Places of interest in Kolkata
Encyclopedia
Kolkata has been nickname
d the City of Palaces. This comes from the numerous palatial mansions built all over the city.
During the British colonial era from 1700–1912, when Kolkata
was the capital of British India, Kolkata witnessed a spate of frenzied construction activity of buildings largely influenced by the conscious intermingling of Neo-Gothic, Baroque, NeoClassical, Oriental and Islamic schools of design. Unlike many north Indian cities, whose construction stresses minimalism, the layout of much of the architectural variety in Kolkata owes its origins to Europe
an styles and tastes imported by the British and, to a much lesser extent, the Portuguese and French.
The buildings were designed and inspired by the tastes of the English gentleman around and the aspiring Bengali Babu (literally, a nouveau riche Bengali who aspired to cultivation of English etiquette, manners and custom, as such practices were favourable to monetary gains from the British).
Today, many of these structures are in various stages of decay. Some of the major buildings of this period are well maintained and several buildings have been declared as heritage structures. Conservation efforts are patchy and are often affected by problems of litigation, tenant troubles, ownership disputes, old tenancy laws and a lack of funds.
and was commissioned in 1906. Opened to the public in 1921, it was designed by the architects William Emerson
and his protege Vincent Esch at the extraordinary cost of Rupees 10.5 million ($262,500), all of which was collected as voluntary donations, mostly from the British
and India
n nobility. The memorial holds numerous paintings of the British royal family
, miniature paintings of the Mughal School, oil paintings of the Company school (notably the uncle - nephew pair of Thomas Daniell
and William Daniell
), historical artefacts like the throne of the Nawab of Bengal
, many lithographs and documents of historical interest, and various post-Raj artefacts significant in the history of Kolkata (added to the collection after independence). The memorial is set in extensive and beautiful lawns, and is lit up at night. A laser audio-visual show is held on the lawns every evening. 'Nike', the Greek Goddess of victory, on the top of the museum is said to be haunted, and has been prominently featured in many Kolkata stories and novels. It is regarded with pride and joy in Kolkata and colloquially referred to as the "Victoria".
The Indian Museum
is the largest museum in Asia
and the oldest in the Asia - Pacific region (est. 1814 at the location of the Asiatic Society
) . The Museum shifted to its present sprawling residence in 1875. Situated on Chowringhee Avenue
, it houses perhaps the greatest collection of Indian natural history
and an Indian Art
collection to rival the Smithsonian Institution
and the British Museum
. Of specific note are the meteorite
hall and dinosaur
hall in the Natural History and Geology section, the numismatics
section and the collections of Gandhara Art, Burmese woodwork, Mughal
miniatures and Tibet
an banner sections in the Indian Art
section. The Anthropological Survey of India
headquarters and the Government College of Art and Craft are housed in the same building. The Geological Survey of India
headquarters moved from the museum to Bidhan Nagar recently. The Indian Museum has a library of excellent historical value, with a special focus on the Raj and Kolkata.
The Marble Palace
is a privately owned collection of eclectic sculptures, paintings and a small menagerie and aviary off Chittaranjan Avenue
in North Kolkata. Built by Raja Rajendra Mullick in 1835, it houses, among other treasures two little-publicized Reubens and a Joshua Reynolds
, not to mention over 50 varieties of marble
which grace the interiors of this mansion.
Birla Industrial & Technological Museum
on Gurusaday Dutta Road
, was inaugurated in 1959 as the first popular science museum in Asia
. Modelled on the Deutsches Museum
, it has interactive popular science exhibits and a significant collection of historical industrial holdings in India. Its collection of old gramophone
s, sound recorders, telephones, steam engine
s, road roller
s and other industrial machinery of the period 1880–1950 is very significant. The museum sports a vintage model of the Rolls Royce Phantom
make. It also actively organizes summer camps, awareness programs and astronomy observations for school children.
Science City
is a complex near the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
featuring a lot of interactive science and live bioscience exhibits, as well as having Kolkata's first OMNIMAX
theatre.
The Jorasanko Thakur Bari
is the ancestral home of the Tagore family
and was converted into a museum in 1961. The huge sprawling brick mansions were the cultural hub of Kolkata for close to a century and was a major force in the women's liberation movement. It hosted the first Brahmo
wedding and was an important center in the Independence movement. The museum has three large galleries - one of the life and works of Rabindranath
, a second gallery about his close relatives such as father Debendranath Tagore
, Abanindranath Tagore
, Gaganendranath Tagore
and others, and a third gallery on the Bengal Renaissance
in general.
Gurusaday Museum, on Diamond Harbour Road, is the outcome of a lifetime of collection of traditional Bengal folk arts in undivided Bengal
by Sir Gurusaday Dutt
. On his death in 1941, the collection was handed over to the Bratachari Society founded by Sir Gurusaday Dutt
to preserve and protect Bengal folk arts. It was opened as a museum to the public with the help of the Government of India
in 1963. It contains, among other fine handicrafts, terracotta panels, kantha
or folk quilt
work, and patas ( or hand painted scrolls of the late 1900s), notably of the Kalighat school. The Asutosh Museum of Indian Art
, on College Street
, is the other museum specializing in Bengal folk arts, but with significant archaeological holdings from sites in West Bengal
and Bihar
like Chandraketugarh
and Tamluk
. The first university owned museum in India, it is run by the University of Calcutta
and is named after its famous vice chancellor Sir Asutosh Mukherjee
.
Jawahar Shishu Bhavan is named after Jawaharlal Nehru
, whose love for children was well known. The museum has a collection of dolls and toys from across the globe, and has a doll - based retelling of the Indian epics
Ramayana
and Mahabharata
. Established in 1972 close to the Victoria Memorial, and commonly referred to as "Nehru Children's Museum", this museum is aging awkwardly fast.
Sabarna Sangrahashala
located at Baro Bari, Barisha, Kolkata 700008, is the only family museum of Kolkata which is open to public. It was established in 2005 by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury Paribar Parishad and already has become a great tourist destination specially for those who want to know more about the history of Kolkata. It is also a research institute in the making. The Museum possesses some of the rarest Kabulatipatras, documents and articles of historical importance. The museum is dedicated to students for creating an awareness in history and culture.Sabarna Prithivi
Kolkata also has some other small museums like the Maritime Museum, and the Police Museum.
National Library of India
located in Alipore is India's leading library and a public library. It was inaugurated in 1836 by the Governor General Lord Metcalfe by transferring 4675 books from the College of Fort William. Public donations were the main source of books for the library, and by donations of Rupees 300 from proprietors. Dwarakanath Tagore was the first proprietor of the library. The library was initially only partially public, as poor students could use the library for a limited period of time. The Imperial Library
was founded in 1891 by merging several libraries like those of the East India College and East India Board. Governor General Lord Curzon initiated the merger of these two libraries into a single Imperial Library in 1903 at the Metcalfe Hall
. The goals of the library were to collect every book written about India at any time. The Assistant Librarian of the British Museum John Macfarlane
was the first librarian and was succeeded by the first Indian librarian Harinath De. The library was moved to its present quarters in Belvedere Estate
, Alipore
and renamed the National Library
. It is a fully public library which co-ordinates the activities of all other Indian public libraries. True to its goal, any book published in India today has to send one copy to the National Library, Kolkata in the spirit of the Library of Congress
, United States
.
The other popular Kolkata libraries include the Ramakrishna Mission Library, maintained by the Ramakrishna Mission
, Kolkata which has a special children's section, as well as the large consulate-based libraries of British Council
, Kolkata and of the United States Information Service, Kolkata. The Calcutta Club
library has a historically significant collection, including the fully furnished and book-stocked reading room of Nirad C. Chaudhuri
. The other historically significant libraries are those of Asiatic Society
, Indian Museum
, Presidency College
, Scottish Church College, and St. Xavier's College, Calcutta
.
The Great Eastern Hotel was born Auckland Hotel in 1841, at the crossroads of the Old Courthouse Street and British India Street, founded by confectioner David Wilson
and named after the current Governor General Lord Auckland. It grew from strength to strength over the 19th and first half of the 20th century. Locally known as "Wilson's Hotel", it was also known as "Auckland Hotel and the Hall of Nations" in the 19th century, and was referred to as the "Japani Hotel" (Japanese Hotel) colloquially in the 20th century, due to the large number of Japanese tourists there. The hotel was extremely elite, referred to as the Jewel of the East and "the best hotel East of the Suez
" by Mark Twain
on his voyage along the Equator, and described by Rudyard Kipling
in "The City of Dreadful Night". It had notable board members like the author Parry Chand Mitter and stockholders like W. C. Bonnerjee - president of the Indian National Congress
. The hotel was famous for its new year parties thrown by Maharajahs (like the Maharajah of Cooch Behar) uptil the 1950s. It has been host to such notables as Elizabeth II on her India visit, Nikita Khrushchev
's delegation in the 1950s, and visiting international cricket
teams. The hotel kitchens, manned by the legendary Baruahs of Chittagong
(now in Bangladesh
), was the talk of Kolkata. It steadily progressed downhill since the 1970s, and was taken over by the Government of West Bengal
in 1975 on grounds of insolvency. Labour union problems caused the hotel to worsen until a sensationalist news campaign by The Telegraph
exposed the sorry state of the hotel in the 1990s. The hotel was privatised in November 2005 with the help of PricewaterhouseCoopers and has been re-christened The LaLiT Great Eastern Kolkata. Presently, under extensive restoration the property will reopen by 2011. The Lalit Great Eastern will offer 244 rooms and suites along with four Restaurants and Bars, the largest conference and banqueting facility in Kolkata, besides all other 5 star deluxe facilities and services.
The Grand Hotel
had humble beginnings as Mrs. Monte's Boarding House at 13, Chowringhee Street. Acquired by the Armenian
real-estate baron Arrathoon Stephen, it turned into a 3-story 500-room hotel. Acquired by Mohan Singh Oberoi
in 1938, it became the Oberoi Grand. The hotel got a major lift during World War II
when about 4000 soldiers were billeted there, and would party regularly. Events like the U.S. Marines' Ball at the hotel remind visitors of such times.
means "field" in Hindi
and Bengali
. The Kolkata Maidan was once a vast uninterrupted field, right down to the edge of the Hoogli, but is being encroached upon by the city and is fragmented by roads. The Maidan has nurtured sports like Polo
, and has been the home of equestrianism
, horse racing
, football
, cricket
and rugby in Kolkata. It houses numerous clubs including the "big three" of Indian football - Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, East Bengal
Football Club and Mohammedan
Sporting Club along with their respective home stadiums. The arterial Chowringhee Avenue
, Eden Gardens
and the waterfront Millennium Park
border the Maidan. The Maidan abounds with monuments and statues, the most famous of them being Shaheed Minar and the statue of ace footballer Gostho Pal.
Rabindra Sarobar
or "The Lake" is an artificial lake and urban park in the spirit of Central Park
, New York City
. The park has a lake and an island with a footbridge, an open air amphitheatre (Nazrul Mancha
), a sports stadium (Rabindra Sarobar Stadium), a children's park and the rowing clubs of Calcutta Rowing Club
,Bengal Rowing Club and Lake Club.
The Salt Lake Central Park is a large urban park in the centre of the Bidhan Nagar township, with a lake in the middle and information technology and government offices along its fringes.
