• Weekend Tour

Bandel founded by Portuguese settlers, is an urban area in Chinsurah-Mogra block in Chinsurah subdivision of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is under Chinsurah police station and is a part of Kolkata Metropolitan Area . Bandel is a major rail junction station of Eastern Railway, it is 40 km from Howrah station.

At Bandel there are two railway stations, Hooghly railway station and Bandel Junction. Bandel Junction is an important railway station of Eastern Railway and is a model rail station. The station is situated approximately 40 km from Howrah station on the Howrah-Bardhaman Main Line. The Bandel-Katwa meets the Howrah main line, here at Bandel Jn. Another branch line connects Bandel with Sealdah and Kolkata station via Naihati Junction. An EMU car-shed as well as a goods yard is situated in the neighbourhood of Bandel station.

Earlier, there was a Portuguese settlement at Bandel. The Church and the Monastery were built around 1660 by the Portuguese. Bandel word derived from Portuguese word mast of ship. Bandel Church is one of the oldest Christian churches in West Bengal and a nice Tourism attraction. It is dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Rosário, also known as “Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem”, meaning “Our Lady of the Good Journey”. The keystone of an older church with the year 1599 on it adorns the riverside gate of the monastery attached to it.

Nearby attractions: Bandel Imambara, Bandel church.

Best visit time: You can visit bandel any time of the year.

Chinsurah Imambara (Hooghly)

Hooghly Imambara is a mosque cum imambarah administered by shiah astna-ashari sect of Muslims, in Hooghly, West Bengal. The construction of the building was started by Muhammad Mohsin in 1841, which completed in 1861. The building is a two storied structure, which a tall clock tower over the entrance gate. The mosque within the complex has intricate designs and texts from Quran engraved on the wall. The interior of the mosque is decorated with marbles, candles and hanging lanterns.

Bandel Church (Hooghly)

The Basilica of the Holy Rosary commonly known as Bandel Church is one of the oldest Christian churches in West Bengal, India. Situated in Bandel, Hooghly district of West Bengal, it stands as a memorial to the Portuguese settlement in Bengal. Founded in 1599, it is dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Rosário, Our Lady of the Rosary. It is also a parish church, part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta.

A ship’s mast stands in front of the church; it was presented to the church by the captain of a vessel that had encountered a storm in the Bay of Bengal, and its rescue was attributed to Mary. The church has three altars, several tombstones, an organ, and a shrine to Mary.

Chinsurah Clock Tower (Hooghly)

Chinsurah Tower Clock, which is situated at the heart of the town, is the sole witness of the millions of incidents took place in past 101 years. A steel made hollow clock tower consisting 4 clocks in 4 different faces were shipped to Chinsurah by the British in 1914 to memorialize Albert Edward alias King Edward VII, eldest son of Queen Victoria and Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. That’s why it is also known as Edwardian Clock. Four lamp sheds in 4 corners of this tower increase the beauty of this piece. Born on November 9, 1841 at Buckingham Palace, King Edward was crowned on 9 August, 1901. He was the King of the United Kingdom till his death (6 May, 1910) due to pneumonia. Edward visited India in 1875 before his appointment as a King. History witnesses that he was in favour of giving the proper respect to all the human beings irrespective of his class or religion. Some of the major decisions which were taken during his tenure were; Australia was granted the dominion status, motor buses were first used in London, juvenile court was introduced for the children, the Triple Entente was signed among Russia, France and Britain etc. In the year 1973, a statue of famous freedom fighter Bhupati Majumder (son of the soil who was closely associated with Bagha Jatin) was set up within the premises of this tower clock and it was inaugurated by the then Chief Minister of West Bengal Sri Siddhartha Shankar Ray.

Tomb of Susanna Anna Maria (Hooghly)

Located on the Grand Trunk Road, just outside the town of Chuchura (Chinsura) is the beautiful tomb of Susanna Annamaria. Susanna Annamaria was a Dutch Lady married to an Englishman named Mr Yeats. Although nothing much is known neither about the lady or her husband. Built in 1809 the Octagonal structure is an ideal example of Indo – Dutch architecture. The two storied octagonal structure, with arched gateways and slender columns is crowned with a dome. The grave contains no epitaph but the name Susanna Annamaria is inscribed in the drum of the dome.

Khanyan Rajbari (Hooghly)

The other name for Itachuna Rajbari is ‘ Bargee Danga’. The term has been derived from Bargee , which was a name given by the bengali’s to the Maratha warriors. There was a time when Maratha’s attacked Bengal repeatedly to collect Chauth, which was 1/4th of the tax that was to be paid by the Nawab of Bengal( Sub-e-dar), Bihar and Orissa. Apocryphally, after Aurangzeb the downfall of Mughal empire had started. The Bargee’s attacked under the the guidance of Bhaskar Pandit and Raghuji Bhosle from 1742-1752. Katwa , near Hooghly was made the early centre which was later changed to Medinipur. Though the Maratha warriors stopped their attacks after the assassination of Mir Habib, they gained control over Orrisa. As a result many maratha Bargee’s stayed back in Bengal and started their own trade. They amassed a lot of wealth. One of such Maratha warriors were the Kundans, now known as Kundu’s also settled here. The Itachuna Rajbari was built by the ancestors of Shri Safallya Narayan Kundu in 1766. The Govt.of India’s policy of abolishing the Raj-culture hindered further flourishes of the Rajbari. It is the present inheritors of the family Shri. Rabindra Narayan, Shri. Dhruva Narayan and Shri. Basav Narayan Kundu along with Mylestones & Journeys who have decided to restore the glory and are making all efforts to maintain the royal heritage through regular upkeep. The Heritage Homestay is one such initiative through which village tourism may be promoted in this area.