Palaces of the Babus Walks
Great wealth was made not only by the British and other Europeans during the British Raj but by local men of enterprise, who created untold wealth for themselves and families. Often this was lost on later generations who did not have their forebears zeal and application.
One of the signs of this wealth were the so called Palaces of Calcutta. These were the lavish, sometimes direct copies of European palaces built by Indians, some of which still stand.
Walks...
Coffee House and Palaces Walk... starts with a tram ride to the famous old coffee house for a South Indian coffee and then through a poor but vibrant Muslim community. It is just one street but one of our favourites for its life and variety. We then move on to some of the Palaces of North Kolkata built by wealthy Indians as a result of contact with the British Raj. These include the Marble Palace and Rabindranath Tagore’s home but also many more. Chitpur road features, it was once the main street out of old Calcutta. We may come back through an old Bengali area in the north, or by river ferry, depending on time.
Communities and Palaces Walk… we wend our way through a poor inner city area showcasing a variety of different communities; Anglo Indian, Muslim and Chinese. The area is populated by squatters and recyclers, tinsmiths and woodworkers and we see how these Calcuttans live and work. Continuing north we come to what remains of the Palaces of North Kolkata, built by wealthy Indian landowners who became fabulously wealthy as a result of contact with the British Raj. We may return through an old Bengali area in the north (once known as Blacktown), or by river ferry, depending on time.
Great wealth was made not only by the British and other Europeans during the British Raj but by local men of enterprise, who created untold wealth for themselves and families. Often this was lost on later generations who did not have their forebears zeal and application.
One of the signs of this wealth were the so called Palaces of Calcutta. These were the lavish, sometimes direct copies of European palaces built by Indians, some of which still stand.
Walks...
Coffee House and Palaces Walk... starts with a tram ride to the famous old coffee house for a South Indian coffee and then through a poor but vibrant Muslim community. It is just one street but one of our favourites for its life and variety. We then move on to some of the Palaces of North Kolkata built by wealthy Indians as a result of contact with the British Raj. These include the Marble Palace and Rabindranath Tagore’s home but also many more. Chitpur road features, it was once the main street out of old Calcutta. We may come back through an old Bengali area in the north, or by river ferry, depending on time.
Communities and Palaces Walk… we wend our way through a poor inner city area showcasing a variety of different communities; Anglo Indian, Muslim and Chinese. The area is populated by squatters and recyclers, tinsmiths and woodworkers and we see how these Calcuttans live and work. Continuing north we come to what remains of the Palaces of North Kolkata, built by wealthy Indian landowners who became fabulously wealthy as a result of contact with the British Raj. We may return through an old Bengali area in the north (once known as Blacktown), or by river ferry, depending on time.
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