The Indian Botanical Garden, spread over 270 acres (1.1 km²), was founded in 1786 and is the oldest "botanics" in India. Housing 50,000 species, the Botanical Survey of India
and one of the world's most historically relevant herbarium
s, it is famous for its 250 year old 98 feet tall banyan tree - which has the largest girth of any banyan tree ever recorded (1300 ft) .
Alipore Zoological Gardens
was founded in 1875, inaugurated by King Edward VII of the United Kingdom
, then Prince of Wales
. Initially started from the personal menagerie of the then Governor General of Bengal Arthur Wellesley
and Carl Louis Schwendler
- a German
electrician, it grew based on gifts from British and Indian nobility - like Raja Suryakanta Acharya of Mymensingh
in whose honour the open air tiger enclosure is named the "Mymensingh Enclosure". The zoo was ill-reputed because of cross breeding experiments between lion
s and tiger
s to produce strains like tigons
, liger
s, and litigons
. Adwaita
was a male Aldabra Giant Tortoise
in the zoo which died in March, 2006. He was reported to have been more than 250 years old - a candidate for the longest lived animal. The other success story of the zoo was a live birth of the rare Sumatran Rhinoceros
in 1889. The zoo is presently downsizing to meet animal comfort requirements laid down by the Central Zoo Authority of India
. The zoo is also on the flyway
for several migratory birds like the Sarus Crane
.
Millennium Park
is the newest city park on the banks of the River Hoogli.
or "Tower of the Martyrs", (originally Ochterlony Monument) was constructed on the northern fringe of the Maidan
in honour of Sir David Ochterlony
who commanded the British East India Company
forces in the Gurkha War
1814-1816. It was renamed Shaheed Minar
in honour of the fallen freedom fighters
after Indian independence.
Other memorials in Kolkata include the Panioty fountain, and the William Jones
obelisk
at the South Park Street Cemetery
.
Kolkata is full of statues celebrating British
heritage and the Indian Renaissance and freedom movement. The Maidan
is a particularly good place for statue-hunting. A few of the more notable landmarks:
The statue of Netaji by Marathi sculptor Nagesh Yoglekar - at the Shyambazar
five point crossing.
The statue of Sir James Outram
by Irish sculptor John Foli (1874) - in front of the Victoria Memorial, originally at the Park Street and Chowringhee Avenue
crossing.
The statue of Iswarchandra Vidyasagar
by Bengali sculptor Pramod Gopal Chattopadhyay (1899) - on the premises of Sanskrit College
.
The statue of Rabindranath Tagore
by Russian sculptor Aizekovich Azgur (1963) - at the Jorasanko
Tagore
residence.
The statue of David Hare
by unknown sculptor (1847) - one of Kolkata's few marble statues, on the precincts of Presidency College
.
A comprehensive list of Kolkata statues can be found at http://www.catchcal.com/kaleidoscope/statue.asp .
is Kolkata's historic shopping district. Opened in 1874, it was named Hogg Market after the commissioner Sir Stuart Hogg. The beautiful fountain and benches at the market no longer exist, but the popularity of the market has not waned, and the beautiful gothic clock tower recalls the British heritage of the market. It was renamed New Market after Independence.
New Market led the way for Christmas
and New Year
festivities with confectionery shops like Nahoum's putting up a special spread. The market is organized on the basis of merchandize. It burnt down partially in 1985 but has been restored and expanded with a new building since.
•Kolkata has seen a spurt of shopping malls with the rise of the buying power of the Kolkata populace. Shopping arcades like Forum Mall and Emami Shoppers' City in Central Calcutta have brought international brands from Swarovski
to Godiva
to the city, breaking the city's dependence on the older market complexes like A.C. Market and Vardaan Market, which were mainly Chinese
import dependent.
•Swabhumi
has been modelled as an ethnic shopping arcade near the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
.
•City centre has sprung up in the residential area of Salt Lake City, which is fast becoming a new destination for Calcuttans.
•City Centre 2 is another mall which has come up recently in Rajarhat
, New Town.
•Metropolis is a shopping mall which is a part of the residential complex Highland Park on Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
.
After 2008, Kolkata has witnessed more world-class malls after the success of the First two malls(Forum Mall & City Centre).
•The New malls are South City
mall on Prince Anwar Shah Road, and Mani Square Mall on Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
. They have brought more brands to Kolkata like IMAX
, Costa Coffee
, Subway (restaurant)
etc.
•Big Bazaar
- This is a huge chain of departmental stores, where a wide range of goods are available.
•One of the latest malls is Mukti World which has come up in the Ballygunge area on Gariahat Road. The main attraction is its multiplex London Paris.
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
d the City of Palaces. This comes from the numerous palatial mansions built all over the city.
During the British colonial era from 1700–1912, when Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
was the capital of British India, Kolkata witnessed a spate of frenzied construction activity of buildings largely influenced by the conscious intermingling of Neo-Gothic, Baroque, NeoClassical, Oriental and Islamic schools of design. Unlike many north Indian cities, whose construction stresses minimalism, the layout of much of the architectural variety in Kolkata owes its origins to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an styles and tastes imported by the British and, to a much lesser extent, the Portuguese and French.
The buildings were designed and inspired by the tastes of the English gentleman around and the aspiring Bengali Babu (literally, a nouveau riche Bengali who aspired to cultivation of English etiquette, manners and custom, as such practices were favourable to monetary gains from the British).
Today, many of these structures are in various stages of decay. Some of the major buildings of this period are well maintained and several buildings have been declared as heritage structures. Conservation efforts are patchy and are often affected by problems of litigation, tenant troubles, ownership disputes, old tenancy laws and a lack of funds.
Museums and libraries
Born as Lord Curzon's brainchild as a memorial to the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Empress of India, Queen Victoria after her death in 1902, the Victoria Memorial was modelled on the Taj MahalTaj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
and was commissioned in 1906. Opened to the public in 1921, it was designed by the architects William Emerson
William Emerson (architect)
Sir William Emerson was a British architect.He was born in 1843 the son of a silk manufacturer in Whitechapel, London, and educated at King's College, London. Around 1861 he was articled to William Gilbee Habershon, who soon thereafter entered into partnership with Alfred Robert Pite...
and his protege Vincent Esch at the extraordinary cost of Rupees 10.5 million ($262,500), all of which was collected as voluntary donations, mostly from the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n nobility. The memorial holds numerous paintings of the British royal family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
, miniature paintings of the Mughal School, oil paintings of the Company school (notably the uncle - nephew pair of Thomas Daniell
Thomas Daniell
Thomas Daniell was an English landscape painter.-Life:Thomas Daniell was born in 1749 at the Chertsey inn, kept by his father, and was apprenticed to an heraldic painter. Daniell, however, was animated with a love of the romantic and beautiful in architecture and nature. Up to 1784, he painted...
and William Daniell
William Daniell
William Daniell RA was an English landscape and marine painter, and engraver. He travelled extensively in the Far East, helping to produce one of the finest illustrated volumes of the period - "Oriental Scenery". He also travelled around the coastline of Britain to paint watercolours for the...
), historical artefacts like the throne of the Nawab of Bengal
Nawab of Bengal
The Nawabs of Bengal were the hereditary nazims or subadars of the subah of Bengal during the Mughal rule and the de-facto rulers of the province.-History:...
, many lithographs and documents of historical interest, and various post-Raj artefacts significant in the history of Kolkata (added to the collection after independence). The memorial is set in extensive and beautiful lawns, and is lit up at night. A laser audio-visual show is held on the lawns every evening. 'Nike', the Greek Goddess of victory, on the top of the museum is said to be haunted, and has been prominently featured in many Kolkata stories and novels. It is regarded with pride and joy in Kolkata and colloquially referred to as the "Victoria".
Indian Museum
The Indian Museum is the largest museum in India and has rare collections of antiques, armour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings...
is the largest museum in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and the oldest in the Asia - Pacific region (est. 1814 at the location of the Asiatic Society
Asiatic Society
The Asiatic Society was founded by Sir William Jones on January 15, 1784 in a meeting presided over by Sir Robert Chambers, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at the Fort William in Calcutta, then capital of the British Raj, to enhance and further the cause of Oriental research. At the time of...
) . The Museum shifted to its present sprawling residence in 1875. Situated on Chowringhee Avenue
Chowringhee Avenue
Jawaharlal Nehru Road , in the Chowringhee neighbourhood, is the arterial road running from the eastern fringes of Esplanade southwards up to the crossing with Lower Circular Road , in the city of Calcutta, India. It is the single most important road of the metropolis of Kolkata...
, it houses perhaps the greatest collection of Indian natural history
Indian natural history
Natural history in India has a long heritage with a recorded history going back to the Vedas. Natural history research in early times included the broad fields of paleontology, zoology and botany...
and an Indian Art
Indian art
Indian Art is the visual art produced on the Indian subcontinent from about the 3rd millennium BC to modern times. To viewers schooled in the Western tradition, Indian art may seem overly ornate and sensuous; appreciation of its refinement comes only gradually, as a rule. Voluptuous feeling is...
collection to rival the Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
and the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
. Of specific note are the meteorite
Meteorite
A meteorite is a natural object originating in outer space that survives impact with the Earth's surface. Meteorites can be big or small. Most meteorites derive from small astronomical objects called meteoroids, but they are also sometimes produced by impacts of asteroids...
hall and dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
hall in the Natural History and Geology section, the numismatics
Numismatics
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. While numismatists are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other payment media used to resolve debts and the...
section and the collections of Gandhara Art, Burmese woodwork, Mughal
Mughal painting
Mughal painting is a particular style of South Asian painting, generally confined to miniatures either as book illustrations or as single works to be kept in albums, which emerged from Persian miniature painting, with Indian Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist influences, and developed largely in the court...
miniatures and Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an banner sections in the Indian Art
Indian art
Indian Art is the visual art produced on the Indian subcontinent from about the 3rd millennium BC to modern times. To viewers schooled in the Western tradition, Indian art may seem overly ornate and sensuous; appreciation of its refinement comes only gradually, as a rule. Voluptuous feeling is...
section. The Anthropological Survey of India
Anthropological Survey of India
Anthropological Survey of India is the apex Indian organisation involved in anthropological studies and field data research for human and cultural aspects, working primarily in the fields of physical anthropology and cultural anthropology...
headquarters and the Government College of Art and Craft are housed in the same building. The Geological Survey of India
Geological Survey of India
Geological Survey of India , established in 1851 is a government organization in India which is an attached office to the Ministry of Mines of Union Government of India for conducting geological surveys and studies. It is one of the oldest of such organizations in the world and the second oldest...
headquarters moved from the museum to Bidhan Nagar recently. The Indian Museum has a library of excellent historical value, with a special focus on the Raj and Kolkata.
Marble Palace (Kolkata)
Marble Palace is a palatial nineteenth-century mansion in North Kolkata. It is located at 46, Muktaram Babu Street, Kolkata 700007. It is one of the best-preserved and most elegant houses of nineteenth-century Calcutta...
is a privately owned collection of eclectic sculptures, paintings and a small menagerie and aviary off Chittaranjan Avenue
Chittaranjan Avenue
Chittaranjan Avenue, more commonly C.R. Avenue, is the previous Central Avenue, a principal north-south thoroughfare in north and central Kolkata.-Stretch:...
in North Kolkata. Built by Raja Rajendra Mullick in 1835, it houses, among other treasures two little-publicized Reubens and a Joshua Reynolds
Joshua Reynolds
Sir Joshua Reynolds RA FRS FRSA was an influential 18th-century English painter, specialising in portraits and promoting the "Grand Style" in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. He was one of the founders and first President of the Royal Academy...
