There are several theories about the origin of Kolkata, erstwhile Calcutta in English, the name of the capital of the eastern Indian state of West Bengal.
Ain-i- Akbari , the rent-roll of Akbar, the sixteenth-century Mughal emperor, and Manasa-mangal, the work of a Bengali poet, Bipradas Pipilai, of the late fifteenth century, both make mention of the city's early name's being Kolikata, from which Kolkata/Calcutta have been derived [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
There is lot of discussion on how the city got its name. There are different views on the issue. The most popular and likely one is that the city got its name from its connection to the Hindu goddess Adyashakti paramba Kali with the original name's being either Kalikshetra (in Sanskrit), meaning the place of Adyashakti Kāli, or Kalikkhetrô (the Bengali pronunciation of Kalikshetra), meaning "area of Goddess Kali", with Kolikata being thought to be a variation of Kalikkhetrô. This theory is the most possible one as in the rural Bengali pronunciation the 'kh' consonant is replaced by 'k' and the 'tro' joined consonant is replaced by 'to', resulting in Kalikhetrô being Kaliketô which is very close to Kolikata. Other more or less plausible theories abound, like:
The area where the city is now located was originally inhabited by the people of three villages— Kalikata , Sutanuti and Gobindapur . However, the boundaries of the three villages gradually became less distinct, and before the battle of Plassey, the city could be divided into four different sub-areas – European Kolkata (Dihi Kolkata), a residential village with some sacred spots (Gobindapur), a traditional Indian market (Bazar Kalikata or Burrabazar) and a riverine mart concentrating on cloth trade (Sutanati). [13] After the battle of Plassey in 1757, the British started rebuilding the city with the notions of making it the capital for their Empire.
The Calcutta High Court ruled in 2003 [14] that Job Charnock, the Englishman generally believed to be the founder of the Kolkata, is not the founder of the city and that hence Kolkata has no birthday. According to the court, the city owes its genesis in the Maurya and Gupta period and it was an established trading post long before the slave dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, the Mughals, the Portuguese, the French or the British established a modern township there. References to the existence of an ancient riverine port (named Kalikata) exist in the travel journals of Chinese scholars and Persian merchants dating from centuries BCE. [15] The Hindu epic Mahabharata , lists the King of "Vanga" (meaning Bengal), as having fought alongside the Kauravas in the great war.
In spite of the high court ruling, the growth of the present city can be dated from 1690, when Job Charnock, an agent of the English East India Company chose the place for a trade settlement. In 1698, the East India Company bought three villages (Sutanuti, Kalikata and Gobindapur) from a local landlord family of Sabarna Roy Choudhury. The next year, the company began developing the city as a Presidency City. In 1727, as per the order of King George I, a civil court was set up in the city. The Calcutta Municipal corporation (recently renamed as Kolkata Municipal Corporation) was formed and the city had its first mayor.
Although the city's name has always been pronounced Kolkata or Kôlikata in Bengali, the anglicised form Calcutta was the official name until 2001, when it was changed to Kolkata in order to match Bengali pronunciation. [16]
• Kolkata is considered to be the science capital of India. [17] [18] Because Kolkata is home of some of the India's leading scientific and technological research centres, Therefore, the scientific research output and research quality of Kolkata is very high. [19] Kolkata has become India's top city in science and research according to the prestigious Nature Index 2024. [20] Among the top 200 science cities worldwide, it ranks 84th. [21]
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, 80 km (50 mi) west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary financial and commercial centre of eastern and northeastern India. Kolkata is the seventh most populous city in India with an estimated city proper population of 4.5 million (0.45 crore) while its metropolitan region Kolkata Metropolitan Area is third most populous metropolitan region of India with a metro population of over 15 million. Kolkata is regarded by many sources as the cultural capital of India and a historically and culturally significant city in the historic region of Bengal.
Job Charnock was an English administrator with the East India Company. He is widely regarded by historians as the founder of the city of Calcutta ; however, this view was challenged in court, and in 2003 the Calcutta High Court ruled that he ought not to be regarded as the founder.
