Nobody knows how Chowringhee, one of Kolkata’s most famous thoroughfares, acquired its name. Chowringhee Road is an arterial road that runs from the Easter margins of Esplanade southwards to the intersection with Lower Circular Road (ACJ Bose Road). It is located in the Chowringhee neighborhood of Kolkata West Bengal, India. Several fading British Raj relics can be found in Kolkata among which Chowringhee Road is one them.
The Name – ‘Chowringhee Road’
In 1964, Chowringhee was renamed “Jawaharlal Nehru Route,” ostensibly to remove its colonial moniker, although the alteration only extended to one portion of the road. Nonetheless, the road and the neighborhood as a whole remain associated with ‘Chowringhee’ for the majority of city inhabitants. A city with its rich history and culture of welcoming, intelligence, and vibrant energy no doubt attracts a lot of tourists to this place.
Many historians have been perplexed by the derivation of Chowringhee Road. Some think the name comes from a village named Cherangi, while others assume it comes from a legend about such a yogi named Chourangi Giri who uncovered an apparition of the goddess Kali’s face and established the first Kalighat temple.
British Relics
When the British gained considerable control of the city in the mid-eighteenth century, they began constructing magnificent mansions and palaces in the area. As a result of this, Kolkata got to earn the moniker – ‘City of Palaces’. Some of the streets of Chowringhee that are quite prominent: Theatre Road, Park Street, Sadar Street, Middleton Street, and Camac Street. Since the days of Clive and Hastings, the ‘Road to Kalighat’ has witnessed much of Kolkata’s history. Often known as the City of Joy, Kolkata is regarded as the most dynamic area, having a rich historical background. The Chowringhee Road, often known as the ‘little’ Kolkata, is home to the city’s other main attractions, including St. Paul’s Cathedral, Birla Planetarium, and the Victoria Memorial.
Chowringhee –Shopping
In general, the city can be known as one of the greatest destinations that indulge in some good old retail therapy, since it is home to everything from massive shopping complexes to flea markets. This road controls both the retail and corporate sectors. With huge businesses to little tiny shops offering branded products starting from delightful unique bits and ends can be found comprehensively in Kolkata’s Chowringhee Road. There are many street hawkers along this route who sell not only just accessories but other things. Even the local food shops sell one of the best snacks that one can enjoy while overlooking the vast Maidan Park. Shopping in Kolkata thus can give a mind-blowing experience in general.
Grab the best artwork
Kolkata is a city which is known for its excellence in arts provides the best artworks one can find in Chowringhee Road. If one wishes to enjoy the richness of craft, this must-visit place has to be on the list. More sidewalk vendors stretched on this Chowringhee Road from Park Street to New Market, offering anything from gummy to curios. But all you need to do is to grab a better deal before buying anything. Several stores sell terracotta goods, which are the specialty of the city. The most appealing feature of terracotta products is that the terracotta wall medallion usually appears in different traditional styles and diversity.
Buzziest Road
The Chowringhee Road is congested all year with the hustle and bustle of Kolkata, as well as beggars begging for money. Being located in Central Kolkata, the road runs through Central Kolkata and extends to the west. In the seventeenth century, this road was crudely built dwellings that had tiny communities surrounded by rice fields and bamboo. It was more like a flooded region.
The road bustles with people and has everything that can be described as the spotlight of the Chowringhee Road. Starting at ten o’clock in the morning and closing at nine o’clock at night, the road remains the busiest road one can ever find. Crossing the street from random sports on the pavement can be done by courageous people only. As swarms of buses, cabs, buses, rickshaws, and taxis travel in both directions. It becomes even harder to travel for cars and pedestrians during the Durga Puja and New Year celebrations as the road remains covered with bustling traffic.
Tourist Destination
Yet through the years, Chowringhee has evolved. And to have a glimpse of the magnificence of the boulevard that British India had designed the urban place for Chowringhee, one needs to look through local and international picture archives or photo collections, for little of it is only visible now.
As the city’s core center, a visit to Chowringhee Road would provide a foreigner or a new tourist with a better understanding of Kolkata. Other sites of interest, including stores, restaurants, and other enterprises, may be found in and near the lane of Chowringhee. This position is the easiest to reach by any mode of local transportation and provides the finest view of Kolkata’s city life.
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