, not to mention over 50 varieties of marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
which grace the interiors of this mansion.
Birla Industrial & Technological Museum
Birla Industrial & Technological Museum
Birla Industrial & Technological Museum , a unit under National Council of Science Museums [NCSM], Ministry of Culture, Government of India, is at Gurusaday road, Kolkata.-History:...
on Gurusaday Dutta Road
Gurusaday Dutta Road
Gurusaday Dutta Road is one of the poshest areas of Kolkata. Its old name was Ballygunge Store Road. It was named after Gurusaday Dutt, an ICS officer and a Bengali patriot.-Localities:...
, was inaugurated in 1959 as the first popular science museum in Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. Modelled on the Deutsches Museum
Deutsches Museum
The Deutsches Museum in Munich, Germany, is the world's largest museum of technology and science, with approximately 1.5 million visitors per year and about 28,000 exhibited objects from 50 fields of science and technology. The museum was founded on June 28, 1903, at a meeting of the Association...
, it has interactive popular science exhibits and a significant collection of historical industrial holdings in India. Its collection of old gramophone
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
s, sound recorders, telephones, steam engine
Steam engine
A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid.Steam engines are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separate from the combustion products. Non-combustion heat sources such as solar power, nuclear power or geothermal energy may be...
s, road roller
Road roller
A road roller is a compactor type engineering vehicle used to compact soil, gravel, concrete, or asphalt in the construction of roads and foundations, similar rollers are used also at landfills or in agriculture.In some parts of the world, road rollers are still known colloquially as steam...
s and other industrial machinery of the period 1880–1950 is very significant. The museum sports a vintage model of the Rolls Royce Phantom
Rolls-Royce Phantom
Rolls-Royce has used the Phantom name on luxury cars over the past century:* Rolls-Royce Phantom I, 1925–1931* Rolls-Royce Phantom II, 1929–1936* Rolls-Royce Phantom III, 1936–1939* Rolls-Royce Phantom IV, 1950–1959...
make. It also actively organizes summer camps, awareness programs and astronomy observations for school children.
Science City
Science City Kolkata
Science City, Kolkata is the largest science centre in the Indian subcontinent under National Council of Science Museums , Ministry of Culture, Government of India, is at the crossing of Eastern Metropolitan Bypass and J B S Haldane avenue, Kolkata...
is a complex near the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
The Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, or simply E.M. Bypass, is a major road on the east side of Kolkata that connects Bidhannagar on the northeast to southern parts of Kolkata. It was designed like a bypass or beltway on the eastern side of Kolkata to lessen the perennial traffic congestion on the...
featuring a lot of interactive science and live bioscience exhibits, as well as having Kolkata's first OMNIMAX
Omnimax
Omnimax may refer to:* A variation of the IMAX film format that is projected on an angled dome* A shorthand expression for a deity that is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, and/or omnibenevolent...
theatre.
The Jorasanko Thakur Bari
Jorasanko Thakur Bari
The Thakurbari The Thakurbari The Thakurbari (Bangla: House of the Thakurs (anglicised to Tagore) in Jorasanko, north of Kolkata, West Bengal, India is the ancestral home of the Tagore family. It is currently located on the Rabindra Bharati University campus at 6/4 Dwarakanath Tagore Lane...
is the ancestral home of the Tagore family
Tagore family
The Tagore family, with over three hundred years of history, has been one of the leading families of Kolkata, and is regarded as a key influence during the Bengal Renaissance...
and was converted into a museum in 1961. The huge sprawling brick mansions were the cultural hub of Kolkata for close to a century and was a major force in the women's liberation movement. It hosted the first Brahmo
Brahmo
A Brahmo is either an adherent of Brahmoism to the exclusion of all other religions, or a person with at least one Brahmo parent or guardian and who has never denied his faith...
wedding and was an important center in the Independence movement. The museum has three large galleries - one of the life and works of Rabindranath
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
, a second gallery about his close relatives such as father Debendranath Tagore
Debendranath Tagore
Debendranath Tagore was one of the founders in 1848 of the Brahmo Religion which today is synonymous with Brahmoism the youngest religion of India and Bangladesh....
, Abanindranath Tagore
Abanindranath Tagore
Abanindranath Tagore was the principal artist of the Bengal school and the first major exponent of swadeshi values in Indian art. He was also a noted writer, particularly for children...
, Gaganendranath Tagore
Gaganendranath Tagore
See Tagore for disambiguationGaganendranath Tagore was an Indian painter and cartoonist of the Bengal school. He belongs to the Tagore family and was born at Jorasanko.-Early life:Gaganendranath Tagore was born in Calcutta...
and others, and a third gallery on the Bengal Renaissance
Bengal Renaissance
The Bengal Renaissance refers to a social reform movement during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the region of Bengal in Undivided India during the period of British rule...
in general.
Gurusaday Museum, on Diamond Harbour Road, is the outcome of a lifetime of collection of traditional Bengal folk arts in undivided Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
by Sir Gurusaday Dutt
Gurusaday Dutt
Gurusaday Dutt was a civil servant, politician, folklorist, and writer.-Early Life and education:He was the son of the Ramkrishna Dutt Chaudhuri and Anandamayee Debi...
. On his death in 1941, the collection was handed over to the Bratachari Society founded by Sir Gurusaday Dutt
Gurusaday Dutt
Gurusaday Dutt was a civil servant, politician, folklorist, and writer.-Early Life and education:He was the son of the Ramkrishna Dutt Chaudhuri and Anandamayee Debi...
to preserve and protect Bengal folk arts. It was opened as a museum to the public with the help of the Government of India
Government of India
The Government of India, officially known as the Union Government, and also known as the Central Government, was established by the Constitution of India, and is the governing authority of the union of 28 states and seven union territories, collectively called the Republic of India...
in 1963. It contains, among other fine handicrafts, terracotta panels, kantha
Kantha
Kantha is a type of embroidery popular in Bangladesh and in West Bengal, India. The use of kantha is popular in saris traditionally worn by women in Bengal, but any garment or cloth with kantha embroidery may be called a kantha garment.Kantha stitching is also used to make simple quilts...
or folk quilt
Quilt
A quilt is a type of bed cover, traditionally composed of three layers of fiber: a woven cloth top, a layer of batting or wadding and a woven back, combined using the technique of quilting. “Quilting” refers to the technique of joining at least two fabric layers by stitches or ties...
work, and patas ( or hand painted scrolls of the late 1900s), notably of the Kalighat school. The Asutosh Museum of Indian Art
Asutosh Museum of Indian Art
Asutosh Museum of Indian Art is an art museum located in the main campus of University of Calcutta on College Street, Kolkata , India. Established in 1937, it is the first public museum in any University in India...
, on College Street
College Street (Kolkata)
College Street is a street in north Calcutta. It stretches from Bowbazar to Mahatma Gandhi road crossing. It houses many centres of intellectual activity in the city...
, is the other museum specializing in Bengal folk arts, but with significant archaeological holdings from sites in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
and Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
like Chandraketugarh
Chandraketugarh
Chandraketugarh is an archaeological site located beside the Bidyadhari river, about 35 km north-east of Kolkata, India, in the district of North 24 parganas, near the township of Berachampa and the Haroa Road railhead....
and Tamluk
Tamluk
Tamluk is the district headquarters of Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. Though there is some controversy, scholars have generally agreed that present day Tamluk is the site of the ancient city variously known as Tamralipta or Tamralipti...
. The first university owned museum in India, it is run by the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
and is named after its famous vice chancellor Sir Asutosh Mukherjee
Ashutosh Mukherjee
Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, CIE was a prolific Bengali educator and the first Indian Vice Chancellor of the University of Calcutta from 1906 to 1924. Perhaps the most emphatic figure of Indian education, he was a man of great personality, high self-respect, courage and towering administrative ability...
.
Jawahar Shishu Bhavan is named after Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
, whose love for children was well known. The museum has a collection of dolls and toys from across the globe, and has a doll - based retelling of the Indian epics
EPICS
The Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System is a software environment used to develop and implement distributed control systems to operate devices such as particle accelerators, telescopes and other large experiments. EPICS also provides SCADA capabilities...
Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
and Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. Established in 1972 close to the Victoria Memorial, and commonly referred to as "Nehru Children's Museum", this museum is aging awkwardly fast.
Sabarna Sangrahashala
Sabarna Sangrahashala
Sabarna Sangrahashalais a unique museum of the Sabarna Roy Choudhury family. It has been developed by The Sabarna Roy Choudhury Paribar Parishad...
located at Baro Bari, Barisha, Kolkata 700008, is the only family museum of Kolkata which is open to public. It was established in 2005 by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury Paribar Parishad and already has become a great tourist destination specially for those who want to know more about the history of Kolkata. It is also a research institute in the making. The Museum possesses some of the rarest Kabulatipatras, documents and articles of historical importance. The museum is dedicated to students for creating an awareness in history and culture.Sabarna Prithivi
Kolkata also has some other small museums like the Maritime Museum, and the Police Museum.
National Library of India
National Library of India
The National Library of India at Belvedere, Calcutta is the second largest library in India after the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai and India's library of public record....
located in Alipore is India's leading library and a public library. It was inaugurated in 1836 by the Governor General Lord Metcalfe by transferring 4675 books from the College of Fort William. Public donations were the main source of books for the library, and by donations of Rupees 300 from proprietors. Dwarakanath Tagore was the first proprietor of the library. The library was initially only partially public, as poor students could use the library for a limited period of time. The Imperial Library
National Library of India
The National Library of India at Belvedere, Calcutta is the second largest library in India after the Anna Centenary Library in Chennai and India's library of public record....
was founded in 1891 by merging several libraries like those of the East India College and East India Board. Governor General Lord Curzon initiated the merger of these two libraries into a single Imperial Library in 1903 at the Metcalfe Hall
Metcalfe Hall
Metcalfe Hall is a heritage building situated in Kolkata, India, at the junction of Strand Road and Hare Street in the heart of the city's business district. The architectural piece is reflective of the British imperial architecture at the beginning of the nineteenth century. It was built between...
. The goals of the library were to collect every book written about India at any time. The Assistant Librarian of the British Museum John Macfarlane
John MacFarlane
John MacFarlane is an American businessman who founded www.software.com and is currently the CEO of the company Sonos.- Sources :*http://www.sonos.com*http://www.software.com...
was the first librarian and was succeeded by the first Indian librarian Harinath De. The library was moved to its present quarters in Belvedere Estate
Belvedere Estate
The Belvedere Estate consists of Belvedere House and the 30 acre grounds surrounding it, in which the National Library of India is housed. Its is located near the Alipore Zoological Gardens, in Calcutta...
, Alipore
Alipore
Alipore is headquarters of South 24 Parganas district and a neighbourhood in South Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.Alipore, Kolkata, not to be confused with Alipore, Gujarat, is one of the poshest and costliest localities in Kolkata, along with the area Ballygunge...
and renamed the National Library
National library
A national library is a library specifically established by the government of a country to serve as the preeminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books...
. It is a fully public library which co-ordinates the activities of all other Indian public libraries. True to its goal, any book published in India today has to send one copy to the National Library, Kolkata in the spirit of the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
The other popular Kolkata libraries include the Ramakrishna Mission Library, maintained by the Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Mission
Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are twin organizations which form the core of a worldwide spiritual movement known as Ramakrishna Movement or Vedanta Movement. The Ramakrishna Mission is a philanthropic, volunteer organization founded by Ramakrishna's chief disciple Swami Vivekananda on...
