Chandannagar, formerly known as Chandernagore or Chandernagar is a small city and former French colony located 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of Kolkata, in West Bengal, India. It is head quarters of a subdivision in Hooghly District. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. Located on the Hooghly River, the city has been able to maintain a separate identity different from all other cities and abide by her own characteristics. The total area is a meagre 19 square kilometres (7.3 sq mi) having a population of over 150,000. Chandannagar is connected to Kolkata by railway, roadways and river and it takes about an hour to reach there by car.

Places of tourist interest

Chandannagore Strand: A beautiful tourist spot along the banks of the river Ganga. It is a superbly decorated pavement studded with lights surrounded by lushy green trees. It is about 1 km (0.62 mi) in length and 7 metres (23 ft) in width, and many buildings of historical importance surround the spot. It is very popular visiting spot of the local people and the tourists would love to stroll along enjoying the mild breeze and watching the small boats sail by. Along the strand are present Vivekananda Mandir (a meditation centre) and a protruding structure into the river Ganga. This is supposed to be the best decorated bank of the river along its entire length of 2,500 km (1,600 mi).

Chandannagore Museum and Institute (Institut de Chandernagor)

One of the oldest and finest museums of the entire region. It boasts a beautiful collection of French antiques (like cannons used in Anglo-French war, wooden furniture of 18th century, etc.) which are difficult to find anywhere else in the world. The institute still teaches French through regular classes.

The Sacred Heart Church of Chandannagar

The church stands for over two centuries to mark the beauty of the architecture during the French period — a good place to visit for the historians and tourists alike. The remains of the Church of St. Louis is also an attractive tourist spot.

The Underground House (Patal-Bari)

The building is another beautiful example of the advancement in the knowledge of architecture and the aesthetic sense of the people of those earlier days. Its lowest floor is submerged in the River Ganga. The Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore frequently visited the place and appreciated a lot about the building. He felt that the place influenced him to a large extent and broadened his intellectual capabilities. He mentioned Patal-bari in many of his famous novels. The famous social reformer Pandit Iswar Chandra Vidyasagar also stayed in the building. The house was owned by the ruling family of nearby Bansberia.

Ancient temples

Nandadulal Temple, built in 1740 by Indranarayan Roychoudhury presents an excellent example of ancient Indian sculptures. There are many fascinating temples devoted to Kali, Shiva and other deities which show marks of brilliant craftsmanship and artistic taste.

Residences of famous personalities

The place hosts a galaxy of famous personalities who had strong impact not only on contemporary society but also affected Indian History. The revolutionary leader Rash Behari Bose's paternal house stands at Fatokgorah. Kanailal Datta and the great social reformer Sri Harihar Sett were also natives of Chandannagar. Upendra Nath Bandopadhyay, the founder of Dynak Basumoti a daly bengali news paper, Mr. Jatindra nath Bandopadhyay were among the other renowned personalities of this historic town.

Nritya Gopal Smriti Mandir

Built by Sri Harihar Sett, and donated to the people of Chandannagore. This building still serves as a theatre hall and a library. It was first of its kind in the entire locality.

Chuti and New Digha are two very popular amusement parks situated in the western part of Chandannagar.