No edit summary |
robot: Create/upgrade articles. If there is a mistake please report on my talk page. |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{EngvarB|date=March | {{Short description|Fort in Calcutta, India}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=March | {{EngvarB|date=March 2022}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}} | |||
{{Infobox military installation | {{Infobox military installation | ||
|name= '''Fort William''' | |name= '''Fort William''' | ||
| Line 25: | Line 26: | ||
'''Fort William''' is a [[fort]] in [[Hastings, Kolkata|Hastings]], Calcutta ([[Kolkata]]). It was built during the early years of the [[Bengal Presidency]] of [[British India]]. It sits on the eastern banks of the [[Hooghly River]], the major distributary of the River [[Ganges]]. One of Kolkata's most enduring [[British Raj|Raj]]-era edifices, it extends over an area of 70.9 hectares. | '''Fort William''' is a [[fort]] in [[Hastings, Kolkata|Hastings]], Calcutta ([[Kolkata]]). It was built during the early years of the [[Bengal Presidency]] of [[British India]]. It sits on the eastern banks of the [[Hooghly River]], the major distributary of the River [[Ganges]]. One of Kolkata's most enduring [[British Raj|Raj]]-era edifices, it extends over an area of 70.9 hectares. | ||
The fort was named after [[William III of England|King William III]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Calcutta: A Cultural and Literary History|author= Krishna Dutta|year=2003| | The fort was named after [[William III of England|King William III]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Calcutta: A Cultural and Literary History|author= Krishna Dutta|year=2003|page=71|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UKfoHi5412UC&pg=PA71 |isbn= 9781902669595}}</ref> In front of the Fort is the [[Maidan (Kolkata)|Maidan]], the largest park in the country. An internal guard room became the [[Black Hole of Calcutta]]. Today it is the Headquarters of Eastern Command of the Indian Army. | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
| Line 32: | Line 33: | ||
[[Image:1844 Map of Fort William and Esplanade.jpg|thumb|Plan (top-view) of Fort William, c. 1844]] | [[Image:1844 Map of Fort William and Esplanade.jpg|thumb|Plan (top-view) of Fort William, c. 1844]] | ||
There are two Fort Williams. The original fort was built in the year 1696 by the [[British East India Company]] under the orders of [[John Goldsborough|Sir John Goldsborough]] which took a decade to complete. The permission was granted by [[Mughal Emperor]] [[Aurangzeb]].<ref>Sudip Bhattacharya, Unseen Enemy: The English, Disease, and Medicine in Colonial Bengal, 1617 – 1847, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 30 Jun 2014, p.54</ref><ref>{{ | There are two Fort Williams. The original fort was built in the year 1696 by the [[British East India Company]] under the orders of [[John Goldsborough|Sir John Goldsborough]] which took a decade to complete. The permission was granted by [[Mughal Emperor]] [[Aurangzeb]].<ref>Sudip Bhattacharya, Unseen Enemy: The English, Disease, and Medicine in Colonial Bengal, 1617 – 1847, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 30 Jun 2014, p.54</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.makemytrip.com/travel-guide/kolkata/fort-william-monuments.html|title=Fort William Kolkata India - History of Fort William|website=www.makemytrip.com|access-date=2018-12-27}}</ref> [[Charles Eyre|Sir Charles Eyre]] started construction near the bank of the [[Hooghly River]] with the South-East Bastion and the adjacent walls. It was named after [[King William III]] in 1700. [[John Beard (colonial administrator)|John Beard]], Eyre's successor, added the North-East Bastion in 1701, and in 1702 started the construction of the Government House ('''Factory''', see [[Factory (trading post)]]) at the centre of the fort. Construction ended in 1706.