Dhanyakuria

Understand

Dhanyakuria's history is very recent, more recent than Kolkata's. The town was first settled atound 1750, and is home to three zamindar families: Mondal (মণ্ডল Maṇḍal), Sawoo (সাউ Sāu), and Gaine (গায়েন Gāẏen). As the story goes, during the Maratha attacks in Bengal, Jagannath Das and his family arrived in present-day Dhanyakuria, and he and his son cleared the forest to settle there. More people began to settle in the village through efforts by Purandar Das, and he later took the surname "Mondal". Yadabram Sawoo and his family settled in Dhanyakuria during the political instability at the end of the Mughal Empire. His descendant Patitachandra Sawoo used to run a grocery in Kolkata (then Calcutta). His son Upendranath Sawoo educated at Free Church Institution in Calcutta, and then took over his father's business. He established zamindari estates in 24 Parganas (present-day North and South 24 Parganas), Burdwan (present-day Paschim and Purba Bardhaman), Jessore and Khulna districts. The Gaine family settled in Dhanyakuria from Burdwan district. All three families had contributed significantly towards Dhanyakuria's education and welfare, and they all kept close relations with the British. They also build mansions blending Indian and European architectures.

Getting there

By car Taki Road (SH 2) running from Barasat to Taki is the most practical way to get into the town. Its main attraction, the Gaine Castle, lies directly on the highway.

By train 1 Kankra Mirzanagar E is the nearest station, and it will take around 20 minutes to reach Dhanyakuria by three-wheeler (auto or toto).