About Kolkata
The city of five nobel Laureates, Kolkata is recognized in India as a
cultural capital of India. It was the capital of India during the East India
company rule till 1912. The place is situated on the banks of the Hoogly
river, a tributary of the Ganges. Much before its present form, when the
Britishers came to India, Kolkata was just a village. There were three large
villages along the east bank of the river Ganges, named, Sutanuti,
Gobindapur and Kalikata, which were bought and put together by the British
from the local landlords to Kolkata its present shape.
Today, Kolkata is the major hub for business, commerce and finance of the
eastern region of India. The city is home to numerous renowned engineering
marvels, include the bridges that stretches across its twin city of Howrah -
the Howrah Bridge (Rabindra Setu), Vivekananda Setu and Vidyasagar Setu.
Kolkata is also home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations,
which produces varied products like - engineering products, electronics,
electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates,
automobiles, railway coaches, wagons, etc.
Kolkata has a highly cosmopolitan culture, where you can find South Indian,
Chinese, Anglo-Indian, Marwaris, along with the Bengalis, who dominates the
population. The city is distinct with its ever growing high rise structures,
gardens, lawns, world renown cricket ground, historical monuments of fame
and much more.
Victoria Memorial – The signature monument of Kolkata, a neo
classical attempt at building the Taj, a beautiful marble structure to the
empress Victoria. It is a mixture of western and Mughal architectural wonder
and was opened in 1921. Inside the Victoria memorial there is a museum
preserves huge oil paintings, illustrating the royal grandeur of queen
Victoria. Also there are impressive collection of British colonial relics.
Huge garden is surrounded the whole Victoria memorial, which is a favorite
hangout for lovers, also people from nearby places come here for a morning
walk.
Academy Of Fine Arts – Kolkata is an intellectual center of the
country and renowned as a cultural capital. Academy of fine arts is just a
nesting ground for renowned as well as greenhorn artists. Established in
1933, the greatest art work by contemporary artists are displayed here round
the year. There is separate gallery of Nobel winner Rabindranath Tagore,
which preserve the personal belongings, paintings and other art work work by
Tagore.
Birla Planetarium- One of the largest Planetarium in Asia is very
popular among outsiders. Everyday it shows the ringside view of celestial
bodies. The internal diameter of the tomb measures 82 feet and you can
choose Hindi,English and Bengali shows.
Indian Museum – Undoubtedly the best and largest museum in the
country preserve some rare artifacts including 54000 coins that are more
than 240 years old. One of the prime attraction of the museum is the
Egyptian mummy. Established in 1814, is one of the oldest and rich museum in
Asia.
St Paul's Cathedral – It is one of the beautiful cathedral in
India built in Gothic style with stained windows and two Italian murals
constructed between 1839 and 1847.
Esplanade- Also known as Chowringee is one of the favorite hangout
for boys and girls. The place is famous for countless shops and age old
markets. Hickky's market or New Market is specially renowned for
availability of literally everything. One can roam the narrow streets(free
school street, Sudder street and many more) and explore many exciting
things. There are variety of food joints and a place exclusive for hippies.
Science City- A special place for families and children is an
exposition park. In front of park there are two gigantic dinosaurs welcomes
you. There are lots of things; a space theater, space flight simulator,
recreated Jurassic forest, aviary and butterfly corner and plenty of space
to sit and chat for hours.
Not To Overlook-Excursions From Kolkata
Indian Botanical Garden- It is located in Shibpur,Howrah outskirt in
Kolkata. The gardens exhibit a wide variety rare plants and a total
collection of over 12,000 specimens spread over 109 hectares. The signature
landmark of garden is the great banyan tree, which is the largest tree in
the world over 330 meters of circumference.
Belur Math – Belur Math is a head quarter of Ramkrishna Mission
and related organization. It is located in the neighborhood of Belur in the
city of Howrah. The monastery and temple is located on the bank of river
Ganga with smaller shirnes in and around. There are monk quarters,temples, a
library, Nilamber Mukherjee garden house and a well maintained museum.
Santineketan - It is a small town near Bolpur, in the Birbhum
district. It is approximately 180 kilometers from Kolkata. It was made
renowned by Rabindranath Tagore for Vishwa Bharati University. People from
various countries comes here for study. The ambiance is perfect for cultural
and artistic growth. The calm & peaceful University township has today
become a haven for the urban rich with intentions beyond cultural.
Location- Kolkata is located at Latitude 22 degree 82 minutes North
and Longitude 88 degrees 20 minutes East. At an altitude of 17 feet from sea
level, the city is just 60 miles from Bay of Bengal. It has spread linearly
along the banks of the river Hooghly.
Climate- The climate of Kolkata is hot & humid. The summers are
unbearable and winters are not too cold. Temperature Winter(12-27C)
Summer(24-38C). In the monsoons, the city is prone to floods, which
generally follows continuous torrential rain. Average Rainfall is about
160cm.
How To Reach?
By Air- Major airport is in Dum Dum known as Netaji International
Airport. It is well connected with major cities in world and India.
By Rail- There are two major railway stations in Kolkata. One is
Howrah and another one is Sealdah. Almost every state and cities in India is
connected with railways of Kolkata.
By Road- Kolkata is well connected with nearby states and also with
Delhi and Mumbai by national highways.
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