<ref name=fort>{{cite book|title=Forts of India|last=Verma|first=Amrit|year=1985|publisher=The Director of Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India|location=New Delhi|pages=101–3|isbn=81-230-1002-8}}</ref> The original building had two stories and projecting wings. In 1756, the [[Nawab of Bengal]], [[Siraj Ud Daulah]], attacked the Fort, temporarily conquered the city, and changed its name to '''Alinagar'''. This led the British to build a new fort in the [[Maidan (Kolkata)|Maidan]]. [[Robert Clive]] started rebuilding the fort in 1758, after the [[Battle of Plassey]] (1757); construction was completed in 1781 at a cost of approximately two million pounds. The area around the Fort was cleared, and the Maidan became "the Lungs of Kolkata". It stretches for around 3 km in the north–south direction and is around 1 km wide.<ref name=fort/> The headquarters of the [[Indian Ordnance Factories]] was established in 1775 at Fort William.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ddpdoo.gov.in/pages/history |title=History | Directorate of Ordnance (Coordination and Services) | Government of India |publisher=Ddpdoo.gov.in |date= |accessdate=2022-08-11}}</ref> | ||
Today, Fort William is the property of [[Indian Army]]. The headquarters of [[Eastern Command (India)|Eastern Command]] is based there, with provisions for accommodating 10,000 army personnel. The Army guards it heavily, and civilian entry is restricted.<ref name=fort/> | |||
Today, Fort William is the property of [[Indian Army]]. The headquarters of [[Eastern Command (India)|Eastern Command]] is based there, with provisions for accommodating 10,000 army personnel. The Army guards it heavily, and civilian entry is restricted. | |||
Much of Fort William is unchanged, but St Peter's Church, which used to serve as a chaplaincy centre for the British citizens of Kolkata, is now a library for the troops of HQ Eastern Command. | Much of Fort William is unchanged, but St Peter's Church, which used to serve as a chaplaincy centre for the British citizens of Kolkata, is now a library for the troops of HQ Eastern Command. | ||
| Line 45: | Line 42: | ||
===First Indian Masonic lodge=== | ===First Indian Masonic lodge=== | ||
In 1730, Ralph Farrwinter and other members of the [[East India Company]] opened the first Indian Masonic lodge, | In 1730, Ralph Farrwinter and other members of the [[East India Company]] opened the first Indian Masonic lodge, a short time after the creation of the [[Grand Lodge of England]] in 1713.<ref>{{cite journal|author=[[Simon Deschamps]]|url=https://journals.openedition.org/1718/828?lang=en#tocto1n1|title=Merchant and Masonic Networks in Eighteenth-Century Colonial India|doi=10.4000/1718.828|journal=L'Empire|issue=74|year=2017|oclc= 7288589062|issn=0291-3798|language=en,fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328202250/https://journals.openedition.org/1718/828?lang=fr|archive-date=March 28, 2021|url-status=live|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Joseph F. G. Golder|url=https://www.academia.edu/3549069|title=Freemasonry in British India (1728–1888)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328202624/https://www.academia.edu/3549069/Freemasonry_in_British_India_1728_1888|archive-date=March 28, 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> | ||
===Presidency of Fort William=== | ===Presidency of Fort William=== | ||
| Line 51: | Line 48: | ||
==Structure== | ==Structure== | ||
The Fort is built of brick and mortar in the shape of an irregular octagon with an area of {{cvt|5|sqkm}}. Five of its sides face landward, and three towards the [[Hooghly River]]. The design is that of a [[star fort]], suited to defence against cannon firing solid shot, and dates from before the advent of explosive shells. A dry [[moat]] {{convert|9|m}} deep and {{cvt|15|m}} broad surrounds the fort. The moat can be flooded but is designed as an area in which to use [[enfilade]] (or flanking) fire against any attackers reaching the walls. There are six gates: Chowringhee, Plassey, Calcutta, Water Gate, St Georges and the Treasury Gate. There are similar forts at places like [[Thalassery]] in [[Kerala]].