Prinsep Ghat

Prinsep Ghat
A view of Prinsep Ghat in the evening
General information
Location	Kolkata, West Bengal
Country	India
Coordinates	22°33′24.41″N 88°19′53.76″E / 22.5567806°N 88.3316000°ECoordinates: 22°33′24.41″N 88°19′53.76″E / 22.5567806°N 88.3316000°E

Prinsep Ghats (Bengali: প্রিন্সেপ ঘাট) is a ghat built in 1841 during the British Raj, along the Kolkata bank of the Hooghly River in India. The Palladian porch in the memory of the eminent Anglo-Indian scholar and antiquary James Prinsep was designed by W. Fitzgerald and constructed in 1843.

Located between the Water Gate and the St George's Gate of the Fort William, the monument to Prinsep is rich in Greek and Gothic inlays. It was restored by the state's public works department in November 2001 and has since been well-maintained.^[1] In its initial years, all royal British entourages used the Prinsep Ghat jetty for embarkation and disembarkation.^[2][3][4]

View of the River Hooghly and Vidyasagar Setu from Prinsep ghat

Prinsep Ghat is one of the oldest recreational spots of Kolkata.^[4] People visit it in the evenings on weekends to go boating on the river, stroll along the bank and purchase food from stalls there. One stall selling ice-cream and fast food has been there for more than 40 years. A 2-kilometre (1.2 mi) stretch of the beautified riverfront from Princep Ghat to Babughat (Baje Kadamtala Ghat) was inaugurated on 24 May 2012.^[5] It has illuminated and landscaped gardens and pathways, fountains, and renovated ghats. One of the songs in the Bollywood film Parineeta was shot here on the ghats.^[4]

Prinsep Ghat also has a railway station named after it. The station is part of the Kolkata Circular Railway which is maintained by Eastern Railway. The station code is PPGT.^[6]

There is a jetty nearby called the Man-O-War jetty that belongs to the Kolkata Port Trust and commemorates the role played by the port in the Second World War. The jetty is mainly used by the Indian Navy.

Gallery

• 
  British Man of War alongside Prinsep Ghat ca 1853
• 
  Prinsep memorial overlooked by Vidyasagar Setu
• 
  Prinsep Ghat Railway Station
• 
  Princep Ghat in the evening
• 
  Evening views of Prinsep Ghat
• 
  Evening views of Prinsep Ghat
• 
  A view of Prinsep Ghat, Kolkata, in the 1900s.

References

1. "Hooghly River around Kolkata". Gits4u.com. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
2. "Ghats in Kolkata - Kolkata Ghats - Information about Kolkata Ghats - Kolkata". Kolkata.clickindia.com. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
3. "Princep Ghat Kolkata". Indfy.com. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
4. "Princep Ghat – Kolkata". Where Was It Shot. 2010-11-10. Retrieved 2012-08-03.
5. "Swanky riverfront opens to public". Times of India. 25 May 2012. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
6. "Princep Ghat/PPGT Railway Station Satellite Map - India Rail Info - A Busy Junction for Travellers & Rail Enthusiasts". India Rail Info. 2011-04-03. Retrieved 2012-08-03.