, Kolkata which has a special children's section, as well as the large consulate-based libraries of British Council
British Council
The British Council is a United Kingdom-based organisation specialising in international educational and cultural opportunities. It is registered as a charity both in England and Wales, and in Scotland...
, Kolkata and of the United States Information Service, Kolkata. The Calcutta Club
Calcutta Club
Calcutta Club is a social club located on Lower Circular Road in Calcutta India. It was established in 1907 and the first president of the club was H H The Maharajah of Cooch Behar....
library has a historically significant collection, including the fully furnished and book-stocked reading room of Nirad C. Chaudhuri
Nirad C. Chaudhuri
Italic textNirad C. Chaudhuri was a Bengali−English writer and cultural commentator...
. The other historically significant libraries are those of Asiatic Society
Asiatic Society
The Asiatic Society was founded by Sir William Jones on January 15, 1784 in a meeting presided over by Sir Robert Chambers, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at the Fort William in Calcutta, then capital of the British Raj, to enhance and further the cause of Oriental research. At the time of...
, Indian Museum
Indian Museum
The Indian Museum is the largest museum in India and has rare collections of antiques, armour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings...
, Presidency College
Presidency College, Kolkata
Presidency University, Kolkata, formerly Hindu College and Presidency College, is a unitary, state aided university, located in Kolkata, West Bengal. and one of the premier institutes of learning of liberal arts and sciences in India. In 2002 it was ranked number one by the weekly news magazine...
, Scottish Church College, and St. Xavier's College, Calcutta
St. Xavier's College, Calcutta
St. Xavier's College is located in Kolkata, India, and is named after St. Francis Xavier, a Jesuit saint of the 16th century, who travelled to India. It is an autonomous college affiliated to the University of Calcutta. It gained autonomy in July 2006, thus becoming the first autonomous college of...
.
British administrative offices
- High Court
- Bankshall Court
- Raj BhavanRaj Bhavan (West Bengal)Raj Bhavan is the Governor's palace in Kolkata, West Bengal. Built in 1803 and once the residence of the Viceroy of India, and called Government House, the palatial building is now the residence of the Governor of West Bengal. The present Governor, H.E...
or Government House, Kolkata, built in the early 19th century, is modelled on Kedleston HallKedleston HallKedleston Hall is an English country house in Kedleston, Derbyshire, approximately four miles north-west of Derby, and is the seat of the Curzon family whose name originates in Notre-Dame-de-Courson in Normandy...
. The House was once the seat of the ViceroyViceroyA viceroy is a royal official who runs a country, colony, or province in the name of and as representative of the monarch. The term derives from the Latin prefix vice-, meaning "in the place of" and the French word roi, meaning king. A viceroy's province or larger territory is called a viceroyalty...
s of India; later, when the Government moved to New Delhi, it became the residence of the Governor of BengalBengalBengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
, a function that it fulfills to this day. While the basic features of Kedleston have been faithfully copied (the Palladian Front, the Dome etc.), Government House is a much larger, three storeyed structure. Also, the Government of India evidently did not have the funding constraints that forced the Curzons to leave their house incomplete: Government House has all four wings originally conceived for Kedleston. So today, a 'complete', brick built Kedleston, on a much grander scale, is located in its acres of gardens at the heart of the Kolkata business district. - Town HallKolkata Town HallKolkata Town Hall in Roman-Doric style, was built by the architect Col. John Garstin in 1813 with a fund of Rupees seven lakhs raised from lottery to provide the Europeans with a place for social gatherings. At first, the hall was placed under a committee, which allowed the public to use the hall...
- Writers' BuildingWriters' BuildingThe Writers' Building is the secretariat building of the State Government of West Bengal in India. It is and is located in West Bengal's capital city of Kolkata. The Writers' Building originally served as the office for writers of the British East India Company, hence the name...
- General Post Office
- Esplanade Mansion
- South Eastern Railway Headquarters, Garden Reach
- Howrah Station
Historic hotels
David Wilson (Calcutta)
David Wilson was born in Brilley, Herefordshire in 1808. He worked as a confectioner in Calcutta and on 18 Nov 1840 he opened the Auckland Hotel at 1-3 Old Court House Road in Calcutta. The hotel was also known as Wilson's Hotel and changed its name to the Great Eastern Hotel...
and named after the current Governor General Lord Auckland. It grew from strength to strength over the 19th and first half of the 20th century. Locally known as "Wilson's Hotel", it was also known as "Auckland Hotel and the Hall of Nations" in the 19th century, and was referred to as the "Japani Hotel" (Japanese Hotel) colloquially in the 20th century, due to the large number of Japanese tourists there. The hotel was extremely elite, referred to as the Jewel of the East and "the best hotel East of the Suez
Suez
Suez is a seaport city in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez , near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal, having the same boundaries as Suez governorate. It has three harbors, Adabya, Ain Sokhna and Port Tawfiq, and extensive port facilities...
" by Mark Twain
Mark Twain
Samuel Langhorne Clemens , better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist...
on his voyage along the Equator, and described by Rudyard Kipling
Rudyard Kipling
Joseph Rudyard Kipling was an English poet, short-story writer, and novelist chiefly remembered for his celebration of British imperialism, tales and poems of British soldiers in India, and his tales for children. Kipling received the 1907 Nobel Prize for Literature...
in "The City of Dreadful Night". It had notable board members like the author Parry Chand Mitter and stockholders like W. C. Bonnerjee - president of the Indian National Congress
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Bharatiya Janata Party. It is the largest and one of the oldest democratic political parties in the world. The party's modern liberal platform is largely considered center-left in the Indian...
. The hotel was famous for its new year parties thrown by Maharajahs (like the Maharajah of Cooch Behar) uptil the 1950s. It has been host to such notables as Elizabeth II on her India visit, Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
's delegation in the 1950s, and visiting international cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
teams. The hotel kitchens, manned by the legendary Baruahs of Chittagong
Chittagong
Chittagong ) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh and the capital of an eponymous district and division. Built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, the city is home to Bangladesh's busiest seaport and has a population of over 4.5 million, making it the second largest city in the country.A trading...
(now in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
), was the talk of Kolkata. It steadily progressed downhill since the 1970s, and was taken over by the Government of West Bengal
Government of West Bengal
The Government of West Bengal also known as the State Government of West Bengal, or locally as State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of West Bengal and its 19 districts...
in 1975 on grounds of insolvency. Labour union problems caused the hotel to worsen until a sensationalist news campaign by The Telegraph
The Telegraph (Kolkata)
The Telegraph is an Indian daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Kolkata since 1982. It is published by the ABP Group and the newspaper vies with the Times of India for the position of having the widest widest circulation of any newspaper in Eastern India.According to the Audit...
exposed the sorry state of the hotel in the 1990s. The hotel was privatised in November 2005 with the help of PricewaterhouseCoopers and has been re-christened The LaLiT Great Eastern Kolkata. Presently, under extensive restoration the property will reopen by 2011. The Lalit Great Eastern will offer 244 rooms and suites along with four Restaurants and Bars, the largest conference and banqueting facility in Kolkata, besides all other 5 star deluxe facilities and services.
Grand Hotel (Calcutta)
The Grand Hotel, officially known as the Oberoi Grand, is situated in the heart of Kolkata on Jawaharlal Nehru Road . It is an elegant building of British era and is a famous building in Kolkata. The hotel is owned by Oberoi chain of hotels.-History:The Grand Hotel had humble beginnings as Mrs...
had humble beginnings as Mrs. Monte's Boarding House at 13, Chowringhee Street. Acquired by the Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
real-estate baron Arrathoon Stephen, it turned into a 3-story 500-room hotel. Acquired by Mohan Singh Oberoi
Mohan Singh Oberoi
Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi was a renowned Indian hotelier, widely regarded as the father of 20th century India's hotel business, was the founder Chairman of Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, India's second-largest hotel company, with 35 luxury hotels in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Egypt, Australia and...
in 1938, it became the Oberoi Grand. The hotel got a major lift during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
when about 4000 soldiers were billeted there, and would party regularly. Events like the U.S. Marines' Ball at the hotel remind visitors of such times.
City parks
MaidanMaidan (Kolkata)
The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
means "field" in Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
and Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
. The Kolkata Maidan was once a vast uninterrupted field, right down to the edge of the Hoogli, but is being encroached upon by the city and is fragmented by roads. The Maidan has nurtured sports like Polo
Polo
Polo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
, and has been the home of equestrianism
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
, horse racing
Horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
, football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and rugby in Kolkata. It houses numerous clubs including the "big three" of Indian football - Mohun Bagan Athletic Club, East Bengal
East Bengal
East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal....
Football Club and Mohammedan
Mohammedan
Mohammedan is a Western term for a follower of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. As an archaic English language term, it is used as both a noun and an adjective, meaning belonging or relating to, either Muhammad or the religion, doctrines, institutions and practices that he established...
Sporting Club along with their respective home stadiums. The arterial Chowringhee Avenue
Chowringhee Avenue
Jawaharlal Nehru Road , in the Chowringhee neighbourhood, is the arterial road running from the eastern fringes of Esplanade southwards up to the crossing with Lower Circular Road , in the city of Calcutta, India. It is the single most important road of the metropolis of Kolkata...
, Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata , India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India by seating capacity...
and the waterfront Millennium Park
Millennium Park (Kolkata)
A relatively new park in Kolkata, Millennium Park is situated along the strand on eastern shore of Hooghly River for a stretch of 2.5 km near Babughat and opposite to Koilaghat. The park consists of landscaped gardens and children's amusement rides. It was opened along the riverside to provide...
border the Maidan. The Maidan abounds with monuments and statues, the most famous of them being Shaheed Minar and the statue of ace footballer Gostho Pal.
Rabindra Sarobar
Rabindra Sarobar
Rabindra Sarobar is an artificial lake in south Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is popularly referred to as the "Lungs of Calcutta"....
or "The Lake" is an artificial lake and urban park in the spirit of Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The park has a lake and an island with a footbridge, an open air amphitheatre (Nazrul Mancha
Nazrul Mancha
Nazrul Mancha is one of the famous auditoriums in Kolkata. Noted for the famous Dover Lane Music Conference, this open-air theatre becomes the centre of all attention of the music lovers when it becomes the venue for the famous Dover Lane Music Conference in the month of January every year....
), a sports stadium (Rabindra Sarobar Stadium), a children's park and the rowing clubs of Calcutta Rowing Club
Calcutta Rowing Club
The Calcutta Rowing Club, located in Kolkata, India, was founded in 1858 and is one of the oldest rowing clubs of its kind outside the United Kingdom.- History :...
,Bengal Rowing Club and Lake Club.
The Salt Lake Central Park is a large urban park in the centre of the Bidhan Nagar township, with a lake in the middle and information technology and government offices along its fringes.
The Indian Botanical Garden, spread over 270 acres (1.1 km²), was founded in 1786 and is the oldest "botanics" in India. Housing 50,000 species, the Botanical Survey of India
Botanical Survey of India
The Botanical Survey of India is an institution set up by the Government of India in 1887 to survey the plant resources of the Indian empire.-History:...
and one of the world's most historically relevant herbarium
Herbarium
In botany, a herbarium – sometimes known by the Anglicized term herbar – is a collection of preserved plant specimens. These specimens may be whole plants or plant parts: these will usually be in a dried form, mounted on a sheet, but depending upon the material may also be kept in...
s, it is famous for its 250 year old 98 feet tall banyan tree - which has the largest girth of any banyan tree ever recorded (1300 ft) .
