City of Joy
India’s second-biggest city is a daily festival of human existence, simultaneously noble and squalid, cultured and desperate, decidedly futuristic while splendid in decay. By its old spelling, Calcutta readily conjures images of human suffering to most Westerners – although that’s not a complete picture of this 350-year-old metropolis. Locally, Kolkata is regarded as India’s intellectual, artistic and cultural capital. Although poverty is certainly apparent, the self-made middle class drives the city’s core machinery, a nascent hipster culture thrives among its millennial residents and its dapper Bengali gentry frequent grand, old colonial-era clubs.
As the former capital of British India, Kolkata retains a feast of colonial-era architecture contrasting starkly with urban slums and dynamic new-town suburbs with their air-conditioned shopping malls. Kolkata is the ideal place to experience the mild yet complex tang of Bengali cuisine. Friendlier than India’s other metropolises, this is a city you ‘feel’ more than simply visit.
Kolkata (Bengali:কলকাতা) (formerly Calcutta) is the capital of West Bengal and the second largest city in India (after Mumbai). If Bangalore is the Seattle of India, then Kolkata is the sub-continent’s London. It is an ‘in your face’ city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Abject poverty mixes inexplicably with crumbling British Raj-era gems, sprawling gardens and historical colleges. Long known as the cultural capital of India, Kolkata continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film producers and Nobel Prize winners. If your trip only allows for a visit of one or two of India’s metropolitan cities, than definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. Love it or hate it, you definitely won’t forget the city on the Hooghly.
The Victoria Memorial, a reminder of the Raj. Try cheap Chaat on the street at Park Circus, there is one stall close to the fruit and veggies stalls. Highly recommendable and cheap (prices are shown on the sign of the stall).
Kolkata/Southern fringes| Southern fringes — the rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. Includes Behala, Jadavpur, Garia and Narendrapur. There are a number of educational institutes and lavish shopping malls in this area. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. Many of the Super Specialty Hospitals are located along the EM Bypass and the city is rapidly undergoing transformation with infrastructure augmentation and expansion eastwards.
South Kolkata — The posher part of the city. Covers Gariahat, Dhakuria, Ballygunge, Bhawanipur, Alipore, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Kalighat and Tollygunge. It is mostly residential areas with posh neighbourhoods and numerous big malls like South City, Quest, Acropolis, Forum etc. Rabindra Sarobar (Dhakuria Lake) is a vast joggers park around a lake which is home to many sporting associations, rowing club, a stadium. Tollygunge is home to the Bengali Tinsel Town nicknamed “Tollywood” and the golf club of Kolkata.
Colonial District — The colonial district is where all the heritage buildings of the colonial era are located and served as the prime business district till 90’s until Salt Lake/New Town sprung up around late 90’s.It is considered the soul of Kolkata. Writer’s Building (Mahakaran) used to serve as the West Bengal State Secretariat till 2014(under renovation as of now). Dalhousie Square (B.B.D Bagh) hosts the heritage buildings, Raj Bhavan (Governor’s House), Bidhan Sabha (State Assembly Building), Kolkata Municipal Corporation Building, St John’s Church (Oldest in Kolkata), Black Hole Monument, Jewish Synagogues are located here. It still holds the old world charm with touch of modernity with century old buildings, ancient trams, human pulled rickshaws, street food vendors, thousands of office goers, plethora of shops of which many still bears the looks as they were a century ago.
Maidan — The “Lungs”of Kolkata adjoining the Colonial District.Maidan, a vast open field which serves as home to many sporting clubs, gardens, tanks and lots of vast open green fields. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Khidirpur, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and Chowringhee. Rabindra Sadan, Nandan and adjoining exhibition halls,Nehru Children’s Museum, Birla Planetarium, St Pauls Cathedral, Victoria Memorial, Race Course, Fort William (Eastern Command HQ of Indian Army), Esplanade, Eden Gardens, Shahid Minar (Ochterlony Monument), Princep Ghat and Millenium Park, all are located around this area.Park Street is a major attraction which hosts numerous upmarket lounges, restaurants, bars, discs,shops and colonial buildings. South Park Street Cemetary (Oldest Christian Cemetery of Kolkata) is located at the southern end of Park Street. Vidyasagar Setu (India’s longest cable stayed bridge) approach originates just after the race course and temporary state secretariat (Nabanna) is just at the opposite end of the bridge.
