Serampore – The Rise of New Kolkata

Serampore a rising city from the Hooghly district is
gradually becoming a posh area of the Kolkata
Metropolitan Development Authority and Greater Kolkata.

Serampore is always ready to show its creativity at every
level and this time it has come with a new concept of the Ganga aarti and a
private Ganga Ghaat The ALCOVE NEW KOLKATA – Home by the Ganges. An
apartment in Serampore has its own personal Ghaat and much more.

Before getting into the tourist places of Serampore let’s
get some ideas & facts about the heritage and  history of Serampore

If we dug deep into the history of Serampore we will see that Serampore was a Danish colony from 1752 to 1845, known as Fredrick Nagar after the Danish King Frederick VI. In 1845, the Danish
authorities sold Serampore to the British East India Company.
Serampore is known for the Danish missionary
trio Joshua Marshman, Willaim Ward, and William Carrey. These missionaries who
arrived in Serampore in the early part of the 19th century took up the
responsibility of spreading education and reforming society.

Serampore was a significant river port for trade in India before
colonialism. The district has thousands of years of rich heritage as part of
the Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut

Things to do in and around Serampore:-

1.   Serampore Rajbari 

    It is one of the heritages of rajbari and is
also an important spot in terms of Bengali culture and architecture. The Goswami
rajbari of Serampore occupies a large area and fascinates people with its
beautiful architectural design, According to the locals Serampore rajbari is
also called Goswami Rajbari. It is also famous for its  Ek Chala Durga Puja which is an almost 300-year-old Durga Puja that
is traditionally carried on by the Goswami family. Apart from Durgapuja,
festivals like KaliPuja, Dhol Yatra, Jhulan Yatra, and Ras Purnima are
celebrated with great pomp and show.

Henry Martin’s Pagoda Temple

Serampore is a place that has many heritage places, henry
martins pagoda is one of them. This temple in Serampore is a rebuilt and
refurbished one and to understand this we need to dig out some history to get a
clear knowledge of it, you can find it here(https://www.getbengal.com/details/novel-heritage-walk-destination-serampore-henry-martin-pagoda) Today, the pagoda remains a signature of the past tucked in
a secluded location. Howrah Water Works Company bought that land in 1893 after
settling a number of disputes with the owners. Recently Serampore
Municipality undertook an extensive renovation project.

St Olav’s Church

It is one of the attractions of Serampore, st olav’s church is one of the oldest protestant churches in west Bengal it was built around the 19^th century when the area was a  part of  fredriksnagore. When st olavs church
was under construction phase Serampore already had a church that was big enough to
serve the ongoing population. The construction of the church started from 1800 and
was completed around 1806. There
are six marble plaques inside the church, dedicated to Ole Bie,
William Carey, Joshua Marshman, William Ward, Juliana Maria Wallich, JO
Voigt and one as an homage to Serampore Mission. From 2013 to 2019,
the National Museum of Denmark and Serampore College undertook a massive
restoration job and delivered excellent results — with the project even being
rewarded by the 2016 UNESCO Asia Pacific Heritage Awards.

Danish Cemetery

This cemetery is currently under the supervision of ASI (Archeological Survey of India) and is a protected
site. No new burials take place here; the last one we could spot was
around 1964.

The Denmark Tavern

Serampore may not remember the name of the house which was ruined long
ago by the river. It was a building located next n with
trees and lianas. The building was located next to the old landing place where
the Danes had their flagstaff, canons, and warehouse

Mission Cemetery

This is the second cemetery of Serampore as the first one is a Danish cemetery
This Cemetery was created for the English
Baptist Missionaries who had taken charge of the church and college.
More than the Danish contribution it is the contribution of Baptist
missionaries that built the legacy of Serampore.

Danish Government
House

Danish government
house was built in 1775 in Serampore and is refurbished The beautiful structure at Serampore’s
town square relaunched by in the presence of Denmark’s ambassador Freddy Svane

Radha Ballav Temple

The temple at Serampore is specially dedicated to
Hindu devotees (Radha Krishna) Previously the Goswamis were the zamindars of this area. It
was said that Rudraram Pandit of Chatra used to worship at Ballavpur, which is
about two kilometers from Serampore

Jagannath Temple and
Rath of Mahesh

Serampore
Johannagar Baptist Church

Places to eat at
serampore :-

• Mama mia –Kolkata Tales Suggests
• Aminia
• Chowman
• Heritage café(famous for making
  in-house coffee blend) – Kolkata Tales Suggests
• Hangla (famous for egg rolls and
  rumali ruti)
• Vheto(Exclusive Bengali restaurant) –
  Kolkata Tales Suggests