Fort William is a must visit tourist attraction place of Calcutta. Situated at the banks of river Hooghly, it was named after King William III of England. Fort William of Kolkata, India, was established during the tenure of British Raj in 1696. It was the guardroom of this two-storied building, where the black hole tragedy took place. During the Plassey war in 1757, Siraj Ud Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal attacked on the fort and defeated the Britishers. This paved way for the construction of a new fort by British.
The new fort was initiated by Robert Clive, which got completed by
1780. The basic purpose of setting up Calcutta Fort William was to
prevent attacks from Muslim invaders. The area that was cleared around
the fort became maidan, where several exhibitions and fairs take place.
The foundation of the old fort is still intact. Till date, it is a
military area and the Arsenal inside it is worth watching, but for that
prior permission of the commanding officer is required.