:: Wellcome to Kolkata :: Kolkata Tourism, Kolkata Tourism in India, Lakesparadise !

Reminiscent of the British Victorian Era, Calcutta stands as a mirror to the British Raj with its grandeur. It was the capital of British India after British moved their trading post here in 1686. It is the largest metropolis in India with teeming population. The unique trams laid during the British Raj is still in service and is the only city in India where one can have a joy ride in a tram. In parallel, modern underground trains also co-exist in this capital city of West Bengal state. Calcutta is now officially called Kolkata.

Attractions In & Around

Academy Of Fine Arts :- Contemporary Indian Art, Medieval Indian miniature paintings, weapons, sculptures, Indian textiles and Kashmir shawls are some of the fine collections in this Academy.

Academy Of Indian Coins & History :- Ancient Indian coin collections are the main attraction in this Academy of Indian Coins and History located at 361/B Rabindra Sarani.

Agri-Horticultural Gardens :- William Carey founded these botanical gardens in 1820 at Alipore near to the present Calcutta Zoological Gardens. It houses a massive collection of plants and flowers.

Ashutosh Museum Of Indian Arts :- Bengali art piece collections can be seen at Ashutosh Museum of Indian Arts located within the premises of Calcutta University.
Timings: Open from 10.30 am to 5.30 pm on weekdays and upto 3.00 pm on Saturdays.

Asiatic Society :- Sir William Jones founded this Asiatic Society in 1784 under the patronage of Warren Hastings, which is famous for collection of Indology, Literature and Scientific Research of about 20000 volumes including some 8000 rare Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian and Hindi manuscripts.

Bandel :- 40 kms from Calcutta on the banks of River Hoogly, lies Bandel with the oldest church four centuries old, which is a pilgrimage center for the worshipers of Mother Mary. Well connected by rail and road, its serene, calm and quiet atmosphere make this an attractive place to visit.

Barrackpore :- The country residence of the Viceroy during British period has now been converted into an Industrial town and cantonment area. It probably got its name because of its military barracks and it is here that the initial incidents of the first Indian war of Independence took place. This lies on the right bank of Hoogly and also has a couple of research institutes.

BBD Square :- Dalhousie Square, the centre of Government activity of the British Administration in India, is renamed after three Martyrs of Bengal, Binay, Badal & Dinesh, built around the old Lal Dighi tank. West Bengal tourist office and Calcutta GPO flank on both sides of this square.

Belur Math :- In 1897 Swami Vivekananda founded Ramakrishna Mission in loving memory of his Guru Ramakrishna Paramhansa who preached unity of all religions. The International Head quarters of this Mission is located on the west bank of Hoogly, where the edifice is supposed to represent the three different religions in a single structure.

Birla Industrial & Technological Museum :- Located near Gurusaday Road, Birla Industrial & Technological Museum is a seat of learning modern science and technology for students, research scholars with workshop which designs and produces most of its exhibits. It is closed on Mondays

Birla Planetarium :- This is the largest planetarium in the World near the Government of India tourist office providing a view of the stars and the solar system. For enthusiasts of Astronomy this is a place not to be missed.

Botanical Gardens :- Indian Botanical Gardens, originally found in 1786 along the west bank of Hoogly, containing about 12,000 living plants and over two and half million dried out plant specimens in the herbarium collected from all over the world, is the largest of its kind in India. Originally founded by Colonel Kyd, this was the place where the world-renowned varieties of Assam and Darjeeling tea were first developed. The 200-year-old banyan tree is the main attraction of this garden.

Burrabazar :- The wholesale and retail trade in Calcutta is concentrated in Burrabazar located north of BBD Bag.

Calcutta High Court :- The landmark Gothic building constructed in 1872- West Bengal High court is one of the oldest located near Eden Gardens.

Centre Of International Modern Art :- (Cima)Situated near Birla temple, close to Ballygunge Phari, CIMA features Indian contemporary art, which is renowned worldwide.
Timings: From 2 pm to 8 pm, except Mondays

Chandernagore :- French presence in the Eastern parts of India is evident from Chandernagore located about 30 kms north of Calcutta, which was ruled by France between 1673 and 1952, who left their imprint of distinctive French architecture. It has an interesting history as India got freedom in 1947; this small town was still under the governance of French, being ruled from Pondichery.

Dakshineswar Temple :- Built in 1847 by Rani Rasmoni the place where Ramakrishna attained spiritual vision while working as a priest of Kali temple, on the banks of Ganges, north of Belur Math, is Dakshineswar Temple. The presiding deity is Goddess Kali who is surrounded by 12 other temples dedicated to Lord Siva. It is one of the famous places of pilgrimage.

Dhakuria Lake :- Dhakuria Lake located in South Calcutta is an artificial lake providing rowing facilities with a safari garden and children’s play center. There is an open-air theatre.

Diamond Harbour :- 48 kms south of Calcutta, Diamond Harbor so named by the British, is a popular excursion spot for the locals where Ganges bends south on its way to sea becoming wider and deeper allowing big ships to dock.

Digha :- Known as Brighton of East – Digha is the most popular sea resort located around 187 kms from Calcutta attracting tourists throughout the year with its hard beach where one can drive on the beach during low tide. Bathing is advisable only during the low tide.

Eden Gardens :- The World’s largest cricket stadium that can house up to 90,000 spectators is an awe inspiring structure, lying behind Akashvani Bhavan, which overshadows the exquisitely beautiful tiny Burmese pagoda brought from Prome in Myanmar.

