The Writers’ Building
The seat of the West Bengal government, the Writers’ Building was first started as early as 1690. Within the periphery of the old fort, the junior writers or clerks of the East India Company used to stay in mud hovels. So it came to be known as the ‘Writers’ Building’. In the year 1695, these hovels were destroyed by a cyclone. The second Writers’ Building was constructed inside the old fort. In 1706, the new one-storyed brick building was built. The other Writers’ Building stood at the place where the G.P.O. or Fairly Place stands today.
The present gigantic building covers 2.8 acres of land. It is 235 yards in width. A cluster of thirteen four-storeyed buildings, the Writers’, also known as ‘Mahakaran’, stands on 10 acres of land. The Writers’ Building is a classic instance of Gothic architecture. Over the main entrance is an iron pillar with four symbolic idols signifying science, cultivation, commerce, and justice. It houses all records and important documents of the government of West Bengal since 1834.
