Janbazar is the whole sale market area in central Kolkata.
Location of Janbazar
Janbazar is located in the Indian state of West Bengal.
History of Janbazaar
Janbazar has no popular history except there lies the palatial house of the noble lady of 18th century- Rani Rashmoni. The two century-old house of Rani Rashmoni, the central attraction in Janbazar, is still used by descendants in the family. After the victory in the Battle of Plassey (1757), the British East India Company decided to build new Fort William, in 1758. The native population shifted from Gobindapur mostly to Sutanuti. The European inhabitants of Kalikata gradually forsook the narrow limits of the old palisades and moved to around the Maidan. The civilians were not allowed to live within the new fort. The road from Chowringhee Road to Circular Road is about a mile long, was called Jan Bazar Road till the end of the 19th century. It was then renamed Corporation Street and was further renamed Surendranath Banerjee Road.
Geography of Janbazar
Janbazar is extended in the areas to the south of the Great Tank and to the east along Chowringhee Road were emerging as preferred haunts for the Englishmen. Thus, while Sutanuti emerged as the Black Town, the Esplanade and Chowringhee emerged as the White Town. Janbazar at that time became the place of religious faith and the concentration of noble people of Bengal. Janbazar was one of the thirty-one police stations in the earliest list of police stations in Kolkata, built in 1785. However, it vanished after a reorganisation.
Electricity in Janbazar
Electricity came in Janbazar at the very first era. In olden days, Kolkata streets had oil lamps. Then came the gas lamp and electricity. For sometime there was a tussle between gas lamps and electricity. In 1914, high-powered Keith lamps of 1,000 candle power were fixed on Corporation Street, and Chowringhee Road. Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation bore the cost to demonstrate the advantage of electricity.
Attractions in Janbazar
Janbazar has many attractions like Rani Rashmani House, wholesale markets and the churches of Methodists and Catholics. The most famous resident of Janbazar was Rani Rashmoni"s. She married at the age of 11 to Raj Chandra Das, the zamindar of Janbazar, she constructed Dakshineshwar Kali Temple and engaged in frequent philanthropic activities.
