Ghantaghar- the lost Church of Chinsurah

It was in 1781 that the famous British painter William Hodges painted the town of Chinsurah (a Dutch settlement), while on a tour of Bengal. In both of his paintings, one finds a church towering above the other Dutch buildings. However, today one can only find a plaque reminiscing its now lost existence. Just like its namesake in Delhi, the ‘Ghantaghar’ of Chinsurah fell prey to the forces of nature and man, resulting in its complete obliteration from maps and memory alike. Unarguably the most well-known of the lost colonial-era structures in Chinsurah, the story of the Old Dutch church remains largely in the dark. 

A View of Chinsurah, by William Hodges

Chinsurah, located 40kms north of Kolkata, was founded by the Dutch in the 17th century. The town was a part of a large network of nearby settlements acquired by the Portugese, British, French, Danes and other European traders. This unique inhabitancy of European communities within such a small area earned it the title of ‘Little Europe’. 

This region was dotted with churches. The Portuguese set up a church in Bandel and the Armenians in Chinsurah. the French and the Danes soon followed. 

Plan of Fort Gustavus (Wikimedia commons)

The Dutch set up a factory in Chinsurah after receiving a ‘firman’ from the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan. Soon after, they constructed mansions, pleasure gardens, the majestic Fort Gustavus and a church. To fulfill this need, they chose a site close to the company factory on the banks of river Hooghly. The steeple of the church was first erected with a chime clock, by Dutch Governor, J.A. Sichterman in around 1742. However, as he died before completion of the church, his successor Sir George Vernet stepped forward to finish the task in around 1767. The exact years when the construction began and ended are hard to point out, since different sources provide different years. George Toynbee compares this joint gift to the popular remark “Frenchman invented the Frill and the Englishman added the skirt”. The church nave or building was an octagonal structure- 38 feet high, 58 feet long and 30 feet eight inches wide.

Location of the church tower within the Dutch settlement. Source- Institut de Chandernagore

According to George Toynbee, the Magistrate & Collector of Hooghly who wrote a detailed account of the administration in the Hooghly District from 1795 to 1854 called 'A Sketch of the administration in the Hooghly District', the church stood “at the entrance of the town from the south”. The church was constructed just beside a pre-existing bathing ghat constructed in 1725 by a rich local called Nrisingha Das.

Apart from Toynbee, the church was mentioned by a number of travellers who passed through the Dutch town. The octagonal church had an altar at the northern end, and a porch facing the river on the east. It also had typical colonial architectural elements of blind arches, pilasters and cornice. The spire was around 40ft tall. Owing to the sound of the steeple bell, the church came to be locally known as “Ghanta ghar” (Translation- bell house), and the adjoining bathing ghat (built in 1725) thus became the ‘Ghantaghat’. The church was likely well known, as is evident from a Bengali saying which was prevalent back then-

কে বলে রে জটাইবুড়ি গিয়েছিল বৃন্দাবন।

ঘন্টাঘাটের গির্জে দেখে বলে গিরি গোবর্ধন।।

(The saying roughly translates to the idea that an old lady mistook the high steeple of the church to be the Govardhan Hill near Vrindavan).

View of Chinsurah from river (notice the church), by William Hodges

It is not known where the Dutch conducted their services before the church was constructed, neither is there any record of the existence of a Dutch pastor. According to "Bengal, Past and Present", this Dutch station applied for a pastor to Nagapattinam, the capital of Dutch coromandel. This occured in 1742, probably the same year the church came up. According to George Toynbee, the Dutch were probably indifferent in religious matters, as in the initial years, there was no clergyman in the protestant (Dutch Reformed) church, and prayer services and burials were conducted by a 𝘡𝘪𝘦c𝘬 𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 or “comforter of the sick”, who was not in holy orders. Marriages and christenings were done by a paid English priest from Calcutta.

Another interesting personality associated with this church was Swedish Lutheran Rev. Johann Zachariah Kiernander, known for being Bengal's first Protestant Missionary. Even though he originally began his work in Cuddalore, the mission work fell apart due to conflicts with French under Comte de Lally. Kiernander soon received a ray of hope from Calcutta when Robert Clive invited him to Bengal in 1758. Calcutta was on its way towards recovery after battles had finally come to an end post-Plassey. Kiernander began his enthusiastic missionary activities in a house given rent for free by the Governor because the former protestant church lay in ruins since the capture of Calcutta by the Nawab. In 1767, Kiernander purchased land to build a permanent church at his own expense, which was finally completed in 1770. Originally named Beth Tephillah, it is the oldest existing protestant church of Kolkata, and is today known as the Old Mission Church.

Age hadn't however been kind to Kiernander. His time in Calcutta had been characterized by economic hardships, loss of closed ones, and also being embroiled in a case against James Augustus Hicky. Old, bankrupt, and visually impaired, Kiernander finally retired to the Dutch settlement of Chinsurah in 1787. Here, he acted as a chaplain in the Dutch Reformed Church for Rs 25 a month, till 1795, when Chinsurah was briefly taken over by the English. Kiernander became a Dutch prisoner of war, receiving only a tiny amount of Rs 50 a month. He returned to Calcutta and died in 1799.

