Fort William (Vijay Durg)

Fort William, also known as Vijay Durg, is a large eighteenth-century fortress on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River at the western edge of the Maidan in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The present fort was built by the British East India Company after the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and completed in the early 1780s, replacing an earlier fort that stood near the site of today's General Post Office and was lost to the Nawab of Bengal in 1756. The new fort was designed as an irregular octagonal star with thick brick walls, bastions, a moat and several gates, and it was built to withstand a siege. Today it is the headquarters of the Indian Army's Eastern Command and remains an active military area, so it is not open to general visitors and entry requires prior permission from the military authorities. Visitors therefore experience the fort from the outside, and the best approach is a walk across the Maidan from Esplanade, which is a stroll of about 1.5 km, or along Strand Road beside the river where the long walls and gateways are visible. Views of the fort's ramparts and gates are available from the edges of the Maidan, and photography of the exterior is common, though visitors should avoid pointing cameras at sentries or restricted installations and should follow instructions from any soldiers on duty. A short visit to view the exterior takes about 30 minutes, and early morning is the most pleasant time because the Maidan is cool, open and full of people exercising. The surrounding area includes St. George's Gate, the Maidan's cricket grounds and the Strand Road riverfront, which can be combined with Prinsep Ghat and the Victoria Memorial on the same outing. Public holidays such as Republic Day bring parades and heavier security in the area.