Fort William

Kolkata the city of joy has its own share of monuments and historical evidences which bear a testimony to the events of the past. This is where most of the Indian history has taken its roots and where you would find the best of British constructions. Of great value and significance, Kolkata has the Fort William to boast of and introduces the tourist to a totally different facet of its sightseeing tour.

This fort built in the city of Calcutta or present day Kolkata lies on the banks of the River Hooghly on the eastern side. This river is incidentally a major distributary of the River Ganga and was built during the time of the Bengal Presidency of India which was then ruled by the British. The fort was named so, after the England King William III who used to rule over here. There is a huge green area in front of the fort which earlier used to be a part of this monument. This is also today the largest urban park in the region of Kolkata.

While coming back from the Howrah station and going towards my aunt’s house in Kolkata, I always reminisce my childhood as I cross the fort. For this is the place where we used to have our march past for the Republic Day when we used to represent our school. There is something very naïve about the city of Kolkata and the fort William only is a total contrast to the naiveté that the city exudes. So while basking in the innocence of the city’s simplicity, the fort exudes a kind of confidence that none would every associate the city with. Yet as it stands tall in the list of monuments in Kolkata, this is where people normally come and enjoy the pleasures of the past history that has existed greatly in the city.

There are two forts under this Fort William. The old fort and the new fort. The original fort was built by the British East India Company and it was John Goldsborough Sir who supervised this. The construction was started by Charles Eyre who started building this on the banks of the River Hooghly and there were adjacent walls with huge bastions on either side. Then John Beard built the North East bastion in the year 1701 and then in 1702 they started building the government House or the factory. This was built at the centre of the fort. The entire construction got over in the year 1706. The initial building of the Fort William had two floors. There were wings for both the storeys. There was an internal guard room which became the Black Hole of Calcutta.

History has it that in the year 1756, Siraj Ud Daulah was the Nawab of Bengal. He conquered Calcutta and attacked the Fort and then also named it as Alinagar. The British then built a fort in the green patch there. This was initiated by Robert Clive in the year 1758. This occurred after the Battle of Plessey in the year 1757. The entire construction got over in the year 1781.The construction cost was around two million pounds. The whole surrounding of the Fort was cleaned up and the green patch till today is a great zone of verdant expanse in Kolkata. In fact, I remember how people still remember it as the” Lungs of Kolkata”. Spanning around 3 km from north to south it is around a kilometre in width. The most enchanting and magnificent of great constructions the entire are spread around 70 hectares. This fort has the absolutely enthralling achievement of being a fort from where not a single shot has been fired till today.

The fort today is a landmark in the city of Kolkata and has the beautiful Maidan of Calcutta as a great asset. People normally come and see this fort and go back and relax in the cool confines of the maidan. The Maidan belongs to the Indian Army. It is at Fort William that the Eastern Command has its headquarters. There are provisions for accommodating more than 10,000 army people herein the Fort.

Most of the fort William area is as it is and has been left as it was. However the St. Peter’s church which used to exist before and was the chaplaincy centre for the citizens of British origin today is no longer there. There are around 10,000 army people living inside the Fort William and for them there are facilities like the cinema hall, swimming pool, shopping mall, restaurant, laundry, playground and a post office that has been constructed.

It is very interesting to note that this fort was more built out of a fear complex by the British East India Company. These were the first signs of giving up that the British showed. The Old fort was repaired and then used as a customs house. This was sometime in the year 1766.

Constructed out of mortar and brick the interesting shape of an irregular octagon gives the fort its intriguing look. The fort has five of its facades face towards the land and there are three sides which face the River Hooghly. The fort is star shaped and has a dry moat of around 9m deep surrounding it. The moat is around 15m broad. The moat has the provision of using enfilade against any kinds of attackers who would reach the wall. The fort has six gates. They are the Plessey gate, Water Gate, St. Georges Gate, the Treasury Gate and the Chowringhee Gate.

The Fort William with its interesting details and cherishable façade is surely a must see in Kolkata.