Kolkata's Cheenepara: Toong On Church

Introduction to Kolkata's old China Town - Tiretti Bazar can be found here. 

It can be assumed that the immigrant Chinese had no exact word for their place of worship and community meeting place - they started calling them as church as the British called their own place of worship. Though these Taoist temples have no link of Christianity.

Just like Kolkata's old China Town is more than the Chinese Breakfast, these Taoist temples are more than religious centers. 

Toong On Church is the first Chinese temple you will find if you are coming from the Central Metro station. 

In the midst of garbage and surrounded by highrises, Toong On Church is really in a bad shape. Located at 22, Blackburn Lane, this quaint red two storied building is the temple for war god Kwan Ti. 

Cantonese migrants from Koon Tong purchased this plot on Blackburn Lane in 1917 and the Toong On Church was completed in 1924.

Kwan Ti or Kuan Ti is also known as Guan Yu, one of the five Tiger Generals. He was a general of Han Dynasty, who fought in the civil war that wrote the end of the dynasty. 

I can't stop myself to quote from 2005 film Batman Begins, 'But if you make yourself more than just a man, if you devote yourself to an ideal, and if they can't stop you, then you become something else entirely... Legend' Thus Kwan Ti became the legend and a god or immortal. 

The legend of Kwan Ti spread far south and east - today temples to him can be found in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and any country with large Chinese population. Though Ti was primarily a god of Taoism, his divinity drifted to Chinese Buddhism too, where he is known as Sangharama Bodhisattva, protector of Buddhism. Mostly he is seen with beard and the weapon at his hands (yanyuedao or guandao). 

Main gate of Toong On Church

The ground floor of this building was the floor of famous Nanking Restaurant - that was probably India's first Chinese eatery since 1925. Au family started this business. Nanking was one of the posh restaurant of Calcutta - violinists hired to stand at the gate to play to welcome the visitors, luxurious indoor decor with expensive furniture, and of course authentic Chinese dishes. Many celebrities visited here. It's been heard that Raj Kapoor and Dilip Kumar came to Nanking, and so much crowds gathered in front of the restaurant to get a glimpse of them, they had to go to 1st floor's balcony to wave to the crowd.  

Author Sunil Gangopadhyay, who used to frequent the restaurant with writer friends in the 1960s and 1970s, added: “It was very classy. There were no creaking chairs. Lining the main hall were the cabins which later proved to be its undoing.” (Telegraph India)

After Indo-China war in 1960's Nanking started loosing its charm as government assuming every Chinese as spy, and the Chinese community found themselves boxed in, with special permission needed to step outside Tiretta Bazar. As a result Nanking's footfall started to loose. The restaurant that once served the biggest film stars became a “house of ill repute”, especially thanks to the curtained cabins along its walls. Nanking finally shut down in the late 1970’s.

Kwan Ti 

Today Toong On Church survives with many hurdles. As you can see the twin towers of Calcutta Telephones of menacingly high of 14 and 12 storeys at the south and west sides of the church - BSNL wanted to demolish the church in 1961. That time the court saved the church - but the papers remained with Au Yau Wah. Au family ran the restaurant, but the church is for the community. 

In 2008 Au wanted to sell it off, and he did it partially - as he sold off many priceless relics, furniture and fine examples of Chinese craftsmanship from Toong On Church. Ultimately Li Han Kuang, secretary of Toong On church and  Wang Liang Sen Toon, trustee started a legal battle against Au. The court sided for the trustee. In the same year Au died after legal defeat. 

The second issue with the church is the garbage dump built by Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Frankly speaking I never seen this kind of atrocities by a civic body to a heritage building. When I first visited this area in 2013, it was almost impossible to enter the lane to face the main gate of the church. Then there are temporary jhupris by Bihari workers beside the church along the lane. Somehow now the situation is little bit better, thanks to many heritage preservation initiatives like Immersive Trails, Know Your Neighborhood etc. 

Official Fb page: https://www.facebook.com/ToongOnChurch/

The church celebrates Chinese New Year every year. You can follow their official facebook page for updates. In general, Chinese new year comes in late January, celebration goes on for three days. Lion and Dragon dance are main attractions of new year celebration. 

Photo of Chinese New Year Celebration
Photo Credit: Facebook Page of Toong On Church

 

The Spring Lantern festival is another festival celebrated on the 15th day of the first month in the lunisolar Chinese calendar. It marks the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations. 

Reaching Toong On Church is now very easy, as Google Maps can easily and correctly locate it - H9F4+79.