
430-508: Is shifted permanently to the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners or HRBC made 16 storied with basement and ground floor the 'Garment Park' building popularly known as 'Nabanna' at Shibpur from 1 October 2013, as the restoration of 236-year-old Writers' Buildings is shortly for cost of Rs. 2,000 million. Narayana Health group, led by Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty , launched NH Narayana Superspeciality Hospital at
473-697: Is staying in Chaterjeehat for more than 300 years. Botanical Garden was a British determent area. Then after freedom, the Indian government took a long place from the garden and made the college. Pulin Behari Halder was the founder president of all the girls' schools & colleges in Shibpur. The oldest banyan tree is in the Shibpur B. Garden . Its original root has been destroyed many years ago and
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#1732780814807516-658: Is the official secretariat building of the state government of West Bengal in Kolkata , India. The 150-metre long building covers the entire northern stretch of the Lal Dighi or Red Lake at the centre of historic B.B.D. Bagh , long considered as the administrative and business hub of the city. It originally served as the principal administrative office for writers (junior clerks) of the British East India Company (EIC). Designed by Thomas Lyon in 1777,
559-567: The East Indian Railway Company occupying a large space at Writers' being unable to find alternative accommodation fast, the plan was slow to unfold. 1877–82: Secretariat for Bengal Province Ashley Eden , lieutenant-governor of Bengal , was told to relocate the principal offices, housed on Sudder Street and Chowringhee , to Writers'. Because of the space crunch, three new blocks (classified as Blocks 1,2 and 5 today) were initially constructed, that stood perpendicular to
602-625: The Kona expressway easily connecting the place with heart of Kolkata and the national highway and the industrial sector in Dasnagar. Notably, the Kolkata Port was connected to the rest of India easier than the other existing route through Howrah Bridge and Bally bridge which are famous for their congested rush hour traffic. As a result of that, the place has good attention recently all over again. The town saw an immediate rush for land after
645-725: The Vidyasagar Setu , a very popular jogging track and rendezvous point. It was named 'Mandirtala' due to two popular Mandirs of Shiva situated here. Nearby popular places are Sashthitala, Shibpur Bazar, Hajar Hath Kalitala, Mallick Phatak, Dumurjala Indoor Stadium etc. Shibpur Bazaar is a busy marketplace, where most of Shibpur's shops and stalls are located. Besides Mandirtala and Nabanna Bus Terminus, Buses ply along Grand Trunk Road /Andul Road (part of State Highway 6 ), Foreshore Road, Jagat Banerjee Ghat Road, College Road/Botanical Garden Road, Kona Expressway and Netaji Subhash Road in Shibpur. The nearest railway station Shalimar
688-607: The 'Black Town' populated primarily by the native landowners and businessmen. 1777-1780: Construction The site of the demolished St Anne's church and the adjoining plot were granted to Thomas Lyon, after whom the road behind Writers Building - Lyons Range - is named, to construct buildings to accommodate the junior servants of the East India Company called "writers". Lyon may have been a carpenter earlier in England but had established himself as an architect in Kolkata at
731-623: The EIC, which wanted to consolidate its trading operations in India and centralize the tax operations the EIC undertook in Bengal Subah . Over time, as British mercantile interest in India grew and the EIC defeated the Nawabs of Bengal , it was re-purposed as the effective headquarters of the EIC and later the entire British Raj in the Indian subcontinent. For more than 200 years the building served as
774-599: The Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners Office named Nabanna in Howrah . In February 2014, the project was stalled after conservation experts and the West Bengal Public Works Department found the plan submitted by an architect firm insufficient. Meanwhile, a team of Jadavpur University and Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur architects was invited to conduct tests of
817-611: The Shalimar area of Shibpur (Andul Road). It is a reputed centre for oncology and cardiac sciences facilities in Eastern India. Its tertiary care services including cardiac surgery, neurology, neurosurgery, orthopaedics and Advanced Brachytherapy. The hospital provides an aggregate of 41 services along with a cancer support cell, which aims to raise funds for cancer patients, physiotherapy, nutrition, preventive health checks, counselling, emergency services and trauma care. Shibpur
860-589: The Shalimar area. The eminent novelist Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay lived in Baje Shibpur, alias Bajiye Shibpur, meaning the musicians Shibpur, north of Shibpur. The linguist Suniti Kumar Chatterji was born in this place. Kisari Mohan Ganguli , the author of the first complete English translation of the Sanskrit epic Mahabharata (1883–1893), also lived in Shibpur. Shibpur is notorious for its narrow lanes and high density built uptown space. Shibpur has
