Curzon Gate (Bijoy Toran)

Hours: Open access, 24 hours
Entry: Free
Bardhaman’s most iconic landmark is the first thing many visitors instinctively photograph and it earns its fame. This enormous four-arched sandstone gate, equal parts ceremonial gateway and triumphant civic gesture, was erected in 1903 by Maharaja Bijoy Chand Mahatab on the occasion of his investiture. The Viceroy Lord Curzon passed beneath it in 1904 and the gate took his name. Its scale is deliberately overwhelming: standing at the crossing of GT Road and BC Road, it forces the city to arrange itself around it. Visit in the early morning before traffic peaks, or return at dusk when the gate is lit and the atmosphere more relaxed.