Kolkata was a colonial city. The British East India Company developed Calcutta as a village by establishing an artificial riverine port in the 18th century CE. Kolkata was the capital of the British India until 1911, when the capital was relocated to Delhi. Kolkata grew rapidly in the 19th century to become the second most important city of the British Empire after London and was declared as the financial (commercial) capital of the British India. This was accompanied by the fall of a culture that fused Indian philosophies with European tradition.
Kolkata district is a district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It only contains the entire city proper of Kolkata, the capital city of the state and therefore it is a city district. It is the smallest district in the state and also the most densely populated district. Being a city district, the district itself is its own headquarters; it does not have further subdivisions like mahakumas or blocks that exist in all other districts of the state nor does it have a district magistrate. The sole local government of the whole district is Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
Khidirpur or Kidderpore is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Kalikata was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India. The other two villages were Gobindapur and Sutanuti. Job Charnock, an administrator with the British East India Company is traditionally credited with the honour of founding the city. He settled in the village of Sutanuti.
Gobindapur was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Calcutta in late 17th century. The other two villages were Kalikata and Sutanuti. Job Charnock, an administrator with the British East India Company is traditionally credited with the honour of founding the city. While Kalikata and Sutanuti lost their identity as the city grew, Gobindapur was demolished for the construction of new Fort William.
Sutanuti was one of the three villages which were merged to form the city of Kolkata in India, along with Gobindapur and Kalikata. Sutanuti was set up along the banks of the Hooghly river, which is a tributary of the Ganges river.
Gobindram Mitter was one of the earliest Indian officials during the Company rule in India, who earned reputation for his wealth and extravagance.
Sarsuna is a neighborhood of South West Kolkata in West Bengal, India. It is a part of the greater Behala region and can be reached via Chowrasta or through Barisha. It is a predominantly Bengali neighborhood, though its fast becoming a cosmopolitan place. It is bordered by Barisha in the east and Maheshtala to the west.
Sabarna Roy Choudhury was a Zamindar family of Mughal Bengal. They controlled significant swathes of territory, including what would later become Kolkata, prior to the sale of zamindari rights in 1698 to the East India Company.
Kumortuli is a traditional potters' quarter in North Kolkata in West Bengal, India. The city is renowned for its sculpting prowess. It not only manufactures clay idols for various festivals but also regularly exports them.
Bagbazar is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The area, under Shyampukur police station of Kolkata Police, has been, along with neighbouring Shyambazar, the citadel of the Bengali aristocracy. Bagbazar has played an active role in growth and development of Kolkata.
Jorabagan is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district, in the Indian state of West Bengal. As a neighbourhood, it covers a small area but its importance is primarily because of the police station.
Shobhabazar is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district, in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Betore was a major trading centre, the location being around present Shibpur in Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
St. John's Church, originally a cathedral, was among the first public buildings erected by the East India Company after Kolkata (Calcutta) became the effective capital of British India. It is located at the North-Western corner of Raj Bhavan, and served as the Anglican Cathedral of Calcutta till 1847, when the see was transferred to St. Paul's Cathedral. Construction of the building, modelled on St Martin-in-the-Fields of London, started in 1784, with Rs 30,000 raised through a public lottery, and was completed in 1787. The land the church stands on was gifted by Maharaja Nabo Kishen Bahadur of Sobhabazar. It is the third oldest church in the city, next to the Armenian Church of the Holy Nazareth and the Old Mission Church.
Thanthania Kalibari is a Hindu temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali, first of the ten Mahavidyas in the Hindu tantric tradition and the supreme deity in the Kalikula worship tradition.
North Kolkata encompasses the northern part of Kolkata, including the city's oldest neighborhoods.
Dihi Panchannagram was a group of 55 villages which the East India Company purchased in 1758 from Mir Jafar, after the fall of Siraj-ud-daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, in what is now the city of Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in Kolkata district, in the Indian state of West Bengal. These villages initially developed as suburbs of Kolkata, but now forms part of the city proper within the limits of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.