Historical Sights and Heritage

3. British Colonial Era & Freedom Movement (1757–1947)

• • Kolkata (Calcutta) was the first capital of British India (1772–1911) and a major center for trade and governance.
  • Bengal became the birthplace of India’s freedom struggle, producing leaders like Rabindranath Tagore, Subhash Chandra Bose, Swami Vivekananda, and Raja Ram Mohan Roy.
  • The Partition of Bengal (1905) by the British triggered the Swadeshi Movement, laying the foundation for India’s independence movement.
  • The Bengal Renaissance (19th–20th century) led to a cultural and intellectual awakening in India.