<ref>Nandakumar Koroth, ''History of Forts in North Malabar''</ref>{{full citation needed|date=September | The Fort is built of brick and mortar in the shape of an irregular octagon with an area of {{cvt|5|sqkm}}. Five of its sides face landward, and three towards the [[Hooghly River]]. The design is that of a [[star fort]], suited to defence against cannon firing solid shot, and dates from before the advent of explosive shells. A dry [[moat]] {{convert|9|m}} deep and {{cvt|15|m}} broad surrounds the fort. The moat can be flooded but is designed as an area in which to use [[enfilade]] (or flanking) fire against any attackers reaching the walls. There are six gates: Chowringhee, Plassey, Calcutta, Water Gate, St Georges and the Treasury Gate. There are similar forts at places like [[Thalassery]] in [[Kerala]].<ref>Nandakumar Koroth, ''History of Forts in North Malabar''</ref>{{full citation needed|date=September 2022}} | ||
==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
| Line 58: | Line 55: | ||
File:Fort William, Calcutta, 1735.jpg|Fort William, 1735 | File:Fort William, Calcutta, 1735.jpg|Fort William, 1735 | ||
File:"A Perspective View of Fort William" by Jan Van Ryne, 1754.jpg|Fort William, by Jan Van Ryne, 1754 | File:"A Perspective View of Fort William" by Jan Van Ryne, 1754.jpg|Fort William, by Jan Van Ryne, 1754 | ||
File:Fort William, Calcutta.jpg|Fort William, Calcutta, 1756<ref>{{Cite book|last=Grant|first=James|title=British Battles On Land and Sea|volume= | File:Fort William, Calcutta.jpg|Fort William, Calcutta, 1756<ref>{{Cite book|last=Grant|first=James|title=British Battles On Land and Sea|volume=II|publisher=Cassell & Company, Limited|year=1873|page=69}}</ref> | ||
File:First English Chapel, Fort William, Calcutta. Raised in 1714, with contribution of Rs. 1000 by the East India Company (p. 197, March 1824).jpg|First English Chapel, Fort William, Calcutta. Raised in 1714, with contribution of Rs. 1000 by the East India Company (p. 197, March 1824)<ref name="Gentleman1824">{{cite journal|journal=The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle|date=February 1824|volume=94|issue=1|page=197|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mKVJAAAAYAAJ&q=the+gentlemans+magazine+1824|access-date=13 December 2017|title=The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle}}</ref> | File:First English Chapel, Fort William, Calcutta. Raised in 1714, with contribution of Rs. 1000 by the East India Company (p. 197, March 1824).jpg|First English Chapel, Fort William, Calcutta. Raised in 1714, with contribution of Rs. 1000 by the East India Company (p. 197, March 1824)<ref name="Gentleman1824">{{cite journal|journal=The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle|date=February 1824|volume=94|issue=1|page=197|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mKVJAAAAYAAJ&q=the+gentlemans+magazine+1824|access-date=13 December 2017|title=The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle}}</ref> | ||
File:St Peter's Church, Fort William, Calcutta by William Prinsep 1835.jpg|St Peter's Church, Fort William by William Prinsep 1835 | File:St Peter's Church, Fort William, Calcutta by William Prinsep 1835.jpg|St Peter's Church, Fort William by William Prinsep 1835 | ||
File:Old Fort William plate17.jpg|Fort William, River Face 1786 (from a coloured engraving by Thomas Daniell). | |||
File:'The interior of the Arsenal, Fort William', Calcutta by William Prinsep 1835.jpg|The interior of the Arsenal, Fort William by William Prinsep 1835 | File:'The interior of the Arsenal, Fort William', Calcutta by William Prinsep 1835.jpg|The interior of the Arsenal, Fort William by William Prinsep 1835 | ||
File:Samuel Davis - Fort William, Calcutta - B1977.14.244 - Yale Center for British Art.jpg|Fort William by Samuel Davis | |||
File:Main Entrance - Fort William - Kolkata 2013-04-10 7736.JPG|Main entrance, Fort William 2013 | File:Main Entrance - Fort William - Kolkata 2013-04-10 7736.JPG|Main entrance, Fort William 2013 | ||
