In pictures: In search of another Eden in the heart of Kolkata
The Eden Gardens, a park that houses a Burmese pagoda and a small lake, is near the Maidan
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My Kolkata Web Desk |
Published 01.07.22, 06:48 PM
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The entrance to the Eden Gardens, one of the oldest parks of Kolkata which came into existence around 1842. The cricket stadium named after the park, which would eventually eclipse the park’s fame, was built in 1864.
Arijit Sen/ My Kolkata
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A prettily decorated pagoda imported from Burma is one of the crowd favourites inside the garden. After the Anglo-Burmese war in 1854, the multi-tiered tower was removed from Burma and then re-erected here in 1856.
Arijit Sen/ My Kolkata
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This pagoda was built in Prome in Myanmar, then known as Burma, as a specimen of Tazoungs architecture.
Arijit Sen/ My Kolkata
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The pagoda was taken to India after Lord Dalhousie, governor-general of India from 1848 to 1856, visited Burma in 1853. Within the pagoda was an image of Buddha at that time.
Arijit Sen/ My Kolkata
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The pagoda was shipped to erstwhile Calcutta, the second city of the Raj, piece by piece and reassembled inside the garden over a period of three months — October, November and December in 1856 — by Burmese artisans.
Arijit Sen/ My Kolkata
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Intricate wood carvings and statues of mythological creatures can be seen all around the pagoda whose reflection can be seen in the adjacent lake.
Arijit Sen/ My Kolkata
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The statue of a mythological creature near the pagoda.
Arijit Sen/ My Kolkata
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Surrounded by greenery, a small lake lies within the park. There is a small bridge over the waterbody.
Arijit Sen/ My Kolkata
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Lord Auckland, the governor-general of India from 1836-1842, had ordered the construction of this pleasure ground. The garden has been named after his sisters, Emily and Fanny Eden. The entire project was executed by civil architect Captain Fitzgerald.
Arijit Sen/ My Kolkata
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A fountain inside the garden, which is now managed by the West Bengal forest department.
Arijit Sen/ My Kolkata
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Visitors at the garden.
Arijit Sen/ My Kolkata
In view of the rising Covid-19 cases in West Bengal, it is advisable not to venture out without masks in public places.
