Serampore Heritage Utsav, where history and cultures mix

The annual Serampore Heritage Utsav, a festival tomtomming the intriguing cultural mix of the town’s rich Danish, British, and Vaishnavite history, was inaugurated last Monday and has already proved a draw with its heritage walks, river cruise, old temples, and even a palace.

Serampore was under Danish control from 1755 to 1845, known during this period as Frederiknagore, before being handed over to the British. Prior to that, in 1750, the then Seoraphuli Raja, Ram Chandra Roy, constructed a Ram temple at Shrirampur (the present name of Serampore).To meet the expenses and upkeep of the temple, he donated three villages – Shripur, Mohanpur and Gopinathpur – in the name of Lord ShriRam. The name Shrirampur is derived from the Ram temple.

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The festival is jointly organised by the West Bengal State Tourism Department, in collaboration with the Serampore Municipality. It was inaugurated by Serampore MP Kalyan Banerjee and the minister of state for tourism Indranil Sen. Serampore Johnnagar Baptist Mission Presbyter-in-charge Rev. Father Anup Mondal, Father Sudipto Mahapatra, district president Arindom Guin, Serampore municipality chairman Giridhari Shaw, town president Santosh Singh, and all the councillors were present.

The municipality has organised a river cruise with live music and food on board. It is supporting 22 self-help groups, who have set up stalls selling handicrafts and food items at the venue, which is an area surrounding the St. Olav’s Church, which was built in 1806.

The festival includes Heritage Walks, or guided tours to explore Serampore’s historical landmarks, such as the Danish Governor’s House, St Olav’s Church, and the Serampore Rajbari, a historic palace that contains colonial-era architecture. A Danish Cemetery, which is under ASI supervision, has the graves of Danish colonial-era officers, traders and their families.

Also on the walk routes is the Henry Martyn Pagoda, a scenic pagoda located off the Hooghly River, offering stunning views. Serampore College, Catholic Church, the Johnnagar Baptist Mission Church, Radhaballav Temple, Madan Mohan temple, Mahesh Sri Jagannath temple and Dol Mandir are on the route as well. After all the walking, there’s the Denmark Traven for cooling off.

The scenic cruise along the Hooghly with live music and food, offering stunning views of the town’s heritage structures, traditional dance presentations and music performances that highlight Serampore’s cultural diversity are a big draw. A handicrafts exhibition, where local artisans showcase their handicrafts and traditional art forms, also features.

And for the hungry tourist, there’s a Food Festival within the festival. A culinary journey through Serampore’s local cuisine, with food stalls offering a range of traditional dishes are at hand.

The festival aims to promote tourism in Serampore and create awareness about its rich history. It will continue till 2nd January.