City Durga Puja depicts Kolkata’s untold history
The Statesman | 23 September 2025The evolution of Kolkata has been portrayed through art, models and charts. The deed of Kolkata, the high court order, which stated that Job Charnock was not the founder of Kolkata, will be on display.
A report in The Statesman in August 1998, quoting the Deed of Kolkata between the East India Company and the descendants of Sabarna Roy Chowdhury, drew the attention of people. A case was filed in the high court and the court on 16 May, 2003 passed an order which stated that Charnock was not the founder of the city. Charnock died in 1694 and the deed between the descendants of Sabarna Roy Chowdhury and Sir Charles Eyre, Charnock’s son-in-law, who represented the East India Company, was signed in November 1698.
There will be idols of Ma Durga and Kali in the pandal as Kolkata is the place where Goddess Kali is worshipped. It was called Kalikhetra.
Devarshi Roy Chaudhuri, curator of Sabarna Sangrahasala and secretary of Sarbarna Roy Chowdhury Paribar Parishad said over the years there had been a myth that Charnock had set up Kolkata in 1690. The city’s tercentenary was observed in 1990. Later, the family got hold of the original deed of Kolkata, which was signed by the descendants of Sarbarna Roy Chowdhury and the East India Company. Charnock was a tenant of the descendants of Sabarna Roy Chowdhury.
Lakshikanta Roy Chowdhury got tax free jagirdari from Emperor Shah Jahan in 1608. He started Durga Puja in 1610. The area spread from Halisahar to Diamond Harbour.
He said before the Battle of Plassey in 1757 Armenians, Portuguese used to do business with the native traders. There were two ports Sutaluti in north Kolkata and Gobindapur in south Kolkata which was a private port. Sutaluti port was a vibrant port.
