General Post Office, Kolkata, West Bengal India

A heritage building right in the heart of Dalhousie Square, Kolkata (PIN 700001) housing the general post office. This two-storied Victorian style building with an impressive dome is a key landmark for Kolkata. Earlier Fort William was situated here. A long strip of brass on the eastern staircase of GPO is the reminiscent of initial Fort William of Kolkata.

This magnificent building of Kolkata GPO was constructed in 1868 at a cost of Rs. 6.5 lakhs.The design was prepared by Sir Walter B. Granville Eastern Bengal Railway.The post of Postmaster General of Calcutta GPO , however was created in 1850 and in the same year, mail strted getting sent from Calcutta to Kanpur in horse carts.A postal club was started in the GPO in 1905.GPO also maintained the oversees letters and the "Dak Palki".

As you enter the realm of the Kolkata General Post Office, one is immediately transported to a bygone era. The GPO is one of those places, which is thronged by thousands of people everyday who go on with their daily mundane business without realising the significance of this stunning building in the annals of the postal history of India. The construction of this breathtaking edifice has an equally fascinating story. The site of the old Fort William in the Dalhousie Square was selected for the construction of the new GPO. The southern and eastern corners of the Fort were then in ruins and desolate. Later it had to be cleared during the years 1856 – 57 to 1862 – 63 at a cost of Rs. 3000. The removal of the old foundation was a work of great difficulty owing to the extreme hardness of the masonry, which in many cases, could only be removed by blasting.

The construction of the Kolkata General Post Office commenced in 1864 based on the design of renowned architect Walter B. Granville and the new building was rendered immortal by the great obstetric engineering of Dr. Slop. In 1865, the Government of Bengal was satisfied with the progress of the construction of GPO and it was expected to be completed in the month of May 1866, but the failure of the lofty columns of the eastern portico delayed the completion of the building. The original plan was prepared to afford a convenient substantial post office, large enough to meet the requirements of Kolkata for a century and capable of enlargement at any future period as may be deemed necessary, but the plan did not work even during the progress of the construction. The construction of the new GPO was a long drawn affair, witnessed with keen interest by historians and architects. The Imperial Government made all possible efforts with reasonable expenditure to build a splendid architectural exterior befitting the once British Capital in India. The famous contractors Mackintosh Burn & Co constructed the GPO dome.