Maniktala clock tower to light up before Diwali
The heritage clock tower at Maniktala market, called Maniktala Ghori Bari, will light up before Diwali. The project needs Rs 2 lakh, which has been crowdfunded.
This comes after the clock tower’s restoration. The whole effort has been led by well-known Kolkata heritage enthusiast Mudar Patherya, with able support from, by his own admission, former Kolkata Police commissioner Soumen Mitra and Burtolla police station office-in-charge Debasis Datta.
The lighting up will be done by light artist Suman Maity, who the same for the award-winning Tala Prattoy Durga Puja pandal.
Maniktala Ghori Pari is one of Kolkata’s oldest clock towers, assumed to be at least a century old. The exact year of its construction is not known. The search for documents to confirm the exact age of the tower started along with the restoration.
Ghori Bari has a still-functioning 250-kg brass bell. The German-made clock has Bengali numerals, which were added later. The clock strikes hourly.
