বাংলায় পড়ুন
Portuguese were the first Europeans to settle down in Bengal. They came here in the 15th century following them came the French, Dutch and the Britishers. During that time Bandel (presently situated in the Hooghly district of West Bengal) became the port for the Portuguese and with time they started settling there. All this started around 16th century after Akbar gave them permission to build a town in Hooghly. After that, the Priests started baptizing the locals which increased the number of Catholics there.
Captain Pedro Taveras was permitted to preach Christianity and build churches. Thus, the Basilica of the Holy Rosary came into existence. It is commonly known as the Bandel Church and in 1988 John Paul II declared it a minor basilica.
The relics of Portuguese Settlement are the Church and the Monastery. The Present church was built in 1660 by Gomez de Soto consisting the keystone of the old church which dates back to 1599 and is present over the eastern gate of the Monastery.
At the entrance, one can see a ship's mast, a gift from a captain who encountered a storm in the Bay of Bengal and was saved by the grace of Virgin (center of attraction).The church has three altars, several tombstones, and a small organ. There is also a statue of 'One Lady of Happy Voyage" in the middle of the church.
It is one of the famous tourist spots in the district of Hooghly. This place is thronged by people mostly locals all through the year. It is not needed to say that it gathers more crowd during the Christmas season. The church has a very soothing ambiance in spite of being in the midst of a busy area.
The town of Bandel is well connected to Kolkata via road and railway both. Any local train running on the Howrah-Burdwan main line halts at Bandel station. Then you can take an auto from there, it’s a ten minutes journey.
