| Ballygunge | |
| Settlement Type: | Neighbourhood in Kolkata (Calcutta) |
| Pushpin Map: | India Kolkata |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Kolkata |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | West Bengal |
| Subdivision Type2: | City |
| Subdivision Name2: | Kolkata |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Kolkata |
| Subdivision Type4: | Kolkata Suburban Railway |
| Subdivision Type5: | Metro Station |
| Seat Type: | Municipal Corporation |
| Seat: | Kolkata Municipal Corporation |
| Parts Type: | KMC wards |
| Parts: | 65, 68, 69, 85, 86, 90 |
| Unit Pref: | metric |
| Population Total: | For population see linked KMC ward pages |
| Timezone: | IST |
| Utc Offset: | +5:30 |
| Coordinates: | 22.529°N 88.362°W |
| Postal Code Type: | PIN |
| Area Code: | +91 33 |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | Lok Sabha constituency |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Kolkata Dakshin |
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | Vidhan Sabha constituency |
| Blank2 Info Sec1: | Ballygunge, Rashbehari |
Ballygunge is a locality of South Kolkata in Kolkata district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is one of the city's most affluent neighborhoods.
The East India Company obtained from the Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar, in 1717, the right to rent from 38 villages surrounding their settlement. Of these 5 lay across the Hooghly in what is now Howrah district. The remaining 33 villages were on the Calcutta side. After the fall of Siraj-ud-daulah, the last independent Nawab of Bengal, it purchased these villages in 1758 from Mir Jafar, and reorganised them. These villages were known en-bloc as Dihi Panchannagram and Ballygunge was one of them. It was considered to be a suburb beyond the limits of the Maratha Ditch. Beltala was a village in Dihi Mohanpur (later Monoharpukur).[1] [2] [3]
Ballygunge grew up around a market for sand (bali in Bengali) and had garden-houses of 18th century Europeans. Amongst the prominent residents were George Mandeville, the zamindar/ collector, and Colonel Gilbert Ironside, a friend of Warren Hastings. In 1840, Emily Eden called Ballugunge 'our Eltham or Lewisham'. It also emerged as a citadel of the educated Bengali middle class after the suburban railway opened up the area.[4]
In 1888, Ballygunge and Tollygunge had a combined thana (police station).[4]
Entally, Manicktala, Beliaghata, Ultadanga, Chitpur, Cossipore, parts of Beniapukur, Ballygunge, Watgunge and Ekbalpur, and parts of Garden Reach and Tollygunge were added to Kolkata Municipal Corporation in 1888. Garden Reach was later taken out.[5]
When the Bengal Renaissance started taking roots in 19th century Calcutta, it was initially limited to the predominantly Hindu 'Indian town' stretching north and north-east from the fringes of Burrabazar, with a somewhat later extension south and south-east of the 'European town' to Bhowanipore, and some decades later to Ballygunge, which was then developing as a suburb.[6] [7]
In the first half of the 20th century, "in the milieu of relative urban prosperity... Calcutta's rich citizens – those connected with jute, coal, tea, other industries, trade, money-lending and rentier income from urban property – did fabulously well for themselves." Large chunks of Ballygunge, Sunny Park, Rainey Park and Southern Avenue were developed during the 1930s and 1940s. Many of the mansions in Ballygunge, Bhowanipore and Alipore were built by the city's Bengali and new Marwari elite who wanted to move from the "dirtier sections of north Calcutta to the more fashionable areas in the south".[8]
Ballygunge is flanked by Park Circus in the north, Kasba and the Eastern Railway south suburban line in the east, Dhakuria and the Lakes (now called Rabindra Sarobar) in the south, and the localities of Bhowanipore and Lansdowne in the west. It is served by Ballygunge Junction railway station.
The following police stations in the Ballygunge area, which are part of the South-east division of Kolkata Police, cover four police districts in the area:[9]
Rabindra Sarobar police station is a new police station being set up in the Rabindra Sarobar area.[10] [11]
Karaya Women police station, has jurisdiction over all police districts under the jurisdiction of the South-east division, i.e. Topsia, Beniapukur, Ballygunge, Gariahat, Lake, Karaya, Rabindra Sarobar and Tiljala.[9]
Gariahat market, spread along Rashbehari Avenue, Gariahat Road and the lanes in the area, is one of the largest and busiest markets in Kolkata. The shops sell variety of saris, clothes, jewellery, electronic goods, furniture and what not. The makeshift shops along the footpaths, popular as hawkers, sell everything – crockery, cutlery, decorative items and utilities. It has numerous eateries and street food joints. Modern malls have also come up.[12] Gariahat market is also well known for selling fish which is a staple for the Bengali community living in Calcutta.[13]
Ballygunge is home to some of the following educational institutions in Kolkata: