The wandering al-Khidr or English mispronunciation? Stories behind the name of a Kolkata locality

In South Kolkata, as the Hooghly River bends toward the Bay of Bengal, there lies a neighbourhood that carries within its name at least three distinct origin tales. Kidderpore has long been absorbed into the former British capital, but the history of its many names tells one story: how communities understand their place in the city and make sense of themselves in relation to the world.

The most enchanting of these three tales is drawn from religious literature. Across the Quran and Islamic literature, the figure of Al-Khidr or Khizr, is a wanderer who appears as a guide. Through divine intervention, he appears to travellers or sailors when they are faced with impossible odds at sea.

Khizr also makes a place for himself in Bengali folk tradition, particularly in the mosaic of river worship and maritime spirituality, thus lending his name to “Khizarpur”.

The second origin story emerges from British mercantile power while the third narrative has its roots in the Bengali linguistic tradition and Hindu devotion.

Rather than viewing these competing narratives as historical confusion, they offer a window into how communities create and preserve meaning around the places they inhabit.

The wanderer

In Surah 18 of the Quran, or the Surah Al-Kahf (the Cave), one of the prophets, Moses, comes across an unnamed...

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