Old Calcutta Walk - Connecting Synagogues, Zoroastrian Fire Temple, Churches and Buddhist Temple

If you are a early riser, take your breakfast at Tiretta Bazaar. Though the Tiretta's Chinese breakfast is one of the most popular breakfast stop in Kolkata with good footfall from foreigners, the quality is falling. But hot breakfast with chinese momos will definitely make you to explore the old Calcutta.

Dated 23rd December, 2017, in this tour we had visited temples, churches, synagogues, Buddhist Temples, Parsi fire temples .... the rich multicultural Calcutta is waiting for you! 

This post was a kind of immature writing, and I don't consider this post as very good reading also. However that was like in 2017, I thought that it would be a good effort to write down my experience while walking across the city. A detail post was made on Zakaria & Surrounding heritage site based on my walk in December 2019. You will find it here. 

Magen David Synagogue

Magen David Synagogue is one of the two synagogues those are still operating in Kolkata. It is operational since 1884 and recently had underwent a restoration.

Joseph Semah is the first known Baghdadi Jewish immigrant to India, arrived in the port city of Surat in 1730. First of Jewish settlers came to Calcutta from Syria in 1790s. They purchased a house for prayer, and built Neveh Shalome Synagogue in 1826. But Neveh Shalome was demolished in 1884 to offer places to build magnificent Magen David Synagogue. 

Sir David Ezra built the Magen David in 1884 in memory of his father David Joseph Ezra. Neveh Shalome was rebuilt in 1911 in the same campus of Magen David, and it is smaller than Magen David. 

Beth El Synagogue

Hidden in the alley of Pollock st, Beth El Synagogue was set up in 1856 by Joseph Ezra and Ezekiel Judah, so it is older than Magen David Synagogue. Beth El literally means the House of God. After glorious Magen David was built, Elias Shalom Gubbay spent more than one lakh for Beth El's beautification.

A little bit of other Jewish establishments across the city are listed below. 

Jews are now merely 20 in number in Kolkata, but that does not reflect the glorious heritage of the community in the city. 

Nahoum and Sons Bakery: The last bakery from the Jewish is running in the city for more than 110 years. Nahoum's fruit and plum cake is synonymous to Calcutta's Christmas. Many says Kolkata's winter comes with several 'N's - Nolen gur, Nakur Nandi's Sandesh, Morning Nihari and obviously Nahoum's cakes.

It was started by Nahoum Israel Mordecai, a Baghdadi Jew in 1902 as a small shop in front of Hogg Market. During initial days the business had door-to-door model among 4000-6000 Jews in Kolkata. But his sweet treats captured the attention of the colonial rulers of Kolkata, as well as the Bengalis of the city. In 1916 the shop was shifted to present location in New Market, and officially Nahoum and Sons was founded. After the death of Nahoum, his son Elias took the responsibility of the shop from second generation. After the death of Elias, his son David took the responsibility. 

An engineer by training, David didn't show any great interest in the family confectionary business. He was an employee of Martin Burn for a fairly long time. However after his father passed away in 1964, he took the charge and run the shop almost single-handedly. Though His brothers Norman and Solomon had helped him sometimes. 

Since it's inception it still flaunts the century old teakwood furniture, glass fronted window displays & the wooden cash-till. The bakery's staunch stand against diversification & its strict adherence to its limited range of items have been stuck to over the generations. In the age of cafes, bistros & dessert parlours, Nahoum's demand never waned. Nahoum's has been one of the most famous confectioneries of the region. 

Sadly, David Elias Nahoum, the 3rd generation owner of the store was passed away in 2013 at the age of 86, but the store is still operating by the staffs and other members of the family. Now David's brother Isaac comes to Kolkata in December every year to take care of the shop. Isaac was taught in La Martiniere as well as in St. Xavier's in Kolkata, but he stayed mostly overseas since his youth. 

The long winding queues outside the outlet during Christmas is legendary. It is perhaps the only place where Hindus stand in queues, to buy cakes from a Jewish bakery, which are mostly made by Muslim chefs, to celebrate a Christian festival!

Maghen Aboth Synagogue and Yesheebath Jacob Benjamin Elias (Beth Hakeneseth): Demolished now, a plague is placed at the entrance in the memory of Maghen Aboth Synagogue. Location - 22.57319, 88.35626

Sha'areh Rasoon (Rasone) Prayer Hall: It was located in the crossing of Sudder St and Free School St. The house exists, but prayer hall is no more.

