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| Wednesday , May 22 , 2013 |

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Serampore

A little corner of Denmark

<p class="p1">The Government House of Frederiksnagar, first built in 1771, was the official residence of a succession of Danish heads from year 1755 to 1845. This is the focus of the restoration efforts undertaken by the West Bengal Heritage Commission at Serampore with technical advice from the Danish National Museum.</p> <span class='photographer'>THE TELEGRAPH/Sanat Kumar Sinha</span>

<p class="p1">The main building of Serampore College, on The Strand, facing the Hooghly. The college was founded in 1818 by the famous English missionary William Carey and two others at a time when Serampore was a Danish colony, Fredericksnagar. It is run by the Serampore College Council with a theological faculty, as well as a secular faculty affiliated to the University of Calcutta. It is one of the buildings that still serves its original purpose. The imported cast iron gate is in need of repair. </p> <span class='photographer'>THE TELEGRAPH/Sanat Kumar Sinha</span>

<p class="p1">The Baptist Mission Cemetery. Here lie William Carey and much of his family, as well as Joshua Marshman and William Ward, the founders of Serampore College. Their monuments have recently been restored by the INTACH, but the cemetery is  in need of further restoration. </p> <span class='photographer'>THE TELEGRAPH/Sanat Kumar Sinha</span>

<p class="p1">The Danish cemetery at Serampore, which is today looked after by the Archaeological Survey of India.This is also one of the projects proposed by the Danish National Museum.</p> <span class='photographer'>THE TELEGRAPH/Sanat Kumar Sinha</span>

<p class="p1">The notice on the columns of St Olav's Church in Serampore, which was closed in 2010 because of its dilapidated condition. The Danish National Museum has undertaken a project to restore the church, which was built in 1805. It is owned by the Calcutta Dioscesan Trust Association, headed by the Bishop of Calcutta. The main congregation is from the theological faculty of Serampore College, but the local Church of North India  congregation has also been using it on major holidays.</p> <span class='photographer'>THE TELEGRAPH/Sanat Kumar Sinha</span>

<p class="p1">The main gateway to the Serampore Court compound, which houses the Government House of Frederiksnagar, the residence of the Danish head of station (often referred to as governor) of the time. The court was built after Independence and is a typical PWD monstrosity.</p> <span class='photographer'>THE TELEGRAPH/Sanat Kumar Sinha</span>

<p class="p1">The Catholic church at Serampore, built in 1776, within the area of what was the Danish colony. The church building has been maintained well, and is today a home for mentally challenged people. There is no congregation.</p> <span class='photographer'>THE TELEGRAPH/Sanat Kumar Sinha</span>

<p class="p1">A pond in the Government House complex at Serampore is also being restored by the district administration. The area around it will be beautified. In the distance can be seen the spire of St Olav's Church.</p> <span class='photographer'>THE TELEGRAPH/Sanat Kumar Sinha</span>

<p class="p1">The Serampore Subsidiary Correctional Home was always a jail, built in 1803. The Danish National Museum has also recommended the restoration of this building.</p> <span class='photographer'>THE TELEGRAPH/Sanat Kumar Sinha</span>

<p class="p1">The ruins of a mansion belonging to a prosperous Bengali Christian family,which has moved to Calcutta. This is another such building that the Danish team wants to help restore.</p> <span class='photographer'>THE TELEGRAPH/Sanat Kumar Sinha</span>

<p class="p1">The gates of a jute mill built by the British on the banks of the Hooghly at Serampore in the early 20th century. On the right can be seen the officers’ quarters. The mill is still functional. Although it was not part of the Danish colony,the mill is among the important heritage buildings at Serampore.</p> <span class='photographer'>THE TELEGRAPH/Sanat Kumar Sinha</span>

<p class="p1">The ruins of a Raashmancha where festivals associated with Lord Krishna were celebrated, possibly by the Goswami family of Serampore, in the 19th Century. This building, its facade hemmed in by small shops, is right on the banks of the Hoogly.</p> <span class='photographer'>THE TELEGRAPH/Sanat Kumar Sinha</span>

<p class="p1">Bente Wolff (left) and Flemming Aalund admire a baptismal font inside the St Olav's Church. Behind Aalund are the rows of pews. The church has been closed since 2010 after structural damage made it unsafe.</p> <span class='photographer'>THE TELEGRAPH/Sanat Kumar Sinha</span>

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