North Kolkata — the older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachhia, Shyam Bazaar, Shobha Bazaar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the famous College Street area. Also situated here are the Sealdah station, one of the largest train hubs in India, and the newly built Kolkata station. Mother House (Missionaries of Charity) is situated near the Sealdah Station. Kumortuli (The Clay Artisans Enclave), Joransanko Thakurbari (Ancestral Home of Tagore), Nakhoda Mosque, Marble Palace, Legendary Indian Coffee, Calcutta University, Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, Presidency University, numerous heritage theatres are located here. Dum Dum being the prime communication hub of Kolkata having International Airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail, Ground Rail.
Northern fringes — The large industrial area to the north of the city. Includes Kashipur, Dumdum, Belghoria, Khardah, Panihati, Titagarh etc. where there are a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. Famous Dakshineswar Kali Temple and the twin bridges Vivekananda Setu/Nibedita Setu are located in this area.
East Kolkata — Rapidly developing, specially IT sector and home to many malls. Encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhan Nagar), Rajarhat (New Town), Lake Town and the E.M. Bypass. Many five star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and Special Economic Zones are being built in this area. Eco Park, Aquatica, Nazrul Tirtha, Mother’s Wax Museum and upcoming Kolkata Museum of Modern Art are all located in New Town.
Howrah and Hooghly (Urban); Technically Howrah and the urban part of Hooghly all have individual identity alongside they are the part of Kolkata Metropolis. Likewise Howrah city is a twin city of Kolkata city. Nabanna, Santragachi, Belur, Bally, Uttarpara, Konnogar, Rishra, Serampore, Bhadeswar, Chinsurah, Hooghly, Chandannagor and Bandel all cities under Kolkata Metropolitan Area, having own fragrance of history, culture. This area is called “Little Europe Of India”. All areas are well connected with the city centre.
Kolkata’s history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which first arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital of in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta (Sutanuti, Govindapur & Calcutta) but in recent years a number of Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Calcutta occupies the site of an older Indian city, centered around the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat. This claim has been accepted by the Kolkata High Court. The Court has dismissed the name of Job Charnock as the founder of the city and 24th August as its date of birth. The historic Judgment was based upon an high level Expert Committee findings. It has been proved that Kolkata had an highly civilized society for centuries before the Europeans first came here.
Whatever its origins, Calcutta flowered as the capital of British India during the nineteenth century, the heyday of the Raj. Calcutta University, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. Calcutta became the center of Indian arts and literature, and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, and a violent and bloody Maoist movement (the Naxalite movement) in the 1970s, Calcutta has become synonymous with urban decay and poverty (“New York is deteriorating into New Calcutta,” opined an editorial in The New York Times on Dec. 25th, 1988).
Kolkata is the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. Kolkata witnessed an economic decline from the late sixties till the late nineties. The city’s economic fortunes turned the tide as the economic liberalization in India during the early nineties reached Kolkata during late nineties. Kolkata is a multicultural, cosmopolitan city. Apart from the diversity of India, the cultures represented are that of the Europeans (Including Germans, Armenians, and others), and other Asians (Including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans).
Since 1977, a “Left Front” coalition of communist and Marxist parties has continuously ruled the state. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city. For example there are streets like Lenin Sarani, Ho Chi Minh Sarani, etc.. The Left Front regained control of the Municipal Corporation of Kolkata from the Trinamul Congress in the 2005 civic elections.
Places of Interest-
Central Kolkata
South of BBD Bagh is the huge, lush, green, open parkland known as Maidan. Continuing south from here you will find
Eden Gardens (one of the most famous cricket stadiums in the world),
Akashwani Bhavan, All India Radio building
Indoor Stadium
Fort William, the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. The fort is still in use and retains its well-guarded grandeur. Visitors are allowed in with special permission only.
Victoria Memorial Along St. George’s Gate Road, on the southern fringe of the Maidan, you will find Kolkata’s most famous landmark , a splendid white marble monument (CLOSED MONDAYS).
Calcutta Racecourse
Chowringee, is the Market place of Kolkata. You will find shops ranging from Computer Peripherals to cloth merchants. Even tailors and a few famous Movie theaters too. This place is a favorite pass time for local people.
