Chandannagar is a municipal corporation in the state of West Bengal, India. It was formerly spelled Chandranagore. It was a former French colony along with present Puducherry, Union territory. It is a part of the Kolkata Metropolitan Area. Chandannagar is located on the banks of the Hooghly River. The total area of the city is 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi). The total population of the city is 166,867 according to the 2011 Census of India. Chandannagar was a French territory until India gained its independence from France in 1949. In 1954 it came under the jurisdiction of West Bengal.