Kolkata India

Kolkata - the Cutural Capital of India

Kolkata earlier known as Calcutta, is the capital of the West Bengal. The city is situated on the east bank of the river Hooghly. One of the four metros of India, Kolkata is the gateway to Eastern India. Kolkata was the centre of the British Indian Empire, and served as their capital till 1911. The city often referred to as the "Cultural Capital of India," "The City of Processions," and the "City of Joy" has also been home to Nobel laureates like Rabindranath Tagore, Mother Teresa and Amartya Sen. Once the major centre of education, science and culture, the city still bears the Victorian imprint on its streets and structures. The city is a major hub of music, theatre, arts, and sports. Kolkata is famous for its colourful festivals, dance, music performances and other cultural events.

People of Kolkata

Goddess Durga Calcutta Puja Festival KolkataThe city is the land of the Bengalis, who are sports loving, intellectual, romantic and have a unique sensibility. Be it a religious festival, soccer matches, political demonstrations, music, art, poetry reading or eating for them each activity is equally important.

Cuisine of Kolkata

The city people are famous for their fondness for good food. Sweets like sandesh, rosogolla and chanar payesh are very famous all over the country. Misti doi (sweetened curd) and Patali gur confectionery (date palm jaggery) are another deletable cuisine.

Chinese, Continental, Thai, Tibetan and Mughal cuisine including tandoori, kebabs and biryani etc are next in the popularity chart.

Festivals of Kolkata

Durgapuja the most important and the most popular of all Bengali festivals, is celebrated

with great grandeur in Kolkata. During the festival the pandals are erected, decorated and illuminated in almost all the localities of the city. The Goddess Durga is worshipped for 10 days of the festival. Some other important festivals are Basant Utsav, Saraswati Pooja and Holi.

What attract tourists

Kolkata has many places of tourist interest, among the popular tourist destinations are :

Birla Planetarium The planetarium is considered one of the largest Planetarium in Asia. It is only the second of its kind in the commonwealth and similar to the London Planetarium. Regular astronomical shows are presented, that gives a ringside view of the astral play of celestial bodies. The shows are presented in different languages such as Hindi, Bengali and English. The shows held on all weekday except Mondays.

The Victoria Memorial Victoria Memorial in KolkataThe memorial was built in attempt to match the Taj Mahal.

The neo-classical marble building is a cross between classical western and Mughal style. Opened in the year 1921, it is major attraction for tourists. The memorial has an impressive collection of the British colonial period. The enormous oil paintings in the Royal Gallery of the building, illustrate the story of Queen Victoria's long, eventful life and reign.

The Indian Museum The museum built in 1875 is the largest and one of the finest museum in the country. The impressive building built the Italian style of architecture is one of the oldest museum in Asia. The Museum has six sections : Art, Archeology, Anthropology, Geology, Zoology and Industry (Economic Botany). The museum has a huge collection of antiques including more than 54000 coins, which are more than 2400 years old.

Dalhousie Square The magnificent Dalhousie Square with a lake at the centre - is the administrative centre of Kolkata. The Writer's Building on the north side dating back to1880 is a major attraction here. The building represents Gothic-style architecture and is now operational as the administrative office of the ruling Marxist Government.

Nakhoda Mosque The mosque built in 1926 is located on the Chitpur road. The model of the mosque was inspired from Akbar's tomb in Sikandra. The red sandstone mosque has two 46 metres high minaret and a brightly painted onion shaped dome. It can accommodate around 10,000 people.

Howrah Bridge An amazing example of engineering skill, the Bridge is the main landmark of the city. This is a huge cantilever bridge supported by two piers 270 ft. high from the road level. There are eight vehicular ways and two footpaths on the 71 ft. wide bridge.

Fort William The city's most impressive edifice of the British Raj, still serves as a citadel of the Indian army in Eastern India. The Fort built of brick-and-mortar is in the shape of an irregular octagon. There are six gates to forts namely Chowringhee, Plassey, Calcutta, Water gate, St Georges and Treasury Gate. The fort has a museum which houses arms, armours, swords, muskets and machine guns.

Excursions

Botanical Gardens Botanical Gardens in KolkataThe Garden situated at a distance of 8 kms from Kolkata is a major attractions. The highlight of the Gardens is the 250 year old banyan tree, which is said to be the largest in the world. The charming garden laid out in an area of 272 acres houses a wide variety of flora and fruit bearing trees. The biggest estuarine forest in the world, the Sunderban, is the home of the Royal Bengal Tiger. The garden also houses the estuarine crocodile, wild boar and several varieties of birds and snakes. The popular Project Tiger Reserve can only be approached via the waterways.

Dakshinewar Temple This is a magnificent temple located at a distance of 12 km from the city centre. The temple situated on the banks of the river Ganga, is dedicated to Goddess Kali .

Diamond Harbour