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Kolkata

Kolkata - Land of Cultural Exuberance And Literary Excellence

Fast Facts

Country: India
State: West Bengal
Capital: Kolkata
Languages Spoken: Bengali, Hindi, Urdu and English
Currency: Indian Rupees (INR)
Time Zone: Indian Standard Time (GMT+5:30 hours)
Religion: Hinduism
Climate: Hot and humid summers with temperature of 30 to 40 degrees C and mild winters with mercury dipping to 10 degrees C
Population Density: Kolkata is one of the top most crowded cities with a population density of approximately 25,000 per square kilometer.
Country Code: 91 033

The land that is vocal with spiritualism and revolutionary ideas, resonates with sweetest of melodies, vibrates with frenzied crowd in the football grounds and mingles with the fervor of festivity all the year round, is the passionate capital city of West Bengal, Kolkata, more popularly known as The city of Joy that lies on the bank of river Hooghly in the eastern most part of Indian Subcontinent. It is remembered more for its energetic and imaginative people.

History

To explore the by-gone days of Kolkata we need to go back to yesteryear's of 17th century, when Job Charnock, chose this place and British East India Company laid their foundation stone of trading in the soil of three large villages of Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. However, the mention of Kolkata, dates back to 15th century in a famous novel Manasa Mangal and even in the Ain-I-Akbari written by Abul Fazal.
The city went into the hands of British rule when the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-daullah was defeated in the famous Battle of Plassey by Robert Clive in the year 1757. It was in 1772, that Calcutta became the capital of British India with Warren Hastings as the first Governor General. Intellectually, the city grew with the foundation of Asiatic Society of Bengal, experienced rapid industrial growth in jute and textile sectors in the early 19th century, and also witnessed speedy infrastructure development in terms of railroad and telegraph.

However, it was the Bengal Renaissance that marked an era of modern liberal thinking in the 19th century that challenged orthodox convention and soon the impact was felt in the other parts of country as well. Amidst these, it was also the hub of Indian Freedom movement against the colonial imperialism of British Raj.
However the Second World War hit the city and the famine of 1943 killed thousands of people and in 1947 Bengal was partitioned as India gained Independence and Calcutta as Kolkata was formerly called, became the capital city of state West Bengal.

Since then the city grew, developed and prospered to become a major hi-tech metro city of today with its people paying obeisance to its great personalities that ranges from spiritual leader Swami Vivekananda, freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose to noble laureate like Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray and Mother Teresa.

Geography

Kolkata lies nestled in the fertile Ganges River Valley and the Bay of Bengal lies just 70 miles to the South. It is a relatively plain city with an average elevation of about 17 feet from sea level. Urbanization of the city has been made possible through transformation of marshy wetlands. The climate is hot and humid with rainfall in the months of July and August. You can visit Kolkata any time of the year barring the extreme summer month of April and May.
However, if one would like to splash water in several theme water parks or enjoy a boat ride in the breezy evening in the River Hooghly, then summer months are ideal. However, it is the festival time in the month of October, that the city dons a new look. It is best to visit Kolkata during this time when the whole city gets illuminated and at display is found handicrafts and works of local artisans at its best.

Attractions

This City of Palaces has a colonial charm and exudes warmth in all activities and that by itself creates a feeling of oneness with the city, whosoever comes here. It has some irresistible attractions and the ambience is ever vibrant.

Begin your sightseeing tour with Victoria Memorial, a huge white magnificent imposing structure with lush green garden all around. This building is one of the remnants of British rule in India. Today, the building has been transformed into a museum that exhibits a wide collection of artifacts that were in use during British Imperialism in India. Enjoy and marvel at the splendid blend of Mughal motif in European architectural setting and this edifice has been built in memory of Queen Victoria, reflecting a magnificent site in floodlit backdrop.

From the museum of British artifacts, take some time to explore the Indian Museum, built in 1874. It is one of the oldest museums of India and has some exotic collection of archaeological items ranging from fossils, mummies to Mughal paintings. This museum is open all days in a week except Monday and the entrance fee is nominal.