Alipore Zoological Gardens
Alipore Zoological Gardens
The Alipore Zoological Gardens is India's oldest formally stated zoological park and a big tourist attraction in Kolkata, West Bengal. It has been open as a zoo since 1876, and covers...
was founded in 1875, inaugurated by King Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
, then Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
. Initially started from the personal menagerie of the then Governor General of Bengal Arthur Wellesley
Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington
Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, KG, GCB, GCH, PC, FRS , was an Irish-born British soldier and statesman, and one of the leading military and political figures of the 19th century...
and Carl Louis Schwendler
Carl Louis Schwendler
Carl Louis Schwendler was a German electrician and one of the first proponents of the Tungsten based incandescent light bulb. He also published an influential textbook on telegraphs, and worked in British India at a senior post in the Telegraph Department...
- a German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
electrician, it grew based on gifts from British and Indian nobility - like Raja Suryakanta Acharya of Mymensingh
Mymensingh
Mymensingh , pronounced moy-mon-shing-haw, is a city of Bangladesh situated on the river Brahmaputra. It is the headquarters of the administrative unit Mymensingh District. Mymensingh is the anglicized pronunciation of the original name Momenshahi, referring to a ruler called Momen Shah. The cadet...
in whose honour the open air tiger enclosure is named the "Mymensingh Enclosure". The zoo was ill-reputed because of cross breeding experiments between lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s and tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
s to produce strains like tigons
Tiglon
A tiglon , tigon, and tion is a hybrid cross between a male tiger and a lioness . Thus, it has parents with the same genus but of different species. The tiglon is not currently as common as the converse hybrid, the liger; however, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, tiglons were more...
, liger
Liger
The liger is a hybrid cross between a male lion and a tigress . Thus, it has parents with the same genus but of different species. It is distinct from the similar hybrid tiglon. It is the largest of all known cats and extant felines.Ligers enjoy swimming, which is a characteristic of tigers, and...
s, and litigons
Tiglon
A tiglon , tigon, and tion is a hybrid cross between a male tiger and a lioness . Thus, it has parents with the same genus but of different species. The tiglon is not currently as common as the converse hybrid, the liger; however, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, tiglons were more...
. Adwaita
Adwaita
Adwaita was the name of a male Aldabra giant tortoise in the Alipore Zoological Gardens of Kolkata, India...
was a male Aldabra Giant Tortoise
Aldabra Giant Tortoise
The Aldabra giant tortoise , from the islands of the Aldabra Atoll in the Seychelles, is one of the largest tortoises in the world....
in the zoo which died in March, 2006. He was reported to have been more than 250 years old - a candidate for the longest lived animal. The other success story of the zoo was a live birth of the rare Sumatran Rhinoceros
Sumatran Rhinoceros
The Sumatran Rhinoceros is a member of the family Rhinocerotidae and one of five extant rhinoceroses. It is the only extant species of the genus Dicerorhinus. It is the smallest rhinoceros, although is still a large mammal. This rhino stands high at the shoulder, with a head-and-body length of ...
in 1889. The zoo is presently downsizing to meet animal comfort requirements laid down by the Central Zoo Authority of India
Central Zoo Authority of India
The Central Zoo Authority of India is the body of the government of India responsible for oversight of zoos. It is an affiliate member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums ....
. The zoo is also on the flyway
Flyway
A flyway is a flight path used in bird migration. Flyways generally span over continents and often oceans.-Flyways of the Americas:*Atlantic Flyway*Central Flyway*Mississippi Flyway*Pacific Flyway*Allegheny Front...
for several migratory birds like the Sarus Crane
Sarus Crane
The Sarus Crane is a large non-migratory crane found in parts of the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Australia. The tallest of the flying birds, standing at a height of up to 1.8 m , they are conspicuous and iconic species of open wetlands...
.
Millennium Park
Millennium Park (Kolkata)
A relatively new park in Kolkata, Millennium Park is situated along the strand on eastern shore of Hooghly River for a stretch of 2.5 km near Babughat and opposite to Koilaghat. The park consists of landscaped gardens and children's amusement rides. It was opened along the riverside to provide...
is the newest city park on the banks of the River Hoogli.
Statues and memorials
The Shaheed MinarShaheed Minar, Kolkata
The Shaheed Minar , formerly known as the Ochterlony Monument , is a monument in Kolkata originally built in 1848 by Major-general David Ochterlony, commander of the British East India Company's main force to commemorate his victory in Gurkha War...
or "Tower of the Martyrs", (originally Ochterlony Monument) was constructed on the northern fringe of the Maidan
Maidan (Kolkata)
The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
in honour of Sir David Ochterlony
David Ochterlony
Sir David Ochterlony, 1st Baronet GCB was a British general.-Biography:David Ochterlony was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and attended the Dummer Charity School in nearby Byfield, Massachusetts...
who commanded the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
forces in the Gurkha War
Gurkha War
The Gurkha War , sometimes called the Gorkha War or the Anglo–Nepalese War, was fought between the Kingdom of Nepal and the British East India Company as a result of border tensions and ambitious expansionism...
1814-1816. It was renamed Shaheed Minar
Shaheed Minar
The Shaheed Minar is a national monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh, established to commemorate those killed during the Language Movement demonstrations of 1952....
in honour of the fallen freedom fighters
Resistance movement
A resistance movement is a group or collection of individual groups, dedicated to opposing an invader in an occupied country or the government of a sovereign state. It may seek to achieve its objects through either the use of nonviolent resistance or the use of armed force...
after Indian independence.
Other memorials in Kolkata include the Panioty fountain, and the William Jones
William Jones (philologist)
Sir William Jones was an English philologist and scholar of ancient India, particularly known for his proposition of the existence of a relationship among Indo-European languages...
obelisk
Obelisk
An obelisk is a tall, four-sided, narrow tapering monument which ends in a pyramid-like shape at the top, and is said to resemble a petrified ray of the sun-disk. A pair of obelisks usually stood in front of a pylon...
at the South Park Street Cemetery
South Park Street Cemetery
South Park Street Cemetery is located on Mother Teresa Sarani, Kolkata, India. The road used to be called Park Street, and prior to that Burial Ground Road....
.
Kolkata is full of statues celebrating British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
heritage and the Indian Renaissance and freedom movement. The Maidan
Maidan (Kolkata)
The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
is a particularly good place for statue-hunting. A few of the more notable landmarks:
The statue of Netaji by Marathi sculptor Nagesh Yoglekar - at the Shyambazar
Shyambazar
Shyambazar is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. The area, under Shyampukur police station of Kolkata Police, has been, along with neighbouring Bagbazar, the citadel of the Bengali aristocracy, in a part of what was earlier known as...
five point crossing.
The statue of Sir James Outram
Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet
Lieutenant General Sir James Outram, 1st Baronet GCB KSI was an English general who fought in the Indian Rebellion of 1857, and is considered a British hero.-Early life:...
by Irish sculptor John Foli (1874) - in front of the Victoria Memorial, originally at the Park Street and Chowringhee Avenue
Chowringhee Avenue
Jawaharlal Nehru Road , in the Chowringhee neighbourhood, is the arterial road running from the eastern fringes of Esplanade southwards up to the crossing with Lower Circular Road , in the city of Calcutta, India. It is the single most important road of the metropolis of Kolkata...
crossing.
The statue of Iswarchandra Vidyasagar
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar
Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar CIE , born Ishwar Chandra Bandopadhyaya , was an Indian Bengali polymath and a key figure of the Bengal Renaissance....
by Bengali sculptor Pramod Gopal Chattopadhyay (1899) - on the premises of Sanskrit College
Sanskrit College
Sanskrit College is a specialized state-government administered liberal arts college offering an undergraduate degree in Sanskrit language, Pali language, linguistics, and ancient Indian and world history. It is one of the affiliated colleges of the University of Calcutta. Founded on 1 January...
.
The statue of Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
by Russian sculptor Aizekovich Azgur (1963) - at the Jorasanko
Jorasanko
Jorasanko is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata. It is so called because of the two wooden or bamboo bridges that spanned a small stream at this point.-History:...
Tagore
Tagore family
The Tagore family, with over three hundred years of history, has been one of the leading families of Kolkata, and is regarded as a key influence during the Bengal Renaissance...
residence.
The statue of David Hare
David Hare (philanthropist)
David Hare was a Scottish watchmaker and philanthropist in Bengal. He founded many important and prestigious educational institutions in Kolkata, such as the Hindu School, and Hare School and helped in founding Presidency College.-Early life:...
by unknown sculptor (1847) - one of Kolkata's few marble statues, on the precincts of Presidency College
Presidency College, Kolkata
Presidency University, Kolkata, formerly Hindu College and Presidency College, is a unitary, state aided university, located in Kolkata, West Bengal. and one of the premier institutes of learning of liberal arts and sciences in India. In 2002 it was ranked number one by the weekly news magazine...
.
A comprehensive list of Kolkata statues can be found at http://www.catchcal.com/kaleidoscope/statue.asp .
Sports venues
- Eden GardensEden GardensEden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata , India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India by seating capacity...
presently one of only two 100,000 seater amphitheatres for the game of cricket (the other being Melbourne Cricket GroundMelbourne Cricket GroundThe Melbourne Cricket Ground is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne and is home to the Melbourne Cricket Club. It is the tenth largest stadium in the world, the largest in Australia, the largest stadium for playing cricket, and holds the world record for the highest light...
) was initially an extension of the MaidanMaidan (Kolkata)The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
under the supervision of Governor General Lord Auckland, and looked after by the Eden sisters of the Auckland family. The gardens house a transported Burmese pagodaPagodaA pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and other parts of Asia. Some pagodas are used as Taoist houses of worship. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist,...
of exquisite design. The pavilion was built in 1871 and the 1st first class matchFirst-class cricketFirst-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
played in the season of 1911-12. It has since hosted many international Test matchesTest cricketTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
, one day matches and tournaments, including the final of the Cricket World CupCricket World CupThe ICC Cricket World Cup is the premier international championship of men's One Day International cricket. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Cricket Council , with preliminary qualification rounds leading up to a finals tournament which is held every four years...
in 1987. Its exalted status in cricketing history comes from the lush outfield, stellar performances (like V.V.S. Laxman's 281), and not least the intense crowd support. The stadium has a history of crowd violence - involving riots in the stands in 1967 (when the stadium burnt), 1996 and 1999.
- Yuva Bharati KriranganSalt Lake StadiumSalt Lake Stadium , is a multi-purpose stadium in Bidhannagar, Kolkata, West Bengal.-Information:...
, also called the Salt Lake StadiumSalt Lake StadiumSalt Lake Stadium , is a multi-purpose stadium in Bidhannagar, Kolkata, West Bengal.-Information:...
, is a 122,000 - strong amphitheatre used for soccer matches and concerts. It is purposely not a home stadiumHome (sports)In sports, home is a term referring to both the city and stadium, arena, or field where an athletic team plays games at their venue, whilst when the team plays elsewhere then they are considered the away team. The home term can refer to either the sponsoring institution or the place where it is...
for any soccer team. It hosted the bulk of the 3rd South Asian Federation Games in Kolkata in 1987.
- The Netaji Indoor StadiumNetaji Indoor StadiumThe Netaji Indoor Stadium is an indoor sports arena, in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The facility seats 12,000 people. This indoor stadium is located just beside the Eden Gardens. It is the home of the Sunfeast Open, an annual WTA Tour tennis tournament....
