BBD Bagh, Central Kolkata
Currency Building
The former headquarters of the British Indian currency system — a vast Italianate palace with arcaded verandahs and a history tied to the economic foundation of colonial India.
Best Time to Visit
Morning on a weekday when office traffic is lower and the light on the facade is good for photography.
Nearest Landmark
GPO, BBD Bagh / Dalhousie Square
How to Get There
BBD Bagh (Dalhousie Square), adjacent to the GPO. The exterior is accessible from the street. Interior access may require prior permission from the Reserve Bank of India.
Local Tip
"The building's arcaded ground-floor corridors are worth walking through even without interior access. The facade details — particularly the ornamental ironwork and the original louvred shutters — are exceptional examples of mid-Victorian colonial architecture. Combine with a walk around all of BBD Bagh for a complete colonial-era streetscape."
The Currency Building, completed in 1833 and expanded significantly in the 1860s, served as the centre of British India’s monetary system — the place where currency notes were printed, accounted for, and distributed. The architecture reflects the serious institutional weight that function carried.
The building
The Italianate palazzo style, adapted for the Bengali climate: broad arcaded verandahs on multiple floors to allow airflow, deep louvred shutters, high ceilings in every room. The building is huge by any standard — it fills an entire block of BBD Bagh’s east side.
The streetscape
BBD Bagh is best understood as a unit: the Currency Building, the GPO, the old telegraph office, Writers’ Buildings — all on the same square, all mid-19th century, all on a scale that the British used deliberately to project authority. Walking the square is a trip through the administrative geography of an empire.