Chowringhee Road

2022-03-24T07:22:14Z

117.227.65.57:

{{Short description|Road in Kolkata, India}}
{{Redirect|Jawaharlal Nehru Road|the road in [[Patna]]|Jawaharlal Nehru Marg}}
{{Distinguish|text=Jawaharlal Nehru Road, [[Delhi]]}}
{{About|the road in Kolkata|the road in Chennai|Inner Ring Road, Chennai}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}
{{Infobox street
| name = Jawaharlal Nehru Road
| native_name =
| marker_image =
| image =
| caption = Park Street flyover along Chowringhee Road
| other_name =
| former_names = Chowringhee Road
| postal_code = 700013, 700016, 700071, 700087
| addresses =
| length_km =
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| location = [[Kolkata]], India
| metro_system = [[Kolkata Metro]]
| metro = [[Esplanade metro station|Esplanade]], [[Park Street metro station (Kolkata)|Park Street]], [[Maidan metro station|Maidan]] and [[Rabindra Sadan metro station|Rabindra Sadan]]
| client =
| maint = [[Kolkata Municipal Corporation]]
| coordinates =
| direction_a = north
| terminus_a = [[Esplanade, Kolkata|Esplanade]]
| direction_b = south
| terminus_b = [[Rabindra Sadan]] (Exide More)
| junction =
| commissioning_date =
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}}

'''Chowringhee Road''' (also spelt ''Chourangi Road''), located in the [[Chowringhee]] neighbourhood of [[Kolkata]], is the arterial road running from the eastern fringes of [[Esplanade, Kolkata|Esplanade]] southwards up to the crossing with [[Lower Circular Road]] (AJC Bose Road), in the city of [[Kolkata]], West Bengal, India. It is the single most important road of the metropolis of Kolkata. It was officially renamed as Jawaharlal Nehru Road after [[Jawaharlal Nehru]], India's first Prime Minister, but the original name Chowringhee Road is used commonly.

==History==
{{multiple image
| align = right
| total_width = 650

| image1 = Calcutta_Chowringhee_Road_1930s_R01.jpg
| alt1 =
| caption1 = Chowringhee Road in the 1930s

| image2 = ChowringhrrKolkata1945.jpg
| alt2 =
| caption2 = The road in 1945

| image3 = OberoiGrandHotelKolkata_gobeirne.jpg
| alt3 =
| caption3 = [[Oberoi Grand|Oberoi Grand Hotel]]

| image4 = Kolkata Asiatic Society.jpg
| alt4 =
| caption4 = [[The Asiatic Society]] building

| footer = <big>''Kolkata Chowringhee Road''</big>
}}

Arguably one of the first roads in the city, prior to the coming of the [[Great Britain|British]], the road used to link the villages of [[Kalighat]] and Chowringhee. The village of Chowringhee was named after the hoary saint Chowranginath of the [[Nath]] sect of mystical [[Hinduism]] who had his 'dera' or camp over there, and the name stuck on in spite of the British rule and was changed after the [[independence 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 the [[Maidan (Kolkata)|Maidan]]. The Maidan was intentionally kept open and development-free due to security purposes of [[Fort William, India|Fort 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 of [[Park Street, Kolkata|Park Street]] and Chowringhee. Of the reclaimed tanks, one was where the Calcutta Information Centre and the Maidan Police Station now stand, another one where the [[Maidan 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 of [[Tollygunge]] and [[Ballygunge]] to [[Esplanade, Kolkata|Esplanade]]. 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 by [[Rani 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 of [[Citibank]] 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 the [[Lindsay 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 the [[Tata Centre]] at the intersection of Harrington Street (now Ho Chi Minh Sarani), [[Jeevan Sudha (Kolkata)|Jeevan Sudha]] (at the Middleton Street intersection), [[Everest House (Kolkata)|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 {{convert|91|m|ft|0}} from the ground and comprises 24 floors.

==Places of interest==
Chowringhee Road is not only the commercial heart of the city, but also the cultural heart. The [[Indian Museum]] and the Government Art College are located here, along with the afore-mentioned [[The Asiatic Society]]. The Bishop's House, housing the residence of the Bishop of Kolkata and the [[St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata|St. Paul's Cathedral]], is located here.

The [[Birla Planetarium, Kolkata|M. P. Birla Planetarium]] is on the junction of Chowringhee Road and Cathedral road and the [[Victoria Memorial (India)|Victoria Memorial]] (on Queens Way) is a stone's throw away from here. The neo-cultural centres of [[Rabindra Sadan]], [[Nandan (Kolkata)|Nandan]] and the [[Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata|Academy of Fine Arts]] are next to Chowringhee on Lower Circular Road and the Cathedral Road.

The [[Tipu Sultan Mosque]] is at the intersection of Chowringhee Road, [[Chittaranjan Avenue]] and Lenin Sarani (formerly Dharmatala Street).

The huge expanse of the [[Maidan (Kolkata)|Maidan]] is busy throughout the year with fairs and political meetings.

The 42 is a 268-metre-tall skyscraper beside the Maidan, standing between the commercial building of Tata Centre and the residential building of Jeevan Sudha.

==Gallery==
<gallery class="center">
File:Manohar Das Tarag - Kolkata 2011-09-18 00598.jpg|Manohar Das Tarag in 2011
File:JL Nehru Rd view.jpg|High rises
Image:Kolkata Chowringhee Footpath.jpg|Eateries on a footpath in the area
Image:Kolkata Chowringhee Footpath2.jpg|[[Hawkers in Kolkata|Hawkers]] do brisk business on pavement
File:Park Street Flyover (14847087162).jpg|Park Street Flyover
</gallery>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline}}

{{Streets of Kolkata}}

[[Category:Roads in Kolkata]]
[[Category:Monuments and memorials to Jawaharlal Nehru]]

IndianPedia - User contributions [en]

Chowringhee Road