History of Barrackpore, North 24 Parganas.

The name Barrackpore may have originated from the English word barracks, as it was the site of the first cantonment of the British East India Company. Alternatively, the Ain-i-Akbari suggests that the name comes from “Barbakpur”. Manasa Vijay, written by Bipradas Pipilai, refers to Talpukur (a place in Barrackpore) as “Charnak”.

Details of Barrackpore

History of Barrackpore

The earliest references to the Barrackpore region are found in the writings of the Greek navigators, geographers, chronicles and historians of the 1st century BC to the 3rd century AD. These authors generally referred to the country of a people variously called the Gangaridai (also Gangaridae or Gandaritai).

By the 15th and 16th centuries, Chanak and the other towns in the region had become populous river towns.[6] The Statistical Account of Bengal by William Wilson Hunter mentions the towns and villages of this subdivision on the banks of the Hooghly river as chief trading and marketing centres: “On The Hugli- Calcutta, the chief seat of commerce in India. Baranagar, Dakhineswar, Agarpara, Panihati, Sukchar- Khardah, Barrackpur, Nawabganj, Ichapore, Shyam Nagar, Naihati and Halisahar contain large bazaars for sale of miscellaneous goods.

Under the Mughal Empire, Bengal was divided into Circars, or administrative subunits, each of which was ruled over by a Mahal. The name “Barbuckpur”, another name for Barrackpore, is associated with a Mahal in the Ain-e-Akbari. From the 17th century, the area was ruled over by a line of Zamindars based in Nona Chandanpukur, Barrackpore.

The first British barrack or cantonment in India was built in the town in 1772. After the British crown assumed direct control of India, the sprawling Government House and the Government Estate were built in Barrackpore to provide the viceroy with a suburban residence 20 kilometres (12 mi) outside of Calcutta.

Two rebellions against British authority took place in Barrackpore in the 19th century. The first of these was Barrackpore Mutiny of 1824, led by Sepoy Bindee Tiwary. In this rebellion, 47th Bengal Native Infantry refused to board boats to cross the sea for various reasons including social taboo “kala pani” to Burma in the First Anglo-Burmese War. The mutiny was suppressed by loyal Indian sepoys under the command of their British officers.

In 1857, Barrackpore was the scene of an incident that some credit with starting the Indian Rebellion of 1857: an Indian soldier, Mangal Pandey, attacked his British commander, and was subsequently court-martialed. His regiment was disbanded, an action which offended a number of sepoys and is considered to have contributed to the anger that fuelled the rebellion. In order to commemorate his actions, a park named ‘Sahid Mangal Pandey Udyan’ was opened in the serenity of river Hoogly. The Army cantonment of Barrackpore also houses another significant historical landscape called the RCTC area, now populated by the defence quarters.

Zoo

Asia’s first zoo was established at Barrackpore. The zoo was built by Lord Wellesley in the 19th century. There is an aviary built in magnificent Gothic architecture.The zoo had animals such as the African donkey, tiger, bear, bison, leopard, mouse deer, kangaroos, monkeys and various species of birds.

Lord Wellesley felt the need of making a detailed description of the animals in Asia. This was primarily because the Europeans were mostly ignorant when it came to the category of Indian animals. He started working on the first Natural Research Center in Asia, the ‘National Heritage of India’. Various animals were required to be collected. Barrackpore Zoo was built to store these animals and birds. Until 1804, ₹2,791 was invested in the cost of maintenance of these animals and birds.

Until 1802 and 1803, then only three zoos were open to the general public around the world. The first in Vienna (1765), the second in Madrid (1775), the third in Paris (1795). Even the ‘Zoological Society of London’ was not yet formed (to be formed in 1826). London Zoo was still a long way off, having started in 1828, and was still 43 years late for the general public. Subjects do not have access to the royal zoo.

It is surprising to think that at such a time sixteen miles north of Calcutta, Barrackpore, the first zoo in India, the first in Asia and probably the fourth in the world, opened to the general public. This revolutionary work in the history of naturalism in the world was done by an enterprising man of the East India Company, the Governor General of India, Lord Richard Wellesley, the first Marquess Wellesley.

Barrackpore park

Between 1798–1805, Lord Wellesley was the Governor of Kolkata and he created a picturesque garden on the banks of the Ganges in Barrackpore spreading across 1006 bighas of land. This garden is today, called Laat Bagan or Mangal Pandey Park.Right next to this garden, he built a gigantic house which resembled no less than a castle. Later, this house was named Barrackpore Government House. It was called Country House by British. It also had hospital at that time. For transport he made road from Barrackpore to Shyambazar, now known as B.T.Road.

Ancient History

Barrackpore has a chequered history. The earliest reference to this part of the country is found in the writings of the Greek navigators, geographers, chronicles and historians between the first century B.C. and the third century A.D. All of them have referred to the country of a people variously called the Gangaridae, Gangaridai, Gandaritai etc.

During Mughal reign Akbar the great divided Sube-Bangla in some ‘Sarkar’ and ‘Mahal’ for collection of revenue. His minister Todar Mal was the initiator of this proposal. The name of Barbuckpur is mentioned as a ‘Mahal’ in ‘Ain-e-Akbari’ which denotes the original name of Barrackpore.

Mentioned in the early Bengali Literature, Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu passed through it in the 15th Century while proceeding to Puri. Nawab Sirajuddolla must have passed its streets to reach Kolkata to teach the British East India Company officials a lesson in the 18th century and Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore often traveled by train through Barrackpore Railway Station while going to Sealidaha, presently in Bangladesh.

The oldest British Barrack or cantonment in the Country came up here. Some opinion mentions that the name Barrackpore came from the Barrack. After the Crown’s take over the sprawling Government House and the Government Estate was built here, more-famous as Lat Bagan, where a Zoo was also established at one k.m. north from the station, which was shifted to Alipore. The First War of Independence was triggered here by Sepoy Mangal Pandey in the Year 1857. In the year 1824 an earlier Sepoy Mutiny also occurred here under Sepoy Binda Tiwary.

The town had also been the dwelling place of Rastraguru Surendranath Baneriee, the Father of Indian Nationalism (Monirampore). Rishi Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was also born at Naihati under this subdivision. Rani Rashmoni was also born at Halishar. This Sub-Division is proud of having footprints of Sri Chaitanya, Sri Ramkrishna, Vivekananda, Mahtama Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and others. In fact, this subdivision has a very distinguished contribution in the Freedom Movement and Indian Renaissance.

Mahatma Gandhi used to stay at Sodepur Khadi Ashram, which he described as his second home, during his visits at Bengal. The history of Barrackpore was further enhanced by the immersion of Mahatma Gandhi’s Ashes here on the 12th February, 1948, after his demise on the 30th January, 1948 (2 k.m east of the Station, Talpukur) and establishment of the Gandhi Memorial Museum (3 k.m. west of the Station, Mistrighat More) commemorating the Father of the Nation (as declared by Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose).

Palta Water Works, which supply drinking water to kolkata, the Central Fisheries Research Institute, inventor of many hybrid fishes and famous Annapurna Mandir near Gandhi Ghat are some of the other land marks of the City.