Choong Ye Thong, Chinese Church (Temple), Calcutta (Kolkata)

July 31, 2013 Rangan Datta 18 comments

Choong Ye Tong, Chinese Church (Temple)

Meredith Street, Calcutta (Kolkata)

Also see: My blog post on Calcutta (Kolkata) Chinatown

Alter of Choong Ye Thong Chinese Church (Temple), Calcutta (Kolkata)

I was welcomed into a small courtyard, with walls lined with sepia tinted photographs bound in ornate frames. Flights of stairs led me to the the second floor housing a small hermitage housing beautiful images of unknown Gods and Goddess. Yes this is the Choong Ye Tong, Chinese Church (Temple), one of the seven Chinese Temples of Central Calcutta.

TESTIMONIAL – I

August 10, 2011 Rangan Datta 1 comment

Testimonial

From Prof. Tirthankar Roy,

Economic History Dept.

THE LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

AND POLITICAL SCIENCE (LSE)

Six of my photos were selected for publication by Prof. Tirthankar Roy of the Economic History Dept. of the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) for his book titled “India in the World Economy” published by the Cambridge University Press.

Below is a testimonial from Prof. Roy

Testimonial from Prof. Tirthankar Roy, Economic History Dept., London School of Economics and Political Science

Here is the list of the selected six photos:

Radhagobinda Temple, Aatpur (Antpur)
Panel of European soldiers from Radhagobinda Temple, Aatpur (Antpur)
Rajrajeshwar Temple, Darhawata
Panel of Ship from Rajrajeshwar Temple, Darhawata
Nanking Restaurant & Tong On Church, Calcutta (Kolkata)
Abandoned Light House, Kulpi

PHOTOS OF AATPUR (ANTPUR)

Left: Radhagobinda Temple, Aatpur (Antpur). Right: Panel of European Soldiers

Built in 1786 Krishnaram Mitra, the Dewan of Maharaja of Burdwan, constructed the huge Radhagobinda Temple. The towering aat – chala temple has a triple arched entrance and the entire front face is covered with the finest terracotta. The temple was constructed during an important transition period of Bengal history. This period marked the end of Muslim rule and the beginning of European era. The terracotta panels reflect this transition. Apart from traditional panels showing images of Gods & Goddesses, scenes from Ramayana & Krishnalila it also houses a vast number of panels showing European lifestyles. European soldiers with bayonet mounted guns and hunting scenes with dogs are abundant on the walls of the temple.

PHOTOS OF DARHAWTA

Left: Rajrajeshwar Temple, Darhawta. Right: Panel of ship

The Rajrajeshwar Temple of Darhawta was constructed in 1728 by Apurbamohan Singaroy. The base of the aat – chala (eight sloped roof) temple measures 24 feet by 21 feet and has a triple arched entrance. The entire front surface have intricate terracotta, but sadly most of these panels have been heavily damaged. The base panels consists of images of boats and ships.

PHOTO OF ABANDONED LIGHT – HOUSE, KULPI

Abandoned Light House, Kalitala, Kulpi

The abandoned light house at Kalitala village is approached from the Sam Bose bus stop in Kulpi (near Diamond Harbour) by the Military road. The unpaved road, of about 3 km, is called locally as the Military Road but their are no concrete historical evidences of the origin of the name. Today the abandoned light house is reduced to half its original height and is located at the edge of the agricultural field. The light house is located quiet a distance from the Hooghly River and is separated from the river by a series of brick kiln.

With a circumference of about 10 feet the light house today towers to a height of about 25 feet and is built with bricks measuring 10.2 X 4.7 X 2.3 cubic inch. The structure lies in utter neglect and is totally overgrown with vegetation. The roots of the vegetation have embedded them deep in the structure and resulted in deep cracks stretching the entire length of the structure, it is a mystery that the structure still stands.

PHOTO OF NANKING RESTAURANT

Nanking Restaurant & Tong On Chinese Temple

At the Chattawalla Guli of of Tiretta Bazar of Central Calcutta (Kolkata) lies a elegant two storied building. The ground floor once housed the Nanking Restaurant. Opened in 1924 the Nanking Restaurant is the oldest Chinese restaurant in Calcutta (Kolkata) and also in India. The first floor housed the Tong On Chinese Temple.

A property dispute in 1980s closed both the restaurant and the temple and they remain closed to this day, denying the Calcuttans of their authentic Chinese food. The Tong On Church operates from a nearby house in Bow Street in Bou Bazar.

References:

Aatpur: