The district of Hooghly got its name from the town of Hooghly situated on the west bank of Hooghly River about 40 km north of Kolkata. This town was a river port in the fifteenth century. The first European to reach this area was the Portuguese sailor Vasco-da-gama. In 1536 Portuguese traders got a permit from Sultan Mahmud Shah to trade in this area. In those days the Hooghly River was the main way for transportation and Hooghly served as an excellent trading port. Within a few decades the town of Hooghly turned into a major commercial center and the largest port in Bengal. Later in 1579-80 emperor Akbar gave permission to a Portuguese captain Pedro Tavares to establish a city anywhere in the Bengal province. They normally chose Hooghly and thus Hooghly became the first European settlement in Bengal. In 1599 the Portuguese traders built a convent and a church in Bandel. This is the first Christian church in Bengal known as �Bandel Church� today.