903-498: The Writers' Building has gone through a long series of extensions over the centuries. Since India's independence in 1947, it housed the office of the Chief Minister of West Bengal , cabinet ministers and other senior officials, until 4 October 2013, when a major restoration of the building was announced. The majority of government departments were subsequently moved out to a new re-purposed building named Nabanna in Howrah on
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#1732780814807946-478: The building, and soon a gun battle followed in the corridors. Unable to stand up to the numerous forces of the Calcutta police , the trio soon found themselves overpowered and cornered. Unwilling to give themselves up, Badal took potassium cyanide and died instantly, while his comrades shot themselves. Benoy died five days later in hospital but Dinesh survived only to be hanged on 7 July 1931. Today Dalhousie Square
989-594: The centre of British power and claims, as the seat of government of the Bengal Presidency and later the Province of Bengal. In the early part of the twentieth century, the building was the site of agitations, violence and assassination attempts during the Indian independence movement . Since India's independence in 1947, it has served as the state secretariat and has been the location of turbulent politics, mob violence and police brutality. It has also become
1032-506: The city emerging around it and was thus built close to existing infrastructure owned by the EIC. It was constructed on parts of the same parcel of land where the original Fort William , the EICs primary military stronghold in Bengal, stood until 1756. It also marked the centre of the 'White Town', populated primarily by English merchants, officers and EIC functionaries which was kept separate from
1075-523: The erstwhile English residents. 1800: College Fort William College , opened to train writers in Oriental languages, later moved to this building. Over the next 20 years, structural changes were made, including a new hostel for 32 students and an exam hall (which still exist), a lecture hall, four libraries and rooms to teach Hindi and Persian . 1821: facade created A 128 ft-long verandah with Ionic columns, each 32 ft high, were added on
1118-448: The first and second floors. 1830: Government College of Engineering The college moved out of Writers' and the building fell into the hands of private individuals who turned it into living quarters, shops and godowns. The Government College of Engineering functioned from here for some time. 1871–74: Railway Headquarter George Campbell , lieutenant governor-general, felt the need for a secretariat for "quick disposal of work". But with
1161-595: The founders & landowners of Shibpur more than 750 years ago. The Halders were in business, establishing their fortunes in Kolkata, namely started & flourishing under the guidance of Nilmoni Halder, Pulin Behari's grandfather. The town of Shibpur was founded during the reign of the Bengal Sultanate . The area was home to many royal landlords ( zamindars ) in Bengal . During the era of British rule in India ,
1204-734: The landlords sold their possessions to build jute mills. These included the successful jute mills such as the Howrah Jute Mill and the Bengal Jute Mill. The proximity to Kolkata 's southern district and the central business district which is just across the river brought many middle-class office goers to seek cheaper lodging in Shibpur. Some of the old zamindar house in Shibpur is like Roy Choudhury's and Mukherjee bari in Chaterjeehat named as Digambar Mukhopadhyay Attalika. The Roy Chowdhury family stayed in Shibpur for near about 500 years at Sanjher Attchala and Mukhopadhyay family
1247-452: The late master sarod player Bahadur Hossain Khan is continued through the "Ustad Ayet Ali Khan Sangeet Niketon" (Ustad Ayet Ali Khan Memorial School of Music) - a music school in memory of his father Ayet Ali Khan - in Shibpur. Being a largely populated city Shibpur has its share of areas and places that play the role of landmarks and "hangout" points, such as Mandirtala, the Shibpur entrance to
1290-437: The main block. 1879–1906: Further expansion Two further blocks (classified as Blocks 3 and 4 today) were added, approached by iron staircases that are still in use. The total ground coverage of the five new numbered blocks stood at 58825 square feet. Writers' acquired its Greco-Roman look, complete with the portico in the central bay and the red surface of exposed brick. The Victorian Era British administration wanted to give
1333-501: The next 4 decades. But only the main block, including the rotunda and five main blocks, are officially classified as heritage structures. The elevation of the building has remained the same overall and the earliest 3-storey structure has been preserved. The giant pediment at the centre is crowned with the statue of Minerva . The terrace also contains several other statues and notable among them are four clusters of statues, christened 'Justice', 'Commerce', 'Science' and 'Agriculture', with
