Prinsep Ghat : A1 Delightful Historic Landmark In Kolkata

Prinsep Ghat is one of the oldest recreational place in Kolkata consider among the historical places of West Bengal. James Prinsep Ghat kolkata (gorge) is named after versatile Indologist James Prinsep (20.08.1799 AD – 22 .04.1840 AD). located in the bank of river Ganges, fenced by the eye soothing foliage. After sad demise of Games Prinsep the citizens of Calcutta raised a public fund and collected Rs. 12000/- for construction of the monument on the bank of river Hooghly in memory of Anglo – Indian scholar Games Prinsep and lastly built with Greek and Gothic tiles in 1841 AD. The Palladian porch memorial was built in 1843, it was designed by W. Fitzgerald. A square shaped 40 – foot roof fully painted allover and supported by lonian pillars. It is also overlooked by the VidyasagarSetu (2nd Hooghly bridge) which adds more appeal of this spot. In its initial ages PrinsepGhat became a vital landing place of then significant dignitaries those who come to Calcutta by sea way. This jetty was used as embarkation and disembarkation of those luminaries. The monument has been reinstated to its original magnificence and pride without any damage of its heritage architectural charisma by Public Works Dept. Govt. of West Bengal. The recent beautification of monument and its surroundings has been commenced under the supervision of Smt. Mamata Banerjee, Hon’ble Chief Minister of West Bengal.

Who was Games Prinsep?

He joined as an Assay- master of Calcutta mint on 1829 AD. At the same time, he had been selected as the secretory of Asiatic Society of Bengal (1832 – 1838). He has taken some breakthroug initiatives such as preparation of scripts of Bramhi&kharasti, introduce of uniform coinage of East India company’s rupees, reformation of weigh & measures, building of circular canal to link the river Hooghly and Sundarbans. He performed persistent research on meteorology, chemistry, Indian scriptures, numismatics, archaeology, mineral resources etc.

Historical Background of Prinsep Ghat

In 1841 the historical monument built in memory of Anglo – Indian scholar Games Prinsep on the bank of river Hooghly .The architecture was built with Greek and Gothic tiles.The Palladian porch memorial was built in 1843, it was designed by W. Fitzgerald. We are preserving our historical monument with all effort. A square shaped 40 – foot roof fully painted allover and supported by lonian pillars. It is also overlooked by the Vidyasagar Setu (2nd Hooghly bridge) which adds more appeal of this spot. In its initial ages Prinsep Ghat became a vital landing place of then significant dignitaries those who come to Calcutta by sea way. This jetty was used as embarkation and disembarkation of those luminaries. The important historic site has been reinstated to its original magnificence and pride without any damage of its heritage architectural charisma by Public Works Dept. Govt. of West Bengal. The recent beautification of this historical monument and its surroundings has been commenced under the supervision of Smt. Mamata Banerjee, Hon’ble Chief Minister of West Bengal.

Some significant historical places to visit in Kolkata

There are many other historical places in Kolkata like Prinsep Ghat. I have written blogs about 2-3 historical landmarks. You may like

Kolkata City Guide 2023: Starts with St. Paul’s Cathedral 1 absolute Icon of Spiritual Splendor

fun and entertainment

If you are looking for some moments of amity and serene in the jam-packed Kolkata, don’t think twice just visit Prinsep Ghat. If appetites wrench you when you are here, you can go for a steaming pack of popcorn or coddle in some spicy jhaalmuri, garamchaa(hot tea), paw bhaji , paanipoori etc. Ice cream scoop a cafe near prinsep ghat is another attraction of prinsepghat which is serving for 40 long  years. It is located in the corner of Prinsep ghat from where you can enjoy the view of the river. The wooden boats sail with ripple’s. A peaceful wander along the Prinsep ghat will certainly enjoyable anyone’s evening. Perfect family outing spot during winter. You can be delighted with princep ghat boat ride servicein river Ganges it’s cost approx. Rs. 250 – 400. its starts from late morning and continue up to late evening. During monsoon this place also blooms like a pure jasmine. This place also has a small circular railway station named after this place” PrinsepGhat”, maintained by Eastern Railway (station code PPGT). You can find a jetty adjacent to PrncspGhat named Man-O-War that belongs to the Kolkata Port Trust which commemorates the role played by the Port during 2nd world war. Entries are strictly prohibited for commoners, mostly used by Indian Navy and properly preserved by them. If you want a pleasant walk on the bed of river and want to have a scenic beauty of the sun set, only 1 name normally popup in our mind is “PrinsepGhat”. This place is nearby RabindraSadan, Nandan, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Victoria Memorial, Birla Planetarium, Fort William and P.G. Hospital. This place is truly loved by amateur shutterbugs indeed. Lastly, I can say Prinsepgaht is one of the oldest or traditional retreats where almost 99% Calcutta’s visited at list once in a life time. The place is mingled up with Antiquity and recreation. If you plan for a trip to Kolkata don’t miss to include Prinsep ghat in kolkata city tour plan.

Encore Audio Visual

FAQ