“Ground of Kali” could that be the origin of the name of Kolkata? Purbo Kolikata stands as a vibrant testament to Kolkata’s rich history. It is also known as Calcutta. This city started as three villages. Those villages were Kalikata, Gobindapur, and Sutanuti.
Job Charnock of the British East India Company landed here. He arrived at Sutanuti in 1690. He sought to establish the Company’s Bengal headquarters. Kalikata had no native population. This made it easy for the British to occupy.
The British secured legal title in 1698. Charles Eyre obtained land-holding rights. He got them from the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family. Kolkata legally came under English control then.
The Sabarna Roy Choudhury family acquired Kalikata earlier. They got it from Raja Man Singh. Man Singh was a cousin of the Mughal emperor Jahangir. The family was reluctant to transfer their rights. The Mughal court pressured them.
In 1756, Siraj ud-Daulah attacked Kolkata. He was the Nawab of Bengal. He renamed it Alinagar. The British regained control in 1758. They restored the name Kolkata.
The British divided the area. They called their part “White Town”. “Black Town” was for Sutanuti, Chitpur, and Gobindapur. The English moved to White Town. It was north of the old fort.
Kolkata became the capital of British India in 1772. It remained so until 1911. The city saw rapid industrial growth from the 1850s. This happened despite regional poverty. Trade with other nations also increased. The first U.S. merchant ship arrived in Kolkata in 1787.
Calcutta was renamed Kolkata in 2001. This followed colloquial Bengali usage. Today, Purbo Kolikata reflects this journey. It embodies the spirit of a city that has transformed over centuries. From a small village to a major metropolis, Kolkata’s story is etched in every corner. It is a story of trade, battles, and cultural synthesis. Purbo Kolikata stands as a living reminder of this vibrant history.