Fort William, India

Fort William is a fort in Hastings, Calcutta (Kolkata). It was built during the early years of Britain's administration of Bengal. It sits on the eastern banks of the River Hooghly, the major distributary of the River Ganga. One of Kolkata's most enduring British-era military fortifications, other than those in Bombay (Mumbai) and Madras (Chennai), it extends over an area of seventy hectares.

Fort William

22°33′28″N 88°20′17″E / 22.5577°N 88.3380°E / 22.5577; 88.3380

Fortress, garrisoned and armoured Army Headquarters.

Bengal Subah (before 1757)
British East India Company (1757–1858)
British Raj (1858–1947)
Indian Army (1947–present)

1696–1702

1781–present

Battle of Plassey (1757)

Eastern Command

The fort was named after King William III.^[1] In front of the Fort is the Maidan, the largest park in the country. An internal guard room became the Black Hole of Calcutta. Today the fort is the headquarters of Eastern Command of the Indian Army.

Structure[edit]

The Fort is built of brick and mortar in the shape of an irregular octagon with an area of 5 km² (1.9 sq mi). Five of its sides face landward, and three towards the Hooghly River. The design is that of a star fort, suited to defence against cannon firing solid shot, and dates from before the advent of explosive shells. A dry moat 9 metres (30 ft) deep and 15 m (49 ft) broad surrounds the fort. The moat can be flooded but is designed as an area in which to use enfilade (or flanking) fire against any attackers reaching the walls. There are six gates: Chowringhee, Plassey, Calcutta, Water Gate, St Georges and the Treasury Gate. There are similar forts at places like Thalassery in Kerala.^[10]