Belvedere Estate facts for kids
Belvedere Estate is a famous place in Kolkata, India. It includes a big old house called Belvedere House and about 30 acres of land around it. Today, the main building on the estate is home to the National Library of India, which moved there in 1948.
This estate is in Alipore, close to the Kolkata Zoo. For a long time, Belvedere House was an important official home. It was first a palace for the Viceroy of India, who was like the top British ruler in India. Later, it became the home for the Governor of Bengal.
The top British official, the Governor-General, lived here until the early 1800s. After that, a new official home, Government House, was built. In 1854, the Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal moved into Belvedere House. When the capital of British India moved from Kolkata to Delhi in 1912, the Lieutenant-Governor became a full Governor and moved to the larger Government House.
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History of Belvedere House
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Belvedere House is thought to have been built around the late 1760s. At that time, Mir Jafar Ali Khan, who was the Nawab (ruler) of the province of Bengal, was asked by the British East India Company to give up his throne. He then moved to Kolkata.
It is believed that Mir Jafar owned a large house in Kolkata and built several other buildings in the area. Some stories say he gave Belvedere House to Warren Hastings. Hastings was an important British official who later became the first Governor-General of Bengal.
Warren Hastings and the Duel
After a big battle called the Battle of Buxar in 1764, Warren Hastings went back to England. Two other governors lived in Belvedere House while he was away. Hastings returned to Kolkata as governor in 1772 and moved back into his garden house, Belvedere.
The land around Belvedere Estate was once the site of a duel. This was a formal fight between Warren Hastings and his legal officer, Philip Francis. Historians believe the duel was mainly due to political disagreements between the two men.
Later Owners and Use
The exact history of Belvedere Estate during this time is not fully clear. It is thought that Hastings eventually sold Belvedere House to a Major Tolly in the 1780s for 60,000 rupees. Major Tolly passed away in 1784, and his family sold the property in 1802.
From 1854 to 1911, Belvedere House was the official home for many Lieutenant-Governors of Bengal. This continued until the capital of British India was moved from Kolkata to Delhi.
A man named Charles Robert Prinsep, who was a lawyer and came from a family with strong ties to India, also lived at Belvedere Estate for a period. He worked as a legal advisor for the Honourable East India Company. Later, Belvedere House became the official residence for the Viceroy of India.
Belvedere Estate Today
Today, the Belvedere Estate is still a very important place. The main building is looked after by the Archaeological Survey of India, which protects historical sites. The largest part of the estate now houses the National Library of India.
The complex also includes two housing areas built by the government. One is for employees of the National Library, and the other is for central government employees. This area, known as '1, Belvedere Estate, Alipore Road', offers quiet and green housing with many old trees.
See also
- Government Houses of India
- Government Houses of the British Empire