Fort William :- Completed in 1781 to serve as an impregnable fort at Maidan, Fort William now serves as the Military Head quarters of the Eastern Command, which can accommodate a garrison of 10,000 men. It is named after King William III and has huge green expanse giving lung space to a chocked city

General Post Office :- (GPO)The Postal headquarters of Calcutta, located in the BBD Bag area, is an interesting architectural piece.

Haldia :- At the confluence of River Haldi and Hoogly about 140 kms from Calcutta is located Haldia - a major port of India forming part of Calcutta port complex. It is also connected by rail and a catamaran service to Calcutta.

Howrah Bridge :- This is the busiest Cantilever Bridge in the World, which sees a daily traffic of about 60,000 vehicles and innumerable pedestrians similar to Sydney Harbor Bridge. But the later can never dream of such a traffic. To avoid causing silting problems, a single span of 450 meters bridge was constructed, which is an engineering marvel strung on two 270 feet high pillars.

Indian Museum :- Built in 1875, originally founded by Nathaniel Wallich, and known as Jadughar, located at the corner of Sudder Street and Chowringhee Road, Indian Museum containing fossil skeletons of prehistoric animals, art collections, rare antiques, mummies, Armour etc. is probably one of the best in Asia.

Kali Temple :- This is located in South Calcutta, on the banks of Hoogly, whose presiding deity is Goddess Kali. It was rebuilt in 1809 from which the present name Calcutta comes to the city and since then it has been an important pilgrimage site.

Marble Palace :- Built in 1835 by a Bengali Zamindar, this palace houses an interesting collection of curios, statues, paintings and a private zoo.

Nandan :- Late Satyajit Ray inaugurated and patronized this center of culture housing three cinema halls one of which is dedicated in screening art movies.

National Library :- Housed in the former residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal popularly known as Belvedere Estate, The Calcutta public library and Imperial Library amalgamated in 1903 to become National Library. It is India's largest library.

Nehru Children's :- CentreThis is a perfect educational center for children, with a collection of models depicting Hindu epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharatha besides housing a huge library.

Netaji Indoor Stadium :- Venue for the International Table-tennis Tournament in the seventies, Netaji Indoor Stadium located in front of the High court is a fully air-conditioned indoor stadium of world standards.

Nico Park :- Joining the modern stream of theme parks, Nico Park is the Disneyland for Calcuttans with its various adventure rides.

Rabindra Gallery :- This museum entirely dedicated to the poet noble laureate Sri Rabindranath Tagore, houses original paintings, manuscripts and personal belongings of the great poet.

Rabindrabharati Museum :- Rabindranath Museum has a collection of Bengal renaissance artifacts and is situated near Girish Park on Chittaranjan Avenue.
Timings: It is open from 10.00 am to 5.00 pm on weekdays

Rat Park :- This is a unique and fascinating sight at Curzon Park, where hundreds of rats scamper about in a meshed enclosure.

Royal Calcutta Turf Club :- A remnant of the British era, this is one of the largest horse racing turfs in India. Many important and prestigious racing events are held here regularly.

Salt Lake Stadium :- Located in Calcutta’s peripheral Salt Lake City, this is a relatively newer and bigger stadium, which can house more than one lakh spectators.

Shaheed Minar / Ochterlony Monument :- This 48 meter high monument, built with a unique blend of Turkish, Egyptian and Syrian architecture is named after Sir David Ochterlony. It is seat of many memorable political meetings. In 1969 its name was changed to 'Shaheed Minar'.

St John's Church :- Founder of Calcutta, Job Charnock’s octagonal mausoleum is preserved in the 18th century old stone Church of St.John, which lies south of BBD Bag. The infamous black hole is also housed here.

St Paul's Cathedral :- The 65 meter tall tower of St. Paul’s Cathedral rebuilt in 1934 has some impressive stained glass work and is considered, as one of the most important churches in India. It is located at the southern end of the Maidan.

Sunderban :- House for the famous Royal Bengal Tigers, Sunderbans are part of the world’s largest delta formed by the rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna. It is spread over 10,000 sq kms and is home for many exquisite animals and birds and is a declared national park.

Victoria Memorial :- The symbol of British seat and the most exquisite Victorian building to be found in India is the Victoria Memorial, a huge white marble museum built to commemorate the visit of Queen Victoria of England.

Vidyasagar Setu :- The modern cable stayed bridge known as Vidyasagar Setu lies across Hoogly offering a panoramic view of the skyline of Calcutta. This impressive bridge provides an alternative to the Howrah Bridge.

Writer's Building :- The political revolution of West Bengal is resplendent in the Red Building, which houses the State Secretariat.

Zoological Garden :- Situated at Alipore Road, the horticultural garden houses the Zoo of Calcutta, with many wild animals in natural enclosures. It also has many varieties of birds and reptiles other than the interesting flora and fauna.

Getting in, Around & Away
AIR : Calcutta is well served by both International and national airports.
Netaji Subhash Airport at Dum Dum, 20 kms. from city is the international airport of Calcutta.
RAIL : Howrah and Sealdah are the two major railway stations.
Metro (Underground Railway) - India's first underground railway connects between southern and northern part of the city

Tourist Information Center
1 Tourist Information Centers(Govt)
Govt of India & Regional Tourist Office
4 Shakespeare Sarani, Kolkata
Phone: (+91-33) 2821475, 2823521
Email: caltour@cal2.vsnl.net.in

West Bengal Tourism Office
3/2 B.B.D Bag East, Kolkata
Phone: (+91-33) 2485917, 2488271
Fax: (+91-33) 2485168
Email: wbtdc@calcutta2.vsnl.net.in