, adjacent to the Eden GardensEden GardensEden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata , India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India by seating capacity...
, is a 120,000 seater air-conditioned indoor stadium, having hosted internationally significant events like the state funeralState funeralA state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of protocol, held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive elements of military tradition...
of Mother TeresaMother TeresaMother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
in 1997. Constructed in 1975 to host the World Table Tennis ChampionshipsWorld Table Tennis ChampionshipsThe World Table Tennis Championships are held since 1926, biennially since 1957. Seven events were included in the Championships. The World Team Table Tennis Championships, which include men's team and women's team events, were first their own competition in 2000. The Team Championships are held in...
, it also has the Kshudiram Anusilani Kendra - a smaller auditorium without gallery facilities for training purposes.
- The Calcutta Cricket and Football ClubCalcutta Cricket and Football ClubThe Calcutta Cricket and Football Club located in Ballygunge, South Kolkata, is a cricket and association football club with rugby, hockey, swimming and tennis sections as well in Kolkata , West Bengal, India...
(originally the Calcutta Cricket Club) is the second oldest cricket club in the world, after the Marylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
. Founded in 1792 as the Calcutta Cricket Club, it merged later with the Calcutta Football Club (founded 1872) to become the Calcutta Cricket and Football ClubCalcutta Cricket and Football ClubThe Calcutta Cricket and Football Club located in Ballygunge, South Kolkata, is a cricket and association football club with rugby, hockey, swimming and tennis sections as well in Kolkata , West Bengal, India...
, and is located on Gurusaday Dutta RoadGurusaday Dutta RoadGurusaday Dutta Road is one of the poshest areas of Kolkata. Its old name was Ballygunge Store Road. It was named after Gurusaday Dutt, an ICS officer and a Bengali patriot.-Localities:...
. It has arguably the most picturesque cricket ground in Kolkata. Recent evidence in the form of an article in Hickey's Bengal GazetteHickey's Bengal GazetteFounded by James Augustus Hicky, a highly eccentric Irishman who had previously spent two years in Jail for debt. Later on, Hicky was jailed because he earned the wrath of the then Governor-General Lord Warren Hastings. He would mostly write articles criticising the activities of Lady Hastings,...
, suggests the club existed in 1780 - which would make it the oldest cricket club in the world.
- The Royal Calcutta Turf Club is the oldest turf club in India, and one of the most beautiful and largest in the world. Encompassing a significant area of the MaidanMaidan (Kolkata)The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
, it was founded in 1847, and is distinguished for its "Monsoon Track" - one of the fastest draining tracks in the world. It was conferred the epithet "Royal" by George VGeorge V of the United KingdomGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
in 1912.
- Kolkata is one of the few cities in the world to boast of three beautiful 18 hole golf courseGolf courseA golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
s within city limits - at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club, Tollygunj ClubTollygunge ClubThe Tollygunge Club, popularly called the Tolly, is a country club with, among other facilities, a 18-hole course located in Tollygunge in South Kolkata. The course has a yardage of 6520/5686 and Par: 71....
and Fort William. The Royal Calcutta Golf Club, founded in 1829, is the oldest golf clubCountry clubA country club is a private club, often with a closed membership, that typically offers a variety of recreational sports facilities and is located in city outskirts or rural areas. Activities may include, for example, any of golf, tennis, swimming or polo...
outside the British IslesBritish IslesThe British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. It was variously located in Dum DumDum DumDum Dum is a city and a municipality in North 24 Parganas district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is a neighbourhood in North-west Kolkata and the location of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, formerly Dum Dum Airport.Dum Dum is a well known place in greater Kolkata...
and MaidanMaidan (Kolkata)The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
, but finally settled down in Tollygunj and was conferred the epithet "Royal' by George VGeorge V of the United KingdomGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
at the Delhi DurbarDelhi DurbarThe Delhi Durbar , meaning "Court of Delhi", was a mass assembly at Coronation Park, Delhi, India, to mark the coronation of a King and Queen of the United Kingdom. Also known as the Imperial Durbar, it was held three times, in 1877, 1903, and 1911, at the height of the British Empire. The 1911...
in 1911.
- Kolkata is home to the world's oldest active poloPoloPolo is a team sport played on horseback in which the objective is to score goals against an opposing team. Sometimes called, "The Sport of Kings", it was highly popularized by the British. Players score by driving a small white plastic or wooden ball into the opposing team's goal using a...
club, the Calcutta Polo ClubCalcutta Polo ClubCalcutta Polo Club is a polo club located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was established in 1862 and is considered as the oldest polo club of the world which is still in existence.- History :...
. Situated on the MaidanMaidan (Kolkata)The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
, the club was founded in 1862 and is the second oldest polo club in the world. Kolkata has yet another polo club in the Fort William Polo Club. The CPC polo grounds are located in the maidan and maintained jointly with the RCTC.
- Kolkata is also home to one of the oldest squash and rackets clubs in the world - the Calcutta Racket ClubCalcutta Racket ClubThe Calcutta Racket Club is a squash and racquet club in Kolkata, India. It was founded in 1793, making it one of the oldest rackets clubs in the world, and the first in the subcontinent...
, founded in 1793.
- South ClubCalcutta South ClubCalcutta South Club in Woodburn Park Road, Kolkata, India is a venue for lawn tennis. Davis cup matches are held here. It is in Bhawanipore locality of South Kolkata.There is also tennis training centre. The south club was established in 1920...
, established in 1920, has beautiful tennis courts and has been the venue for Davis CupDavis CupThe Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
matches.
- Rabindra SarobarRabindra SarobarRabindra Sarobar is an artificial lake in south Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is popularly referred to as the "Lungs of Calcutta"....
is the home and pool for the rowing clubs of Lake Club, Bengal Rowing Club and Calcutta Rowing ClubCalcutta Rowing ClubThe Calcutta Rowing Club, located in Kolkata, India, was founded in 1858 and is one of the oldest rowing clubs of its kind outside the United Kingdom.- History :...
.
Markets and malls
•New MarketNew Market, Calcutta
New Market is a market in Kolkata situated on Lindsay Street. Technically, it referred to an enclosed market but today in local parlance the entire Lindsay Street shopping area is often known as New Market.-History:...
is Kolkata's historic shopping district. Opened in 1874, it was named Hogg Market after the commissioner Sir Stuart Hogg. The beautiful fountain and benches at the market no longer exist, but the popularity of the market has not waned, and the beautiful gothic clock tower recalls the British heritage of the market. It was renamed New Market after Independence.
New Market led the way for Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and New Year
New Year
The New Year is the day that marks the time of the beginning of a new calendar year, and is the day on which the year count of the specific calendar used is incremented. For many cultures, the event is celebrated in some manner....
festivities with confectionery shops like Nahoum's putting up a special spread. The market is organized on the basis of merchandize. It burnt down partially in 1985 but has been restored and expanded with a new building since.
•Kolkata has seen a spurt of shopping malls with the rise of the buying power of the Kolkata populace. Shopping arcades like Forum Mall and Emami Shoppers' City in Central Calcutta have brought international brands from Swarovski
Swarovski
Swarovski is the brand name for a range of precisely-cut crystal and related luxury products produced by Swarovski AG of Wattens, Austria...
to Godiva
Godiva (chocolatier)
Godiva Chocolatier is a manufacturer of premium chocolates and related products. Godiva, founded in Belgium in 1926, was purchased by Turkish Yıldız Holding, owner of the Ülker Group, on Nov 20th, 2007...
to the city, breaking the city's dependence on the older market complexes like A.C. Market and Vardaan Market, which were mainly Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
import dependent.
•Swabhumi
Swabhumi
Swabhumi-The Heritage Park is an amusement park in Kolkata. It is situated on a natural hillock that has an elevation of 20m above mean sea level....
has been modelled as an ethnic shopping arcade near the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
The Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, or simply E.M. Bypass, is a major road on the east side of Kolkata that connects Bidhannagar on the northeast to southern parts of Kolkata. It was designed like a bypass or beltway on the eastern side of Kolkata to lessen the perennial traffic congestion on the...
.
•City centre has sprung up in the residential area of Salt Lake City, which is fast becoming a new destination for Calcuttans.
•City Centre 2 is another mall which has come up recently in Rajarhat
Rajarhat
Rajarhat Gopalpur , a neighbourhood of Calcutta, located in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal, is a fast-growing planned new city. It is situated near the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. Many high-profile industrialists of national and international standing are...
, New Town.
•Metropolis is a shopping mall which is a part of the residential complex Highland Park on Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
The Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, or simply E.M. Bypass, is a major road on the east side of Kolkata that connects Bidhannagar on the northeast to southern parts of Kolkata. It was designed like a bypass or beltway on the eastern side of Kolkata to lessen the perennial traffic congestion on the...
.
After 2008, Kolkata has witnessed more world-class malls after the success of the First two malls(Forum Mall & City Centre).
•The New malls are South City
South City
South City is the name given to a micro-township in Kolkata, India. It is situated in Prince Anwar Shah Road close to the Jadavpur and Tollygunge areas of the city. Most of the recent real estate developments in Kolkata has taken place in the E.M.Bypass area, New Town and Greater Kolkata...
mall on Prince Anwar Shah Road, and Mani Square Mall on Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
Eastern Metropolitan Bypass
The Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, or simply E.M. Bypass, is a major road on the east side of Kolkata that connects Bidhannagar on the northeast to southern parts of Kolkata. It was designed like a bypass or beltway on the eastern side of Kolkata to lessen the perennial traffic congestion on the...
. They have brought more brands to Kolkata like IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
, Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee
Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse company founded in 1971 by Italian brothers Sergio and Bruno Costa, as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. Since 1995 it has been a subsidiary of Whitbread, since when the company has grown to over...
, Subway (restaurant)
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
etc.
•Big Bazaar
Big Bazaar
Big Bazaar is a chain of hypermarket in India. Currently, there are 210 stores across 80 cities and towns in India. Big Bazaar is designed as an agglomeration of bazaars or Indian markets with clusters offering a wide range of merchandise including fashion and apparels, food products, general...
- This is a huge chain of departmental stores, where a wide range of goods are available.
•One of the latest malls is Mukti World which has come up in the Ballygunge area on Gariahat Road. The main attraction is its multiplex London Paris.
Places of worship
- Dakshineswar Kali TempleDakshineswar Kali TempleThe Dakshineswar Kali Temple is a Hindu temple located in Dakshineswar near Kolkata. Situated on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, the presiding deity of the temple is Bhavatarini, an aspect of Kali, meaning, 'She who liberates Her devotees from the ocean of existence i.e Saṃsāra'...
- KalighatKalighatKalighat is a locality of Kolkata, India. One of the oldest neighborhoods in South Kolkata, Kalighat is also densely populated and vibrant -- with a rich history of cultural intermingling with the various foreign incursions into the area over time....
- Birla temple
- Belur MathBelur Math' or Belur Mutt is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, a chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River, Belur, West Bengal, India and is one of the significant institutions in Calcutta...
- Tipu Sultan MosqueTipu Sultan MosqueThe Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque is a famous mosque in Kolkata, India. Located at 185 Dhartamtalla Street, the mosque is a relic of architectural and cultural heritage...
- Nakhoda Mosque
- St. Paul’s Cathedral
- St. John's Church
- Greek Orthodox Church
- St. James' Anglican Church (Jora Girja)
- Guruduwara
- Synagogues
- Armenian Church
- Parsi Fire Temples
- Japanese Buddhist Temple
- Badridas Jain TempleParasnath TempleCalcutta Jain Temple a Jain temple at Badridas Temple Street is a major tourist attraction in Kolkata , India. The temple was built by a Marwari Shrimal Jain named Seth Badridas in 1867...
