Chandannagar City Map Poster

About Chandannagar

In 1599, Portuguese sailor Fernão Pires de Andrade sailed through the Hooghly River and set up a trading post in Chuttel near Chandannagar. The French were able to capture this town when they conquered Bengal in 1757. They wanted to develop it as an alternative base for trade with India, since their main base at Pondicherry was far inland and susceptible to attack from the British navy. In 1765, the French official Monsieur Raymond Caleau established himself at Chandernagore and built his residence on "Rue Royale". The area soon became a commercial centre for European merchants of all nationalities (French, Dutch & English). Amongst these was Robert Clive who spent several years here before he moved on to establish Calcutta further north; one of his daughters married into a local family still resident there today. During this time period it is estimated that around 4000 Europeans resided in Chandernagore making about ₹50 lakhs worth of business annually.