Chandannagar (pronounced [tʃɔnd̪ɔn.nɔɡoɾ]; French: Chandernagor, pronounced [ʃɑ̃dɛʁ.nagɔʁ]), also known by its former names Chandernagore and Chandernagor, is a city in the Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is headquarter of the Chandannagore subdivision and part of the area covered by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).
Located on the western bank of Hooghly River, the city was one of the five settlements of French India. Indo-French architecture is seen in the colonial bungalows, most of which are in a dilapidated state.
There is an artificial rock climbing wall near the strand. You need to contact Chandannagar Mountaineering Association to participate there. Chandernagore Municipal Corporation (CMC) operates motor boat trips on the river.
Take a leisurely stroll on the strand in the evening. It's wonderful. The atmosphere is very attractive. In fact, Bengali writer Rabindranath Tagore once wrote "Ananta e akasher kole, tolomolo megher majhar, eikhane bandhiachhi ghor, tor tore kabita amar" (In the vastness of the sky, amidst the trembling clouds, here I have built my adobe, for you, o my verse), while he was in Chandannagar.
Walk in the lanes and by lanes. There are a number of historical architectural wonders from the French colonial period.
Chandannagar is famous for its sweets. Suryakumar Modak, a famous confectioner, apparently invented a new sweet named Jolbhora Sandesh once upon a time. Nowadays, his grandsons operate more than one sweet shops in the city. Don't forget to have a taste of jolbhora. Apart from this, the other sweets and deserts are also very tasty and delicious. Names of few famous sweet shops are listed below:
Apart from these, a few very good restaurants are also available, where you get a wide range of food from Chinese to Indian:
Street food in Chandannagar is really awesome. However, it is not always advisable to eat outside food specially from vendors as they maintain poor hygiene standards. Some of the places where you can go to tease your taste buds are:
Liquor shops are available throughout the city, where you get a vast variety of foreign liquors. Few bars are also in operation. Chandannagar was once famous for its home-made country liquor industry. Its still very much alive on the other side of the railway track (though illegally operated). Prudence says: don't venture. You never know what can happen to you after that. Also one should refrain oneself from drinking in open public places as it is deemed to bad in Indian culture.
Chandannagar was once called Farashdanga. At that time, the local handloom industry was at its peak. Farashdanga Dhoti saris were famous not only in Bengal, but in other parts of the country also. The industry still exists, though it's getting sicker and sicker every day. You can go to the place called Halderpara, where some of them still exist.
There are innumerable shops where you get whatever you want. From most modern civic amenities to apparels, everything is available. There are a few air conditioned shopping malls also present there. Buy a souvenir from there if you wish.
There is also new air conditioned mall coming up in Laxmigung Bazar. The mall is supposed to house all local and national brands.
The major shopping area in Chandannagar is concentrated in the Bagbazar and Laxmigung Bazar area. During peak seasons, i.e. Durga puja and Jagadhatri puja, streets are jostling with people buying clothes and accessories.
There is a scarcity of good hotels in Chandannagar. One has to book well in advance if you plan to visit the city. Few options which are available are:
Chandannagar (Bengali: চন্দননগর CHAWN-dohn-naw-gohr) for over a period of 300 years has a unique blend of culture and heritage which is unparalleled in history. The city is well connected to Kolkata by railways, roadways and river and it takes about an hour to reach the place. The people of Chandannagar have excelled in all the fields varying from literature and education to culture, sports and arts throughout history. The city hosts many tourist places like Museums, the Strand, Churches, Temples, Rabindra Bhaban, birthplaces of many celebrities and many other spots some of which are not so well known but nevertheless a treat for tourists and historians.