Bridges of Kolkata
- Howrah Bridge or Rabindra Setu
- The Second Hooghly Bridge or Vidyasagar SetuVidyasagar SetuVidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, is a bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. It links the city of Kolkata to Howrah. The bridge is a toll bridge for all vehicles. At a total length of 822.96 m, it is the longest cable-stayed bridge in India and one of the...
- Bally Bridge or Vivekananda SetuVivekananda SetuVivekananda Setu is a bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. It links the city of Howrah, at Bally, to its twin city of Kolkata, at Dakshineswar. Built in December 1932, it is a multispan steel bridge and was built to provide road cum rail link between the Calcutta Port and its...
- The Second Bally Bridge or Nivedita SetuNivedita SetuNivedita Setu is a cable-stayed bridge over Hooghly River that runs parallel to and around 50 m downstream of the old Vivekananda Setu opened in 1932...
British-era clubs
In Calcutta, the word "club" stills means a watering hole and not a discothèque. Calcutta has a number of clubs that hark back to the Raj days but have modernised over time without sacrificing its traditions. Most clubs have bakeries, dining facilities and accommodation at reasonable prices. They also have reciprocal arrangements with clubs in different countries. The most noted clubs are:- The Bengal Club
- Calcutta Club
- Tollygunge Club
- The Saturday Club
- The Royal Calcutta Golf Club (RCGC)
- The Dalhousie Institute (DI)
- The Outram Club
- The Royal Calcutta Turf Club
- The Ordnance Club
- Hindusthan Club
- The Calcutta Swimming Club (CSC)
- The Calcutta Cricket and Football ClubCalcutta Cricket and Football ClubThe Calcutta Cricket and Football Club located in Ballygunge, South Kolkata, is a cricket and association football club with rugby, hockey, swimming and tennis sections as well in Kolkata , West Bengal, India...
(CC&FC) - Calcutta Rowing Club founded in 1858.
British-era buildings
- Calcutta Medical College
- Esplanade Mansion
- Howrah StationHowrah stationHowrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which...
- LIC Building
- RajBhawan
- SealdahSealdahSealdah is one of the major train stations serving Kolkata in India, the others being Howrah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata Railway Station. Sealdah is one of the busiest rail stations in India and an important suburban rail terminal...
Station - St. Paul’s Cathedral
- S. E. Railway HQ
- State Bank
- Writers' Building
- Calcutta High Court.
- Bankshal Court.
Educational institutes of academic and historical interest
- Birla High SchoolBirla High SchoolBirla High School in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, was founded by Lakshmi Niwas Birla in 1941. The name of the school was changed from Hindi High School to Birla High School in 1997....
http://www.birlahighschool.com/ - Asiatic SocietyAsiatic SocietyThe Asiatic Society was founded by Sir William Jones on January 15, 1784 in a meeting presided over by Sir Robert Chambers, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at the Fort William in Calcutta, then capital of the British Raj, to enhance and further the cause of Oriental research. At the time of...
http://www.asiaticsocietycal.com/ - Bishop's College
- National High School for Boyshttp://www.nhscal.com/
- South Point High School
- The W.B. National University of Juridical Sciences
- Bengal Engineering College
- St Thomas School, KolkataSt Thomas School, KolkataSt Thomas' School is a kindergarten to higher secondary school for boys and girls located in Kidderpore, India. It has one of the largest campus areas in the city of Kolkata comprising three football size fields, two basketball courts and children's playgrounds. The campus also houses the St....
(This is the oldest school in Kolkata being founded in 1789) - University of CalcuttaUniversity of CalcuttaThe University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
- West Bengal University of TechnologyWest Bengal University of TechnologyThe West Bengal University of Technology, commonly referred to as WBUT or UTech, is a public state university located in the suburban satellite township of Salt Lake City, Kolkata, West Bengal, India...
- Presidency CollegePresidency College, KolkataPresidency University, Kolkata, formerly Hindu College and Presidency College, is a unitary, state aided university, located in Kolkata, West Bengal. and one of the premier institutes of learning of liberal arts and sciences in India. In 2002 it was ranked number one by the weekly news magazine...
- Calcutta Medical College
- NRS Medical College
- St. Xavier's Collegiate SchoolSt. Xavier's Collegiate SchoolSt. Xavier's Collegiate School was established in 1860 in Kolkata, India by missionaries of the Society of Jesus. The school is named after St. Francis Xavier...
- St. Joseph's College, CalcuttaSt. Joseph's College, CalcuttaSt Joseph's College, Calcutta is located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India providing school education under the ICSE/ISC school system.One of the premier institutions of learning in Kolkata, SJC carries on a century old tradition of the Congregation of Christian Brothers way of life.The school's...
- Loreto CollegeLoreto College, KolkataLoreto College, Kolkata is a well-respected Catholic college that imparts liberal arts and sciences education for female students. It is located in Kolkata, India. It is affiliated to the University of Calcutta...
- The Scottish Church Collegiate schoolhttp://www.thescottishchurchschool.com/
- Scottish church college
- Vidyasagar College for WomenVidyasagar College for WomenVidyasagar College for Women is a women's college affiliated to the University of Calcutta. It was founded in 1960. However, its history went back to 1931 when a separate women's’ section of the Vidyasagar College was started to cater to the educational requirements of the women folk of Kolkata...
- Indian Statistical Institute
- Indian Maritime University,Kolkata(Marine Engineering and Research Institute,Kolkata)
- National Institute of HomoeopathyNational Institute of HomoeopathyNational Institute of Homoeopathy is an autonomous organisation under the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy , Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Govt...
- [Bhawanipur Education College]
- Indian Association for the Cultivation of Sciences
- Jadavpur UniversityJadavpur UniversityJadavpur University , is a premier educational and research institution in India.It is located in Kolkata, West Bengal and comprises two campuses - the main campus at Jadavpur and the new campus at Salt Lake...
- David Hare Training College
- Indian Institute of Management CalcuttaIndian Institute of Management CalcuttaThe Indian Institute of Management Calcutta is an institute of management located in Kolkata , India giving diplomas in management...
- Hindu School
- Hare SchoolHare SchoolHare School is one of the oldest schools in Kolkata, India, teaching grades 1 to 12 under the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education and the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education. The boys-only school was established by the Scottish watch-maker David Hare with the help of social...
- Calcutta Girls High SchoolCalcutta Girls High SchoolCalcutta Girls' High School is a school for girls in Kolkata, West Bengal, India founded in 1856 by the Governor General of India, Lord Canning, as a boarding school. The school teaches in the English language, and teaches for the Indian School Certificate Examination .-History:American missionary...
- Mahadevi Birla Girls Higher Secondary SchoolMahadevi Birla Girls Higher Secondary SchoolMahadevi Birla Girls Higher Secondary school, Park Circus is located at 17A Darga Road Kolkata, India. Founded in 1959, it is an English medium school imparting education from upper-infant to twelfth standard, affiliated by the CBSE board. The present principal is Mrs. M...
- Shikshamitra
- Calcutta Boys' SchoolCalcutta Boys' SchoolCalcutta Boys' School was founded by the Rev. James Mills Thoburn , and was opened in 1877...
- Nava Nalanda High SchoolNava Nalanda High SchoolNava Nalanda is a co-educational institution in South Kolkata, India, affiliated to the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education for Madhyamik Pariksha , and to the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education for Uchcho Madhyamik Pariksha...
- La Martiniere College for BoysLa Martiniere CalcuttaLa Martiniere Calcutta comprises two separate private schools in Kolkata, India. The schools were established in accordance with the will of Major General Claude Martin in 1836. They are day schools although they both have a small number of boarders...
- La Martiniere College for GirlsLa Martiniere CalcuttaLa Martiniere Calcutta comprises two separate private schools in Kolkata, India. The schools were established in accordance with the will of Major General Claude Martin in 1836. They are day schools although they both have a small number of boarders...
- Lakshmipat Singhania AcademyLakshmipat Singhania AcademyLakshmipat Singhania Academy are a group of schools run by Lakshmipat Singhania Education Foundation, a subsidiary of the J.K. Group. There are two branches of LSA - in Kolkata, West Bengal and Bissau, Churu District, Rajasthan. The schools are affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education...
- St Augustine's Day SchoolSt Augustine's Day SchoolSt. Augustine's Day School was established in Kolkata, India, in 1971. The principal is C.R Gasper and the Head Master D. Gomes. It has three branches:*Kolkata*Barrackpore*Shyamnagar- Academic :...
- St Thomas' Day School
- Ballygunge Shiksha Sadan
- Sanskrit Collegiate School
- The Frank Anthony Public School
- Don Bosco SchoolDon Bosco School, Park CircusDon Bosco School, Park Circus, located at 23, Darga Road, Kolkata, India, is an all-boys English medium school imparting education from first through twelfth grade. Established in 1958, it is run by the Salesians of Don Bosco, which is a minority institution within the Catholic Church...
- St. James' SchoolSt. James' SchoolOther meanings, see Saint James SchoolSt James' School, Kolkata, India, is a CNI school, and one of the oldest private schools in India. It is associated with the ICSE Board of Education. It was established in 1864 by Bishop Cotton....
- Our Lady Queen of the Missions School, Park Circus
- Our Lady Queen of the Missions SchoolOur Lady Queen of the Missions SchoolOur Lady Queen of the Missions School is a higher secondary school located satellite township of Salt Lake City, Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. The scool is an accredited examination centre for the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education by the Council for the Indian School...
, Salt Lake - Ramakrishna Mission Ashram Vidyalaya,Narendrapur
- Vivekananda Mission School,Joka
- Jodhpur park boys school,jodhpur
- ST.JOHN'S DIOCESAN GIRLS' H.S. SCHOOL
Amusement parks
- Nicco ParkNicco parkNicco park is an amusement park in Salt Lake City, Kolkata.This park has a variety of fascinating and interesting rides including Asia's largest wooden roller coaster. Other notable rides include Kolkata's longest cable car ride and India's first "4D" movie experience...
- Aquatica
- Science CityScience City KolkataScience City, Kolkata is the largest science centre in the Indian subcontinent under National Council of Science Museums , Ministry of Culture, Government of India, is at the crossing of Eastern Metropolitan Bypass and J B S Haldane avenue, Kolkata...
- Energy Park
Lovers' spots
- Central Park
- Elliot Park
- MaidanMaidan (Kolkata)The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
- Nalban
- Rabindra SarobarRabindra SarobarRabindra Sarobar is an artificial lake in south Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is popularly referred to as the "Lungs of Calcutta"....
- Citizens Park
- Millenium ParkMillennium Park (Kolkata)A relatively new park in Kolkata, Millennium Park is situated along the strand on eastern shore of Hooghly River for a stretch of 2.5 km near Babughat and opposite to Koilaghat. The park consists of landscaped gardens and children's amusement rides. It was opened along the riverside to provide...
- NandanNandan (Kolkata)Nandan is a government sponsored centre in Calcutta, India for facilitating film awareness and includes a few comparatively large screens housed in an impressively architectured building. It shares its site with the Rabindra Sadan cultural centre. The complex, besides being a modern cinema and...
