About Hooghly

Country: India | State: West Bengal

Ideal Trip Duration: 1-2 Days

Nearest City to Hooghly: Kolkata (50 Kms), Howrah (48 Kms)

Best Time to Visit Hooghly: October to February

Peak Season: November to January

At a distance of 20 km from Barrackpore, 48 km from Howrah, 50 km from Kolkata, 150 km from Haldia, 155 km from Kharagpur, 158 km from Midnapore, 177 km from Murshidabad, 469 km from Bhubaneshwar, 478 km from Tatanagar, 526 km from Puri, 531 km from Siliguri, and 589 km from Darjeeling, Hooghly is a historical city & district located in the Indian state of West Bengal. Also known as Hugli or Hooghly-Chuchura, it is one of the popular places of heritage in India and among the must include tourist destinations in West Bengal Tour Packages.

The town of Hooghly got its name from the famous river that flows through it. The name of the place is also spelt as Hugli & Hoogli. It shares its borders with Howrah in South, Bardhaman in North, River Hooghly flows in its East, and Medinipur in West. Between the 13th-15th centuries, the Hooghly town used to be an important sea route for the trade carried between India & other countries. Hooghly port was the place where the 1st cross-trade began between India & Portugal.

Dotted with several small but important towns, the district of Hooghly is among the few places in India that features remnant culture-based influences of several civilizations like Portuguese, Dutch and British. The Portuguese were the first to settle here in 1537 but were defeated by the Mughal armies in 1632. Hooghly was regarded as the first English settlement in Lower Bengal after the British East India Company set up a factory here in 1651. Later, it was abandoned in 1690 when the trade and commerce in the Bengal province shifted from the town of Hooghly to Calcutta. After the Battle of Buxar, this region was brought under direct British rule until India's Independence in 1947. After Independence, this district merged into the state of West Bengal.

Located within easy reach of Kolkata, the Hooghly district is dotted with places that can be explored on a day trip from Kolkata. From historical buildings to various religious centers and modern attractions, Hooghly offers several tourist attractions that attract a huge number of tourists every year. Hangseshwari Temple, Tarakeshwar Temple, Bandel Church, Hooghly Imambara, Chinsurah Dutch Cemetery, Antpur Radhagovindjiu Temple, Chandannagar Museum, etc., are some of the top places to visit in Hooghly. Apart from the historical places and monuments, delicious Bengali food is another promising feature of this town.

The people in Hooghly celebrate almost all the festivals with much pomp and excitement. The Jagadhatri Puja is one festival which is celebrated with full zeal in Chandannagar locality of Hooghly. This festival is celebrated after the Durga Puja and Kali Puja. Grand pandals are created and the goddess is carried out throughout the city. Other major festivals celebrated here are Durga Puja, Kali Puja, and Diwali. The city is lightened up making it look very beautiful.

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata is the nearest airport which is about 53 km from Hooghly. It has well connected direct flights from Guwahati, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Vishakhapatnam, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Agartala, Bhubaneswar, Dibrugarh, Goa, Bagdogra, Pune, Patna, Surat, and Jaipur. Hooghly Railway Station is the nearest railhead that has well-connected trains from Howrah, Bardhaman, Muzaffarpur, Rampur, and Bandel. Howrah Junction, about 50 km, is the nearest major railhead from where one can hire taxi, bus, or cab to reach Hooghly. There is a good network of roads that connects Hooghly to many nearby cities like Kolkata, Howrah, Muzaffarpur, Barrackpore, Haldia, Rampur, etc.

Ranging from budget to luxury, there are several accommodations available in Hooghly which helps the tourists to stay and explore the nearby places. Being proximity to Kolkata, one can also stay at Kolkata and explore Hooghly as a day trip.

October to February is the best season to visit Hooghly when the weather is pleasant a favorable for sightseeing. Summers are quite uncomfortable because of blistering heat and heavy rainfall is witnessed in monsoons. So, better to avoid visiting Hooghly during these seasons.

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Other Info
Internet Availability: Good
STD Code: 033
Languages Spoken: Bengali, Hindi & English
Major Festivals: Durga Pooja & Jagadhatri Puja
Notes/Tips:
None

How to Reach Hooghly

By Air

Nearest Airport: Kolkata - Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (53 Kms)

By Train

Nearest Train Station: Hooghly Railway Station (0 Kms)

By Bus

Nearest Bus Station: Chinsurah Bus Stand (3 Kms)

Top 10 Places to Visit in Hooghly

Heritage | Pilgrimage

#1 of 10 Places to Visit in Hooghly

At a distance of 10 km from Hooghly Railway Station, Hangseshwari Temple or Hanseshwari Temple is an ancient Hindu temple located situated at Bansberia town of Hooghly. It is one of the seven famous Kali temples in West Bengal and among the must-include places in Hooghly Tour Packages.

