ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the early formations of the city. It superseded the interior towns of Bengal, Dhaka, Murshidabad, Burdwan, Malda, Jessore, and Chittagong, in assuming its form, which then went into an eclipse. It examines if Calcutta was a pre-British formation, the geopolitics of the area of Calcutta and its neighbouring areas adequately and admirably suited its growth. It sheds light on the Anglo-Armenian partnership which led to the making of Calcutta in the early years of the eighteenth century, and the factors which contributed to the urban developments.