Walks
- The College StreetCollege Street (Kolkata)College Street is a street in north Calcutta. It stretches from Bowbazar to Mahatma Gandhi road crossing. It houses many centres of intellectual activity in the city...
walk involves a walk down Kolkata's most academic street - with historical institutions like Presidency CollegePresidency College, KolkataPresidency University, Kolkata, formerly Hindu College and Presidency College, is a unitary, state aided university, located in Kolkata, West Bengal. and one of the premier institutes of learning of liberal arts and sciences in India. In 2002 it was ranked number one by the weekly news magazine...
, Calcutta Medical College, Bethune CollegeBethune CollegeBethune College is a women's college in India. It was founded as a school in 1849 by John Elliot Drinkwater Bethune and in 1879 developed as the first women's college in India. It is located at 181, Bidhan Sarani, Kolkata -700006, just opposite the current campus of Scottish Church College,...
, Scottish Church College, the University of CalcuttaUniversity of CalcuttaThe University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
and India Coffee House. The sidewalks are overrun with pedestrians, and the streets with vehicles, but the ambiance of the street comes from literally hundreds of used book stores on either side of the street selling a potpourri of literature and textbooks. Operation Sunshine - Kolkata's drive to remove street hawkers, had a special clause ruling out hawkers on College Street. College Square at the heart of College Street, has a square pool. Bookstores of repute include Dasgupta's and those of publishing houses Chuckerverty, Chatterjee and Sons and Rupa and Co.. Putiram's Cabin is a much-loved snack and sweet shop on College Street. - The Free School Street walk between Park Street and New Market (Kolkata) New Market involves a walk past Kolkata's best budget hotels in the Free School Street - Sudder StreetSudder StreetSudder street is a street in Kolkata.The street is famous for cheap hotels and foreign tourists often prefer the living places in this street during their stay in Kolkata.-Localities:...
area. The used book and record shops sport an eclectic collection due to trade with generations of budget travellers the world over. The street also has the house William Makepeace ThackerayWilliam Makepeace ThackerayWilliam Makepeace Thackeray was an English novelist of the 19th century. He was famous for his satirical works, particularly Vanity Fair, a panoramic portrait of English society.-Biography:...
was born in, the Calcutta Fire Services headquarters, and one of the best places to buy cold cuts is at Kalman's, a shop of HungarianHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
origin. Free School Street dining can be eclectic, with ShamianaShamianaShamiana is a popular Indian tent shelter, which is commonly used for outdoor parties, marriages, feasts etc.. Its side walls are removable. The external fabric can be multicolored or can hold exquisite designs. The four corners are supported with wooden poles. The history of Shamiana, dates back...
- offering cheap Mughlai cuisine, Prince and Princess cheap Bengali cuisine, and MocamboMocamboThe Mocambo was a nightclub in West Hollywood, California, at 8588 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip. It was owned by Charlie Morrison and Felix Young.-History:...
upscale continental dining, to name a few . Free School Street ( now called Mirza Ghalib StreetMirza Ghalib StreetMirza Ghalib Street, previously known as Free School Street, is a street that joins S. N. Banerjee Road with Park Street in Central Kolkata.-Intersections:...
) is Kolkata's answer to New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Hell's KitchenHell's Kitchen, ManhattanHell's Kitchen, also known as Clinton and Midtown West, is a neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City between 34th Street and 59th Street, from 8th Avenue to the Hudson River....
, and is not particularly safe after dark. - The Southern Avenue walk takes one past Kolkata's artificial lake and urban park - the Rabindra SarobarRabindra SarobarRabindra Sarobar is an artificial lake in south Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is popularly referred to as the "Lungs of Calcutta"....
, and numerous playgrounds. Early morning walks make for excellent people and dog watching as well as nature watching and cricket watching. At end of Southern AvenueSouthern AvenueSouthern Avenue, now renamed Dr Meghnad Saha Sarani, is one of the most important and prestigious avenues in south Kolkata connecting Gol Park with Kalighat.It falls under the posh Ballygunge area. It is a 3 k.m...
lies Gol Park with some of the best sweet shops in Kolkata like Ganguram's and the used book store alley, and the shopping district of Gariahat. - The Chowringhee AvenueChowringhee AvenueJawaharlal Nehru Road , in the Chowringhee neighbourhood, is the arterial road running from the eastern fringes of Esplanade southwards up to the crossing with Lower Circular Road , in the city of Calcutta, India. It is the single most important road of the metropolis of Kolkata...
walk between Elgin Road and B.B.D. Bagh takes one past the St. Paul's Cathedral, Biship House, Birla PlanetariumBirla Planetarium, KolkataThe Birla Planetarium in Kolkata is a single-storeyed circular structure designed in the typical Indian style, whose architecture is loosely styled on the Buddhist stupa at Sarnath. Situated at Chowringhee Road adjacent to the Victoria Memorial, St Paul's Cathedral, and the maidan in south Kolkata,...
, Kolkata's prominent eyesore oof a highrise Chatterjee International, Tata Centre, the Indian MuseumIndian MuseumThe Indian Museum is the largest museum in India and has rare collections of antiques, armour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings...
, Asiatic SocietyAsiatic SocietyThe Asiatic Society was founded by Sir William Jones on January 15, 1784 in a meeting presided over by Sir Robert Chambers, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at the Fort William in Calcutta, then capital of the British Raj, to enhance and further the cause of Oriental research. At the time of...
, the MaidanMaidan (Kolkata)The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
, the EsplanadeEsplanade, CalcuttaEsplanade is an area in central Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. This is not a conventional esplanade in the sense that the place is not exactly situated alongside a waterbody. However, the river Ganges, also known as the Ganga or the Hooghly, is located nearby...
, Grand Hotel, and the historic Metro theatre, once the first point of release in the Eastern Hemisphere for Metro Goldwyn Mayer films. Fine dining at the Grand Hotel, the home of the essentially Kolkata snack - the "roll" - Nizam's, the authentic sherbet shop ParagonParagonA paragon is a large, flawless diamond. The title is now used figuratively to denote a model of excellence or perfection of any kind; one having no equal; a perfect embodiment of a concept.Paragon may also refer to:-Places:...
and New Market are all a stone's throw away. - The Office Para (Office district) walk around features the British seat of administration in India - within a few blocks lie the Writers' BuildingWriters' BuildingThe Writers' Building is the secretariat building of the State Government of West Bengal in India. It is and is located in West Bengal's capital city of Kolkata. The Writers' Building originally served as the office for writers of the British East India Company, hence the name...
, Raj Bhavan, Calcutta High CourtCalcutta High CourtThe Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It was established as the High Court of Judicature at Fort William on 1 July 1862 under the High Courts Act, 1861. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The High Court...
, the General Post Office and B. B. D. BaghB. B. D. BaghB.B.D. Bag , formerly called Dalhousie Square, is the shortened version for Benoy-Badal-Dinesh Bag . It is the seat of power of the state government, as well as the central business district in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Origin of name:B.B.D...
. The express streetside lunch providers make for a delicious, cheap, unbelievably quick and dubiously hygienic meal which has to be eaten to be believed. - A ramble through the MaidanMaidan (Kolkata)The Maidan is the largest urban park in Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadia, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and...
takes one past clubs of every description from football clubs to the Press Club, stadiums of the big three football clubs and Eden GardensEden GardensEden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata , India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India by seating capacity...
, the Victoria Memorial, Chowringhee AvenueChowringhee AvenueJawaharlal Nehru Road , in the Chowringhee neighbourhood, is the arterial road running from the eastern fringes of Esplanade southwards up to the crossing with Lower Circular Road , in the city of Calcutta, India. It is the single most important road of the metropolis of Kolkata...
, Fort WilliamFort William, IndiaFort William is a fort built in Calcutta on the Eastern banks of the River Hooghly, the major distributary of the River Ganges, during the early years of the Bengal Presidency of British India. It was named after King William III of England...
, the Shaheed MinarShaheed MinarThe Shaheed Minar is a national monument in Dhaka, Bangladesh, established to commemorate those killed during the Language Movement demonstrations of 1952....
, the Royal Calcutta Turf Club and a whole host of statues. Cricket, soccer, horse races and even the occasional rugby game can be watched at leisure on the Maidan. Horseback tours through the Maidan, and horse drawn tours around it, are quite popular. - The Strand Road walk is the riverside walk past the "ghats" or piers, the palatial State Bank of IndiaState Bank of IndiaThe State Bank of India is the largest Indian banking and financial services company with its headquarters in Mumbai, India. It is state-owned. The bank traces its ancestry to British India, through the Imperial Bank of India, to the founding in 1806 of the Bank of Calcutta, making it the oldest...
headquarters, the Kolkata Maritime Museum and the promenade in Millennium ParkMillennium Park (Kolkata)A relatively new park in Kolkata, Millennium Park is situated along the strand on eastern shore of Hooghly River for a stretch of 2.5 km near Babughat and opposite to Koilaghat. The park consists of landscaped gardens and children's amusement rides. It was opened along the riverside to provide...
. The Hoogli makes for excellent riverboat and people watching, and the Haora skyline is ramshackle but interesting. A look up and down the river shows the famous Howrah BridgeHowrah BridgeThe Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge that spans the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was originally named the New Howrah Bridge, because it links the city of Howrah to its twin city, Kolkata . On 14 June 1965 it was renamed Rabindra Setu, after Rabindranath...
and Vidyasagar SetuVidyasagar SetuVidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, is a bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. It links the city of Kolkata to Howrah. The bridge is a toll bridge for all vehicles. At a total length of 822.96 m, it is the longest cable-stayed bridge in India and one of the...
. Kolkata's best ice cream joints, not to mention the occasional "floatel" are on Strand Road. - The Park Street walk goes down Kolkata's foremost dining district with noted restaurants and eateries like Shiraz, Flury's, Trinca's and Hot Kati Roll joints. Kolkata's nightlife revolves around Park Street's nightclubs, pubs and coffee houses. Park Street has famous buildings like the Asiatic SocietyAsiatic SocietyThe Asiatic Society was founded by Sir William Jones on January 15, 1784 in a meeting presided over by Sir Robert Chambers, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at the Fort William in Calcutta, then capital of the British Raj, to enhance and further the cause of Oriental research. At the time of...
, St. Xavier's College, CalcuttaSt. Xavier's College, CalcuttaSt. Xavier's College is located in Kolkata, India, and is named after St. Francis Xavier, a Jesuit saint of the 16th century, who travelled to India. It is an autonomous college affiliated to the University of Calcutta. It gained autonomy in July 2006, thus becoming the first autonomous college of...
and the Church of the Seventh Day Adventists, and the South Park Street CemeterySouth Park Street CemeterySouth Park Street Cemetery is located on Mother Teresa Sarani, Kolkata, India. The road used to be called Park Street, and prior to that Burial Ground Road....
has cenotaphs and tombs of the who's who of the British RajBritish RajBritish Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
and the Kolkata ArmeniansArmeniansArmenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
. One end of Park Street links up to Chowringhee AvenueChowringhee AvenueJawaharlal Nehru Road , in the Chowringhee neighbourhood, is the arterial road running from the eastern fringes of Esplanade southwards up to the crossing with Lower Circular Road , in the city of Calcutta, India. It is the single most important road of the metropolis of Kolkata...
and the Maidan while the other end goes to Park CircusPark Circus- Location :Park Circus is an area in South Kolkata. It has Entally and Sealdah to its north, Park Street and Chowringhee to its west, Taltala to its north west, Topsia and Ballygunge to its south & Tangra to its east. It is connected to both Park Street and AJC Bose Road. It is a locality of...
.