The Hidden Gems of Brabourne Road

Armenian Church

Brabourne Road [leaving aside my aversion to the new street names, the rechristened Brabourne road is absolutely unpronounceable] can easily be called the most cosmopolitan and secular road in this city. Every street which leads off this thoroughfare, whether one walks down from the Tea Board, or from Armenian Ghat, contains a place of worship nestled among wholesale or paikari shops which sell items like notebooks, copies and diaries; a veritable treasure trove for college students on the perennial lookout for cheap stationery. One of the first churches that one will, literally, stumble on is the Armenian Church, believed to be the oldest church in the city. The white marble that dominates the cathedral annex as well as the main building is echoed by the graves that one has to step over in order to access the church. This church was apparently built over an Armenian grave, in the year 1764. This makes it by far the oldest surviving church in Kolkata. The arrival of the Armenian community predates that of the British and prominent Armenians of the city included Stephen Arathoon, founder of the Stephen Court. The Armenian establishment in the city also runs the Armenian college on Free School Street [incidentally, this college is housed in the same building which witnessed the birth of William Makepeace Thackeray] which caters to Armenian youth from Armenia, who receive education and other benefits here before being sent back to their country. Finding the Armenian Church requires an immense amount of perseverance and patience since shops selling chudis, Christmas decorations and other fancy items, tend to obliterate any view of the church.

Beth El Synagogue

The next gems we unearthed on Brabourne Road are the two synagogues; Beth El on Pollock Street and Maghen David on Canning Street. A visit to these absolutely stunning, and protected, synagogues will require a permission which can be obtained from Nahoum's [time to pause and reminisce about their chicken samosas and plum cakes] in New Market. Beth El is the first synagogue which can be obtained if one walks down Brabourne Road from BBD Bag.
This yellow bulding is in excellent shape despite services having been discontinued for over ten years now. A marble testament to David Joseph Ezra takes pride of place. The interiors reveal gleaming chandeliers and a vast altar, dome shaped, on which are inscriptions from the Torah and the Ten Commandments. Maghen David is a mere five minutes walk away from Pollock Street, and this red brick building on Canning street is bigger [and may I add, better].This synagogue was built by Elias David Joseph Ezra, the son of the David Ezra, and the interiors are extremely well kept. The gatekeeper very obligingly ensured that the place was illuminated, so that we were able to catch a glimpse of this monument is all its splendor. The stained glass windows gleamed their myriad colors onto the enormous pillars throughout the nave of the synagogue.

Maghen David Synagogue

Finally, after abandoning an attempt to trace the Greek Church [we are on it, and will not rest till we locate this elusive church :)] we moved across the road to the Church of Most Holy Rosary or the Portuguese Church, on Lucas Lane, now called the Portuguese Church Street. This church came as a pleasant surprise since all discussion of churches in Kolkata end with St. Paul's and St. John's. The church is decorated for the upcoming festivities and a little boy took it upon himself to be our guide. The Church of Most Holy Rosary is located at a stone's throw away from Saifee Masjid, which we could not enter due to religious restrictions. Thus, this one road, which appropriately enough is also home to the Passport Office today, remains as a testament to Kolkata's various ethnic communities, and to the secularism we are so proud of. Unlike most claims we Kolkatans like to make about the city, which are tenuous at best, there is no denying the cosmopolitanism and tolerance that has shaped this city, and continues to lend order to the chaos called Kolkata.

P.S.: I am adding my Picassa album link for anyone who wishes to have a look at the pictures. They are not works of art but they are worth a dekko :) The link is: https://picasaweb.google.com/110843013966038898920/KolkataKaleidoscope2011