Hooghly Imambara

West Bengal


Between Chinsurah and Bandel, you can climb the lofty clock tower of the romantically crumbling Imambara, which has breathtaking views of the Hooghly River and houses a giant mechanical clock. The building was inaugurated in 1861 as a centre for learning and worship, and its grand Indo-Saracenic profile offers some very interesting photo ops.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby West Bengal attractions

1. Bandel Basilica

0.82 MILES

The chief reminder of the Portuguese presence on the Hooghly River is the Bandel Basilica, Bengal's oldest and perhaps most loved church, built in 1599…

2. Hanseswari Temple

3.85 MILES

About 6km north of Bandel, Bansberia is home to the imposing Hanseswari Temple, devoted to an avatar of the goddess Kali. With 13 pinnacled sikharas …

3. Institut de Chandernagor

4.07 MILES

In the old French governor's mansion on Chandannagar's riverfront road, the Institut has an interesting museum telling the story of colonial history on…

4. Dakshineswar

17.63 MILES

The heart of this vibrant riverside complex is the cream-and-red, multiturreted 1847 Kali Temple shaped like the Sacré-Cœur. The site is where the Bengali…

5. Ramakrishna Mandir

19.19 MILES

The centrepiece of the Ramakrishna Mission complex at Belur Math is the huge 1938 Ramakrishna Mandir, which somehow manages to look like a cathedral,…

6. Belur Math

19.19 MILES

Set very attractively amid palms and manicured lawns, this large religious centre is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, inspired by 19th-century…

7. Sri Sarada Devi Temple

19.19 MILES

Within the Ramakrishna Mission compound on the Hooghly riverbank, several small shrines include the Sri Sarada Devi Temple, entombing the mystic's wife.

8. Belur Math Museum

19.23 MILES

Accessed from the Belur Math car park, this beautifully presented dual-level museum charts Ramakrishna’s life and the travels of his great disciple Swami…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "india/up-the-hooghly/attractions/hooghly-imambara/a/poi-sig/1154179/1329406",
      "destination": "West-Bengal",
      "continent": "Asia",
      "country": "India",
      "region": "West-Bengal",
      "position": "superzone"
    }