1 / 13The Indian Army's Eastern Command has opened its headquarters Fort William in Kolkata to the public for "heritage" walks. Built as a symbol of the British Raj, this enduring fortification houses magnificent buildings of historical importance. Not open to the public without permission, which is tough to acquire otherwise, News18 takes you on an exclusive journey through never-seen-before parts of Fort William. The heritage walk was recently experienced by West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose and chief minister Mamata Banerjee. (Image: Kamalika Sengupta/News18)
2 / 13The history of Fort William: Fort William was named after King William III. In history, two forts have been mentioned in Kolkata — one (now in the General Post Office region of Kolkata) was built around 1660 and captured by Nawab Siraj-ud-Dullah and the second built, thereafter, was Fort William in 1775 by the British Raj. The edifice showcases the history of the East India Company and the Indian forces, and now acts as the headquarters of Indian Army's Eastern Command. The tunnel-like East Gate (Pictured) is one of the original entry points to Fort William, Kolkata. (Image: Kamalika Sengupta/News18)
3 / 13From the Black Hole of Calcutta to the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose cell (Pictured), Fort William has its own stories to tell and through this heritage walk, the army aims at raising awareness on what lies beyond this strictly guarded and highly secure British-era military hold. (Image: Kamalika Sengupta/News18)
4 / 13The newly rechristened gate, Vijay Swarnim Dwar, is one of the six gates into Kolkata’s Fort William. (Image: Kamalika Sengupta/News18)
5 / 13A glimpse of the old version of Fort William, named after King William III and built for a second time in 1775. (Image: Kamalika Sengupta/News18)
6 / 13Vijay Smarak is the first stop of the heritage walk at Fort William, Kolkata. It is a war memorial dedicated to fallen soldiers. (Image: Kamalika Sengupta/News18)
7 / 13The Indian Army's Eastern Command has opened its headquarters Fort William in Kolkata to the public for "heritage" walks. Built as a symbol of the British Raj, this enduring fortification houses magnificent buildings of historical importance. Not open to the public without permission, which is tough to acquire otherwise, News18 takes you on an exclusive journey through never-seen-before parts of Fort William. The heritage walk was recently experienced by West Bengal governor CV Ananda Bose and chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
8 / 13The Command Museum was originally used to store weapons and ammunition during the British Raj. (Image: Kamalika Sengupta/News18)
9 / 13Rocket launchers displayed at the weapons gallery in the Command Museum. (Image: Kamalika Sengupta/News18)
10 / 13An old cannon gun on the roof of the armoury, which is connected to a mechanism to lift cannon balls to the top and then be loaded into the gun to fire. (Image: Kamalika Sengupta/News18)
11 / 13An upside down flag of East Pakistan is displayed in the gallery dedicated to the 1971 war in the Command Museum. (Image: Kamalika Sengupta/News18)
12 / 13The imposing Kitchener House in Fort William, Kolkata, combines classic Gothic and Georgian architectural styles. It was named after HH Kitchener, First Earl Of Khartoum, who stayed here when he was the commander-in-chief in 1902. (Image: Kamalika Sengupta/News18)
13 / 13The four-storied Dalhousie Barrack houses more than 1,000 soldiers from the garrison battalion stationed inside Fort William, Kolkata. (Image: Kamalika Sengupta/News18)
