HeikeC58098401 at 16:17, 20 January 2026

2026-01-20T16:17:12Z

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{{About|the neighbourhood Jorasanko|ancestral home of the Tagore family|Jorasanko Thakur Bari}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox settlement



|name =Jorasanko 
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|settlement_type =Neighbourhood in Kolkata (Calcutta) 
|image_skyline = Jorasanko Thakur Bari.jpg
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|image_caption = [[Jorasanko Thakur Bari]], the ancestral house of [[Rabindranath Tagore]], now a campus of [[Rabindra Bharati University]] (RBU).
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|pushpin_map = India Kolkata
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|pushpin_map_caption = Location in Kolkata
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|subdivision_type1 = [[States and territories of India|State]]
|subdivision_type2 = City
|subdivision_type3 = [[List of districts of West Bengal|District]]
|subdivision_type4 = [[Kolkata Metro|Metro Station]]
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|subdivision_name1 = [[West Bengal]]
|subdivision_name2 = [[Kolkata]]
|subdivision_name3 = [[Kolkata district|Kolkata]]
|subdivision_name4 = [[Girish Park metro station|Girish Park]]
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|seat_type = [[Municipal Corporation]]
|seat = [[Kolkata Municipal Corporation]]
|parts_type = [[Kolkata Municipal Corporation|KMC]] wards
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|parts = [[Ward No. 23, Kolkata Municipal Corporation|23]], [[Ward No. 25, Kolkata Municipal Corporation|25]], [[Ward No. 41, Kolkata Municipal Corporation|41]]
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|postal_code = 700007
|area_code = +91 33
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|timezone = IST
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| blank1_name_sec1 = [[Lok Sabha]] constituency
| blank1_info_sec1 = [[Kolkata Uttar (Lok Sabha constituency)|Kolkata Uttar]]
| blank2_name_sec1 = [[Vidhan Sabha]] constituency
| blank2_info_sec1 = [[Jorasanko (Vidhan Sabha constituency)|Jorasanko]]
}}
'''Jorasanko''' is a neighbourhood of [[North Kolkata]], in [[Kolkata district]], West Bengal, India. It is so called because of the two (''jora'') wooden or bamboo bridges (''sanko'') that spanned a small stream at this point.

==History==
Apart from the distinguished seat of the [[Tagore family]], traditionally known as the [[Jorasanko Thakur Bari]], it was also home of the Singhas (including [[Kaliprasanna Singha]]), the Pals (including [[Kristo Das Pal|Krishnadas Pal]]), and the families of Dewan Banarasi Ghosh, Gokul Chandra Daw, Narsingha Chandra Daw, Prafulla Chandra Gain, Tarak Nath Pramanik and Chandramohan Chatterji. "The area thus became the cradle of Bengal Renaissance."<ref name = "Nair">Nair, P. Thankappan in ''The growth and Development of Old Calcutta'' in ''Calcutta, the Living City'', Vol I, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, pp. 15–17, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0-19-563696-1}}.</ref> It was earlier known as Mechuabazar.<ref name = "Deb">Deb, Chitra, ''Jorasanko and the Thakur Family'', in ''Calcutta, the Living City'', Vol I, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, pp. 64–66, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0-19-563696-1}}</ref>
[[File:Jorasanko.jpg|thumb|Jorasanko Thakurbari]]

The earliest list of thanas (police stations) in Kolkata was prepared in 1785 for both police and municipal administration. Jorasanko was one of the 31 thanas then recorded.<ref name = "Nair"/>

Amongst the institutions in Jorasanko are – [[Adi Brahmo Samaj]], the Jorasanko Bharati Natya Samaj, the Kalikata Haribhakti Pradayani Sabha, the Minerva Library and [[Oriental Seminary]].<ref name = "Nair"/> The Oriental Seminary, founded in 1829, was one of the earliest privately-run, modern educational institutions in Kolkata. It was open to middle and lower middle-class Hindu boys only.<ref>Kopf, David, ''The Brahmo Samaj and the Shaping of the Modern Indian Mind'', p. 49, Princeton University Press.</ref>

[[Rabindra Bharati University]], the third university in Kolkata, was set up in 1962 in the Tagore family's house at Jorasanko, primarily as a centre for music and fine arts, but extended subsequently to arts and humanities.<ref>Chaudhuri, Sukanta, in ''Education in Modern Calcutta'' in ''Calcutta, the Living City'', Vol II, edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, p. 205, Oxford University Press, {{ISBN|0-19-563697-X}}.</ref>

In 1888, one of the 25 newly organized police section houses was located in Jorasanko.<ref>Nair, P.Thankappan, ''The Growth and Development of Old Calcutta'', in ''Calcutta, the Living City'', Vol. I, pp. 18–19, Edited by Sukanta Chaudhuri, Oxford University Press, 1995 edition.</ref>

