Kolkata (Calcutta) India Travel Guide

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Kolkata History and Geography

Kolkata was a small village in the state of West Bengal before the East India Company chose this place for a British trade settlement. Being a trade settlement area, the site was carefully selected and all the aspects of security were looked into. Kolkata is adequately protected by the Hooghly River on the west, a creek to the north and salt lakes about two and half miles to the east

The history of Kolkata goes back to 1756 when Siraj-ud-Daullah, Nawab of Bengal, attacked the city and captured the fort. At that time the capital of Bengal was Murshidabad. Kolkata was again recaptured in 1757 by Robert Clive when the British defeated the Nawab in the famous Battle of Plassy. Thereafter in 1772, Kolkata became the capital of British India and the first Governor General Warren Hastings moved all important offices from Murshidabad to Kolkata. From then till 1912, Kolkata was the capital of India. In 1947, when India gained freedom from the British and the country got partitioned between India and Pakistan, Kolkata was included in the Indian part of Bengal, i.e. West Bengal. Kolkata became the capital city of the state of West Bengal. Geographically, Kolkata is located in a very appropriate place. It is situated on the banks of the Hooghly River near the Bay of Bengal, which gives it warm yet pleasant weather through out the year. Although the winters in Kolkata have become a little cold of late, the climate is generally pleasant even in winters - it’s proximity to the Bay of Bengal being the main reason. Summers in Kolkata are usually warm and humid.

Kolkata Things To Do and Attractions

Kolkata tourism includes a wide variety of interesting places. From historical monuments to contemporary works of art and science, there are a lot of things to do in Kolkata, and it has something for everyone. From the Dakshineshwar Temple, Belur Math, which is full of memories of Shri Ramakrishna Paramhansa and Sharda Devi, to the Victoria Memorial, a beautiful monument built as a memorial to the Queen Victoria made up of white marble brought from Jodhpur; there is a lot to see in Kolkata. Apart from these Kolkata things to do, the other places of tourist interest include Alipore Zoo, National Library (the largest library in India), Botanical Gardens with a 250 year-old banyan tree, Shantiniketan, Vidyasagar Setu and the famous Howrah Bridge. If you want to see the rich cultural heritage of the city personified, October is the right time for you, when they celebrate the biggest festival of Bengal - the Durga Puja. This is a very popular in the city and a big draw for Kolkata tourism, as people from all over come to participate in this festival

Oh! And as one of our readers suggests, do try the Phuchka! It is quite a popular Kolkata thing to do among the folks living there. Who makes the best phuchka in Kolkata starts quite a lively discussion.

Kolkata Nightlife

When you are done with the Kolkata sight seeing activities during the day, you can enjoy the Kolkata nightlife in the numerous night clubs (or “discs” as the locals call them), and bars which have sprung up all over the place in the last few years. A lof of the 5-Star Kolkata hotels also have good bars and nightclubs as part of their hotel amenities. Kolkata is known to be a mad city with an active nightlife. Whether the madness is related to sports like cricket and football, movies, theatre, literature or the cultural madness of celebrating the “Durga Puja”, you’ll surely find a long list of Kolkata things to do that drive the locals into a fun frenzy.

Kolkata Getting There and Around

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport at Dum Dum is the international and domestic airport of Kolkata. It is around 10 miles from the heart of the city. The Dumdum metro station is about 2 miles from the airport. Howrah and Sealdah are the two major railway stations

Every day, thousands of people commute by train. Like other big cities local trains are popular mode of commute for suburban people. India’s first underground railway connects between southern and northern part of the city (between Tollygunge and Dumdum). The track passes through the heart of the city. Stations walls are decorated with art works based on themes related to local area. Checking out the artwork is an off the beaten path thing to do in Kolkata. Buses, the most widely used mode of transportation between suburbs and the main city, come in different types like CSTC (Kolkata State Transport Corporation) government buses, privately owned buses (majority of the bus routes are privately owned), mini buses, specials, limited stops, express service etc. Other than that there are trams, taxi, auto rickshaw, bicycle rickshaw, manual hand pull rickshaw (though hard to find these days), cycle van rickshaw, and ferry boats. Nowadays rental cars are also available throughout the city, the rates depending on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car.

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