The French Connection

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The largest concentration of colonial building is along the Hooghly, grandly named as The Strand. As you walk along the riverside, you can’t help but notice how well-maintained and beautiful that entire promenade is.

Just off The Strand is the Sacred Heart Church, built in the late 19th century to provide spiritual solace to French traders. It is one of the prime attractions of Chandernagore. You will be greeted by a statue of St Peter with a rooster at the entrance to the two storied church complete with twin towers. Although the exterior has bits of plaster sticking on like scabs, the interior has beautiful stained-glass windows glowing with bright red, blue and yellow.

As you walk further along the river, stop at a handsome cream-coloured building that was once home of the French governor and has been turned into Indo-French Cultural Centre and Museum now. Wander about freely, gazing at the motley collection of maps, models and furniture. Although the condition of the museum looks despondent, yet the artefacts on display there will give you a peek into the fascinating and turbulent past of Chandernagore.

The old four-poster bed, the run-down sofas, the pretty crockery, the odd statues and lithographs – all mute witnesses to another era – look shabby, yet stolid and proud. The museum’s timings are from 11 am to 5.30 pm, it remains shut on Thursdays and Saturdays.