Chandannagar(Chandernagore) is a small city located 30 kilometers north of Calcutta, in West Bengal ,India.Situated along the banks of River Ganges, the city has been able to keep herself separated from all other cities and abide by her own characteristics.The "City of Liberty has always attracted the people from all over the world due to her indescribable beauty" . having a Statue population of o
nly over 150 thousands, she has managed to maintain a distinct place not only in the map of India but also that of the world. This small town over a period of 300 years has a unique blend of culture and heritage which is unparrallel in history. The name 'chandernagore' is possibly derived from the shape of the bank of the river Ganges which is bent like a half moon (Chand means moon and Nagore implies city in native language Bengali). Chandannagar is well connected to Calcutta by railways, roadways and river and it takes about an hour to reach the place. The people of Chandannagar have excelled in all the fields varying from literature and education to culture, sports and arts all along the history. Chandannagar hosts many tourist places like Museum, Strand, Church, Temples, Rabindra Bhavan,birth places of many celebrities and many other spots some of which are not so well known but nevertheless a treat for the tourists and historians.. EDUCATION :
It is heard that there was a small school founded by the missionaries for the Bengali boys on the south of Chandannagar where there is a convent now. Bengali and French were freely taught there. The former Dupleix college was also established by the missionaries. Later Dupleix college was known as Dupleix school from 1901. The school was renamed Kanailal School. Kanailal Vidyamandir -
Kanailal Vidyamandir after the name of the revolutionary Kanailal Datta, a student of this school, on May 17, 1948 just before the liberation from the French rule. On the first day of the Centenary Celebration of the school, the ceremony was inaugurated by Dr. Brajakanta Guha, the Vice-Chancellor of Burdwan University. BangaVidyalaya is another well known school of Chandannagar. It was established on Baisakh 20, 1288 with three boys only at a small rented house of Kanailal Khan at Barasat Tematha. There were two primary schools, one established in 1885 by Durga Charan Kanailal School. Raksh*t in his own name and the other bearing the name 'NrityaGopal Sett Prathamik Vidyalaya' was founded in his father's name by Harihar Sett
'Krishnabhabini Narisiksha Mandir was established (1926) by Harihar Sett in his mother's name. This was the first girl's high school in the District. Besides there is an educational instituion established and managed by Prabartak Sangha. There was an arrangement for both boys and girls to stay and receive education here. In 1861, the order of the sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny (Roman Catholic) had founded the St. Joseph's Convent for girls at Chandannagar. It was the oldest educational institution in the area.Through the years the school has retained its excellent tradition of exemplary dedication which is reflected in its excellent result in I.C.S.E. The building which first bore the name St. Joseph Convent has now branded into buildings on every side of the campus. These buildings have been erected to accomodate the sister institutions, St. Anthony Secondary School, the dispensary and its annexe, St. Mary's school, all under the management of St. Another english medium school affiliated to West Bengal Board is Sri Aurobindo Vidymandir. It was established in 1973 and is run by Municipal Corporation of Chandannagar.The performance of the students from this school in Madhyamik Examination is excellent. Boy's Schools in Chandannagar -
(1) Kanailal Vidyamandir
(2) Durga Charan Raksh*t Bangavidyalaya
(3) BangaVidyalaya
(4) Adarsa Shikshalaya
(5) Prabartak
(6) Sri Aurobindo Vidyalaya
Girl's school in Chandannagar -
(1) Krishnabhabini Narisiksha Mandir
(2) St. Joseph Convent
(3) St. Anthony
(4) LalBagan Balika Vidyalaya
(5) Ushangini Balika Vidyalaya
(6) Prabartak
(7) Indumati High School
Co-Ed School -
(1) Ganges Gurukul
Colleges in Chandannagar -
(1) Chandannagar College
(2) Khalisani Mahavidyalaya
(3) Women's Polytechnic College
TOURIST SPOTS -
Chandannagar Strand : A beautiful tourist spot along the banks of the river Ganges. It is a superbly decorated pavement studded with lights surrounded by lushy green trees. It is about 1 km in length and 7 m in width, and many buildings with historical importance surround the spot. It is very popular visiting spot of the local people and the tourists would love to stroll along enjoying the mild breeze and watching the small boats sail by. Along the strand are present Vivekananda Mandir(a meditation center) and a protruding structure into the river Ganges. This is supposed to be the best decorated bank of the river along its entire length of 2500 km. Chandannagar Museum and Institute ( Institute de Chandannagar ): One of the oldest and finest museums of the entire region. It boasts a beautiful collection of French items (e.g cannons used in Anglo - French war, wooden furniture of the 18th century, etc.) which are difficult to find anywhere else in the world. The institute still teaches French through regular classes. Chandannagar Church : The beautiful church stands over for two centuries to mark the beauty of the architecture during the French period - a good place to visit for th historians and tourists. The remains of the church at St. Louis is also an attractive tourist spot. The Underground House (Patal Bari) : The building is