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Indian Towns with a European Touch

By Manoj Menon

India is a country with varied culture and heritage and this is because it has seen a lot of influx of various other cultures. The country was ruled by the Persians and later by the British.

Travellers coming here can still get to see the influence these cultures have had on the country. There are a few places here that should you visit you would feel you walked into one of them European towns.

Here is a guide to few of the places in India where you should head to in order to get such a feel.

Chinsurah

The Portuguese founded the town of Ugulim, now Chinsurah, in 1579 but the district has thousands of years of heritage. It flourished as a trading port and boasts of some religious structures here.

One such structure is a church dedicated to a charismatic statue of the Mother Mary built by the Portuguese. Even today these structures stand tall here and give this town an European feel.

Chinsurah

View of the Hoogly Imambara
Photo Courtesy: Amartyabag

Tharangambadi

Tharangambadi, formerly called Tranquebar, is a panchayat town in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu. In 1620, when the Danish people came here, the place was under Thanjavur Nayak kingdom.

Danish admiral Ove Gjedde felt the place would be a potential trading centre and made a deal with Raghunatha Nayak and built a fort, which is known as Fort Dansborg. It gives this place a European touch.

Tharangambadi

Picturesque view of the fort.
Photo Courtesy: Sumansukumar745

Chandannagar

Chandannagar is a corporation city and former French colony located north of Kolkata in West Bengal. It was established as a French colony in 1673 to establish a trading post on the right bank of the Hooghly River.

It became a permanent French settlement in 1688, and in 1730 Joseph Francois Dupleix was appointed governor of the city. For a time, Chandannagar was the main center for European commerce in Bengal.

Chandannagar

The French Governor's Palace
Photo Courtesy: Aryan paswan

Yanam

Yanam is a place rich in culture and history. It was part of French India during the days of colonial rule. Currently it is a part of the Pondicherry Union Territory. It was part of French India till the year 1954.

Yanam

A statue of Jesus at Yanam.
Photo Courtesy: Eldrichr

Kapurthala

Kapurthala, also known as the 'City of Palaces and Gardens', serves as the administrative headquarter of the Kapurthala district. It is a kaleidoscope of history and culture, housing a varied range of attractions.

From Panch Mandir, Kanjli Wetlands, Jagatjit Palace to Gurudwara Ber Sahib and Pushpa Gujral Science City, there are many sights for tourists to visit in this beautiful city.

Besides, the city is home to some of the best French and Indo-Saracenic architectural marvels, which are part of the itinerary of Kapurthala tourism.

Kapurthala

Aerial view of the Summer Palace.
Photo Courtesy: Paul Hamilton

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