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| Eden Gardens Stadium of Kolkata upload.wikimedia.org |
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| Kolkata's Eden gardens Stadium, .touristplaces.net.in |
Nestled in the heart of Kolkata, Eden Gardens stands as a living testament to India’s rich cricketing heritage and its colonial past. Established in 1864, this historic stadium is not only the oldest cricket ground in India but also a symbol of the cultural and architectural legacies left behind by the British era. Over the decades, Eden Gardens has evolved into one of the world’s most revered cricket venues—earning nicknames such as the "Colosseum of Indian Cricket"—while its very name harkens back to an intricate tapestry of colonial history and local lore.
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| 1900 old image, Eaden gardens, Kolkata, Alamy.com |
Colonial Roots and debatable naming
The origins of Eden Gardens’ name are as intriguing as the stadium’s storied past. Some accounts suggest that the stadium is named after the Eden Gardens park on which it is located—a park originally known as the Auckland Circus Gardens, in reference to Lord Auckland, the Governor-General of India from 1836 to 1842. In 1841, the park was renamed Eden Gardens, purportedly in honor of Emily and Fanny Eden, the sisters of Lord Auckland. Local popular culture also intertwines with this narrative: one legend credits Babu Rajchandra Das, the zamindar of Janbazar and husband of Rani Rashmoni, with gifting a vast garden—Mar Bagan—along the banks of the Hooghly River to Lord Auckland and his sister Emily, in gratitude for their assistance in saving his daughter from a fatal illness. This act of benevolence and cross-cultural exchange underscores the complex layers of colonial and indigenous interactions that continue to define the area.
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| Pagoda imported from Burma (Myanmar) telegraphindia.com |
Above image: A well decorated pagoda imported from Burma is one of the crowd favourites inside the garden. After the Anglo-Burmese war in 1854, the multi-tiered tower was removed from Burma and then re-erected here in 1856. the Eden Gardens, one of the oldest parks of Kolkata was established in d\ 1842. The cricket stadium named after the park, which would eventually eclipse the park’s fame, was built in 1864. Lord Auckland, the governor-general of India from 1836-1842, was responsible for the construction a pleasure ground. The garden has been named after his sisters, Emily and Fanny Eden. The entire project was executed by civil architect Captain Fitzgerald. The park's name was pushed to the back stage the by the Cricket stadium after 1864.
Architectural and Cultural Significance
Strategically situated between Babughat and Fort William, Eden Gardens lies in the bustling B. B. D. Bagh area, in proximity to major colonial edifices such as the State Secretariat and the Calcutta High Court. The location itself is a reminder of Kolkata’s history as the former capital of British India, where grand governmental and judicial structures were erected to project imperial power. Today, the stadium’s imposing structure, with its impressive seating capacity of 68,000 (and a record crowd of over 110,000 during the 1996 World Cup semi-final between India and Sri Lanka), melds modern sporting facilities with echoes of a bygone era.
A Modern Colosseum of Cricket
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