The capital of West Bengal, Calcutta, renamed recently as Kolkata, lies on the Hoogly distributary of the Ganges. Its close proximity to the river and sea developed it as a major commercial center. Calcutta does not have a history that stretches back to the distant past

like the cities of Benaras, Jaipur, Delhi, as the city grew with the development of the British Raj in Bengal.

But not long back Calcutta finds mention in the Ain-I-Akbari, written by Akbar's Prime Minister Abul Fazal. It was an imperial Jagir and its zamindari rights were conferred upon Savarna Roy Choudhuri family of Barisha by Jahangir. Job Charnock, as the agent of the East India Company, in the year 1690, chose this place for a British trade settlement. Following a local dispute with the representative of the Mughal Emperor in Bengal, Charnock was forced to retreat downriver. Soon by the initiative of English East India Company the zamindari rights of the three villages, Sutanuti, Gobindapur, Kalikata were transfered to the Co. from Savarna Roy Choudhury on 8th Nov.1698 for Rs.1300/-. These three villages became the core of Calcutta. Calcutta just before the British came was nothing but a village while the capital of Bengal was Murshidabad, around 60 miles north of Calcutta.

Battle of Plassey and the beginning of 200yr British rule in India :
With the coming of the British, Bengal became fairly urbanized and commercialized. Indigenous traders along with the foreign commercial companies were engaged in trade and commerce in Calcutta. In fact in the 18th century, through trade and monopolistic control over markets, allowed the British and their Indian collaborators to amass vast fortunes. It was this money which financed the expansion of Calcutta.It was in 1740, to protect themselves from the Maratha raids the British took permission from Nawab Alivardi Khan to dig a trench around Fort William. Alivardi died in 1756 and was succeeded by his grandson, Siraj-ud-Daula. At that time the Anglo-French rivalry was in full swing. Anticipating another round of Anglo-French struggle in Europe and its extension to India, the English had begun to strengthen the fortification of Fort William and mounted guns on its walls.


This enraged the Nawab as it was done without his consent. Siraj-ud-Daula protested and ultimately attacked Fort William. Fort William was besieged on 15th June 1756 and the British surrendered after a feeble resistance of five days. Calcutta was renamed as 'Alivardi' and it was placed under the charge of Manik Chand. But he was bribed and he surrendered Calcutta to the English after a show of resistance. In February 1757, the Nawab made peace with the English official, Robert Clive by the treaty of Alinagar, restoring to the English their former privileges of trade, granting permission to fortify Calcutta and promising for the compensation for the losses suffered by the English. On 23rd June 1757, the battle of Plassey took place where we see bribery, fraud, worthlessness, treachery and betrayal of one's own Motherland. This battle made the beginning of the nearly 200 year long British rule over India.