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There are two ways to reach Bawali, you can take the road from Behala that goes towards Thakurpukur/Joka or you can take the road to Budge Budge and reach Bawali. I also prefer the road via Budge Budge because in this way you can visit other interesting sites around Budge Budge and Achipur. Take the lane on right next to Radha Gopinath Jiu Temple and after around twenty meters you will reach a gate with a compound consisting of old temples and other old structures. The Mondol family used to play Holi with flowers instead of colors thus according to the locals this building was built primarily for the household members of the Zamindar family to play Holi and enjoy private time amongst family members.

This Yogini is seen mounted on top of a male figure, the male figure is seen lying on the ground on his knees holding a lotus plant. This Yogini is seen mounted on top of a dog, she is seen mounted on the left leg while the other right leg is lifted over her left thigh and her hand holding onto her right leg. On her left hand, she is seen carrying a shield and on her right hand, she is seen carrying a thunderbolt. She is having four arms out of which each left and right hand hold a lion on top of her head while the rest of the two arms hold a dagger with her right hand and a severed head with her left hand.

You will get to see some old paintings of the city, the history of the establishment of Calcutta port, foundation laying of Haldia Port, and other important information which directly or indirectly connects the river to the history of the city. One of the most interesting instrument that is on display is the original 100-foot steel measuring tape that was used by the Chief Engineering Drawing Office in charge of building the iconic Howrah Bridge. The steel tape had to be special since heat and cold can alter the length of the tape thus this tape was made from special steel that did not change in length due to temperature change and remained constant. Before joining the movie industry when Uttam Kumar was known by his original name Arun Kumar Chatterjee and apart from doing theatre he used to work here in Calcutta Port trust as a cashier at the Port Commissioners office at Kidderpore in the year 1944.

As the name suggests this summer garden house was built by the Gayen family as an extension of their house which lies another kilometer inside from the main road. While most of the family and their extended families have relocated to Kolkata this building still is used as a family home for Monjit Gayen. Unlike Gayen Bari none of the Sawoo family members reside here, they have also relocated to Kolkata and only come during Durga Pujo for their annual traditional celebrations. On the right side of the Ballav Bari, there is a building similar to that of Nazar Minar that I had seen in Gayen Bari.

The location of Chandraketugarh has a deep historical presence and was once set to be the capital of Bengal Gangetic plains that had active trade links with Europe especially with the Greeks. Period I which might be Pre-Mauryan and can be characterized by Red Ware typical of this era Period II which might be the Maurya-Sunga era was marked by Northern Black Polished Ware Period III Sandrocottus is mentioned by Megasthenes as the most powerful king of Gangaridai and it’s a well-known fact that Gangaridai was the people of the Gangetic plains of Bengal as referred to by the Greeks. To reach the fort site take right from Berachampa Crossing and around 1.5 Kilometres take left on a small lane and go further 500 meters to reach the fort site.

Siraj ud-Daulah’s men had taken over Fort Budge Budge and reinforced it expecting an attack. Budge Budge was located around 24 Kilometres upstream thus Clive and his men arrived at Fulta Fort on the 20th of December 1756. Before his final assault on Budge, Budge Clive gathered intelligence and sent regular small dispatches towards Budge Budge to gain knowledge of the enemy positions. The final attack by Clive and his men took on the 29th of December 1756 on Fort Budge Budge and was liberated within a day.

A group of Sikh passengers on board a ship named Komagata Maru was barred from entering Canada where they wanted to immigrate and when refused they came back to India at Calcutta and wanted to get off there. Baba Gurdit Singh chartered a ship named Komagata Maru in 1914 and sold tickets to others willing to go to Canada as immigrants. The British authorities wanted the passengers back on board the ship at Budge Budge so that the ship would be led back to Punjab instead. There is a stone tablet with names of the passengers killed during the Komagata Maru incident in Budge Budge, this list included people killed indirect firing as well as people killing indirectly during the attack by the police on the passengers.

The moment someone thinks about forts and Calcutta the first thing that comes to anyone’s mind is that of Fort William and if that person has some interest in the history of the city then probably would also mention the old Fort William that was once destroyed by the army of Siraj ud-Daulah. This blog well actually has a lot to do with Siraj ud-Daulah since we talk about some forgotten forts of Bengal and some of these played a crucial role during the siege of Calcutta by the forces of Siraj ud-Daulah. Lieutenant-Colonel Robert Clive, who was at that time posted in Arcot was summoned to reach Calcutta via the ships and help take back the city from the Nawab’s army. On 1st January 1757 Clive’s army managed to take over the Fort Makwa Tana and surprisingly the well-placed battery on the opposite side of the river was found abandoned as the Nawab’s forces had retreated up north towards Fort William (old).

Historically Semaphore signaling predated the telegraph messaging system and in India, many such standalone Semaphore Towers were built to relay messages from one point to the other. Anyone could send a message to the ship by sending a telegraph message to the Achipur station and then the signal would then be relayed to the ships using Semaphore signals from its Semaphore tower. When sending a message for relaying as a semaphore message the sender needs to follow certain guidelines as mentioned in the handbook this way the operator will know it’s for Semaphore signaling. With the advent of wireless telegraphy, there was no need for Semaphore messaging thus slowly most of these Semaphores towers ceased its operation and over the years most of them either are in complete damaged state or have vanished altogether.

While exiting the railway platform I saw a big statue of Swami Vivekananda and it somehow made me stop and go back inside to ask the railway authorities about any old platform. Swami Vivekananda had traveled to America to be a part of Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago in the year 1893. At Budge Budge back then the old railway platform was active and this was the very railway station platform that Swami Vivekananda had used for catching his train back to Calcutta after the long tour of America and Europe. What was just a casual stroll searching for the significance of a small railway platform turned out to be one very significant in the history of Swami Vivekananda and of course Ramkrishna Mission which he formed after the tour of America and Europe and last but not the least his speech at Parliament of the World’s Religions.