Fort William & Red Road At Esplanade Calcutta, 1900 Postcard
A 1900 postcard of Fort William and Red Road at the Esplanade in Calcutta, now Kolkata. The Hooghly River and the tall masts of ships are faintly visible on the far edge. Preceding that is the outline of the star-shaped Fort William with its administration buildings. Running diagonally near the foreground is likely the Red Road.
The Esplanade or Maidan is in between them. Calcutta was a mere cluster of villages when, in 1690, Job Charnock founded a settlement there. Six years later Fort William was erected. But after Siraj-Ud-Dowlah captured it a newer and larger fortification was constructed a short distance away, which is shown in this postcard.
They apparently retained its original name, Fort William. Red Road or Indira Gandhi Sarani runs from Eden Gardens to Fort William (west gate). It was built in 1820 possibly for British troops and logistics movement. But there is no concrete evidence as to why it was named Red. The Ochterlony Monument from where this picture was taken was built in 1825. A tall slim column of 157 feet in height.
Erected in memory of Major-general Sir David Ochterlony, commander of the British East India Company. To commemorate his success in defending against the Marathas in 1804 and the East India Company’s army against the Gurkhas in the Anglo-Nepalese War. In 1969, the Ochterlony Monument was renamed “Shahid Minar” by rededicating it to the Indian freedom movement. Click on the photo for better view.
See post View From High Court Calcutta, Old Photo 1880.
Did you know- in WW2 when Calcutta became a war base, the Red Road was barricaded as an airfield for warplanes to land and take off.
From the collection- 1971 Raja Ravi Varma Commemorative First Day Cover., View Of Jama Masjid In Agra – Old Photo 1890.
