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| Former name(s) | Chowringhee Road |
|---|---|
| Maintained by | Kolkata Municipal Corporation |
| Location | Kolkata, India |
| Postal code | 700013, 700016, 700071, 700087 |
| NearestKolkata Metro station | Esplanade,Park Street,Maidan andRabindra Sadan |
| north end | Esplanade |
| south end | Rabindra Sadan (Exide More) |
Chowringhee Road (also speltChourangi Road), located in theChowringhee neighbourhood ofKolkata, is the arterial road running from the eastern fringes ofEsplanade southwards up to the crossing withLower Circular Road (AJC Bose Road), in the city ofKolkata, West Bengal, India. It is the single most important road of the metropolis of Kolkata. It was officially renamed as Jawaharlal Nehru Road afterJawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister, but the original name Chowringhee Road is used commonly.
Arguably one of the first roads in the city, prior to the coming of theBritish, the road used to link the villages ofKalighat and Chowringhee. The village of Chowringhee was named after the hoary saint Chowranginath of theNath sect of mysticalHinduism who had his 'dera' or camp over there, and the name stuck on in spite of the British rule and was changed after theindependence of India during the rule of the Congress regime.
After the British started expanding their settlement outside the Fort area in the mid-18th century, the area around Chowringhee was one of the first expansions. And the same area remained their pride and commercial centre until their departure in 1947. During the early British developments around the Chowringhee area, they built huge bungalows and houses all along the eastern end of the road, thus earning Kolkata the sobriquet - 'City of Palaces'. It was a prosperous era of Kolkata, which came to be the second city of the British empire. Rows of huge palatial houses flanked by gardens and the area along the western edge of the road was a huge open area called theMaidan. The Maidan was intentionally kept open and development-free due to security purposes ofFort William.
Later there were tanks made on the western stretch of the road at each important crossing right from the Lower Circular Road junction (now the Exide crossing) to the Esplanade near Curzon Park. Of these only a couple exist now - the Manohar Das Tarag and the one at the junction ofPark Street and Chowringhee. Of the reclaimed tanks, one was where the Calcutta Information Centre and the Maidan Police Station now stand, another one where theMaidan metro station now stands and still a third on where the Esplanade bus-terminus now stand. The beauty of the road no longer exists and can only be seen in drawings and sketches of the bygone era.
With the advent of trams, tram-tracks were laid along the western edge of Chowringhee to connect the southern areas ofTollygunge andBallygunge toEsplanade. These tracks, also, no longer exist due to trams' slow speed and the advent of metro rail.
Of the grand palaces and mansions of the era, only a few still remain - "the Oberoi Grand Hotel", the "Janbazar" Building (which was owned byRani Rashmoni) at the junction of Corporation Street (now S.N. Banerjee Road), "The Chowringhee Mansions" (now housing several offices) at Kyd Street intersection, the "Asiatic Society" at the Park Street crossing and the majestic "Indian Museum" are the well known ones. Some buildings from a later period include the "Kanak Building" (now housing offices ofCitibank and Standered Chartered Bank) at the junction of Middleton Street, "Virginia House" (housing the headquarters of ITC) and the New Market Watch Tower building. The building at theLindsay Street intersection, which used to house the famous Italian joint Firpo's, was razed in a blaze in 2002.
Chowringhee still remains very much the heart of Kolkata and the place of choice for many large business houses. This saying of old must have been followed by each architect who designed the newer buildings on Chowringhee, showcasing their extravagant self. Examples include theTata Centre at the intersection of Harrington Street (now Ho Chi Minh Sarani),Jeevan Sudha (at the Middleton Street intersection),Everest House (next to Tata Center), J K Centre, SAIL Building, The Reliance House, the Metro Railway Building, among others.Chatterjee International Center is the tallest building situated on this road. It rises up to a height 91 metres (299 ft) from the ground and comprises 24 floors.
Chowringhee Road is not only the commercial heart of the city, but also the cultural heart. TheIndian Museum and the Government Art College are located here, along with the afore-mentionedThe Asiatic Society. The Bishop's House, housing the residence of the Bishop of Kolkata and theSt. Paul's Cathedral, is located here.
TheM. P. Birla Planetarium is on the junction of Chowringhee Road and Cathedral road and theVictoria Memorial (on Queens Way) is a stone's throw away from here. The neo-cultural centres ofRabindra Sadan,Nandan and theAcademy of Fine Arts are next to Chowringhee on Lower Circular Road and the Cathedral Road.
TheTipu Sultan Mosque is at the intersection of Chowringhee Road,Chittaranjan Avenue and Lenin Sarani (formerly Dharmotollah Street).
The huge expanse of theMaidan is busy throughout the year with fairs and political meetings.
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Media related toJawaharlal Nehru Road at Wikimedia Commons
