In 1690, Job Charnok, an agent of the East India Company chose this place for a British trade settlement. The site was carefully selected, being protected by the Hooghly River on the west, a creek to the north, and by salt lakes about two and a half miles to the east. There were three large villages along the east bank of the river Ganges, named, Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. These three villages were bought by the British from local landlords. The Mughal emperor granted East India Company freedom of trade in return for a yearly payment of 3,000 rupees.
What was Calcutta like before the British came ?
It was just a village; the capital city of Bengal was Murshidabad, around 60 miles north of Calcutta. In 1756, Siraj-ud-daullah, nawab of Bengal, attacked the city and captured the fort. Calcutta was recaptured in 1757 by Robert Clive when the British defeated Siraj-ud-daullah on the battlefield of Plassy. In 1772, Calcutta became the capital of British India, and the first Governor General Warren Hastings moved all-important offices from Murshidabad to Calcutta. Till 1912, Calcutta was the capital of India, when the British moved the capital city to Delhi. In 1947, when India gained freedom and the country got partitioned between India and Pakistan, Calcutta was included in the Indian part of Bengal, West Bengal. Calcutta became the capital city of the state of West Bengal.
General Information
How To Go :
By Air: The city is serviced by 10 international airlines from both the East and the West, apart from Air India and the country’s domestic airlines. Airline Codes: Domestic
· Al Air India
· CD Alliance Airlines
· IC Indian Airlines
· 9W Jet Airways
· S2 Sahara Airlines
· DN Air Decan
· Spicejet
· Kingfisher Airlines
International Air Services are operated by Air India, Biman Bangladesh, British Airways, Druk Air,
Royal Brunei Airlines, Royal Dutch Airlines, Royal Jordanian Airlines, Royal Nepal Airlines, Singapore Airlines,
Thai Airways International. Airline Codes: International · AI Air India
· BA British Airways
· BG Biman Bangladesh
· BI Royal Brunei Airlines
· KB Druk Air
· Jet Star Asia
· KL Royal Dutch Airlines
· RA Royal Nepal Airlines
· RJ Royal Jordanian Airlines
· SQ Singapore Airlines
· SU Aeroflot
· TG Thai Airways International By Rail : Calcutta is a major railhead and is linked to all parts of the country by an extensive network of trains. The two important stations are Howrah and Sealdah. Local trains are best for connecting to nearby places.
Road: Calcutta is connected by road with all the major cities of India.
.jpg)
bravenet.com