Kolkata is city known for two reasons one is its festivals and the other is its beautiful river Hooghly. This huge river makes several spots on its banks to attract the attention of common man. Among these points many notable Ghats also join the list. Ghats are actually the banks of river where some structures and safe steps are built to enter the river. One such ghat is Prinsep Ghat which is created on the banks of River Hooghly at the Kolkata Side of River. This Ghat is quite old as it was created during the British Governance in the year 1843. This Ghat is a sort of memorial and dedicated to James Prinsep who was an Anglo Indian scholar.He was the secretary of the Asiatic Society from 1832 to 1838 and you may be surprised to know that he has dedicated most of his life to research on meteorology, chemistry, Indian scriptures, Archaeology, numismatics, mineral resources, etc. Among all these fields the most memorable and recognised work of him was the decoding the doctrines from the rocks and boulders of great king Ashoka. He also decoded the Brahmi script of Ashoka. He did not live longer to continue his research work further as he died at a tender age of just forty one years on 22nd April in the year 1840. After his death a fund is collected by the people of Kolkata to create the memorial to pay tribute to him. That is why it is known as Prinsep Ghat. He was a popular and beloved man of Kolkata and known for his hard work in decoding or deciphering the inscriptions of emperor Ashoka.The impressive Palladian covered entrance is designed by W. Fitzgerald. The location of the ghat is between the Water Gate and St. George’s Gate of Fort William. Greek and gothic styles are easily seen in the architecture of the ghat structure. As the ghat is more a century old it needed conservation and the same is done by the state’s public works Department in the year 2001 in November. From that time onwards the place is properly maintained. The jetty was used as a boarding or boarding off shore by the royal British associates in initial period of its creation but currently it has become an important recreational place for the citizens of Kolkata city. It is one of the oldest Ghats on the river Hooghly and since its inception people come here to have an evening walk on the banks of river with the cool breeze and soothing sunset in the backdrop of Vidyasagar Setu. There are numerous food stalls are now opened here to satisfy the hunger of kolkatians. There is a variety of food available here for you to taste. I should not forget to mention the forty year old ice cream stall which also offers fast food to its customers here. It is a favourite of many youngsters in the city thus you can notice a good sized bunch of youngsters around this joint on weekends. Apart from enjoying the evenings in the soothing breeze and tasting the road side food one can also go for boating in the river from here for a complete serene experience.There is a pier close to this place and is known as Man – O – War Jetty which is remembered by the port authorities as a place that played an important role in the World War II. Currently it is used by Indian Navy and well maintained. There is also a railway station on the Prinsep Ghat known as PPGT and maintained by Eastern Railways. You might know this place as the famous bollywood movie Parineeta’s song was filmed here on this Ghat.– Ruchi Mahajan