A BRITISHER MR. JOB CHARNOK WAS LANDED THIS DAY ON 24th OF AUGUST 1690 IN A BENGALI VILLAGE SUTANUTI SITUATED AT THE BANKS OF RIVER HOOGLEY WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF ESTABLISHING THE EAST INDIA COMPANY HEADQUARTERS. HE STUDIED ABOUT THE AREA WELL IN ADVANCE, IT WAS HIS BRAINCHILD SO HE ESTABLISHED KALIKATA FOR THIS PURPOSE. KALIKATA VILLAGE WAS ADJACENT TO TWO OTHER VILLAGES SUTANUTI AND THE GOVINDAPUR. KALIKATA WAS MUCH LESS IMPORTANT FROM THE REST OTHER VILLAGES, AND THIS, ALONG WITH THE CONSEQUENT ABUNDANCE OF SPACE, AFFORDED THE BRITISH ROOM TO SETTLE THERE. HOWEVER, ONE VARIANT OF THE NAME, KALIKATA, IS SHOWN IN ABUL FAZAL S AIN-I-AKBARI IN AROUND 1590. AS KALIKATA DIDNT HAVE ANY SETTLED NATIVE POPULATION, SO IT WAS EASY FOR THE BRITISH TO OCCUPY THE SITE. IN THE YEAR 1696 , THE CONSTRUCTION OF OLD FORT WILLAM BEGAN (NEAR PRESENT G.P.O.) WITHOUT LEGAL TITLE TO THE LAND. IT WAS EVENTUALLY SECURED ON 10th OF NOVEMBER 1698 , WHEN CHARLES EYRE, JOB CHARNOK SON-IN-LAW AND THE ULTIMATE SUCCESSOR, ACQUIRED THE ZAMINDARI (LAND HOLDING) RIGHTS FROM SRI SABARNA ROY CHOWADHARY FAMILY, THE LANDLORDS OF THE AREA. IT IS FROM THE DATE, THEN CALCUTTA CAME LEGALLY UNDER THE BRITISH CONTROL. AT THAT TIME, MUGHAL EMPIRE WAS STILL STRONG UNDER THE EMPEROR AURANZEB. IT IS KNOWN THAT SRI SARBANA ROY CHOWADHARY FAMILY ACQUIRED A VAST AREA BY GRANT IN 1608 BY RAJA MAN SINGH, A MATERNAL UNCLE OF MUGHAL EMPEROR JAHANGIR. BRITISH NAMED IT AS CALCUTTA AND MADE IT CAPITAL BUT LATER CAPITAL WAS SHIFTED TO NEW DELHI AND THE CALCUTTA WAS RENAMED AS KOLKATA IN 2001 AS PER COLLOQUIAL BENGALI VERSION OF IT S NAME. IN THE PASSAGE OF TIME AS THE METROPOLIS GREW, IT ABSORBED THE VILLAGE OF KALIKATA AND IT LOST IT S IDENTITY, EXCEPT IN THE BOOKS OF THE HISTORY. CALCUTTA IS ALSO NO MORE NOW IN CORRESPONDENCE BARRING THE HON BLE HIGH COURT OF WEST BENGAL, WHICH IS STILL FUNCTIONING AS THE CALCUTTA HIGH COURT. WHO ESTABLISHED THE CALCUTTA INITIALLY ON THIS DAY, Mr.JOB CHARNOK DIED IN CALCUTTA ON 10-1-1692, HIS MAUSOLEUM IS STILL IN KOLKATA.
Posted on: Sun, 24 Aug 2014 08:24:24 +0000
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