In 1821, a group of Missionaries, including Rev. Francis Lacroix from the Netherlands Missionary Society visited Chinsurah. In his biography too, there is a brief mention of the ‘religious infidelity’ of the people here along with a brief description of church-

“The church, an antiquated building, of no definite style of architecture, stood…on the bank of the river. Its tower alone was built first to bear the settlement clock; the part adapted for worship being added twenty-five years after…”

The Old Dutch Church, Fredrick Fiebig,1851- British Library

In 1825, the town of Chinsurah was handed over to the British by the Dutch. Thus, the church too saw a change of ownership to the English regional head, i.e. The Bishop of Calcutta. This was a painful transition for the Dutch residents and missionaries, as to them this building had been the centre of religious and missionary activities. Rev. Lacroix’s Memorial states-

“The station having passed to the English Government; the church was handed over to the Established Church of England. The missionaries, who had gratuitously supplied religious instruction within its walls for twenty years, ceased their ministrations; and the Dutch inhabitants, and others, were compelled to leave a building which they regarded as their own and to erect an Independent chapel, for that worship which they preferred. It was a painful proceeding, and was acutely felt by all concerned... when the Cameronians, with their pious Colonel, resided at the station, the chapel was well filled...”

The Church, Ghantaghat and 'Residence of a Rich Baboo' (now the Mohsin college), by Marianne Jane James (1828). British Library 

Even though the Dutch fort of Gustavus was demolished by the British, the Old Dutch Church continued serving the residents of the now British town. This made the Dutch church the oldest building in Bengal to be used by the Anglican Church. Since then, protestant prayer services were regularly conducted here. It was during this period of English rule that the third phase of additions were made. Around 1825-35, an outer aisle and a porch was added to the church. This aisle was octagonal as well, surrounding the older nave building. What is however noteworthy is that this addition finds mention only in one source- Bengal, Past & Present: Journal of the Calcutta Historical Society (1915). In fact, it mentions how there is no printed mention of this addition except in local tradition, and pictorial analysis, which reveals that the monument did indeed go through some transformation over time. Not only did the seating capacity thus increase, but there were also changes made for Anglican services. The altar was put inside rails, and the pulpit and reading desk outside them. The military authorities used the opposite space to accommodate the band of the Depot until the troops from the station were removed.

Plan of the church | Bengal. Past & Present (1915)

However darker days awaited the faith of the church, which now for a century had dominated the skyline of Chinsurah, visible in almost every colonial painting of the town made in the 19^th century. On October 5th, 1864, the 72 feet tall steeple of the Church collapsed in a disastrous cyclone. The Ghantaghar fell silent forever. The church was later repaired without the steeple. But since Christians in Chinsurah now preferred using a new ‘Free Church’ (now the CNI church), Ghantaghar was eventually abandoned. In spite all odds, the church stood for the next 100 years as a relic from a bygone era.

The Dutch Reformed church of Tjinsoerah, from a Dutch book of 1929 | Source

In 1950, the Indian Church (now CNI) sold the church premises to the government for Rs. 500, as it was “no longer required”. The government authorities renovated the remaining structure, and it was used as the adjacent Mohsin College’s Biology Lab. The ‘renovation’ of the structure meant a blemished cementing and whitewashing of the structure, which destroyed its sense of history and made its inscriptions illegible.

The church premises, photo by Fredrick Fiebig, 1851- Wikimedia Commons

In the 1970s, as the students’ unrest began in Bengal, the building saw a slack in maintenance and outgrowth crept into its gardens. Over time, iron beams, stained glasses and many other artefacts were stolen from the premises.

The future of the church seemed bleak after a wave of modernisation began in Bengal from the 1960s. Many great old buildings of Calcutta fell prey to apathy and were knocked down to make way for 'modern' buildings. Ghantaghar too couldn't withstand this wave. Order came for the complete demolition of the building, to make way for the Law department of the Mohsin College. This then led to a legal battle in the Calcutta High court in 1980, filed by Mr Hriday Ranjan Halder, an evangelist from Chinsurah. He went to great lengths to obtain an injunction order and attempted to garner support from “all bishops in the country” and the Christian residents of the town. However, being an elderly and a lone crusader with not enough money or support for this legal battle, the tide turned against him. In spite of its historical significance, the WB Government stated in the court that the church couldn’t be regarded as an ancient monument under Section-III of the Ancient Monument Preservation Act 1904. The High Court set aside the injunction, and the demolition proceeded rapidly. If the historical significance of the structure was perhaps presented to the court with greater emphasis alongside its religious significance, the outcome could've been different. 

