Kolkata – The City of Joy

Kolkata – The City of Joy

Kolkata (formerly spelled as Calcutta in English, until 2001), one of the largest cities in India, both in terms of population and area, is usually known as the City of Joy, City of Palaces & also the Cultural Capital of India. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, Kolkata is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. As the former capital of India, Kolkata (Calcutta) is the birthplace of modern Indian literary and artistic thought, that is reflected through the Indo-Islamic and Indo-Saracenic colonial-era architectural motifs present in and around the city. Kolkata has given birth to several personalities who are well known throughout the world for their creativity in multiple genres! With the warm hospitality & friendly nature of the locals, unbelievable varieties in cuisine, rich cultural heritage and historical sites, numerous festival celebrations going on throughout the year and last but not the least, cheap expenses, Kolkata is the ideal place to visit for a vacation, where you get so many things to explore!

The beauty of Kolkata can be seen in many ways. If you are short in time, then you have to short-list certain major attractions of Kolkata and take a glimpse of the city. But, in order to actually explore the city, even a week’s time frame might fall short to many people! And why not! The Indian Museum itself will take 2 days to properly visit all the sections. Though it might feel boring to many people but, it’s heaven for the history lovers! Similarly, the Alipore Zoological Gardens, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden (Calcutta Botanical Garden), Nicco Park & Science City will almost take a complete day to properly visit each of the individual attractions! When you are in this city, time will fly by in the blink of an eye.

Indian Museum - The largest and oldest museum in India

Apart from the mentioned ones, other places to visit in and around Kolkata are –

• Victoria Memorial

Victoria Memorial

Backside entry to Victoria Memorial

A ride in the Chariot (Tanga) around Victoria Memorial is a must in Kolkata

• Eden Gardens

Outside Eden Gardens Railway Station

The Cricket Association of Bengal - Eden Gardens

• Maidan

Maidan - The largest urban park in Kolkata

Maidan - From the other end

Horses grazing around in Maidan

Here people love each other very much! Even under the scorching sun, there is no lack in commitment! ;)

• Fort William

Vijay Smarak - At the entry to Fort William

• Shaheed Minar

Shaheed Minar

• War Memorial

First World War Memorial at Red Road

• Birla Planetarium

The largest planetarium in Asia and the second largest planetarium in the world.

• Howrah Bridge

Howrah Bridge - The sixth-longest cantilever bridge in the world.

Vidyasagar Setu (Second Hooghly Bridge)

• Howrah Station

Howrah Station - The largest railway complex in India

• Princep Ghat

Prinsep Memorial

Prinsep Ghat Railway Station by the Bank of the Ganges

Beautification of the river bank near Prinsep Ghat

• Royal Calcutta Turf Club - Kolkata Race Course

Kolkata Race Course - The largest horse race venue in India

• Nandan

• New Market, Esplanade

Hogg Market (New Market) - Kolkata's shopper's paradise

The crowded Lindsay Street!

• Park Street

Experience one of the most happening places in the city famous for Night Life, Music, Restaurants & Pubs!

• National Library

The largest library in India by volume.

• Town Hall

• Birla Mandir

• Dakshineswar Kali Temple

• Belur Math

• St. Paul’s Cathedral

• Tipu Sultan Mosque

• New Town Eco Park

From Kolkata one can also take a short trip for a day or 2 to nearby places like the Sundarbans, Digha, Tajpur, Mandarmoni, Bakkhali, Frazerganj, Bankura, Bardhaman, Shantiniketan, Mayapur, Nabadwip, Krishnanagar, Murshidabad, Bandel, Taki and many more.

Being a metropolitan city, Kolkata is well connected by road, railway and air with all the other major cities of India. Even in the city, you get the option to choose from several modes of transport to travel from one place to another. Modes of transport in Kolkata include the Kolkata Suburban Railway (including the Circular Railway), Kolkata Metro Railway (first underground metro railway in India), Kolkata Tramways (Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC): The only operating tram network in India and the oldest operating electric tram in Asia), private and state government buses, taxi, auto rickshaw and man-pulled rickshaw.

Kolkata Suburban Railway

View of the Ganges from Circular Railway

Mayer Ghat - Bagh Bazar

A ride in the Circular Railway is an experience in itself!

Kolkata Tramways - The oldest operating electric tram in Asia

The Traditional Kolkata Taxis

After a few days of stay in Kolkata, one would for sure gain some extra weights due to the damn tasty Bengali cuisine. Be it the street foods or snacks or main course or sweets; whatever it is, you can’t resist yourself from tasting a wide range of Bengali food! And especially, if you are a fish or sea food lover, then you will definitely fall in love with the city at your very first meal itself! Though it’s not required to mention, but still, when you are in the city, don’t forget to taste the city’s signature desserts, Sandesh, Rosogolla (Rasgulla) & Mishti Doi!

Some of the Street Food in Kolkata. There are numerous more to go!

Rosogolla & Sandesh: The signature dessert of Bengal

Sports fanatics can also indulge themselves in several games played around along with the locals. Some of the popular sports played in Kolkata are - Cricket, Football, Kiting & Playing Cards.

In memory of Gostha Paul, the first Indian footballer to be honoured with the Padma Shri

Kiting - One of the popular games played across Bengal

There are so many reasons to visit Kolkata but, when planning a visit to the city, one should keep in mind that the climate of Kolkata is not that friendly as its people are! With a typical humid tropical climate, it is definitely not recommended to visit the city during the summer or monsoon. The best time to visit Kolkata is during the winter, spring and the very short autumn, which is generally between October and March. Moreover, some of the biggest festivals of Bengal (Durga Puja, Lakshmi Puja, Kali Puja, Boro Din (Christmas), Dol Jatra (Holi), Saraswati Puja and several Music fests) are celebrated during this time of the year. So, if anyone plans their visit to Kolkata accordingly, then it will be a wonderful add-on to their experience! You will be surprised to see, how crazy and passionate the Bengalis are about celebrating each and every festival in its own way!

Celebrating with or without reason - The favourite time pass of the Bengalis

Kolkata is not for everyone.
You want your city clean and green, stick to Delhi.
You want your city rich and impersonal, go to Mumbai.
You want them hi-tech and full of draught beer, Bangalore’s your place.
But if you want a city with a soul, come to Kolkata.

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