Heritage Walk: Serampore, Hooghly (Part 2)

Continuing the Heritage Walk across the Serampore... Check first part of Serampore tour here.

As we have seen most of the Mahesh, we are now heading towards Dey Street and the northern part of the city. 

If you think about the historical timeline of Serampore, it can be divided into phases - before European colonization (before 1755), Danish colonization and associated Bengali culture (1755-1845), British colonization and industrialization (1845-1947) and post independence era (after 1947). Thanks to our governmental carelessness, the post independence era was mostly insignificant in all terms - neither the heritages were taken care of, nor new heritage was built up - Serampore, though one of the largest town of Hooghly district turned into a satellite town of Calcutta. 

Dey Bari & Dey Ghat
Age: 200 years approx
What to see: The Dalanwala Bari & Durga Pujo in the time of Autumn

The Deys had made their fortune in salt trade during the 1780s. They had their business running at Burrabazar. 

The building was built in parts, most probably during early to mid 1800's by Ramchandra Dey. The style is typical Bengali architecture of 18th century - a thakurdalan (or temple courtyard) and verandahs encircling it and leading to rooms on three sides and a temple on the fourth side. That gives access to all room and tells about the shared living culture in extended families in Bengal. 
 
The main deity is Shreedhar (i.e. Narayan). But Dey Bari of Serampore is also famous for their Bonedi Barir Puja across the state.  

Deys had their own Ghat at the bank of Ganges, Dey Ghat. Now it is accessible by everyone. There are several temples at Dey Ghat - temples of Karunamoyi Kalimata, Chourangi Baba, and Durga Mata - all are comprised in a single building. I think those temples were tiny ones, later the pakka temples were made. 

Info-source:
https://www.kolkata24x7.com/dey-bari-puja-of-serampore/
https://www.facebook.com/deybari.serampore/
https://sumantachatton.blogspot.com/2019/10/blog-post.html 

Serampore College & Carey Museum

Age: 202 years 

Why? Second oldest college in the country after Presidency College, Calcutta and one of the oldest educational institutes in India that is still functional

Website: https://www.seramporecollege.org/

 

Serampur College was founded in 1818 by William Carey at Aldeen House with only 37 students. Joshua Marshman and William Ward also helped Carey to start Asia's second oldest college. The college was shifted to the present campus in 1821, three years after the foundation.

Even before the college was founded, Carey not only began translating the Bible but also wrote grammar books and dictionaries in several Indian languages. They published newspapers and periodicals. A printing press was also set up to facilitate publication. A Royal Charter was issued by the court in Denmark in 1827, which not only recognised the college but also allowed it similar rights to confer degrees in all subjects as enjoyed by the Danish universities in Copenhagen and Kiel.

They did the pioneering work of publishing periodicals such as the Dig Darshan, the Samachar Darpan and the Friend of lndia, the ancestor of the present Statesman. William Carey published an amazing number of grammatical and lexicographical works in Sanskrit and Bengali and in other Asian languages. He is rightly given a place among the founders of modern Bengali prose. He translated the Bible into several Asian languages with the help of other scholars. His interest in Indian flora was realised in the establishment of Agri Horticultural Society in Alipore, Calcutta in 1820. 

When the British were about to take charge of Serampore, the treaty signed between the Danes and the British included clauses ensuring that the College continued to enjoy the rights and immunities granted to it the Danish Royal Charter. Even today, the College remains one of the premier educational institutions of West Bengal.

Inside the college there is museum in the memory of William Carey - Carey Museum. 

William Carey's Desktop (source: internet)

However we were restricted to enter into the College Campus as well as in Carey Museum due to COVID-19 pandemic. 

Reference: 

1. উইলিয়ম কেরী ঃ সাহিত্য সাধনা - শক্তিব্রত ঘোষ (বর্ধমান বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়) / William Carey : Contribution to Literature by Shaktibrata Ghosh (Burwan University) 

Next to the College, at the site of the former botanical garden and the Baptist Mission press, there is India Jute Mill, one of the oldest Jute mill of India (est. 1866) - it is the industrial heritage of Serampore. The mill was shut down in 2017. 

In 1854 Serampore got connected to Howrah via Rail, and that kickstarted the urbanization as well as the commercialization of the area. India's first jute mill was Acland Mill (est. 1855, later renamed as Wellington Jute Mill) in Rishra, a 3.5km away from Serampore. Between 1866 and 1915, four more jute mills were established in the Hooghly district and the migrant workers from Bihar, Orissa, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Andra Pradesh came here, that leads to today's multicultural population. 

The town was also famous for its textile business. Post Bangabhanga in 1905, Byomkesh Chakravarti & his associates founded Banga Laxmi Cotton Mill in 1906 near Mahesh to meet the demand of Swadeshi clothes. 

