Rabindra Sarani

In maps of the British East India Company, the road from Halisahar to the jungles of Chowringhee in the Bengal Presidency^[3] was referred to as the "Pilgrim path", as devotees used this route to reach Kalighat. The road served as the lifeline of the newly established city of Calcutta under the Company. In 1756, during the Siege of Calcutta, the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj ud-Daulah, entered the city through this route.^[4] Around 1792, a map prepared by Upjohn referred to it as the "Road to Chitpur". The road was later divided into two sections: Upper and Lower Chitpur Road.^[2] The southern portion of the road was later separated and renamed Bentinck Street.^[5] After the independence of India in 1947, a portion of the road was renamed to the present name in honor of the country's national poet, Rabindranath Tagore.^[6]

The street and its surrounding areas contain several historic landmarks. At the entrance to Nandarama Sen Street on the left side of the street stands the Atchala Temple, whose architectural style dates back to the eighteenth century. To the west of the street is Govindaram’s Temple.^[7] In 1828, Raja Ram Mohan Roy founded the Brahmo Sabha here, which later evolved into the Adi Brahmo Samaj, a hindu religious sect.^[6] At house number 279, known as the Clock House, the Calcutta National Theatrical Society initiated stage drama in Kolkata, and in 1872, Bengali play Nil Darpan was performed there.^[8] The Nakhoda Mosque, built in the style of Akbar's tomb,^[9] and Jorasanko Thakur Bari, the birthplace of Rabindranath Tagore, are located near this street. In fact, it predates the city of Kolkata itself.^[3]