Achipur Chinese Temple
অছিপুর চিনা মন্দির
Where India’s Chinese community began, on the river near Budge Budge.
About Achipur Chinese Temple
Around 1780 a Chinese trader known as Tong Achew was granted land by Warren Hastings on the Hooghly below Calcutta, set up a sugar mill and brought workers from China. The place took his name: Achipur. The mill failed and the community moved to the city, but a temple to the earth deities and Achew’s horseshoe-shaped tomb by the river remain. Each year around Chinese New Year the city’s Chinese families make a pilgrimage here.
Why visit
The birthplace of Chinese India, in a quiet village by the river.
What to see and do
- The Chinese temple and its courtyard
- Tong Achew’s red tomb on the riverbank
- The pilgrimage in the weeks after Chinese New Year
Plan your visit
- Area
- Budge Budge & Achipur, Behala & Southwest
- Nearest landmark
- Achipur, beyond Budge Budge
- Best time
- Morning or afternoon. The weeks after Chinese New Year (January or February) for the pilgrimage.
- Time needed
- About 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Entry
- Entry is controlled (permit, caretaker, service times or event days). A community temple opened by a caretaker; access outside the pilgrimage season is not currently verified.
- Train
- Budge Budge, then an auto
- Walking
- Little walking
- Photography
- Photography is fine with some care.
Tip
It is about 30 km from the city centre. Outside the New Year weeks the temple may be locked; a caretaker lives nearby.
Nearby and related places
- Komagata Maru Memorial: The memorial at Budge Budge to the passengers shot in 1914.
More guides
- Places in Budge Budge & Achipur
- Heritage places in Kolkata
- Places of worship to visit
- Hidden gems of Kolkata
- Free places to visit in Kolkata
- All places to visit in Kolkata
Last checked on 2026-10-02. Each place was checked to exist and its position confirmed. Timings, closing days and ticket prices are shown only where known and can change: confirm before you travel.