Hangseswari Temple is dedicated to the Hindu deity 'Kali'. The temple construction was started by a local king, Raja Nrisingha Deb Roy in 1801 and later completed by his widow wife Rani Sankari in 1814. It is said that the king built this temple after he was instructed by Goddess in his dream. Since then, it has been a prominent religious site in the region.

This temple is gloriously known for its breath-taking Indian architecture and religious significance. The structure of the temple is the representation of 'Tantrik Satchakrabhed'. The structure tells about the structure of a Human Body and its parts such as Bajraksha, Ira, Chitrini, Pingala, and Sushumna. Hangseswari temple houses around .....

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Heritage | Pilgrimage

#2 of 10 Places to Visit in Hooghly

At a distance of 3 km from Hooghly Railway Station, Basilica of the Holy Rosary is a historical church situated at Bandel, Hooghly. Popularly known as Bandel Church, it is one of the oldest churches in West Bengal and among the most visited places in Hooghly.

Founded in 1599, the Basilica of the Holy Rosary is dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Rosario, also known as Our Lady of the Rosary. It stands as a memorial to the Portuguese settlement in Bengal. It is a part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta and one of the 23 Basilica Churches in India. The present church and the monastery are said to be built in 1660 by Gomez de Soto after the old church was destroyed by the army of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan. The keystone of the older church can still be seen on the eastern gate of the monastery, bearing the date 1599.

Prettily stands on the banks of Hooghly River, the church has been refurbished over the years and now includes three altars, several tombstones, an organ and .....

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Heritage | Pilgrimage

#3 of 10 Places to Visit in Hooghly

At a distance of 1 km from Bandel Church, and 3 km from Hooghly Railway Station, Hooghly Imambara is a Shia Muslim congregation hall and mosque located in Chinsurah, Hooghly, West Bengal. Situated on the banks of Hooghly River, it is one of the beautiful mosques in West Bengal and among the must-visit places in Hooghly.

Hooghly Imambara is a two-storied mosque cum imambara. The construction of the building was started by Muhammad Mohsin in 1841 and completed in 1861. With its open and spacious courtyard, long-running corridors, and the majestic watch tower, the architecture of the imambara is bound to impress at first sight. The mosque was built around an open-air rectangular courtyard. In the center of the courtyard is a water tank decorated with a few fountains.

The courtyard is surrounded by two-storied buildings with long corridors and having numerous rooms that are now used as classrooms for madrasa students. In front of the courtyard is the Zaridalan, the main prayer .....

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Heritage

#4 of 10 Places to Visit in Hooghly

At a distance of 2.5 km from Hooghly Railway Station, Dutch Cemetery is an old cemetery located in the Chinsurah suburb of Hooghly, West Bengal. It is one of the popular places of heritage in West Bengal and among the best places to visit in Hooghly.

Located in a very congested part of the Chinsurah town, the Dutch Cemetery was built by Louis Taillefert, a former head of the erstwhile United East Indian Company. The British exchanged the island of Sumatra, in Indonesia, for Chinsurah, with the Dutch in 1825. Thus ended the Dutch rule in Chinsurah or Chuchura but the Dutch Cemetery still stands and is a reminder of the golden days of the Dutch. The cemetery in Chinsurah is one of the oldest cemeteries in India and has about 45 graves. The cemetery is now maintained by ASI under the protection of ancient monuments and archaeological sites and remains of national importance.

The cemetery contains an assortment of graves scattered under the shade of the trees. The graves include .....

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Museum

#5 of 10 Places to Visit in Hooghly

At a distance of 7 km from Hooghly Railway Station, Chandannagar Museum is an old museum located in the Chandannagar suburb of Hooghly, West Bengal. Also known as Dupleix Palace, it is one of the oldest museums in West Bengal and among the best places to visit in Hooghly.

Chandannagar Museum or Institut de Chandernagore was established in Dupleix House, the erstwhile official residence of the French Governor of Chandannagar province. In pursuance of the Treaty of Cession of Chandernagore in 1951, a Cultural Institute was established in 1952 by the Government of India under the Ministry of External Affairs by the name, 'Museum and Art Gallery'. It preserves relics of the French colonial history of 250 years and symbolizes the shared heritage of both countries.

The Museum was set up with a core collection from the gifts of the antiquarian, Harihar Sett, the first President of the 'Free City of Chandernagore', a social reformer and philanthropist. He was rewarded Chevalier de .....

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Pilgrimage

#6 of 10 Places to Visit in Hooghly

At a distance of 49 km from Hooghly, Taraknath Temple is a famous Hindu shrine situated at Tarkeshwar in the Hooghly district of West Bengal. It is one of the popular places of pilgrimage in West Bengal and among the must-include places in Hooghly Tour Packages.