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1376-460: The oldest, Vivek Vihar - the complex widely spread, Panchsheel Apartments) attracted by the location near the River Ganges , as well as by the easy connection to South Kolkata through the Vidyasagar Setu . Newly constructed roads have made access to the area very easy. Many parts have turned up as a transportation gateway to Kolkata. Heavyweight transportation businesses are also growing in
1419-533: The proposal for the bridge. Now various important buildings of the district are located in the town, namely the water purifying plant at Padmapukur, the Dumurjala Indoor Stadium and a good number of women's hockey clubs. The first Garment Park of Eastern India, initiated by the Hooghly River Bridge Commissioners (HRBC) is coming up at the approach to Vidyasagar Setu . The secretariat of Mamata Banerjee -run West Bengal Government
1462-427: The respective Greek gods and goddesses of these four disciplines ( Zeus , Hermes , Athena and Demeter respectively) flanked by a European and an Indian practitioner of these vocations. The building went under renovation in late 2013, in a project costing ₹ 2 billion (US$ 24 million). To facilitate this, the state Secretariat and Chief Minister's office temporarily shifted to an abandoned skyscraper owned by
1505-550: The structure, before the actual renovation could be started. The renovation efforts also involved the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). The team had also sought consultations with heritage conservationists from countries like Australia and Germany before submitting a detailed proposal in late-2015. But even by mid-2016, work on ground had not started due to government indecisiveness and bureaucratic red tape. Engineers had to fortify
1548-426: The time of India's independence , the building had a large courtyard with seven blocks. Beginning in the mid-1950s, Block E, F was added in the large rectangular courtyards that separated the existing blocks in the back of the building. In the 70s, Block G and CGA were added (adding 17302 square feet on space) to complete the building's final avatar of 13 interconnected blocks making up a literal administrative maze, for
1591-532: The time, and completed the construction acting on behalf of Richard Barwell , member of the Supreme Council of Bengal and himself an ex-writer for EIC. Warren Hastings , then the governor of Governor-General of the Presidency of Fort William presided over the project and presumably was the one who commissioned it. Writers' Building was the first three-storey building in Kolkata. The main block, with
1634-463: The tree sprayed a lot through its branches. This tree was taken from Africa by the British government. Batai Chandi Temple (considered an avatar of Goddess Kali) and Char Mandir are other notable places of Shibpur. Before the Vidyasagar Setu project, a vast tract of land near used to be a marsh and was only dotted by few villages. This is in the distant past now after building the iconic bridge and
1677-459: The underground revolutionary group Bengal Volunteers , headed for the Writers' Building. Dressed in European attire, they carried loaded revolvers. Upon entering the building, they shot dead the notorious Inspector General of Police , Colonel N .S. Simpson, infamous for his brutal oppression of political prisoners, most of whom were Indian freedom fighters . After assassinating him, they occupied
1720-544: The well known schools in this area. Howrah Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include the details below. Request from 172.68.168.150 via cp1114 cp1114, Varnish XID 923221275 Upstream caches: cp1114 int Error: 429, Too Many Requests at Thu, 28 Nov 2024 08:00:15 GMT Writers%27 Buildings The Writers' Buildings or Mahakaran , often shortened to just Writers ' ,
1763-488: The west bank of Hooghly River is located here (on Jagat Banerjee Ghat Road). It was launched in 2012 and has a gross leasable area of 6 lakh square feet. There are many schools and colleges in Shibpur. One of the best institutions in India Bengal Engineering College , the second oldest engineering college, was given the status of a university , making it the first university in Howrah . It
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1806-497: Was born in Shibpur. During British Raj , its name was written as Seebpore. Recently, parts of administrative headquarters of the West Bengal government have been temporarily shifted to Mandirtala ( Nabanna ) in Shibpur. Shibpur is under the jurisdiction of Howrah Police Station, Shibpur Police Station, Chatterjeehat Police Station, B. Garden Police Station and Santragachi Police Station of Howrah City Police . The Haldars were
1849-866: Was renamed as Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur in 2004, in recognition of its contributions for more than 150 years. This engineering university was transformed into the Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur (an Institute of National Importance) in 2014 by the Government of India. Shibpur Dinobundhoo Institution (College) is one of the best colleges of Howrah district. Shibpur Hindu Girls High School, B. K. Paul's Institution, Shibpur Srimat Swami Projnanananda Saraswati Vidyalaya , Howrah Vivekananda Institution , Shibpur Bhabani Balika Vidyalaya, Shree Jain vidhyalaya, Maria's day school, St. John's high school, Heritage Academy high School and B. E. College Model School are some of
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