Chandernagore, West Bengal

Chandernagore is a small city located 30 kilometers north of Kolkata, in West Bengal, India. Situated along the banks of river Ganga, the city has been able to maintain a separate identity different from all other cities and abide by her own characteristics. The "City of Liberty" has always attracted people from all over the world due to her indescribable beauty.

Things to See
Chandernagore is famous for its Jagatdhatri Puja. It takes place just one month after the Durga Puja, usually in the month of November. The pandals, street lightings, idols - everything will make you spellbound. Millions of people from different parts of the country come here during that period.

Chandannagore Strand: A beautiful tourist spot along the banks of the river Ganga. It is a superbly decorated pavement studded with lights surrounded by lushy green trees. It is about 1 km in length and 7 meters in width, and many buildings of historical importance surround the spot. It is very popular visiting spot of the local people and the tourists would love to stroll along enjoying the mild breeze and watching the small boats sail by. Along the strand are present Vivekananda Mandir (a meditation centre) and a protruding structure into the river Ganga. This is supposed to be the best decorated bank of the river along its entire length of 2500 km.

Chandannagore Museum and Institute (Institut de Chandernagore): One of the oldest and finest museums of the entire region. It boasts a beautiful collection of French antiques (like cannons used in Anglo-French war, wooden furniture of 18th century, etc.) which are difficult to find anywhere else in the world. The institute still teaches French through regular classes.

The Sacred Heart Church, Chandannagar : The Sacred Heart Church of Chandannagar (l'Eglise du Sacré Cœur): The beautiful church stands for over two centuries to mark the beauty of the architecture during the French period - a good place to visit for the historians and tourists alike. The remains of the Church of St. Louis is also an attractive tourist spot.

The Underground House (Patal-Bari): The building is another beautiful example of the advancement in the knowledge of architecture and the aesthetic sense of the people of those earlier days. Its lowest floor is submerged in the River Ganga. The Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore frequently visited the place and appreciated a lot about the building. He felt that the place influenced him to a large extent and broadened his intellectual capabilities. He mentioned Patal-bari in many of his famous novels. The famous social reformer Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar also stayed in the building.

Ancient temples: Nandadulal Temple, built in 1740 by Indranarayan Roychoudhury presents an excellent example of ancient Indian sculptures. There are many fascinating temples devoted to Kali, Shiva and other deities which show marks of brilliant craftsmanship and artistic taste.

Residences of famous personalities: The place hosts a galaxy of famous personalities who had strong impact not only on contemporary society but also affected Indian History. The revolutionary leader Rash Behari Bose, Kanailal Datta and the great social reformer Sri Harihar Seth belonged to this place.

Nritya Gopal Smriti Mandir: Built by Sri Harihar Seth, and donated to the people of Chandannagore. This building still serves as a theatre hall and a library. It was first of its kind in the entire locality.
Apart from these, there are a number of amusement parks in Chandernagore, which attracts millions of picnic lovers during the winter. Wonderland Amusement Park, operated by KMDA is the most popular one, which is located near the Chandernagore Rail Station. Chhuti, opearted by Chandernagore Municipal Corporation is another one which is located near Delhi Road.

Another big crowd puller in Chandernagore is Christmas celebration. Chandannagar has a very old church in the middle of Barabazar and it is point of major attraction during Christmas for people of all faiths.