শ্রীরামপুর রাজবাড়ি/ গোস্বামী বাড়ি

"ধর্ম মানে আজান, ধর্ম মানে কাওয়ালি,  মাইকেল এঞ্জেলোর পেইন্টিং। কত কত ফ্রেস্কোস, কত কত মন্দিরের গায়ে অসংখ্য কারুকার্য। ধর্ম মানে বাইবেল , কোরান, গীতা, ধর্ম মানে সাহিত্য, লিটারেচার। ধর্ম মানে এক কথায় আর্ট!"

শ্রীরামপুর রাজবাড়ি নিয়ে বলার আগে গোস্বামী পরিবার সম্পর্কে বিস্তারিত জেনে নেওয়া দরকার। এর সাথে সাথে দেখে নেব গোস্বামী পুরনো বাড়ি - যেখানে 'বুড়ি দূর্গা' পূজা হয়, গোস্বামীদের রাসমঞ্চ এবং রাজা কিশোরীলাল গোস্বামীর বাড়ি। 

স্থানীয় মানুষ এই বাড়িটিকে শ্রীরামপুর রাজবাড়ি বললেও এটি আসলে গোস্বামীদের ঠাকুর দালান বাড়ি। অনেকে এটিকে গোস্বামী ম্যানসন বলেও থাকেন।  

Heritage Walk - Serampore (Part 3)

If you have jumped to this post, I would suggest to see Part 1, Part 2, Part 2A, Part 2B of Heritage Walk, Serampore. 

This is the final part of my Serampore exploration, and by the end of Serampore we extended this trip to Seorafuli/Seoraphully which will be shared in a different post. In the 3rd part of the Serampore walk, the main attraction is Serampore Rajbari or Goswami Mansion, and this final part of the walk is more about us, the Indians. 

As we reach the auto/toto stand of the Ferry Ghat of Serampore, we are taking right turn to Goswami para and further Chatra area. Chatra and Mahesh - the north and south most areas of Serampore are famous for the Vaishnavism. 

Heritage Walk: Serampore (Part 2B)

Continuing Heritage Walk: Serampore ...  

St. Olav's Church/Danish Church

Age: 214 years

Commonly known as Danish Church in the locality, St. Olav's Church was built in Frederiksnagore during the Danish rule by the name of Norway's national Saint Olav. The fund partly came from private subscription in Denmark and Serampore and partly by public grants. Construction was started by Danish governor of Serampore Lt. Olav Ole but he died in 1805, one year before the construction completed i.e. in 1806. The nave was completed in 1806, a year after the decease of Ole Bie, whereas the portico and the bell tower were completed in 1821.

Captain Krefting, successor of Ole completed the remaining work with the help from Englishmen John Chambers and Robert Armstrong. The Church has been used by the local congregation ever since. The church was Lutheran, for Serampore's Protestant citizens. As there was a small number of resident Danes, the services were performed by the English Baptist missionaries and never by any Danish priest.

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.