The Naamkaran series of the City of Joy began with the entry of the British on the Indian scene. From Kalikata to Calcutta to Kolkata, the cultural capital of India (1) has taken on different names across eras. But the essence of the city remained unchanged and deeply rooted in its culture, food, and heritage. Similar to its cultural legacy, each of these names has many interesting stories behind it. Let’s explore these stories one at a time.
Mystery of Name-volution of Kalikata
Gol-gotha
Many Europeans died in Calcutta due to its tropical climate and marshy, unhealthy environment. Early British records and diaries of the East India Company show that within three months of their arrival, more than half of the soldiers of Job Charnock had died due to diseases. The city was infamous for its chaos, diseases, poverty, and unbearable stench. As a result, the mariners landing at the port of Calcutta or beginning their journey from here would often call it ‘Gol gotha’, a Biblical nomenclature, meaning ‘land of skulls’. Another legend states that ‘Gol gotha’ refers to the necklace of skulls that Goddess Kali wears, and to her usual depiction standing in a crematorium surrounded by human skulls. According to this theory, Golgotha might have evolved into Kolkata over time.
“Kal Kata“
An amusing, popular story about the name of the country starts with the arrival of Job Charnock to Calcutta. When Job Charnock reached the city on his horse, he asked a woman harvesting crops what the area was called, showing his hand around the field. She interpreted it to mean the horseman was asking her when the crop was cut, and answered “Kal kata.” Charnock assumed it was the name of the region and called it Kalikata, one of the three villages of the original settlement of Charnock.
Kilkila
The Voyage to the East Indies Vol. II by Grose and A Short History of Calcutta by A.K. Ray state ancient province of Kilkila was the origin of the name of the city. The province extended from the Saraswati in the west to the Yamuna in the east. Modern Kolkata sits at the heart of this ancient province described in the ancient texts. The term ‘kilkila’ meant ‘flat-land’.
Kalikat
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive in India. Soon after their arrival, a saga of Europeans coming to India followed. While the British settled in Calcutta, the Portuguese operated in Calicut. The latter traded heavily in calico (in high demand at the time), which made the British envious. As a result, the British labeled their goods as from ‘Kalikat’ rather than Calcutta or Kalikata, to rival the Portuguese calico trade from Calicut.
Khal-kata
In 1742, the terror of the Marathas took over the province of Bengal. The Marathas or Bargis had raided the rich countryside of the provinces for over a decade. In an act of defense and fear, the British and the natives united to dig a three-mile-long trench around the city to defend Fort William and important villages. This came to be known as Marattha Ditch, stretching from today’s Baghbazar to Entally. While the Marathas never came to the main city, the ditch became an important boundary enclosing it. In Bengali, a ditch or canal is called ‘khal’, and ‘kata’ means to cut. Hence, Khal-kata could have become Kolkata.
Kalikata
The area was famous for burning shells (kata in Bengali) to prepare unslaked lime (kali in Bengali). Many of the historical lanes and areas of Kolkata traded in lime and its distribution. For instance, Phears Lane in Colootala Street and Amaratla Lane in Burrabazaar were famous for lime business and shops. This important construction material might have lent the city its name.
Kalikshetra
The ancient mythology believes Kolkata to be a Kalikshetra, meaning ‘land of Kali’. Kalikata came up around the Kali temple at Kalighat as a fishing village. Hence, the city came to be called Kalikata in the historical records.
Colonial era records credit Job Charnock with the founding of the city, but recent research has shown that the mention of the name ‘Kalkata’ or ‘Kalikata’ appears in Mughal records and medieval era poems. Calcutta was the anglicized version of the original name. In 2001, the then Chief Minister of the city, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, restored the Bengali version of the name ‘Kolkata.’
