Fort William

The City of Joy Kolkata is well known for its personal magic which spellbound everyone who comes to visit here with its people, culture and undoubtedly with its enigmatic historical backdrop in its old architectural establishments. And Fort William, Kolkata is the most impressive edifice of British Colonialism in the East which has always been an emblem of British Colonialism in this cultural capital of India. Presently it serves as a citadel of the Indian Army in Eastern India, or better to say Eastern Command Head Quarter of Indian Army.

Historical Background:

There were actually two Fort Williams in British Calcutta, the old and the new. The old fort goes back to the early days of the East India Company. Sir Charles Eyre began the construction of the southeast bastion and the adjacent walls. His successor John Beard added the northeast bastion around 1701. On completion in 1706 he began the Factory or the Government House in 1702 midst of the Fort William, Kolkata. Fort William, Kolkata was named after King William III of England.
After the Battle of Plassey in 1756, the British decided there would be no repetition of the attack on the city and set out to replace the original Fort William, Kolkata. First they removed the inhabitants of the village of Govindpur and in 1758 laid the foundations of this castle which was completed in 1781 at an expense of 2 million British Pounds.

Attractions:

Fort William, Kolkata is able to accommodate a garrison of 10,000 men and has huge green expanse, stretching 3 km north to south and is over a km wide, gives lung space to the chocked city. For the tourist, there is a museum housing arms and armors, swords, muskets and machine-guns. Another section has photographs of the Burma campaign and of the Bangladesh Liberation War. The Arsenal inside is worth visiting with a prior permission required from the Commanding Officer of Fort William, Kolkata.

Architectural Beauty:

The Fort owns a brick-and-mortar structure built in the shape of an irregular octagon surrounding 5 square km of which five sides look landward and three on the river, surrounded by a fosse 9 meter deep and 15 meter broad which can be flooded in times of emergency. There are six gates of the Fort Chowringhee, Plassey Calcutta, Water gate St. Georges and Treasury Gate. A telephone office, recreation club, canteen, cinema hall, restaurant, swimming pool and wide moat surround it.

Getting to Fort William, Kolkata:

Fort William, Kolkata is located on the bank of River Ganga and just by the Vivekananda Setu (2nd Hoogly River Bridge). The place is marked for its tranquility, its lash green surroundings and the sight of River Ganga enriched it deliberately. An hour’s hang out there simply provides a perfect peace of mind to the visitors.
You can avail a taxi or a bus to reach out there from any part of Kolkata, the area is called Hastings. It will be fine for you if you can take a short trip to the Outram Ghat on the bank of River Ganga near the Fort as this place is also awesome in nature. So your Kolkata Tour can’t exclude this place as it is carrying a deep significance in Indian History along with its pleasant presence.