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The British had consolidated
themselves near Lal
Dighi. It was a busy and vibrant place even in those days of yore.
Despite being called a Dighi or Lake, it is in reality a big pond. The British called it the Great Tank. It is located in the heart of
B.B.D. Bagh. The Telephone Bhavan is in its south whereas the
Writers' Building stands in the north. The
G.P.O. is in the west and in the east is the boisterous B.B.D. Bagh Mini Bus
stand.
However, controversies abound the history of Lal Dighi. Sabarna Chowdhury is believed to have
owned an edifice in that region. The Chowdhurys worshipped Shyam Roy as their family God. The abode or temple of the
Lord God was in front of their house. During the Dol Jatra festival, the effigy of the
God was adorned beautifully and carried in a palanquin from Kalighat to the
temple. Thus started their celebration and ceremony of Dol
Jatra. The water of the pond used to turn crimson by the shower of
'Avir' which makes the festival so colourful and lively. Hence it
came to be known as Lal
Dighi.
Again, some opine that the British had built their fort by the side of
the Lal
Dighi. The walls of the Fort were crimson which cast a similar shadow on the pond beside. So it was christened as Lal
Dighi.
Lalchand Basak, according to another school of belief, had dug the immense pond and it came to be known as Lal Dighi
after his name. A handful of people believe that it was dug by the British themselves between 1700 –
1701.
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