Jorasanko was historically an important centre of the shell industry in Kolkata, but it has been on the decline in recent years.<ref>{{cite web|title=A little more help needed but…|url=http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=23&id=180393&usrsess=1|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926214512/http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=23&id=180393&usrsess=1|archive-date=26 September 2007|access-date=2007-04-24|work=Bengal Plus|publisher=The Statesman, 10 April 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Shell Craft of West Bengal|url=http://www.craftandartisans.com/shell-craft-of-west-bengal.html|access-date=2007-04-24|work=Crafta and artisans of India|publisher=Craftsandartisans.com|archive-date=22 April 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070422190140/http://www.craftandartisans.com/shell-craft-of-west-bengal.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Rabindra Sarani==
Jorasanko is located on Rabindra Sarani (earlier Chitpore Road).<ref>Cotton, H.E.A., ''Calcutta Old and New'', first published 1909, revised edition 1980, p 283, General Printers and Publishers Pvt Ltd.</ref> Some people refer to the entire stretch through which Chitpore Road ran as [[Chitpur|Chitpore or Chitpur]]; that also includes Jorasanko.

==Theatre==
A pair of theatres, both named Jorasanko Natyashala, were established in Jorasanko by the Bengalis in the 1800s. The first only lasted for a single play, [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare's]] ''[[Julius Caesar (play)|Julius Caesar]]'', which was staged on 3 May 1854.<ref>{{cite book|last=Mukhopadhyay|first=Ganesh|title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh|publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]|year=2012|editor1-last=Islam|editor1-first=Sirajul|editor1-link=Sirajul Islam|edition=Second|chapter=Theatre Stage|editor2-last=Jamal|editor2-first=Ahmed A.|chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Theatre_Stage}}</ref>

The second was established in the home of [[Ganendranath Tagore]] in 1865. The first significant play staged there was ''Krishnakumari'', written by Bengali playwright [[Michael Madhusudan Dutta]]. Playwright [[Jyotirindranath Tagore]] acted in the production.<ref>Bannerjee, Hiranmay, ''Thakurbarir Katha'', {{in lang|bn}}, p.103 , Sishu Sahitya Sansad.</ref> When the theatre was first established, [[Cross-gender acting|female roles were played by men]], although this practice gradually died out.<ref name = "Deb"/> Finding a dearth of Bengali-language plays to stage, Ganendranath held a contest to promote Bengali playwrights. He offered a prize of 200 [[Indian rupee|rupees]] (then a large sum) to the winner, and paid for the printing of 1000 copies. ''Nabanatak'' by [[Ramnarayan Tarkaratna]] won the first prize.<ref>Bannerjee, Hiranmay, p. 219.</ref><ref>Sengupta, Subodh Chandra and Bose, Anjali (editors), 1976/1998, ''Sansad Bangali Charitabhidhan'' (Biographical dictionary) Vol I, {{in lang|bn}}, p. 127, {{ISBN|81-85626-65-0}}</ref>

==Geography==
{{OSM Location map 
| coord = {{coord|22.5855|88.3568}} 
| zoom = 15 
| label = Jorasanko
| mark-coord = {{coord|22.5855|88.3568}}
| label-pos = right
| float = left
}}

===Police district===
Jorasanko police station is part of the [[Divisions of Kolkata Police|Central division]] of [[Kolkata Police]]. It is located at 16, Bal Mukund Malkar Road, Kolkata-700007.<ref name="police">{{cite web| url = http://www.kolkatapolice.gov.in/division.asp?ID=1&Division=C |title = Kolkata Police |work = Central Division | publisher= KP| access-date = 9 March 2018}}</ref>

[[Taltala#Police district|Taltala Women police station]] covers all police districts under the jurisdiction of the Central division i.e. Bowbazar, Burrabazar, Girish Park, Hare Street, Jorasanko, Muchipara, New Market, Taltala and Posta.<ref name="police"/>

==Transport==
===Road===
Jorasanko is surrounded by Kalakar Street on the west, [[Mahatma Gandhi Road, Kolkata|MG Road]] on the south, [[Chittaranjan Avenue]] on the east and Kali Krishna Tagore Street-[[Vivekananda Road]] on the north. Rabindra Sarani passes through the middle of the locality from north to south. Many buses and auto-rickshaws ply along these roads.<ref>Google maps</ref>

===Train===
[[Burra Bazar railway station]] on [[Kolkata Circular Railway]] line is the nearest railway station. [[Sealdah Station]], one of the major railway-terminals of the city, is also located nearby.

==Gallery==
<gallery> image: Jatra Posters.jpg|Posters adorn the offices of Jatra groups
image: Oriental Seminary.jpg|[[Oriental Seminary]]
image: Sugar Cane.jpg|[[Sugarcane juice|Sugar Cane]] for sale for [[Rath Yatra]] on a Jorasanko footpath
image: Litho printer.jpg|A litho printer at work – a Jorasanko speciality </gallery>

== Notable people ==

* [[Radhanath Sikdar]] (1813-1870), [[mathematician]] known for calculating the height of [[Mount Everest]]

==References==
{{commons category}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikivoyage-inline|Kolkata/North Kolkata}}

{{Kolkata neighbourhoods}}

[[Category:Neighbourhoods in Kolkata]]
[[Category:Tagore family]]

Jorasanko - Revision history

HeikeC58098401 at 16:17, 20 January 2026