Also known as Tarakeshwar Temple, the Taraknath Temple is dedicated to Lord Taraknath, a violent (Ugra) form of Lord Shiva who drank venom (Vish) during Samudra-Manthan. According to the legend, the temple was built after a dream which led the mendicant brother of Raja Vishnu Das to discover a Linga in the jungles near Tarakeswar. Later, a small temple was built around the swayambhu linga (self-manifested) by the villagers. The present structure of the temple was built in 1729 by Raja Bharamalla.

The temple is built in central West Bengal style of temple architecture with features such as 'atchala' and 'natmandir'. The temple has four roofs above the sanctum sanctorum and extended galleries for the congregation of the .....

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Heritage | Pilgrimage

#7 of 10 Places to Visit in Hooghly

At a distance of 22 km from Tarakeshwar, and 50 km from Hooghly, Radha-Govind-Jiu Mandir is an ancient temple located at Antpur in Hooghly district of West Bengal. It is one of the beautiful terracotta temples in West Bengal and among the well-known Hooghly Tourist Places.

Sri Radhagovindjiu Temple is one of the Terracotta Temple in West Bengal and the most famous temple in Antpur. The temple was constructed in 1786 by Shri Krishna Ram Mitra, the Diwan of Bardhaman Raj. It has Chandi Mandap and Dol Mancha and both are beautifully crafted wood carvings and terracotta. The main sanctum sanctorum of the temple houses a black stone idol of Lord Krishna.

This 100 feet high temple has exquisite terracotta carvings depicting stories from all the 18 Puranas. While Radha and Krishna are predominant in the carvings, there is also the goddess Durga, whose worship had been revived in a big way by Nabakrishna Deb of Shovabazar Rajbari in 1757. Besides the main temple of Radhagovindjiu .....

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Pilgrimage

#8 of 10 Places to Visit in Hooghly

At a distance of 49 km from Bishnupur, and 90 km from Hooghly, Kamarpukur is a small hamlet in the Hooghly district of West Bengal. It is one of the popular religious places in West Bengal and among the prominent places to visit near Hooghly.

Kamarpukur is the birthplace of the great 19th-century Indian philosopher Sri Ramakrishna. He was born in 1836 in a poor Brahmin family. The holy hamlet attracts a massive number of devotees of Sri Ramakrishnan across the year and thus, over a period of time has become a site of pilgrimage. Kamarpukur Ramakrishna Math and temple was built in 1951 by the monks of Ramakrishna Mission and Ramakrishna Math. Designed by Nandala Basu, the opulent temple houses a marble statue of Sri Ramakrishna.

Apart from being a pilgrimage, the natural beauty and calmness of Kamarpukur attract thousands of solitude seeking tourists to this place round the year. Besides Ramakrishna Math, there are also many attractions in this place including the ancestral .....

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City | Heritage

#9 of 10 Places to Visit in Hooghly

At a distance of 8 km from Howrah, 133 km from Kharagpur, 167 km from Durgapur, 251 km from Balasore, 270 km from Dhanbad, 289 km from Jamshedpur, 424 km from Cuttack, 449 km from Bhubaneswar, 480 km from Gaya, 550 km from Siliguri and 579 km from Patna, Kolkata is the capital city of the West Bengal, India. Formerly known as Calcutta, it is the second-largest city in India after Mumbai and among the most popular tourist places to visit in West Bengal.

Fondly called as the 'City of Joy', Kolkata is a vibrant 350-year-old metropolis located on India's Eastern Coast and has retained its quintessential charm despite modernization. It holds an important place in the economy, politics, and culture of India. The city is associated with some of the greatest thinkers, artists, filmmakers, and writers like Rabindranath Tagore, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay and Satyajit Ray.

According to the historical evidence, .....

Distance (From Hooghly): 50 Kms
Trip Duration (From Hooghly - Including Travel): Full Day
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Heritage

#10 of 10 Places to Visit in Hooghly

At a distance of 35 km from Bankura, 50 km from Chhatna, 85 km from Kharagpur, 113 km from Purulia, 119 km from Hooghly, 136 km from Kolkata, 143 km from Barrackpore, 149 km from Jamshedpur, 163 km from Dhanbad, 187 km from Haldia, 216 km from Murshidabad, 565 km from Kurseong, Bishnupur is a small town located in Bankura district of West Bengal. Also called Vishnupur, it is one of the beautiful tourist destinations in India and among the famous heritage places to visit in West Bengal.

Bishnupur is famous among tourists, especially for its rich culture including architecture, music, and handicrafts. The history of Bishnupur dates back to 694 AD when King Raghunath I founded the Malla dynasty. The town is also referred to as Mallabhum, after the Malla dynasty, who once ruled this region for almost a thousand years. Bishnupur was the administrative capital under the reign of the Malla kings. It is believed that the town derives its name from the Hindu God, Vishnu as the Malla rulers .....

Distance (From Hooghly): 134 Kms
Trip Duration (From Hooghly - Including Travel): Full Day
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