An unfinished watercolour painting of the church by Rev. T.A.C. Firminger

Even though the Dutch embassy representatives had shown interest in renovating the church, the vandalism continued. By 1988, the building was completely razed by the West Bengal Public Works Department. According to a newspaper clipping of 1988, the First Secretary of the Netherlands Embassy had come to Chinsurah with a specific task from the authorities to inquire into the church's state as they were interested in supporting with funds if necessary. He came to Chinsurah and to his shock saw the demolition proceeding rapidly, with only a few walls still standing.

The attitude of the residents of Chinsurah regarding this state-authourised vandalism was largely characterized by ignorance. Most people didn’t even know about the legal battle which took place concerning this building. Even though the Dutch authorities had shown interest in renovating the church, the vandalism continued. The building was razed to the ground by 1988 by the West Bengal Public Works Department. 

However, sheer neglect for historical monuments couldn't have been the sole cause. This is because around the time the Dutch church was hurriedly demolished, the 500-year old Portuguese Church was renovated. 

Illustration of Chinsurah | Rural Life in Bengal

Strangely, it was only in 2009 that the empty site was used for construction of the Circuit House, which still stands. Even stranger was the fact that the land wasn’t actually used to construct the Mohsin College’s law department.

 

 Present-day view of the now Circuit House premises

 

What happened to the artefacts of the church which weren’t stolen? Many of them were fortunately saved from the hands of demolishers. The Dutch Church at one time housed 14 memorial hatchments of the various Dutch governors. They were originally housed not in the church but probably in Fort Gustavus. These were donated by the Bishop of Calcutta to the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam in 1949. Many records mention that the church housed chandeliers and several oil paintings of the Dutch ‘sahibs’ and their wives. These were probably taken back by the Dutch after India gained independence (probably after the building was sold in 1950).

The newspaper reports mentioned two grave plaques (maybe of priests buried there) being retrieved from the debris during the demolition and preserved in the college premises, I have no information on whether that still exists or not. 

Memorial plates of Dutch governors- Wikimedia commons

However, not all objects had such a fate. The crowning glory of the church, the steeple bell, had been lying by the church since the tower had collapsed in 1864. It is said that the demolishing contractor paid a sum of Rs. 70000 to the authorities to dismantle and acquire the right to sell off the debris of the building, along with the bell. What happened to the bell still remains a mystery.

In 2017, it was decided that a commemorative church would be rebuilt at a site nearby. This proposal was considered by the Dutch as well as local authorities. Since then, four years have passed. No such attempts have been made.

The sad tale of this church is a testimony to the persisting neglect and demolition faced by several Heritage structures in Chinsurah. Dominance of realtors, neglect by authorities and lack of awareness are the main reason why Chinsurah has failed to preserve its heritage.

Today, the Armenian Church and the Bandel Church stand in glory, but a handful know that another church dominated the riverfront. Ghantaghat still retains its name, a testament to its glorious past. It stands in solitude, sandwiched between the walls of the Circuit house and the Mohsin College, shrouded in both mystery and shrubbery, waiting to see the light of day once again.

Present-day Ghantaghat

References~

Mitra, Sudhirkumar. হুগলী জেলার ইতিহাস. Shishir Publication House, 1948

Adhya, Akshaykumar. হুগলী  চুঁচুড়ার নানা কথা. Hooghly Sangbad, 2005.

Lahiri, Oindreela. The Dutch in India and Chinsurah. Aishwarya Tipnis Architects- issuu, 2015. (click here to read)

Toynbee, George. A sketch of the administration of the Hooghly District (from 1795-1845). Bengal Secretariat Press, 1888.

Grant, Colesworthy. Rural Life in Bengal: Illustrative of Anglo-Indian suburban life. W. Thacker & Co. 

Joseph, Charles. "NOTES ON THE BIGHT BANK OP THE HOOGHLY" in Calcutta Review Volume IV. 1845.

Stravornius, Johan Splinter. Voyages to the East Indies. G.G. & Robinson. 1798

Mullens, Joseph. Brief Memorials of the Rev. Alphonse Francois Lacroix: Missionary of the London Missionary Society in Calcutta. James Nisbet & Co., 

Bengal: past and present (July to Dec.) vol.11  (1915)

Chakravarti, Monmohan. L.S.S. O’Malley. Bengal District Gazetteers: Hooghly. The Bengal Secretariat Book Depot, 1912.

Buckland, C.E. Bengal under Lieutenant Governors- Volume I. S.K. Lahiri & Co., 1901.
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Government of Bengal. List of Ancient Monuments in Bengal. Bengal Secretariat Press, 1896. 

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Chakraborty, Pradeep. প্রতীকী ঘন্টা গির্জা তৈরি হবে চুঁচুড়ায়. Ei Samay, Howrah o Hooghly- Feb 5, 2017 

Majumdar, Diptosh. PWD vandals destroy historic church. Calcutta Times, Oct 11, 1988. (dutchindianheritage.net/)

Dutch Bengal- Wikipedia

British Library Online Gallery