Perhaps Entali’s name hides a tale of transformation. Today we are exploring Entali. It is a neighborhood in Central Kolkata. But what stories do its streets whisper?
Entali’s history is woven into the fabric of Kolkata’s past. The East India Company acquired villages around their settlement in 1717. In 1758 they purchased these villages from Mir Jafar. Entali was one of them. Imagine Entali then. It was a suburb beyond the Maratha Ditch’s limits.
Odia palanquin-bearers lived here. Poor Christians too. Muslims joined them. Chinese residents added to the mix. Depressed communities like Dalits called Entali home. Upper-caste Hindus largely avoided it then. The municipal slaughterhouse and tanneries repelled them. Yet, upper-class Europeans resided here. They occupied what was then the Intally Post Office neighborhood.
Rich Hindu milk businessmen lived near Entally market. They forbade lower-caste people nearby. This area was called Gopelane. Panbagan Lane was also part of it. H. E. A. Cotton described Entally in the 20th century. He saw an area intersected with roads and lanes. Many European residences stood here. Some were fine buildings with extensive grounds. The house of Henry Derozio stood near Entally Market. He was a pioneer of the Bengal Renaissance. He led the Young Bengal movement.
The Municipal Railway once ran along Lower Circular Road. It conveyed sweepings to raise land. This land was south of Entally. It was the Volunteer Rifle Range constructed in 1877. Factories sprung up in Entali in the 19th century. Land was cheap then. Many still operate today.
In 1888 Entally became part of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. It joined Manicktala and other areas. One of the new police section houses was in Entally. Today Entally is bordered by Sealdah and other neighborhoods.
Entally Market is one of Kolkata’s oldest. Shops sell garments and vegetables. Groceries are available. Textiles abound. One could find margarine, fish, and fruit. The market was known for dairy products. Paneer and ghee were specialities.
Mother Teresa started her work in Entally. She taught at Loreto Convent. The slums outside engaged her. In 1948 she began working with the poor. She established a home in Entally. She had a nurse’s training and five rupees. Her work then spread to other areas.
Gope Lane Shiva Temple is Entally’s oldest Hindu temple. It was a center for social reforms. It was also a freedom-fighting hub. Prafulla Chandra Ghosh addressed meetings here. He emphasized education for non-upper-caste Hindus. Jnan Chandra Ghosh suggested a technical education institution. This became Central Calcutta Pyrotechnic in Entally. Pandit Pannalal Ghosh performed music concerts here. He popularized the flute.
Sri Sri Radha Mohan Jew temple house is in Panbagan Lane. Many cultural events happen here. It is considered the first place in Calcutta to perform daily worship of Satya Sai Baba.
Debendra Nath Majumdar established Sri Ramakrishna Archanalaya in Entally in 1902. He started regular worship of Sri Ramakrishna. He composed devotional songs. Swami Brahmananda commented on one song. He said Debendra composed it in a high state of consciousness.
Loreto Entally was founded as an orphanage in 1845. It is not strictly an orphanage now. Yet orphans are still looked after. Many buses run along Entally’s roads today. Sealdah Station is located nearby.
Entally is a neighborhood with layers. Its history includes wealth and poverty. It includes social reform and religious devotion. Take a moment to reflect on Entally’s journey. Its story continues to unfold.