History of Kolkata | Diva India

History of Kolkata | Diva India 

There are many stories behind the name Calcutta/Kolkata. According to some, the city was named as Kalikata, which was created by combining the three village names. However, as per other researchers, the name was given owing to its geographical location. As the city is situated at the river side, it is named Kolikata with Kol referring to the depressions on the river banks. The most popularly believed reason behind the name Kolkata is after the name of Hindu Goddess Kali which later became Calcutta. However, in 2001, the city was renamed as Kolkata.

Three villages namely Kalikata, Gobindapur and Sutanuti together constitute the city of Kolkata, which is located at the banks of River Hooghly. During 13th century, trade started flourishing in the city; Saptagram is earliest town known to have established trade relations with foreign lands.

In 1686, British East India Company started a factory in Sutanuti. It was a part of expansion plans of British India. By 1535, Portuguese had settled here while in 1655 Dutch arrived in Chinsurah and in 1697 French arrived in Chandernagore and in 1755 Danes in Serampore. All these ports along with the villages of Kalikata, Gobindapur and Sutanuti served as the prime centre of trade till 18th Century.

However, the recorded history of the city is during the British rule. From 1772 to 1911, Kolkata served as the capital city of British India as the capital was shifted to Delhi, while from 1912 to 1947, it was the capital of Bengal and later after independence, it became the capital city of West Bengal.

The city has seen many battles and freedom movements as well. For instance, in 1756 Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-Ud-Daula, attacked and took control of the city; later in 1757, during Battle of Plassey, Nawab was defeated. From the year 1830 to 1930, many nationalistic movements started from this city.

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