Chandni Chowk (Kolkata)

Last updated

Chandni Chowk
Neighbourhood in Kolkata (Calcutta)
Kolkata Dharmatala1.jpg
Chandni Chowk market
Kolkata location map EN.svg
Red pog.svg
Chandni Chowk
Location in Kolkata
Coordinates: 22°33′56″N88°21′24″E / 22.56556°N 88.35667°E / 22.56556; 88.35667
CountryFlag of India.svg  India
State West Bengal
City Kolkata
District Kolkata
Metro Station Chandni Chowk
Area code +91 33
Lok Sabha constituency Kolkata Uttar
Vidhan Sabha constituency Chowrangee

Chandni Chowk is a neighbourhood of North Kolkata in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is famous for its old and cheap market of computer software products and hardwares, [1] and had been listed as a notorious market in 2009 and 2010 by the USTR for selling counterfeit software, media and goods. [2] [3]

Contents

History

Chandni Chowk which is an economical hub and marketplace in North Kolkata, existed as early as 1784. A. Upjohn's map of 1784 of Calcutta describes it as "Chandney Choke Bazar", "Chandney Bazaar ka rastah", "Chandnee Choke" or "Goreeamar Lane". Kolkata Municipal Corporation records show that before 1937, that one of the lanes were called Guriama Lane in local. In February 1937, the name was officially changed to Chandney Approach. In 1938, again it was renamed aas Chandni Chowk Street. [1] It was speculated the name was given after Delhi’s Chandni Chowk as a symbol of acknowledgement for the Mughals whose capital was at Delhi at that time. [4]

W.H. Carey speculates that the name came from the canopies or the semi-permanent roofs (chadna, in Bengali) above shops that had sprung up over the years. The market existed in 19th century. R.J. Minney's "Round about Calcutta" (1922) says that Chandni Chowk contained garment markets, cycle shops, camera shops, pigeon stalls for cigarettes and sherbet. Hawkers and shopkeepers with semi-permanent structures continue to occupy every square inch of the space. In 1907, KMC bought land to widen Chandney Chowk Streets, but that did not help passersby. [1]

In October 1994, Chandni Chowk came under metro corridor as the stretch from Esplanade to Chandni Chowk was authorised for construction. [5]

Market

Chandni Chowk is known for it being the oldest and biggest software and hardware market in West Bengal. Multiple technology companies had their main offices and service centres in Chandni Chowk due to its cheap and nearest facilities. [6] [7]

Transport

Central Ave, which is one the main road connectors between South and North Calcutta, passes through Chandni Chowk. Also Lenin Sarani of Kolkata road passes through Chandni Chowk which connects it directly to Sealdah. Chandni Chowk metro station and Esplanade metro station are nearest metro stations of the North South metro corridor. Esplanade serves also as metro station of the East West metro corridor of Kolkata.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esplanade, Kolkata</span> Neighbourhood in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

Esplanade is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. This is not a conventional esplanade in the sense that the place is not exactly situated alongside a waterbody. However, the Ganga river (Ganges), also known as Hooghly river, flows nearby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maniktala</span> Neighbourhood in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

Maniktala is a residential area of North Kolkata, in Kolkata district, West Bengal, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Behala</span> Neighbourhood in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

Behala is a locality of South West Kolkata, in the Indian state of West Bengal. Behala is a part of Kolkata Municipal Corporation area. It is broadly spread across Ward Nos. 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131 and 132 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and is divided into two Vidhan Sabha constituencies: Behala Paschim and Behala Purba. Behala, Parnasree, Thakurpukur, Haridevpur and Sarsuna police stations serve this area under the South West Division of Kolkata Police also known as Behala Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chittaranjan Avenue</span> Road in Kolkata, India

Chittaranjan Avenue, more commonly C.R. Avenue, a principal north-south thoroughfare in Central-North Kolkata. It starts from Beadon Street crossing in the north and ends at Chowringhee Road-Bentinck Street Junction (Esplanade) in the south. The road is renamed after Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, a nationalist politician and freedom-fighter of India. North of Beadon Street crossing, Chittaranjan Avenue becomes Jatindra Mohan Avenue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chitpur</span> Neighbourhood in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

Chitpur is a neighbourhood in North Kolkata in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Sometimes, the entire area along Chitpur Road is referred to as Chitpur, although the various localities have distinctive names.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bagbazar</span> Neighbourhood in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shyambazar</span> Neighbourhood in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

Shyambazar 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 Bagbazar, the citadel of the Bengali aristocracy, in a part of what was earlier known as Sutanuti. and the popularity of Shyambazer five point crossing is for the statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowbazar</span> Neighbourhood in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

Bowbazar, also spelt Boubazar; formerly known as Bahubazar) is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dharmatala</span> Neighbourhood in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

Dharmatala is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Dharmatala Street has been renamed after Lenin as Lenin Sarani but the neighbourhood up to Wellington Square continues to be referred as Dharmatala. It is a busy commercial area that had come up with the growth of Calcutta during the British Raj and is thus one of the repositories of history in the city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Entally</span> Neighbourhood in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