Visit Fort William with a special permit and one can also enjoy fresh air in the lush green meadows of Maidan. Maidan is often referred to as lungs of Kolkata and has been the venue for several trade fairs and shows.

Children will enjoy some great astronomical and celestial shows with narration at Birla Planetarium and with a entry fee of Rs 10 (INR) one can also go for an educational tour at Science City on E.M By Pass Road. Apart from several scientific activities, it also houses an auditorium where numerous shows and concerts are held.

Its not only learning in this City of Joy, children can have some great time at one of the largest and finest zoos in India at Alipore Zoological Garden, located just opposite to National Library and is also home for several migratory birds, beside wild animals. The entry fee is not more than Rs 20 (INR) and is open for public from 11 am to 7 pm.

The fun and entertainment does not end here as the city abounds in several amusement parks. Do not miss the opportunity to visit Kolkata's biggest amusement park, Nicco Park. One can either go for a Roller Coaster ride or jump into a toy train to go around the park. Try the cable car to get a bird's eye view or somersaults in some exciting rides. The entrance fee is about Rs. 100 (INR), but it is advisable not to venture out on holidays, as the place remains overcrowded. In the summer, drive away heat by diving into water at Aquatica, the water theme park at Kolkata.

The art lovers will definitely spend a day admiring the art exhibition and paintings at Academy of Fine arts, an art gallery that houses an auditorium and that remains open in all days except Monday. To admire modern contemporary Indian art form visit Center of International Modern Art between 2pm to 8 pm.

At Kolkata lies the largest Botanical garden of India, The most popular attraction there is the 600-year-old Banyan tree.

But besides these, one needs to visit Belur Math, just about 10 km from Kolkata, the headquarters of Ramkrishna Math, an ideal place of meditation in the Lord Ramakrishna Mandir that lies in the center of lush green manicured lawns on the bank of the Holy River Ganges.

Just across the river lies the temple Dakshineshwar, built by Rani Rasmoni in the 19th century and is associated with Ramakrishna. Another holiest spot at Kolkata is the Kalighat Temple. Just close to
Kalighat Temple is the Mother Teresa's famous Nirmal Hriday, home for the orphans and destitute.

In south of Kolkata lies the famous Birla Mandir, a large Laxmi Narayan Temple built by one of the wealthiest clans of Kolkata is an imposing structure of cream-colored sandstone.

Things to do

It is the game of football that the air is filled and people of Kolkata breathe. Salt Lake Stadium that hosts most of the football matches is one of the largest stadia in Asia. Apart from playing football, cricket has also been quite popular. The city has a world famous cricket ground at Eden Gardens.

It is the cultural activity that this city and its people breathe. Listening to musical concerts either at Kala Mandir or Sisir Mancha can be a very nostalgic evening for many of its visitors. Theaters and plays are also great to spend some good time. One can go cruising in the River Ganges and can also enjoy fishing. Playing Golf at Tollygunge Golf Course is a great fun for golf lovers. You can pump more adrenalin if you choose to watch Horse Racing at Race Course in Kolkata.

If it is the wintertime, then the city becomes vibrant with a wide range of fairs ranging from book fair to handicrafts fair. Not to mention, the Calcutta Book Fair is one of the largest in the world. One can go hip hopping from one trade fair to another basking in abundant sunshine in a chilly winter afternoon.

One can also go for excursions in the neighboring places from Kolkata such as rock climbing at Darjeeling or a more adventurous trip to the deep Sunderban Tiger Reserve or to the coastal place, Digha.

The city is a medley of rich cultural heritage and people get lost in its vagaries.

Kolkata not only is the cultural capital of India but also a place of prime importance in terms of country's economy. This city acts as the gateway to all northeastern sister states of India and plays a pivotal role in trade with neighboring countries like Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. This metropolitan city is nicely connected both by air and sea route and has one of the biggest seaports in India. Slowly this city is aiming to re-brand itself as the Information Technology (IT) hub of India encashing its rich intellectual human resource pool.

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