Portuguese

The state of West Bengal opens up a Pandora’s Box of cultural delights that testify the state’s rich history. The state, which was once ruled, by the Palas, Pundras, Senas as well as the Mughals was also a Portuguese colony. The foreign traders who arrived in Bengal found its location conducive to trade and commerce and thus tried to establish control over the province.

Hugli City lying on the western banks of the Hugli River was launched by the Portuguese traders way back in the 16th century. Before the Portuguese settlement came up here Hugli was a picturesque and bucolic village on the right banks of the mighty Bhagirathi River. It was here that the Portuguese ships and vessels would conduct their maritime trade and sell Hijli salt.

May 1578 was a landmark occasion in the history of Hugli, an erstwhile ganj. A team of foreigners led by Peodro Tavares sought Emperor Akbar’s permission to establish a Portuguese colony in Bengal. Akbar being a benevolent believer in all religions readily agreed and even conceded to their desire for practicing their own religion and building their own churches and cathedrals.

As corollary to this, Hugli came up as a Portuguese colony in 1579 AD. The legendary Augustinian monastery was built in Hugl’s Bandel, a distortion of the term Bandar or port. The port also attained the status of porto piqueno meaning small port in Portuguese and became one of the busing centers of thriving maritime trade. Large ships and vessels and cargoes from India, China, Malacca and Manila would arrive here stuffed with goods. Traders from India, Mongolia, Persia and Armenia would flock in the town’s premises in order to sell their wares.

The advent of the Portuguese in Hugli changed the fate of the place from an inconspicuous village to a bustling industrial hub.