Situated in the north west of Kolkata along the River Hooghly, Hooghly was in prominence till Kolkata came into picture. It was a major trading point for the British, Portuguese, Dutch, Danish and also the Mughals. Surrounded by Howrah, Nadia, Bardhaman, Bankura and Midnapur, Hooghly still retains its old glory. It comprises a fertile, low-lying alluvial tract dotted with marshes and abandoned river channels and drained by the Rupnarayan and Damodar rivers.
The heritage trail of West Bengal leads to the district of Hooghly, 47 km north of Calcutta. As it was a main trading point for many foreign settlers like the British, the Portuguese, the Dutch, the French, the Germans and Austrians and the Mughals, its history is an amalgamation of various cultures. With the permission of trading the British and the Dutch started building their trade centres and factories in Hooghly in the mid 16th century. It was only after Kolkata was given prominence that the district of Hooghly lost its importance.
