The Curzon Gate is a prominent landmark in

Bardhaman Bardhaman (, ), officially Bardhaman Sadar, is a city and municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of Purba Bardhaman district, having become a district capital during the period of British rule. Burdwan, an a ...

city in

Purba Bardhaman district Purba Bardhaman district is in the Indian state of West Bengal. Its headquarters is in Bardhaman. It was formed on 7 April 2017 after the division of the previous Bardhaman district. Great revolutionary Rash Behari Bose was born in village Suba ...

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is located at the crossing of Bijoy Chand Road and

Grand Trunk Road Grand Trunk Road (formerly known as Uttarapath, Sadak-e-Azam, Shah Rah-e-Azam, Badshahi Sadak, and Long Walk) is one of Asia's oldest and longest major roads. For at least 2,500 years it has linked Central Asia to the Indian subcontinent. It r ...

History

It was built in 1902/1903, on the occasion of the coronation of Maharaja Bijay Chand Mahatab as ruler of the

Bardhaman Raj The Bardhaman Raj (, ), also known as Burdwan Raj, was a ''zamindari'' Raja estate that flourished between 1657 and 1955 in the Indian state of West Bengal. Maharaja Sangam Rai Kapoor, a Punjabi Khatri from Kotli mahalla in Lahore, Punjab, who ...

. The gate is located on the

. The former royal palace is located 1 km from the gate. The pomp and grandeur of Lord Curzon’s visit to Bardhaman in 1904 established the name of the gate as Curzon Gate. The gate arch is supported by eight circular columns. Three female figurines, with swords, boats, and sheaves of corn in their hands, on the arch signify progress in agriculture and commerce. There are twenty-one circles with twenty-one illustrations at the top portion of the gate. Due to presence of stars in the gate it was initially named 'Star Of India' when it was built. The structure was constructed by masons from Italy. After the Bardhaman Raj was incorporated into the newly independent India, the gate was referred to as Bijoy Toran, but it is still popularly known as Curzon Gate, with the Bengali pronunciation – Karjon Gate. Since 1974, the gate has been maintained by the Public Works Department of the Government of West Bengal.

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Bardhaman Gates in India Tourist attractions in Purba Bardhaman district