Some information on Prinsep Ghat

Prinsep Ghat

( Some information on Prinsep Ghat )

Calcutta is the capital of culture. There is so much history, so much architecture, so many traditions spread all over the city of Kolkata. The historical monuments here continue to carry the memory of the old Calcutta.  Princep Ghat built on the banks of the Ganga is such a historical monument.

Today we will learn about Princep Ghat.

Princep Ghat is a British-era ghat on the banks of the Hooghly River in Kolkata. Princep Ghat is located between the Water Gate and St. George's Gate of Fort William Fort.  It was built in 1841 on the orders of the then British Chancellor Lord Edinburgh and named after the Anglo-Indian historian James Prinsep. Built during the British era, the nearly 200-year-old ghat is located on the banks of the Hooghly River in Kolkata.  There is a memorial near the ghat.

The memorial has been built with a huge area. There is a large open space in front of the monument covered with green grass. A mother and baby elephant are enshrined in this place. James Prinsep's mausoleum or memorial is a wonderful blend of beauty with an exquisite architecture. The place is very clean. Hanging Vidyasagar Setu or Second Hooghly Bridge is built around the monument. A railway line falls a little further from here. Chakrarail runs on this line. The Chakrarail station here is also called "Princep Ghat".

Does the question arise in the mind who is this James Prinsep? Why is the monument built in his name?

Now we will know who is James Prinsep.

On September 15, 1819, a young man named James Prinsep landed at Chandpal Ghat from England at the age of 20. He was appointed as Assay Master at Calcutta Mint. Hence his entry into this city.

James Prinsep was born on 20 August 1799 in England. James Prinsep, the seventh of ten children born to father John Prinsep (1746 - 1830) and mother Sophia Elizabeth Orion (1760 - 1850), was the most accomplished. John Prinsep arrived in India penniless in 1771 and established himself as one of the indigo makers. He returned to England in 1787 as an East Indian merchant with a fortune of forty thousand pounds.

James Prinsep's early education mr. Beginning at a school in Clifton run by Bullock, James was educated by his older brothers. However, James studied architecture under August Pugin due to his talent for drawing and various mechanical inventions. But when his father learned that a department for metallurgy was to be opened at the Indian Mint, he sent James to train for two years (1818–1819) as an assistant to Robert Bingley, metallurgist at the Royal Mint in London, teaching him chemistry.

James went to the Varanasi Mint under the guidance of his senior assayer at the Calcutta Mint, the eminent Orientalist Horace Hammen Wilson. He worked there till the mint was closed in 1830 AD. He later moved back to Calcutta and in 1932, when Wilson resigned (in place of Wilson's nominee, James Atkinson), James became metallurgical assayer.

He did many scientific studies while working as a metallurgist. He devised a way to accurately measure the temperature of furnaces. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society after his writings on its technique were published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London in 1828. He suggested the possibility of visual pyrometric measurements using a calibrated series of mica plates as well as the thermal expansion of platinum. But for practical applications he suggested putting mixtures of platinum, gold and silver in a cup or crucible and observing their melting. He also invented a pyrometer that measured the expansion of a small amount of air placed in a gold bulb. In 1833 he proposed reforms in Indian weights and measures. He advocated the issuance of a uniform currency based on the East India Company's new silver money. He developed a precise and sensitive weighing instrument.

This is the introduction of James Prinsep, now the question must be raised in the mind that why James Prinsep is so famous and why a monument has been built for him?

James Prinsep's rise to fame is due to his incredible achievements at such a young age. Instances of one man being able to master so many things are rare in history. He has contributed a lot in the field of calligraphy, linguistics, Asiatic Society of Bengal, numismatics, cartography etc. in India. Now I will know about all the details one by one

-: Architecture :-

James Prinsep had a keen interest in architecture and placed many monuments in Varanasi.  He is the architect of the new mint building as well as St Mary's Church in Varanasi.  He was the rescuer of Aurangzeb's mosque besides various monuments in Benares.  In 1830 AD he published a book - 'Views and Illustrations of Benares' - which he painted on both sides of the Ganges while sailing from Calcutta to Varanasi.  Also painted a watercolor illustration of Varanasi festivals.  It was sent to London in 1822 and a series of drawings called Benares Illustrated was published between 1830 and 1832.  He helped drain stagnant lakes and designed an arched tunnel to improve sanitation in densely populated areas of Varanasi, and built a stone bridge over the Karnasha river.  When he moved to Calcutta, his brother Captain Thomas Prinsep of the Bengal Engineers began cutting a canal to connect the Hooghly River with the Sundarbans, but James Prinsep finished the unfinished work after his brother's sudden death.

-: Mudrashastra :-

James Prinsep's interest in coins is the greatest. He deciphered and analyzed the coins of the Bactrian and Kushan periods, as well as the "punch-marked" or stamped coins of the Gupta period, as well as the coins of Indian currency. Prinsep proposed three levels of coinage: minted, embossed and molded. Prinsep also reported on native punch-marked coins, noting that they were better known in eastern India.

