Home to the iconic Tollygunge Club and its golf course, the locality was once a densely forested stretch, far removed from the bustling urban landscape it is today. Tollygunge is one of South Kolkata’s most prominent neighbourhoods, known for its Bengali film studios, residential areas and green spaces.
The region was covered in thick vegetation, including mangrove trees such as Sundari, Byne and Garjan. One of Tipu Sultan’s sons, Ghulam Mohammed Shah, acquired the grounds of a plantation in the neighbourhood and used the property as a residence. The family later sold portions of the estate and leased out other sections. Among those who acquired an interest in the property was Scottish banker William Dixon Cruickshank, who wanted to establish a club where British residents could participate in sports and other recreational activities.
Volume 7 (1773–1776), Tolly offered to undertake the work either under a contract with the East India Company or in return for ₹ 80,000, along with the right to collect tolls from boats using the waterway for 12 years, according to letters published in Fort William-India House Correspondence. The property was originally an indigo plantation established in 1781, according to the Tollygunge Club’s archives. This led to the establishment of the now-famous Tollygunge club in the year 1895.
The area’s history goes back to the 18th century, when the area was known as Russapugla, according to a report on the website Live History India. The name Russapugla is believed to have originated from a tree under which a Sufi saint, known as Pugla Pir, meditated and eventually died, according to the Tollygunge Club’s historical account .
The estate had earlier belonged to Richard Johnson, an employee of the East India Company.
