Town Planning and Architecture

As the largest cities in colonial India, Madras, Calcutta, and Bombay expanded in size and importance, each with its own distinct traits. The Company began trading activities in the well-known port of Surat on India’s west coast, where it has remained ever since. Following that, traders from the United Kingdom travelled to the east coast in search of textiles. When they arrived in Madraspatana/Chennapatnam in 1639, they established a trade post. The Nayaks of Kalahasti, the local Telugu lords, had agreed to sell the Company the right to settle in the area.

Town Planning in Madras

• Rivalry with French and rise of Madras as commercial town: Because of their rivalry with the French East India Company (1746-1763), the British fortified Madras and gave their agents more political and administrative powers. With the defeat of the French in 1761, Madras gained more security and began to develop as a major commercial centre in southern India
• White Town as a sign of exclusivity and superiority: Fort St. George was the focal point of the White Town, which was home to the majority of Europeans. This was an unique enclave, protected by walls and bastions. Marriages with Indians were strictly prohibited by the Company. Apart from the English, the Dutch and the Portuguese were also allowed to remain in the country because they were European and Christian in origin
• The rise of the Black Town and the establishment of a clear line of fire: The Black Town grew up outside the Fort. It was set out in straight lines, which was typical of colonial towns of the time. It was demolished, however, in the mid-1700s, and the area was cleared to allow for the construction of a security zone surrounding the Fort to ensure a clear line of fire
• Communities within Black town: There were several caste-specific neighbourhoods inside the township. Chintadripet was a weaving community with a large number of weavers. Washermanpet was a colony of dyers and bleachers who worked in the textile industry. Christian boatmen who worked for the Company lived in Royapuram, which was a colony established for them
• The rise of the new middle class: Several distinct communities arrived in Madras and established themselves, fulfilling a variety of economic functions. As a result, the new middle class began to emerge. A rural caste dominated employment with the Company at its inception, with the Vellalars holding the majority of available positions. During the nineteenth century, as English education became more widely available, Brahmins began to compete with one another for similar posts in government. In the city, the Telugu Komatis were a prominent business organisation that commanded a monopoly on the grain trade. Since the eighteenth century, Gujarati bankers have also been active in the city. The labouring poor were made up of Paraiyars and Vanniyars. Mylapore and Triplicane were historically Hindu religious centres that provided a home for a considerable number of Brahmins. The dubashes were Indians who were fluent in two languages: the indigenous tongue and English, which they learned from their parents. It was through their activity as agents and merchants that they were able to serve as a link between Indian society and the British

Town Planning in Calcutta

Calcutta grew out of three settlements, Sutanati, Kolkata, and Gobindapur, which were all connected by a river.

Reasons for Urban Planning

There were a variety of reasons why the British decided to take on the task of town planning. One of the most obvious reasons was defence.

• When Sirajudaula, the Nawab of Bengal, stormed Calcutta in 1756, the little fort was completely destroyed
• After Sirajudaula was defeated in the Battle of Plassey in 1757, the East India Company planned to construct a new fort that would be more difficult to attack in the future

Creation of Maidan or Garer-maths

• They also left a large open space around the new Fort William, which became known locally as the Maidan or garer-maths, in order to ensure that there would be no obstructions to a direct line of fire from the Fort

The Lottery Committee and Town Planning

The Calcutta Lottery Committee commissioned a new map of the city in order to have a more thorough image of the metropolis.

• A major undertaking of the Committee’s was road construction in the Indian section of the city, as well as clearing “encroachments” off the banks of the river. Further encouragement for community planning came from the prospect of diseases. Because of the widely recognised idea at the time, which held that there was a direct association between living circumstances and the development of sickness, which was backed by Dwarkanath Tagore and Rustomjee Cowasjee, and on the basis of the evidence available at the time

• In 1836, thatched cottages were outlawed, and tiled roofs were made a requirement. The existing racial gap between “White Town” and “Black Town” was exacerbated by the introduction of a new division between “healthy” and “unhealthy.” Everything that the British claimed to stand for, including rational organising, flawless execution, and Western aesthetic values, had to be embodied in town planning projects

Town Planning in Bombay 

• Development of Chawl: Because of a shortage of space in the city and overcrowding, a    style of architecture peculiar to Bombay was created – the chawl, which consisted of multi-story single-room dwellings with long open hallways erected around a courtyard

• Bombay as commercial capital of India: Bombay was the commercial hub of colonial India and was known as the “Bombay of the East.” As the most important port on the western coast, it served as a focal point for international trade. By the end of the nineteenth century, Bombay handled half of India’s imports and exports, according to official statistics. Opium, which was exported to China, constituted a significant component of this commerce
• The emergence of an Indian capitalist class: Indian merchants and middlemen, who came from a variety of communities including Parsi, Marwari, Konkani Muslim, Gujarati Bania, Bohra, and Jews, supplied and participated in this trade, and they assisted in integrating Bombay’s economy with the economies of Malwa, Rajasthan, and Sind, where opium was grown, to name a few
• The development of cities around the world, as well as the rise of Urbs Prima in Indis: Opening of the Suez Canal, which occurred in 1869, greatly strengthened Bombay’s connections with the rest of the globe. Bombay’s government and Indian merchants took advantage of the situation to proclaim Bombay Urbs Prima in Indis, which is a Latin term that translates as “Bombay is the most significant city in India”

Timeline

1500-1700: Portuguese, Dutch, and British trading enterprises all built bases in India, beginning with Panaji in 1510, followed by Bombay in 1661 and Calcutta the following year. The French also created a station in Pondicherry a year later, in 1673.

1757: The Battle of Plassey was a decisive success for the British, and the British were subsequently installed as rulers of Benga.

1773: The East India Company established a Supreme Court in Calcutta to oversee the administration of justice. Sir William Jones established the Asiatic Society in 1784 in London. The Cornwallis Code was enacted in 1793.

1803: The Minute of Lord Wellesley on the improvement of the city of Calcutta.

1818: The Deccan is taken over by the British, and Bombay is designated as the capital of the new province.

1853: The railway line connecting Bombay and Thane.

1857: Bombay’s first spinning and weaving mill was established in 1854.

1857: Universities in Bombay, Madras, and Calcutta are among the best in the world.

1870s: The first elected officials were elected in municipal elections.

1881: The port of Madras was constructed.

1896: The Watson’s Hotel in Bombay hosted the world premiere of a film.

1896: The plague begins to spread to major metropolitan areas.

1911: The capital was transferred from Calcutta to Delhi.

Conclusion 

British city planning in India was plagued by internal inconsistencies. With its colonial rule, Britain faced the same urban administration challenges as any other government: designing and controlling space; providing water, drainage, roads, street lighting; and policing a populace. New roads, space, order, and beautification were established by the British, based on growing European health and sanitation principles. They best implemented these ideas in the portions of town where they lived and ruled, dubbed ‘White Town.’ They executed less and cheaper in areas populated by poor Indians, or ‘Black Town,’ with less revenue and cost.