A legacy of Portuguese settlement in Bangal | A complete tour guide Bandel Church or Basilica of the Holy Rosary, Hooghly, West Bengal

The name suggested a Bandel, came from the Bengali word Bandar which means "Port" in English. Since it is the port of Hooghly when the Portuguese arrived following my Mughals. Bandel Church (Basilica) and Monastery was the only relic of Portugues Settlement on the banks of the Hooghly river. The present church and monastery are said to be built in 1660 by Gomez de Soto having the keystone of the old church bearing the date 1599 over the eastern gate of the monastery. Center of Attraction is a tall ship mast that was placed in front of the church by the captain of a vessel that had encountered a storm in the Bay of Bengal and saved by the grace of Virgin Marry. There is a statue of "One lady of Happy Voyage" in the middle of the church. 

There are three altars, a small organ, and several tombstones. Pope II has declared the Bandel Church as Basilica in 1988. Now it is a functional parish church attached to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Culcutta.

The church has been made some restoration work by Government in late 2015, it has revitalized the look of the church. It is a spectacular Church with grand doors, beautiful chandeliers, and colored windows in the church.

History of Portugues arrived in Bengal

Portuguese arrived in Bengal in 1535, after Vasco Da Gama arrived in India in 1498. Initially, Portuguese started their trade from Saptagram (or Satgaon presently North of Kolkata) which is situated on the bank of the Saraswati river (a distributary of the Bhagirathi active during the time of 16th Century AD). But in 1575, Akbar the then Mughal emperor had allowed the Portuguese to settle near Hooghly river as the river Saraswati dried up due to silting. 
The Portuguese have taken permission from Emperor Akbar and began to preach Christianity which led to the construction of the Church in 1599 in Bandel due to increasing in the followers. The church was named as Church of the Holy Rosary.

Portugues are barbaric and do their trade by force. They have started robbing, forcing Bengali into Christianity, and sold women and children as slaves by the end of the 16th century. When it came to notice of Emperor Shah Jahan, he attached the Hooghly port by sending an army under the command of Qasim Khan Juvayni Nawab, the Governor of Bengal in 1632. During the capture about 10000 men and women are slew and many drove out from the town. During the war, four priests are killed out of five priests.

How to travel to Bandel

Bandel can be reached by train as well as by road. It is very easily accessed by train. There are very frequent local trains from Sealdah Railway Station and Howrah Railway Station. The Bandel Church is about 2 km from the railway station. Once you arrived at the station you can hop into a Toto or auto just outside from the station. The fare is INR 10 - 20 per person. The auto and Toto are easily available back from Church to Railway Station. The price of a train ticket is INR 20-25 per person from Sealdah Railway Station and INR 15 - 20 from Howrah Railway Station.
The easiest way to travel to Bandel by road from Kolkata is via Benaras Road and Delhi Road. It is 1 hour and 45 minutes drive approx.

Inside the Bandel Church

Apart from three alters, an organ, and several tombs, the church has an age-old spectacular Sun Dial built-in 1860. Inside the church, there is a clock tower which was brought in the year 1852 for Rs. 11700 from M/S BLACK & HURRAY Co, Big Ben, London.

There is a huge Sunday service from 6:30 am in the morning followed by main feasts. You can check their Mass timings throughout the year on their website. The masses are delivered in Hindi, Bengali, English, and the Santhali language.

What you can do during your visit to Bandel?

As you will be traveling to Bandel Church, it is a very ideal place to search for peace and rejuvenate yourself from the hassle and bustle of city life. You can visit the church enjoy the serenity of peace inside the premises and can also attend the mass if you come on Sunday. The place has a small museum cum showroom for artificates during Portuegue time.

If you have enough time at hand you can also visit the Imambara of Hooghly just across the river Hooghly and 2 km from the Church. The Imambara is a Shia Muslim congregation hall and mosque. It was constructed by Muhammad Mohsin started in 1841 and completed in 1861. 

You can enjoy a beautiful evening by the river Hooghly and have a wonderful family time with your keen.

When to go?

You can visit Bandel any time of the year. For times you can check the website of the church. During the winter thousands of pilgrims come from all over West Bengal and other places to do a Bandel Walk that takes 12-15 hours; considered as a sacred pilgrimage.