File:South Gate - Fort William - Kidderpore Road - Kolkata 2013-04-10 7733.JPG|South gate, Fort William 2013 | File:South Gate - Fort William - Kidderpore Road - Kolkata 2013-04-10 7733.JPG|South gate, Fort William 2013 | ||
File:Fort William Church.jpg|St. Peter's Church, Fort William, Kolkata | File:Fort William Church.jpg|St. Peter's Church, Fort William, Kolkata | ||
File:Fort William Semaphore.jpg|[[Semaphore]] Tower, Fort William, Kolkata | File:Fort William Semaphore.jpg|[[Semaphore]] Tower, Fort William, Kolkata | ||
File:Gates of Fort William in Kolkata 01.jpg|Main Gates of Fort William | |||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
* [[Fort William College]] | * [[Fort William College]] | ||
* [[Fort St. George, India]] | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
| Line 81: | Line 82: | ||
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Kolkata]] | [[Category:Buildings and structures in Kolkata]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:18th century in Kolkata]] | ||
[[Category:Neighbourhoods in Kolkata]] | [[Category:Neighbourhoods in Kolkata]] | ||
[[Category:Forts in West Bengal|William]] | [[Category:Forts in West Bengal|William]] | ||
Revision as of 04:56, 19 November 2022
| Fort William | |
|---|---|
| Kolkata, West Bengal, India | |
 Fort William, a view from the inside, c. 1828 | |
Fort William is located in Kolkata  Fort William | |
| Coordinates | 22°33′28″N 88°20′17″E / 22.5577°N 88.3380°E |
| Type | Fortress, garrisoned and armoured Army Headquarters. |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by |
|
| Site history | |
| Built | 1696–1702 |
| In use | 1781–present |
| Battles/wars | Battle of Plassey (1757) |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Eastern Command |
Fort William is a fort in Hastings, Calcutta (Kolkata). It was built during the early years of the Bengal Presidency of British India. It sits on the eastern banks of the Hooghly River, the major distributary of the River Ganges. One of Kolkata's most enduring Raj-era edifices, it extends over an area of 70.9 hectares.
The fort was named after King William III.[1] In front of the Fort is the Maidan, the largest park in the country. An internal guard room became the Black Hole of Calcutta. Today it is the Headquarters of Eastern Command of the Indian Army.
History
There are two Fort Williams. The original fort was built in the year 1696 by the British East India Company under the orders of Sir John Goldsborough which took a decade to complete. The permission was granted by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.[2][3] Sir Charles Eyre started construction near the bank of the Hooghly River with the South-East Bastion and the adjacent walls. It was named after King William III in 1700. John Beard, Eyre's successor, added the North-East Bastion in 1701, and in 1702 started the construction of the Government House (Factory, see Factory (trading post)) at the centre of the fort. Construction ended in 1706.[4] The original building had two stories and projecting wings. In 1756, the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj Ud Daulah, attacked the Fort, temporarily conquered the city, and changed its name to Alinagar. This led the British to build a new fort in the Maidan. Robert Clive started rebuilding the fort in 1758, after the Battle of Plassey (1757); construction was completed in 1781 at a cost of approximately two million pounds. The area around the Fort was cleared, and the Maidan became "the Lungs of Kolkata". It stretches for around 3 km in the north–south direction and is around 1 km wide.[4] The headquarters of the Indian Ordnance Factories was established in 1775 at Fort William.[5]
Today, Fort William is the property of Indian Army. The headquarters of Eastern Command is based there, with provisions for accommodating 10,000 army personnel. The Army guards it heavily, and civilian entry is restricted.[4]
Much of Fort William is unchanged, but St Peter's Church, which used to serve as a chaplaincy centre for the British citizens of Kolkata, is now a library for the troops of HQ Eastern Command.
