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Did Calcutta get its name from Kali? The history of Kalighat and the city

From an ancient pilgrimage site to a landmark of colonial Calcutta, Kalighat's journey reflects the relationship between religion, urbanisation, and cultural identity.

What these Bengali historians of the early 20th century were doing was framing the story of Calcutta as a story of sacred soil, with Kali at its centre. (Wikimedia Commons/ edited by Abhishek Mitra)

10 min read New Delhi Nov 6, 2026 06:39 PM IST First published on: Nov 6, 2026 at 11:57 AM IST

Several histories of Calcutta (now Kolkata) were written in the 1890s and early 1900s. Among their authors was A K Ray, a colonial civil servant who, at the request of the British government, prepared a report on the 1901 Census of Calcutta.

Published in 1902, the report included a text titled ‘A Short History of Calcutta’ .…