Location - 22.55798, 88.35449

Jewish Cemetery/Graveyard - The Pavillion & Star Of David: 45, Narkeldanga Main Rd, Phool Bagan, Beleghata

Ezra Street: The road west parallel to Pollock St (where Beth El located)

Ezra Hospital: a hospital building inside Medical College, Kolkata built by the donation of Mrs Mozelle E.D.J. Ezra. It was built in 1887. 

Jewish Girls' School: Estd in 1881, it is run by Emunah Calcutta Jewish Trust. Location: 63 Park St.

Ezra House and Gubbay House in Alipore Zoo:

Elia David Joseph Ezra provided the enclosure for large animals, which is Ezra House. There is a plaque of this donation, and it now houses giraffes. Elia Shalome Gubbay provided the cost of a building for monkeys (it now hosts the apes). Unfortunately the plaque of Gubbay House is no more. 

Esplanade Mansion 

Calcutta's one of the most beautiful structure, Esplanade Mansion was built by Elias David Elias Ezra in 1910. It is the only Art Nouveau structure in the city. Martin and Co. built this mansion. Presently most of the building is owned by Life Corporation of India (LIC). 

Chowringhee Mansion 

Another building owned by David Elias Ezra. It is located adjacent to Asiatic Society building at Park Street. 

Armenian Church

Armenian Holy Church of Nazareth (Սուրբ Նազարեթ հայկական եկեղեցի) was built in 1688, which was destroyed in fire. The church was rebuilt in 1724 by Agha Jakob Nazar. The present church building was built in 1764 by Aga Mamed Hazar Maliyar.

Thus it becomes the oldest church of Calcutta. It was built over an Armenian graveyard and grave stones of the Calcutta Armenians surround the Church on all sides.  

Cathedral of The Most Holy Rosary/ Portuguese Church

Location: 15 Portuguese Church Street, Kolkata 700001. 

Portuguese people came to Calcutta in and around 1660. Many of them had Indian wives and their offspring were known as Kintals. Mainly these Kintals came to Calcutta for business, and East India Company allowed them to do business near the church, though the Church was built in 1690 but not in this form today. This church is hence known as Portuguese Church too. The Kintals were only people who were breeding and selling fowl, as the area was known as Murgighata. Therefore for many, this church is also known as Murgighata Church. 

It was a chapel back then. It was first enlarged in 1720. During 1756 Siraj ud Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal attacked Calcutta but this church was spared. British started conducting services as their church (St. Anne's) was destroyed. Lord Clive drove away Portuguese people and Catholic Portuguese Chapel was converted into an Anglican Protestant Chapel.

In 1796 the Church was given back to the Portuguese and heavily rebuilt that we see today, as planned by James Driver. The restoration was completed in 1799.

It is the final resting place for one Mrs. Mary Carey, a survivor of the so called Black Hole Tragedy.

The two giant magnificent towers of the church create their own beauty as we go across the Brabourne Road. Though it is closed most of the time, a Sunday mass is conducted regularly.  

St. Andrew's Church/Church of North India

It is located at the heart of the city, i.e. Dalhousie square, beside the Lalbazar. It's a Scottish Church whose foundation stone laid by Governor General, Marquis of Hastings in 1815. That's why St Andrew's Kirk (or Church) is also known as Laat Saheber Girja. 

Kirk means Scottish Church. Scotsmen always think they are different than the British, and when Scotsmen came to Calcutta during the British Raj, a Scotsman Dr. James Bryce took the initiative to build a church of their own community. The church was built by M/S Burn Currie & Company during 1815-1818. The white colored, beautiful-looking kirk has 6 pillars of Tuscan order adorning the front. The Kirk bears a tall steeple crown with a weather cock on top of it. True to Scottish spirit, the steeple was made taller than the St. John’s church, (diagonally opposite to Raj Bhawan) the Anglican Cathedral of Kolkata.

Ervad Dhunjeebhoy Byramjee Mehta's Zoroastrian Anjuman Atash Adaran

This is the iconic Parsi Fire Temple (or Agiari) located at 91, Metcalfe Street, or Bonduk Gali at Bowbazar. Ervad Dhunjeebhoy Byramjee Mehta Zoroastrian Anjuman Atash Adaran, as it is actually known as, is the centre for the Parsi community to offer prayers and hold rituals and events to this day. It is the only functional Agiary/Agiari in Kolkata. 

Ervad Dhunjeebhoy Byramjee Mehta, after whom the agiari was posthumously named, came to Calcutta in 1846 and soon began trading with China. He established Empress of India Cotton Mill at Serampore Budge Budge*, near Calcutta. 

*During my initial research (Google search), I had ended up in the information that D.B. Mehta's Empress of India Cotton Mills was in Serampore (now in Hooghly district), however in Serampore there was no such cotton mills, and then I searched again and found this on internet, that Empress Mill was actually at Budge Budge. 

