Diamond Harbour

Diamond Harbour is in the southern suburbs of Kolkata, on the banks of river Hughli quite near where the river meets the Bay of Bengal. This small town is a popular weekend tourist spot located in South 24 Parganas district.

Earlier known as Hajipur, this charming place was named Diamond Harbour by the British. The place was considered a safe resting spot for ocean going ships and offered a spectacular view of the river. After the Rupnarayan joins the Hughli, the river bends south and widens out to a form a huge expanse of water. A little further down, the Haldi river joins it.

In earlier days Diamond Harbour used to be a stronghold of Portuguese pirates. The ruins of the fort of Chingrikhali can still be seen. It is believed to be linked with the Portuguese but some opine that the East India Company built it before they could establish themselves in Kolkata. There is an old lighthouse nearby. Diamond Harbour is well connected with Kolkata by road and rail. The tourist lodge, Sagarika, located on the riverbank, has been popular for many years. It also has a number of private hotels. As Diamond Harbour is within easy reach of Kolkata, just around 50 km, it is generally a day out picnic spot for city dwellers.

Nearby places

This small town with a picturesque setting is the gateway to the south-western part of the district leading to such places as Gangasagar, Kakdwip, Namkhana and Bakkhali. Gangasagar is a popular pilgrimage centre where people go to have bath to wash their sins. Bakkhali is gaining in popularity as a beach resort. There is a five star hotel with a magnificent panoramic view of the river at Raichak. Jetties at Diamond Harbour, Raichak and Mirpur provide steamer service to the other bank of the wide river estuary.

Port development

The area being in the proximity of the Bay of Bengal, there is scope for development of ports and shipping activity. The special economic zone at Falta is one of the eight such zones of the Government of India. It has container-handling jetty. The Government of West Bengal proposes to construct a minor port at Kulpi with facilities for handling containers.

As large ocean going ships with full load of goods cannot enter the river ports at Kolkata and Haldia, the need for a seaport in the area has been felt for a long time. Such a future port would obviously be located south of Diamond Harbour but would enhance the importance of the place as a base for the port.