The winds that blow through our city have a distinct smell of its rich history. We, the proud inheritors of the rich legacy, should make an effort to restore the glorious past and save the remaining treasures from being lost forever, sustained only in the pages of history.
3. The Victoria Jubilee Tower: On the north of the square in which Laldighi is situated is the market place in front of which stood the Victoria Jubilee Tower erected by the citizens in 1887, in commemoration of the Jubilee of the reign of Queen Victoria, (the God Mother of Prince Victor Nitendra Narayan of Cooch Behar). The tower which rose on an open space in south and octagonal in shape, 70 feet high, had a winding stair case inside. It had four stories, each of which opened on a hanging platform provided with a breast high parapet. The top was a dome on iron pillars with open sides, and formed a belfry. A great bell hung in the middle and was rung whenever a fire broke out in the town, as a warning to the fire brigade, as well as to the citizens.
This tower was demolished, in the year 1988 by Cooch Behar Municipality, in plea of extending the market place. Thus a monument of incredible architecture & historical significance was lost forever.
The Ferragamo Shoe and Maharani Indira Devi
All photos in the article are from the writer's personal archive.
The Victoria Jubilee Tower