Northern Kolkata
The Northern part of Kolkata houses the old buildings belonging to the Zamindars (Landlords) and ‘Babus'(other rich Bengalis) who used to trade with the British. It preserves the cultural heritage of Kolkata. North Kolkata gives the unique character and charm to the city of Kolkata. The building structures, a beautiful fusion of Victorian and Bengali Architecture give an impression of the royal people who stayed there. River Ganga is the hot spot for the development of the North along with Kolkata. It is generally crowded and has some interesting markets including the famous Posta, Burrabazar whole sale markets, College Street Book market where you can trace many out of print books with a little patience. While in College Street a visit to the College St Coffee House is a must. Also around the area are the Calcutta Medical College, the Presidency college and Calcutta University.
North of BBD Bagh you will find the
Nakhoda Mosque (the largest mosque in Kolkata) and the
Shobhabajar Rajbari the ancestral house of Rja Naba Krishna, one of the rich locals to side with Clive during his war with Nabab Siraj-Ud-Daula.
Further along you will find
Jorasanko Thakur Bari (Tagore Family residence and museum).
Parashnath Jain Temple, near the Belgachia metro station. Entry is officially restricted to Jains only since 2012 by order of management.
Parashnath Jain Temple, at Gouribari, less visited, reachable from the Sovabazar Metro station (take an auto rickshaw).
Marble Palace, The marble palace was the private mansion of Zamindar (Land owner) Raja Rajendro Mullick, who had built this palace in 1835. It is situated on the Muktaram Babu Street in a congested part of the city. A real garden, of may be an acre with a Palladian Mansion set square in the centre. Today this place has an incongruous collection of statues and paintings. There is also a private zoo housing a collection of birds from different corners of the world.
The Howrah Bridge spans the Hooghly River linking Howrah to Kolkata. It is said to be the busiest bridge in the world. No photos allowed.
Kali temple of Dakshineswar is to the north of the city on the banks of the Ganges, across from Belur Math.
Southern Kolkata
Southern Kolkata is less congested and more modern. You will find more apartment blocks, more green spaces and more affluent homes.
The Tollygunge Club is one of the oldest clubs and a famous colonial relic housing a golf course, horse riding facilities, swimming pools, accommodation, etc. Its located in Tollygunge area.
Rabindra Sarovar is a large open lake and park area housing boating clubs, an open air theatre and eateries and comes under the Ballygunge area.
Birla Industrial & Technological Museum on Gurusaday Road in Ballygunge.
Maulana Azad Museum on Ballygunge Circular Road in Ballygunge.
Royal Calcutta Golf Club is the oldest golf club in the world after St. Andrews in Scotland,located in Tollygunge.
Tollywood (the home of Bengali Films) and Television centre are also found in Tollygunge.
Ramakrishna Mission Institute in Golpark,at Ballygunge.
The Birla Temple is the largest in Kolkata and worth a visit.Its located on Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue(Old Ballygunge Road) in Ballygunge.
National Library of India at Alipore.
The South City Mall at Lake Gardens, the biggest shopping mall of Eastern India.
The Kalighat Kali Temple, very famous to Hindus, it houses Kolkata’s patron deity.
Mother Teresa’s Hospital for the destitute is next door to the Kalighat temple.
China Town near Park circus houses some of the finest Chinese eateries.
Inox-Forum at Elgin Road near Rabindra Sadan — multiplex movie hall along with a big shopping mall
Big Bazar on E. M. Bypass at Highland Park (Baghajatin)- here you can buy almost everything under the sun at reasonable price
Gariahat which comes under Ballygunge area.It is the biggest shopping district of Kolkata, where one can find shops ranging from branded showrooms and malls like Pantaloons, westside, Raymonds to numerous smaller shops.
TBD
Kolkata has been nicknamed as the City of Joy. This comes from the numerous palatial mansions built all over the city. During the British colonial era from 1700-1912, when Calcutta was the capital of British India, it witnessed a spate of frenzied construction activity of buildings largely influenced by the conscious intermingling of Gothic, Baroque, Roman, 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 European 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 favorable 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.
Government House, Kolkata, built in the early 19th century, is modeled on Kedleston Hall. The House was once the seat of the Viceroys of India; later, when the Government moved to New Delhi, it became the residence of the Governor of Bengal, a function that it fulfils 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 storied 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 in its acres of gardens at the heart of the Kolkata business district.