another beautiful example of the advancement in the knowledge of architecture and the aesthetic sense of the people of those earlier days. Its lowest floor is submerged in the river Ganges. The great social reformer Iswar Chandra Vidya Sagar and Nobel laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore stayed in this house during their visits to Chandannagar. Ancient Temples: Nandadulal temple, built in 1740 by Indra Nararayan Choudhury presents an excellent example of ancient Indian Sculptures. There are many fascinating temples devoted to Kali, Siva and other deities which show marks of brilliant craft man ship and artistic taste. Residence of famous personalities : The place hosts a galaxy of famous personalities . The revolutionary leader Rashbehari Bose, Kanailal Dutta and the great social reformer Sri Harihar Seth belonged to the place. History of Jagadhatri Puja -
When the entire Bengal, nay India, was under the British rule, inspite of being under the French administration at that time Chandannagar created a distinct tradition. Jagadhatri Puja is a major socio-cultural event in this region. The ancient history of Jagadhatri Puja in Chandannagar is unknown even today. It is heard that Indranarayan Chowdhury introduced the Jagadhatri Puja in Chandannagar in the manner of King Krishnachandra of Krishnanagore. The time of beginning of Jagadhatri Puja in Krishnanagore was 1762. Indranarayan Choudhury died in 1756. So Indranarayan Choudhury by no means introduce the Jagadhatri puja in Chandannagar. The beginning of Jagadhatri puja in Chandannagar probably dates back earlier than 1750. Indranarayan Choudhury performed the Jagadhatri puja at his own house in Chandannagar, at the time Krishna Chandra used to come to borrow money from Indranarayan Choudhury. Perhaps Krishnachandra was attracted to greatness of Jagadhatri at this time. The formal difference between Durga and Jagadhatri occurs in 'Mayatantra' and Jagadhatri is mentioned with reference to Durga in Krishnanda's 'Tantasaar'. The ruling to perform the special puja of the goddess on the ninth lunar day of the light fortnight in the month of Kartick has ben referred in 'Krityatattarnab' by Srinath Acharyachuramoni of the 15th-16th century. The fourhanded goddess is carried by the lion everywhere, an elephantlies of the feet of the lion. The idol has an old fashioned shaping, i.e. the face cutting is of a longish pattern; it has large eyes spread upto the years and the four hands display conch, discus, shaft, and bow respectively. The snake is her sacred thread.One of the main attraction of Jagadhatri idol of Chandannagar is the ornamental decoration of the goddess with sola and beautiful canvas of mats with painting at the back of the image. The number of community pujas in Chandannagar, Bhadreswar and Champdany Municipal areas crosses 190 mark. Of these, 132 Puja committees in different localities in Chandannagar and Bhadreswar areaffiliated to the Chandannagar Central Jagadhatri Puja Committee. The Central committee renders all possible assistance to its constituents in getting permissions and clearances for holding Puja. The immersion procession is really memorable and enjoyable sight to witness which lakh of people throng in Chandannagar from far and near. The beautiful decorated tall images loaded on trucks are taken around the cityin a procession. This year 51 puja committees will take part in the procession. Electrical Wizards -
Tamosa ma jyotirgamay : Oh Mother! take me to the world of light from darkness! The concept of illuination of mind is also related to the illumination of the world. And so in each and every festival of India 'light' symbolises a desire for a brighter tomorrow. The concept of 'light' in festivities is universal and has been conceived as a strong unifying force. Technological advancement in all walks of life has had its deep impact on the concept of lighting as well - from the archaic concept of lighting with oil lamps to candle lights on to carbide gas lights, tulip lights , tube lights, chandeliers and twinklings. When it comes to discussing the latest and creative in lighting, the name of Chandannagar can not escape mention. About 5,000 people in Chandannagar alone and about 40,000 in the entire Hooghly district and its neighbourhood are engaged in someway or the other in this industry. The artisans here offer a scintallating range of splendour and spectacle. Multi-coloured tulip bulbs fitted on woven wires, create a semblance of motion through lights generating images of moving bicycles, cars, trains, buds bloosoming into flowers, fire-spitting dragons and so on. In fact, there is no end to Chandannagar creations. Innovations in creating images through lighting on contemporary issues like Amatya Sen receiving the Nobel Prize, tennis ace Leander Paes making a serve, cricketer Sourav Ganguly driving a magnificient shot regale the onlookers. The craze for lighting is not restricted to the puja pandals alone, but even in sports events, corporate events, wedding etc with cost ranging between Rs 2,000 to five lakh or even more. It is difficult to say why Chandannagar became the centre of light industry. Some say that it may be due to the special flavour attached to the local festivals which have given the impetus to the proliferation of this unique craft. There has always been intense competition among the lighting artisans to outdo each other in terms of decoration. A pageant of floats and illumination precedes the immersion and every puja committee tries to make the best floats. The wizards:
Sridhar Das , Kashinath Neogie and so forth...