-: Asiatic Society of Bengal :-

In 1829, an astronomer named Captain James D. Herbert started publishing a series of journals called Gleanings in Science. The journal was edited by James Prince when Captain Herbert joined the court astronomer of the King of Oudh in 1830 AD and James himself was the main author. In 1832, when he succeeded Horace Hammen Wilson as Secretary of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Prinsep became the founding editor of the journal and published many articles on chemistry, mineralogy, numerology and Indian archaeology. He was very interested in weather monitoring and tabulation of observations and analysis of meteorological data received from all over the country. He worked on barometers to measure humidity and atmospheric pressure. He edited the journal until he fell ill in 1838. Later he left India and returned to England where he died. A detailed description of the data with many figures was published in the journal.

-: Deciphering Brahmi Script :-

Due to Prinsep's work as editor of the Journal of the Asiatic Society, copies of coins and inscriptions were sent to him from all over India to extract their texts, to be published after translation.

The first successful attempt at deciphering the Brahmi script was made in 1836 by the Norwegian scholar Christian Lassen, who correctly identified several Brahmi characters on the bilingual Greek-Brahmi coins of the Indo-Greek king Agathocles and Pantaleon. But deciphering the Brahmi script and uncovering many mysteries of ancient Indian history was James Prinsep's crowning achievement of a decade.

James Prinsep was inspired by the influence of Horace Hamen Wilson to study Indian studies. His major contribution was the decipherment of the Ashoka script. 1836–-38 includes inscriptions from various places at various times. These scripts are mainly found in Delhi and Allahabad pillars and Kharosthi script on coins and inscriptions of north-west India. The Asoka Inscriptions of Girna, which he deciphered in Gujarat, contained references to Greek kings Antiochus and Ptolemy of Egypt. This script is the proof of how wide the human geography of India was during Ashoka's period. Compilation of Indian Manuscripts - Concept of "Corpus Insilinkum Indicarum" by James Prinsep. Later in 1877 Sir Alexander Cunningham officially started this work. Princespe's research and writings were not limited to India. Prinsep also explored the early history of Afghanistan, and several of his works accurately trace the archaeological remains of that country. A large collection of them is attributed to Alexander Barnes. After James Princep's death, his brother Henry Thoby Princep published a volume in 1844 exploring the numerologist's work on compilations from Afghanistan.

Although his career was in India, he returned to England when his physical condition worsened. James Prinsep died in England on April 22, 1840 at the age of 41.

As a talented artist and draftsman, James, Prinsep produced meticulous sketches of many ancient monuments, astronomy, instruments, fossils, and other subjects. He strove for an accurate view of the weather. He designed a barometer. He also kept accounts of meteorological matters in addition to supplying volunteers with barometers and making accounts with other charts.

Do you now understand why James Prinsep is so famous in the history of India even though he is a man from England.

Do you want to go to see the memorial....But I must say if you get a chance, go and visit with the person of your heart.........Is this mother ashamed?

then listen,

James Prinsep married "Sophia Aubert" on 25 April 1835 at "Cathedral Church", Calcutta. Later in 1837, a daughter "Eliza" was born. They first told each other about marriage. They often came to this Ganga bank in the afternoon to enjoy the beautiful nature in the evening. Their memories are intertwined in this area which is now Prinsep Ghat and its adjoining area. Today this area is very pleasant and tidy. The shooting of a song of Bollywood film Parineeta took place at Prinsep Ghat. The place is very clean. Hanging Vidyasagar Setu or Second Hooghly Bridge is built around the monument. This bridge was inaugurated on 10th October 1992. The cables of this bridge gave the memorial a new look. Indian architecture is united here with British architecture. A railway line falls a little further from here. Chakrarail runs on this line.

There is a cycle railway station nearby. The station is also called "Princep Ghat". The station is very nice and quiet, very clean. Chakrarailty. Probably introduced by 1984. The Hooghly River can be seen just after crossing the train line. James Prinsep's wharf, built by Lord Edinburgh, was built on the bank of this river. Many boats are lined up at the wharf. These boats are available for pleasant boating. There are some bench leaves for sitting in front of the ghat. Rabindra Sangeet is playing very softly. The experience of sitting on this bench overlooking the river and listening to Rabindra Sangeet creates a memorable moment of a lifetime. The ghat to go down to the river is very well constructed. A lot of changes have taken place in the current Prinsep Ghat as compared to earlier. Greening and beautification go hand in hand here. Concrete railings and bumpy roads have been built along the river. A walk along the beautiful paved road along the river bank in the late afternoon brings life to the mind. There are several food stalls along this road. It is not bad to sit in these stalls and taste some food.

On May 24, 2012, a two-kilometer stretch of beautified riverside from Prinsep Ghat to Baje Kadamtala Ghat was inaugurated. This section was decorated with lights, gardens, promenades, fountains and the ghats in this section were renovated.

The man-of-war jetty near the ghat is owned by the Kolkata Port Authority. It bears the memory of the role played by Calcutta Port in World War II. The JTT is now mainly used by the Indian Navy. It is maintained.

In the evening, when the sun becomes a golden plate and begins to lean towards the west bank, then a charming form can be seen forming on the river. Sitting on a bench at Prinsep Ghat is quite a thrill to see this enchanting form. After dusk, the illuminated monument also looks very beautiful and magical.

Once you go to such a pleasant, beautiful place in the middle of this busy city, all the fatigue is bound to disappear. For a breath of fresh air with breathtaking views, be sure to visit Prinsep Wharf and visit the James Prinsep Memorial.