Guptipara And Chandannager

In the village of Guptipara we visited an 18th century mansion and two shrines devoted to the worship of the fearsome Kali, an incarnation of the Hindu destroyer deity Shiva. At Kali temples bulls and goats are sacrificed. Our last stop in the village was a place where clay pottery is hand made on the wheel. The former French-run town of Chandannager - which was returned to Indian sovereignty in 1952 - has some buildings left from the French occupation of the trading post. There is a "Grand Promenade" along side the Hooghly (Ganges) river. It's the only promenade we've ever seen with cows freely walking along the sidewalk. The former French Governor's residence has been turned into a museum, and has some interesting maps, Indian art, French 19th century furniture and many other dusty artifacts. Finally, before returning to the ship we visited the Roman Catholic Church built in 1875; today there are 120 Catholic Families in the town. - Dan