Fort William in Kolkata

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The Fort William in Kolkata is situated on the banks of river Hoogly and is one of the city's architectural excellences of British India. The fort is the living example of the imperial British and is presently the base of Indian Army of the eastern wing. It is now the Eastern Command Head Quarter of Indian Army.

The history of Fort William dates back to the times of British Raj and was named after King William III of England. History says that there were actually two Fort Williams. The older one was located at the place where the GPO, the office of the Eastern Railway, Custom House, and other government offices presently stands. The construction of the old fort started in Calcutta (then known as Sutanuti) in the year 1698 and was completed in 1706 by the East India Company. Though built for defense but surprisingly the fort was deprived of a surrounding moat.

The new fort was built when the old fort of the Company succumbed to the attacks of the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj Ud Daula in the year 1756. It was then the city of Calcutta was renamed by the nawab as Alinagar. The construction of the new fort started under the command of Rober Clive after the battle of Plassey in 1757 and was completed in the year 1781. Around 2 million pounds were spent on the construction of the new fort.

The following are some figures regarding the structure of the old fort.

• The fort has the shape of an irregular octagon and the total area occupied by it is 5 km sq.
• 3 sides of the fort face the river while the rest 5 sides face towards the land.
• The fort is surrounded by a moat of the measurements 9 meters in depth and 15 meters in breath.
• The fort has all total 6 gates, Chowringhee, Plassey Calcutta, Water Gate St Georges and Treasury Gate.

The old fort was repaired and it was used as the customs office since 1766. The fort has a vast extensive urban park named as the Maidan which was previously the part of the fort. The Fort William in Kolkata is huge enough to accommodate a garrission consisting of 10,000 men. Entry of civilians inside the fort is strictly prohibited but it has few attractions that are of immense tourist interest. The museum inside the fort showcases armours, swords, muskets, machine guns and similar arsenals used by the British army in the colonial days. You will get to see the photographs taken during the Burmese campaign and Bangladesh Liberation War. The Fort still has the enclosure where the infamous Black Hole Tragedy of Calcutta was believed to have taken place.