Government Central Weaving Institute was founded in 1908. That time the Institute was offering only 2 year certificate course in weaving. After that in the year 1926 Women's section started in separate premises. In 1938, a three-year diploma course in textile technology was started. Institute started B.Sc (Tech) degree course in Textile Technology in the year 1957. Now it is known as Government College of Engineering & Textile Technology, Serampore (GCETTS) with new subjects of Computer Science and Information Technology under WBUT (now MAKAUT). 

Trivia: While working on an early Heritage Walk tour in Kolkata, I came across articles saying Mr. D.B. Mehta had a cotton mill in Serampore - Empress of India Cotton Mills. The only active fire temple in Kolkata, Ervad Dhunjeebhoy Byramjee Mehta Zoroastrian Anjuman Atash Adaran at Metcafe Street is named after him. However later in Google Books search, I found that it was in Budge Budge. (That blogspot link is here)

Serampore Johnnangar Baptish Church

Age: 220 years

Why? Serampore Trio's first residence 

William Carey came to Calcutta in 1973 but didn't get much support from the local British administration as the British were more inclined to the business and they thought missionaries can pose a threat to their business by promoting Christianity. Carey moved to Mednipur as manager of Indigo Plant owned by a British. Carey & his fellow Marshman & Ward came to Serampore in 1800 and was welcomed by the-then Danish Governor Ole. 

A minute walk from the college there is the Old Mission Chapel (or Church) built by Carey, Marshman and Ward. After they reached Serampore they bought a land for the present Baptish Church for Rs 6000 from the Governor's nephew, although they had only half at their disposal. The rest was made up from the money they brought from England, by bills on England and by a loan. This Chapel served as the first home & worship of Serampore trio and their associate John Mack. 

By the end of 1800 the missionaries got their first convert, Krishna Pal who was a Hindu carpenter by caste. 

A side building was made up as Carey's printing press and the rear land was used as botanical garden of Carey. It was the second printing press after first one was burnt down. The 'Paper Mill' was developed by John Clark Marshman (north side of Chapel) and produced 'Serampore' paper, which used the missionaries' unique formula, developed over many years, for resistence to attack by white ants. Infront of it there is a meditation ground at the bank of river, many take it as garden/park of the church. 

Although the Mission Church and the Johnnagar Church were always closely associated up to 1955 they remained separate churches, with Mission Church having services in English and the Johnnagar Church having services in Bengali. In September 1956 the two churches were amalgamated into one. At first called the Johnnagar Serampore Baptist Church, later it was renamed Serampore Johnnagar Baptist Church. It is now part of Calcutta Diocese of the CNI (Church of North India). 

 

Kundu Bari

Age - 300+ years

Why? One of the oldest Durga puja in Bengal 

I found the information of this private property in an article mentioning Bonedi Barir Durga puja of the Bengal. The building is not a big one, like we saw the Dey Bari. The main building is in dilapidated condition, decayed over the time badly. Outer layer of the walls is mostly shredded off, efflorescence on the algae-covered bricks of the walls tell the 300 year old history of the house. 

Beside the main building, there is small thakur dalan/chandi mandap where Kundu family worships the Devi Durga in the Autumn. Kundu Bari carries the old grandeur of the Durga puja. (Thako) Gopal Kundu started Durga puja in 1885. He had been a business man deals in Ghee, Sugarcane Jaggery by importing them from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. They also founded a ghat at the bank of Hooghly river, Kundu Ghat near Serampore College. Initially the Chandi Mandap/Durga Dalan was built with mud and haystack sheds, later it was rebuilt with concrete and further restoration was done with cement. 

During second world war the British took guard of the house, and British soldiers stayed here. The British soldiers tried to demolish the Durga Dalan, but there was a small earthquake like incident happened, and soldiers stopped the demolition. These few years the family durga puja was stopped.

In between 1943 to 1947 the Durga puja was withheld due to financial issues, as well as the building was in the British Army's possession. Devi Durga came in the dreams of Jiban Krishna Kundu, who was the family head that time. He restarted the Durga Puja in Kundu Bari. 

Trivia: Jiban Krishna's son is Dilip Kumar Kundu. Now he is an octogenarian, runs a grocery shop to meet the daily needs. But he is more than just a member of Kundu family, or a just grocery shop owner. He was one of the main guitarist in Akash Bani, and he was the main guitarist in the recording of Mahishasurmardini for these two years 1975, 1981 - Jaago Durga and Bajlo Tomar Alor Benu was came out from his Japanese guitar in the recording of Mahishasurmardini in Akashvani's studio. He played guitar in several albums by many popular singers of that time. Later he used to be a judge in many guitar competition in many organisations like Rabindra Bharati or Kalamandir. Now he is out of the circuit, many have forgotten him, but he plays his guitar during the Mahalaya days sitting in his house. The melancholy meets the music in the afternoon of Matripakhha in the old neglected building!

Next Part 2A is here