Entally is a neighbourhood of Central Kolkata, in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It was considered close to the area which was home to the poor and the depressed castes. Mother Teresa started her activities in Entally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joka, Kolkata</span> Neighbourhood in Kolkata in West Bengal, India

Joka is a locality in South West Kolkata, India. It is a part of greater Behala region. This place is mostly known for Indian Institute of Management Calcutta and ESI-PGIMSR,ESIC Medical College and Hospital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netaji metro station</span> Kolkata Metros Blue Line metro station

Netaji is an elevated metro station on the North-South corridor of the Blue Line of Kolkata Metro in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. This station is situated opposite to the Kudghat bus stand at Kudghat, in Tollygunge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esplanade metro station</span> Kolkata Metros Blue, Green & Purple Line interchange station

Esplanade is an underground interchange metro station on the North-South corridor of the Blue Line and on the East-West corridor of the Green Line of Kolkata Metro in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The station is located in the Esplanade neighbourhood of Kolkata, at the northern end of Chowringhee Road/Jawaharlal Nehru Road near New Market and the Oberoi Grand hotel. It opened in 1984 as part of what is now Kolkata Metro Line 1. The station is being re-designed to be the largest station of the metro and will function as the interchange station between Line 1, Line 2 and Line 3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chandni Chowk metro station (Kolkata)</span> Kolkata Metros Blue Line metro station

Chandni Chowk is an underground metro station on the North-South corridor of the Blue Line of Kolkata Metro in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It is located in Central Avenue, Chandni Chowk, Bowbazar, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kolkata Metro Line 1</span> Transit line of rapid transport in Kolkata, India

The Line 1, Blue Line, also known as North–South Metro of the Kolkata Metro, is a rapid transit system serving Kolkata in Indian state of West Bengal. It consists of 26 operational stations from Dakshineswar to Kavi Subhash, of which 9 are elevated, 2 are at grade and the remaining 15 are underground with a total distance of 31.3 km (19.4 mi). The line connects Dakshineswar and New Garia and uses 5 ft 6 in5 ft 6 in broad gauge rolling stock. Dakshineswar was opened on 22 February 2021 is an elevated station located 4.1 km (2.5 mi) north of Noapara. It was the first underground railway to be built in India, with the first operations commencing in October 1984 and the full stretch that was initially planned being operational by February 1995. On 28 December 2010, it became the 17th zone of the Indian Railways. Being the country's first, and a completely indigenous process, the construction of the Kolkata Metro was more of a trial-and-error affair, in contrast to the Delhi Metro, which has seen the involvement of numerous international consultants. As a result, it took nearly 23 years to completely construct around 15 km (9.3 mi) underground railway from Birpara up to Tollygunge Metro Station.

Ward No. 45, Kolkata Municipal Corporation is an administrative division of Kolkata Municipal Corporation in Borough No. 5, covering parts of Esplanade West, Eden Gardens, Babughat, Millennium Park, B.B.D. Bagh, Lalbazar and Burrabazar neighbourhoods in central Kolkata, in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Ward No. 46, Kolkata Municipal Corporation is an administrative division of Kolkata Municipal Corporation in Borough No. 6, covering parts of Chowringhee, Esplanade East, Dharmatala, Janbazar, Lalbazar, Bowbazar and Maidan neighbourhoods in central Kolkata, in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Ward No. 47, Kolkata Municipal Corporation is an administrative division of Kolkata Municipal Corporation in Borough No. 6, covering parts of Bowbazar and Dharmatala neighbourhoods in central Kolkata, in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Ward No. 48, Kolkata Municipal Corporation is an administrative division of Kolkata Municipal Corporation in Borough No. 5, covering parts of Bowbazar neighbourhood in central Kolkata, in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Ward No. 63, Kolkata Municipal Corporation is an administrative division of Kolkata Municipal Corporation in Borough No. 7, covering parts of Chowringhee, Taltala, Park Street, Shakespeare Sarani, Maidan, The 42 and Hastings neighbourhoods in central Kolkata, in the Indian state of West Bengal.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Streetwise Kolkata: Chandni Chowk's name could have come from the canopies of its shops". 19 September 2021.
  2. "Section 3"  . Special 301 Report via Wikisource.
  3. "Section 3"  . Special 301 Report via Wikisource.
  4. "Etymologies of Names of Neighbourhoods of Kolkata (Calcutta)". Two Together.
  5. "A Brief History of The Kolkata Metro - blog.tummoc.com". 27 July 2021.
  6. "Chandni Chowk - Kolkata". www.connectingtraveller.com.
  7. "Jail-Broken iPhones, LCDs On The Pavement & Ancient Mobile Phones - Chor Bazar In Kolkata, Chandni is the ultimate Thug Life! - The Beacon Kolkata". 21 January 2018. Archived from the original on 21 January 2018.