Government of West Benagal. to revive Chandannagar’s French legacy
French Ambassador to India Thierry Mathou and West Bengal Tourism Minister Shankar Ghosh launch a project to restore the French-era registry building in Chandannagar. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Tourism Minister Shankar Ghosh announced that a ‘French Festival’ would be organized in the city every year from now on to celebrate the India-France partnership.
The West Bengal government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the French Embassy to restore the colonial-era heritage of Chandannagar and promote the town in Hooghly district as a major international tourist destination.
The project will begin with the reconstruction of the registry office building, which used to be the main administrative office of the French monarchs.
Chandannagar was once a French settlement. While the French left in 1950, the city’s architectural heritage continues to attract tourists. As part of the three-day celebrations from September 11 to 13 for the initiative, a number of cultural programs are being held on the banks of the river, with the participation of Tourism Minister Shankar Ghosh and French Ambassador to India Thierry Mathou.
“This city has several French structures. The city also housed several freedom fighters who rebelled against the British. We have signed an MoU with the French Embassy in the presence of the ambassador. Based on this, we will restore the registry building and other French structures to preserve the heritage of Chandannagar,” said Mr. Ghosh.
The Minister also announced that henceforth a ‘French Festival’ would be organized in the city every year to celebrate the India-France partnership. “We have prepared a map for such heritage renovation projects – ‘Little Europe Beyond the Ganga.’ Dutch heritage Chinsurah, Srirampore’ Denis heritage and Portuguese Basnberiya heritage will also be preserved in the same way. However, we are starting from Chandernagore,” said Mr. Ghosh.
In 1696, the French East India Company opened its first trading post at Chandernagore after obtaining permission from Nawab Ibrahim Khan. Ten years later they bought a larger area of land in that city from the Mughals and made it their permanent residence.
There are several buildings in the city that are a reflection of the city’s rich architectural heritage. Apart from the buildings and structures that have been given heritage designation, a total of 99 Indo-French heritage structures (French) have been identified in Chandernagore to be utilized.
Published – 13 Sep 2026 06:00 IST