South Park Street Cemetery was opened in 1767 for the employees and families of the East India Company and early colonials. Whilst the plaque outside reads “opened 1767 closed 1790″ I know of at least one person who was buried there as late as 1828, so I guess there could be more. Now in the centre of Kolkata on busy Park Street (formerly Burial Ground Road) it is an open history book that’s well worth visiting if you are ever in Kolkata. It was created from an area of marshy fields and jungle inhabited by tigers and other wild animals. Lack of funding and commitment over the years has contributed to its decline.
Rudyard Kipling wrote after a visit “It is as though we walked down the streets of a small town, so tall are they and so close do they stand”.
Tropical illnesses and problems at childbirth were the main causes of death and many of the young wives interred were not long off the ships from England, lured no doubt by the promise of a luxurious lifestyle with a gallant and well heeled young officer. Many tombs are in the shape of massive neo-classical pyramids, pavilions, obelisks and pagodas and one in the shape of a Hindu temple. The names on the tombs are a veritable “who’s who” of the time. Included are a descendant of Oliver Cromwell, a great grand-daughter of King Charles II and sons of both Captain Cook and Charles Dickens. The Hindu temple tomb, now sadly in a state of advanced disrepair, is the resting place of Major General “Hindoo” Stuart (more) who was buried with his idols, I have included a photograph. A colourful chap it seems who “went native” shortly after arriving in India and was one of the few British officers to embrace Indian Culture.
Unfortunately, much of the cemetery is now a no go area inhabited by drug addicts and thieves who live there in the well built structures. The caretakers, fearful for their safety, would not accompany me so I only ventured as far as I considered safe. Below is a selection of my photographs taken there in 2008, I hope you enjoy them and this little bit of British colonial history.