A war memorial has been created at the entrance of the fort, and the fort also houses a museum which displays artifacts from the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, especially those related to the battles in the Eastern sector and the Bangladesh Liberation War.[6][7]
First Indian Masonic lodge
In 1730, Ralph Farrwinter and other members of the East India Company opened the first Indian Masonic lodge, a short time after the creation of the Grand Lodge of England in 1713.[8][9]
Presidency of Fort William
Structure
The Fort is built of brick and mortar in the shape of an irregular octagon with an area of 5 km2 (1.9 sq mi). Five of its sides face landward, and three towards the Hooghly River. The design is that of a star fort, suited to defence against cannon firing solid shot, and dates from before the advent of explosive shells. A dry moat 9 metres (30 ft) deep and 15 m (49 ft) broad surrounds the fort. The moat can be flooded but is designed as an area in which to use enfilade (or flanking) fire against any attackers reaching the walls. There are six gates: Chowringhee, Plassey, Calcutta, Water Gate, St Georges and the Treasury Gate. There are similar forts at places like Thalassery in Kerala.[10][full citation needed]
Gallery
-
Fort William, 1735 -
Fort William, by Jan Van Ryne, 1754 -
![Fort William, Calcutta, 1756[11]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/70/Fort_William%2C_Calcutta.jpg)
Fort William, Calcutta, 1756[11] -
![First English Chapel, Fort William, Calcutta. Raised in 1714, with contribution of Rs. 1000 by the East India Company (p. 197, March 1824)[12]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/93/First_English_Chapel%2C_Fort_William%2C_Calcutta._Raised_in_1714%2C_with_contribution_of_Rs._1000_by_the_East_India_Company_%28p._197%2C_March_1824%29.jpg)
First English Chapel, Fort William, Calcutta. Raised in 1714, with contribution of Rs. 1000 by the East India Company (p. 197, March 1824)[12] -
St Peter's Church, Fort William by William Prinsep 1835 -
Fort William, River Face 1786 (from a coloured engraving by Thomas Daniell). -
The interior of the Arsenal, Fort William by William Prinsep 1835 -
Fort William by Samuel Davis -
Main entrance, Fort William 2013 -
South gate, Fort William 2013 -
St. Peter's Church, Fort William, Kolkata -
Semaphore Tower, Fort William, Kolkata -
Main Gates of Fort William
![Fort William, Calcutta, 1756[11]](/wiki/File:Fort_William,_Calcutta.jpg)
![First English Chapel, Fort William, Calcutta. Raised in 1714, with contribution of Rs. 1000 by the East India Company (p. 197, March 1824)[12]](/wiki/File:First_English_Chapel,_Fort_William,_Calcutta._Raised_in_1714,_with_contribution_of_Rs._1000_by_the_East_India_Company_(p._197,_March_1824).jpg)
See also
References
- ↑ Krishna Dutta (2003). Calcutta: A Cultural and Literary History. p. 71. ISBN 9781902669595.
- ↑ Sudip Bhattacharya, Unseen Enemy: The English, Disease, and Medicine in Colonial Bengal, 1617 – 1847, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 30 Jun 2014, p.54
- ↑ "Fort William Kolkata India - History of Fort William". www.makemytrip.com. Retrieved 27 December 2018.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Verma, Amrit (1985). Forts of India. New Delhi: The Director of Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. pp. 101–3. ISBN 81-230-1002-8.
- ↑ "History | Directorate of Ordnance (Coordination and Services) | Government of India". Ddpdoo.gov.in. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
- ↑ "Memories of 1971 Bangladesh War come alive in Army museum". Economic Times. 16 December 2013.
- ↑ "Indian Army to throw parts of Eastern Command HQ open for public". Economic Times. 17 December 2013.
- ↑ Simon Deschamps (2017). "Merchant and Masonic Networks in Eighteenth-Century Colonial India". L'Empire (in English and français) (74). doi:10.4000/1718.828. ISSN 0291-3798. OCLC 7288589062. Archived from the original on 28 March 2021.
- ↑ Joseph F. G. Golder. Freemasonry in British India (1728–1888). Archived from the original on 28 March 2021.
- ↑ Nandakumar Koroth, History of Forts in North Malabar
- ↑ Grant, James (1873). British Battles On Land and Sea. Vol. II. Cassell & Company, Limited. p. 69.
- ↑ "The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle". The Gentleman's Magazine, and Historical Chronicle. 94 (1): 197. February 1824. Retrieved 13 December 2017.
| Vijayanagara | |
|---|---|
| Deccan sultanates | |
| Gujarat Sultanate | |
| Delhi Sultanate | |
| Nayak dynasty | |
| Malwa Sultanate | |
| Faruqi dynasty | |
| Rajputs | |
| Maratha Empire | |
| Mughal Empire | |
| Jat | |
| Kingdom of Mysore | |
| Siddi | |
| Travancore | |
| Portuguese |
|
| Sikh Empire | |
| British Raj | |
| Sur Empire | |
| Eastern Ganga dynasty | |
| Ahom dynasty | |
| Kakatiya dynasty | |
| Bahmani Sultanate | |
| Colonial | |
|---|---|
| Geographical | |
| Religious places | |
| Cultural |  |
| Boulevards |  |
| Shopping |  |
| Parks, riverfront, zoos and stadiums |  |
