Ben: ব্যারাকপুর byārākapura
From Eng: barrack and Skt: pur(a), ‘town’, ‘city’, ‘fort’
‘Barrack Town’ [Charnak, Chanak, Achanok] City, West Bengal
The British East India Company built their first Bengal cantonment here in 1772 and later Lat Bagan, the spacious Mansion and Government House served as an out of town residence for Calcutta-based viceroys and governor-generals.
Barrackpore was the site of two important revolts against British rulein the 19th century:
(1) The Barrackpore Mutiny (1824). Sepoy Bindee Tiwary of the 47th Bengal Native Infantry refused to board sea going boats primarily because of the Hindu taboo of crossing the black water or kala pani.
(2) Indian Rebellion (1857). Mangal Pandey, a sepoy in the 34th Bengal Native Infantry, attacked his British commander and was court-martialled and hanged. It was his protest against the use of animal fat in cartridges that marked the start of the Revolt which spread across North India, posed a serious threat to British rule and forced the British to take direct control of India.
Mangal Pandey: 1984 stamp