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Read More on South Park Street Cemetery
History
The Park Street Cemetery, which first opened its doors in 1767, was one of the world's first non-church cemeteries and, at the time, the largest Christian cemetery outside of Europe and America. During the colonial times in Calcutta, the cemetery served as a burial ground for European expatriates. After an enormous new cemetery named the Lower Circular Road Cemetery was established nearby in the year 1840, Europeans began to abandon it in the year 1790. The Archaeological Survey of India has declared it a heritage site (ASI).
The cemetery was named after 'Park Street,' which was named after Sir Elijah Impey's private deer park erected around Vansittart's garden home. The enclosure, which spans eight acres, has 1600 tombs of many prominent European people from the regal era. The most notable tombs are those of 'Rose Aylmer,' the poet Walter Savage Landor's favorite, Henry Louis Vivian Derozio, the founder of the Young Bengal Movement who lived an eventful life for only 22 years, Charles Dickens' son, Sir William Jones, founder of the Asiatic Society, Calcutta in 1796, David Drummond, C. F. Andrews, and Michael Madhusudan Dutta, the illustr With large shady trees and many gorgeous flowers, the scenery is quaint and serene.
Architecture
The mausoleums and memorials are aesthetically stunning and reflect the colonial era's grandeur. The gravestones' architecture is a blend of Gothic and Indo-Saracenic styles. The tombs are square, rectangular, or round and are primarily composed of sandstone. The tombs' architectural designs include Romanesque cupolas, Grecian urns, pyramids, obelisks, cairns, and sarcophagi, among other classic European forms. The sarcophagi are constructed in a distinct Hindu style, with black basalt sculptures on the frontal fascia resembling small versions of Orissan 'Rekha deal.
Activities
- People go there to hang out with friends or family members, as they can also visit the graves of their loved ones.
- You can also go there to have a good time looking at the beautiful view.
- Photography is allowed, so you can also get some good clicks.
Tips for visiting
- Do not be there after the closing time, as there are stories of the area being haunted.
- It is recommended not to touch anything inside the cemetery that is related to the dead people.
- Early morning visits are very soothing and relaxing.
Best time to visit
Most people recommend going to the cemetery between 12 pm and 1 pm. It will take you about 1 hour to complete roaming around the whole cemetery. Avoid going to the cemetery at night, acc. to some stories it is unsafe at tonight to visit here.
Nearby Atractions
- Mother Teresa House
- Belur Math
- Gallery Kolkata
- Scottish Cemetery
- Birla Temple
Nearby market/ shopping places
- Vardaan market: It is an expensive indoor market where you can get almost everything.
- Newmarket Kolkata: This is a wholesale market, also where you will be able to get daily household items to clothes and other useful things.
- Satyanarayan Park AC Market: It is a shopping mall and indoor market to buy clothes and other jewelry goods.
- Simpark Mall: It is an underground mall with parking facilities where you can get good brands at fewer prices.
Nearby Hotels
- Hotel Platinum
- Hotel Capella
- Hotel Diamond Suites
- Town House Oak Kzar Select
- Hotel Park Victoria
Interesting Facts About South Park Street Cemetery
- It's a well-kept secret tucked away among the larger attractions, and you'd never see it unless you were looking for it.
- This gothic cemetery was founded in the 18th century and served as a resting place for British servicemen and their families. However, after a few decades, it was shut down.
- Thousands of people visit this cemetery each year, even though it no longer accepts the dead, and many believe it is haunted.
