BBD Bagh & Lal Dighi
বিবাদী বাগ ও লালদিঘি
Also known as Dalhousie Square.
The tank and square at the centre of the colonial capital.
About BBD Bagh & Lal Dighi
Lal Dighi, the red tank, was the centre of the early English settlement, and the square around it became the administrative heart of British India. On its north side is the long red front of Writers’ Buildings, begun in the 1770s for the Company’s clerks and for decades the seat of the state government. The GPO, banks and insurance offices fill the other sides. The square is named after Benoy Basu, Badal Gupta and Dinesh Gupta, who attacked Writers’ in December 1930.
Why visit
The densest group of colonial public buildings in India, best walked on a quiet Sunday.
What to see and do
- Writers’ Buildings from across the tank
- The dome of the GPO
- Old bank and insurance buildings round the square
- The statue of Benoy, Badal and Dinesh
Plan your visit
- Area
- BBD Bagh (Dalhousie), Central Kolkata
- Nearest landmark
- General Post Office
- Best time
- Morning. October to March is the most comfortable time of year.
- Time needed
- About 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Entry
- Open to everyone: a street, ghat, market or park you can walk into. Public streets and pavements. The government buildings themselves are not open to visitors.
- Metro
- Mahakaran (Green Line)
- Train
- BBD Bagh (Circular Railway)
- Walking
- Some walking
- Photography
- Photography is fine with some care. Exteriors from public pavements only.
- Food nearby
- Dacres Lane for an office-para lunch.
Tip
Government buildings here are working offices: admire them from the pavement and do not photograph security posts.
Nearby and related places
- General Post Office: A domed post office on the site of the first Fort William.
- St John’s Church: A 1787 church whose garden holds the tomb of Job Charnock.
- St Andrew’s Church: The 1818 Scottish church with a tall white spire.
- Dacres Lane: The office district’s lunch alley.
- Old Mission Church: The oldest Protestant church in the city, founded in 1770.
- Metcalfe Hall: A colonnaded hall of the 1840s facing the river.
Walks that include it
- Colonial Kolkata Walk: Dalhousie Square, the capital of British India
More guides
- Places in BBD Bagh (Dalhousie)
- Heritage places in Kolkata
- Free places to visit in Kolkata
- Places to photograph in Kolkata
- Places near a metro station
- 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.