After he passed away in 1907, his son R.D. Mehta and his widowed mother Khorshedbai donated a liberal sum—and collected additional funds from the community—to erect a grand structure on Metcalfe Street in Bowbazaar. The foundation stone of the atash adaran was laid on Sunday, 17 September 1911, heralding a new chapter in the history of the Calcutta Parsis. 

That time there was another Agiary running at Ezra Street, built in 1839 by Rustomji Cowasjee Banaji. Later it was abandoned during 1970's and which is now decrepit and encroached on. Rustomji Banaji was a relative of Dadabhai Behramji Banaji of Bhagvandi in Surat who was the first Parsi who came to Kolkata in 1766. There was some issues between two leading Parsi family, Mehta and Banaji. Therefore Mehta wanted to establish another Agiary, which is made into a reality by his wife and son.

The temple was consecrated on October 28, 1912, with great pomp and splendour. The fire had been brought from Navsari, Gujarat and is reportedly kept in a giant urn installed on the first floor, which is out of bounds for non-Zoroastrians. 

It has about 11 stained glass windows with Zoroastrian themes and motifs designed by Katayun Saklat. The ground floor has an old grandfather clock on which is inscribed: Specially made for RD Mehta Esq by J&T Foster, 12 Mayes St, Manchester 1908, January.

The agiary was repaired during 2010, and saw the celebration of its 100 years in 2012, and Parsis of Kolkata celebrated the 250th anniversary of their arrival to this city in 2017.

Note: Non Parsis are not allowed inside.

Aga Khan Shia Imami Jamat Khana

Jamatkhana is the place where Shia Ismaili Muslims get together twice a day to perform their daily prayers and religious obligations.

Location - just opposite to Parsi Fire Temple

Carey Baptist Church

Carey Baptist Church was founded by Rev. Dr. William Carey in the year 1880. William Carey, Ward and Marsh man lived in the parsonage of this church. A part of the church was the press of William Carey. Carey  with the help of pundits translated the full Bible into Bengali, Sanskrit, Oriya, Hindi, Marathi and Assamese. He also wrote a Bengali Grammar and a Bengali dictionary. It is now known as Johnnagar Baptist Church. 

Sri Sri Ghanteswar Mahadev Mandir

History is not known - even internet was not helpful to get its history.

Firingi Kalibari, Bowbazar

This Kali temple is more than 500 years old, and named after Anthony Firingee, a Portugeese who opted Hindu religion.

Bouddha Dharmankur Sabha - Bengal Buddhist Association

In 1903, Dharmankur Buddhist Temple was set up in Bow Barracks in Kolkata by Bengal Buddhist Association. This institution was established by Karmayogi Ven. Kripasaran on 5 October 1892. 

The aim of the organisation was to revive the Buddhist religion in India and nurture Buddhist studies. Kripasharan Mahasthavir was its first president and Surendralal Mutsuddi its secretary. 

Bow Barracks

Bow Barracks is, as many say, is Kolkata's well-kept Calcutta flavored secret of winter and Christmas. The cluster of red brick apartments, as we can see were built as garrison's mess built for the army during World War I, later Calcutta Improvement Trust converted them into a housing for Anglo Indians. 

Many of these Anglo Indians have been shifted to other countries with their established children or to another neighborhood of Picnic Garden, Behala - another part of the city. Now a few remains in the Bow Barracks.

On an usual day the lanes and the buildings look despondent, but the fairy tale starts just before the Christmas and the whole area is transformed into a celebration mode. 

 

In 2017 the area was under the threat of demolition by local administration as they wanted to replace the century old apartment block style residential neighborhood with modern construction. The residents and local activists came to the roads to oppose this plan and finally the demolition plans were shelved. Now state government, realizing the uniqueness of Christmas celebration in Bow Barracks has been investing in Christmas celebration and got immense fanfare. 

The photos below were taken during Dec '20 in Bow Barracks - during pandemic of COVID-19. Merry Christmas!! 

Elias Meyer School and Talmud Torah

It was founded in 1841 as a Jewish Boys' and Girls' School. It was known as various names and underwent several leadership changes untill 1909 when Elias Meyer led the school as president and Mr. Arakie as principal. When Meyer passed away, his wife made a trust fund to keep the school running and hence the name is Elias Meyer Free School and Talmud Torah.

Post-independence most Jews left Kolkata and now the school has students from Hindu and Muslim communities too. Many ex-students, as they love to call them Elias Meyerite, visit this school from time to time from another part of globe.

Trip link of Google Maps - https://bit.ly/33kKHJT