| |
KOLKATA
(CALCUTTA)
GROUP
HOTELS :
CITIES
:
KOLKATA HOTELS
:
KOLKATA SIGHTSEEING
GENERAL
INFO
Fascinating,
Bewitching, Bewildering. That's Calcutta, the capital of West
Bengal and India's largest city, a seething mass
of activity with a cosmopolitan atmosphere. Calcutta had become
a busy & flourishing town, the center of cultural as well
as political and economic life of Bengal. It isn't an ancient
city like Delhi, with its impressive relics of the past. In
fact, it's
largely a British creation & was capital of British India.
SIGHTSEEING
 VICTORIAL
MEMORIAL
At the southern end of Maidan stands the Victoria Memorial
built between 1906 and 1921 on the lines of the Taj Mahal in
memory of Queen Victoria. This huge white-marble museum houses a
vast collection of memorabilia from the days of British empire.
There are potraits, statues and busts of almost all the main
participants in British India history. Two regular sound and
light shows are held in the evening. Closed on Mondays.
 HOWRAH BRIDGE
It is one of three bridges on the river Hooghly and is the most famous
symbol of not only Calcutta but also West Bengal. This bridge is marvel
of British engineering. Howrah Bridge is a suspended bridge on pillars.
The bridge though very old is still holding good to reduce the traffic
across the river. This Engineering marvel has been the firmest symbol of
Calcutta. The huge cantilever bridge, strung on 270 feet high pillars
connects Calcutta from Howrah. It four traffic lanes are daily used by
over a lakh vehicles. The newly constructed Vidya Sagar Setu is also a
cable suspended bridge. This bridge is supposed to reduce the traffic on
the old Howrah Bridge.
 EDEN GARDEN
In the North-West corner of the Maidan are small & pleasantly laid out
Eden Gardens. The gardens were created in 1840 and named after the
sister of Lord Auckland, the former governer general. The idea was to
make a Biblical - style garden of Eden in India. The expanse dotted with
beautiful trees and shrubs is intersected by winding paths, and there is
a large artificial lake. Alongside the gardens, is the world famous Eden
Gardens cricket stadium. The stadium is supposed to be the largest in
Asia with a seating capacity of more than a lakh spectators. The
calcutta cricket ground, where International test & one day matches are
held, is also with in the gardens. Near the gardens you can take a
pleasant walk along the bank of hoogly river.
 SHAHEED MINAR
This 165 ft. High monument was erected by public subscription in 1828,
to honour Sir David Ochter Lony, a one- time resident of Malwa &
Rajputana. More recently, it has now been renamed 'Saheed Minar' to
honour the martyrs of the freedom struggle. An important landmark in
Calcutta, it is located at the Northern end of the Maidan.
RABINDRA SADAN
Situated on the southeast corner of the Maidan. The Rabindra Sadan is
the seat of Bengali - culture where every evening, drama cultural
programmes & exhibitions are held.
 VIDYASAGAR
Vidyasagar Setu a golden Gate Bridge look alike, 2kms downriver, was
completed in 1994. It is a modern day engineering marvel and is the
largest cable stayed bridge in Asia. The bridge connects the twin cities
of Calcutta and Howrah. It was built at a cost of Rs. 388 crores.
Unfortunately it is not making the big difference that was envisaged, as
the approaches are too narrow to to handle the amount of traffic that
use bridge, and plans for widening the road are slow in implementation.
 BIRLA PLANETARIUM
This planetarium, near the government of India tourist office, is one of
the largest in the world and is located on Calcutta's Eastern
metropolitan bypass. There are shows in English everyday. This 21st
century marvel of science, communication and environment is the first
and only institution of its kind in India. Set amidst trees and lawns,
here one finds science out of doors and alive.
 KALI TEMPLE
Rebuilt in 1809 on the site of much older temple, Kalighat (as it is
also known) is the actual temple from which kalikata (anglicised to
calcutta) takes its name and is an ancient center of Hindu pilgrimage.
The architecture is of typical medieval Bengal style.According to legand,
when Shiva's wife's corpse was cut up, one of her fingers fell here.
Since then it has been an important pilgrimage site and is always
extremely busy. Despite industrialisation and commercial activity that
has given Calcutta a new look, the Kali temple remains unchanged,
attracting a larger number of pilgrims and visitors every day. Visitors
to the temple recieve as 'prasad' a vermillion paste , the symbol of
Kali, to wear on the foreheads as a tilak. Mother teresa's hospital for
the Dying Destitute is right next door to the temple and volunteers and
travellers are welcome to visit. The temple is 2Km south of St Paul's
Cathedral and is easily accessible by Metro (Kalighat Station).
 NICCO PARK
Nicco Park is situated at Salt Lake. This Amusement park is the
Disneyland of West Bengal, with a variety of unusual games and rides.
The Cave Ride is the latest addition and is the only of its kind in this
part of the world. The park is open to the public from 10.00 A.M to 8.00
P.M everyday during the winter and 11.00 A.M to 9.00 P.m everyday during
the rest of the year.
 SCIENCE CITY
It is located on Calcutta's Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. This 21st
century marvel of science, communication and environment is the first
and only institution of its kind in India.The pioneering effort of NCSM,
in setting up open air Science Parks has now added a new dimension to
science teaching through a process of discovery in the outdoor setting.
Set amidst trees and lawns, here one finds science out of doors and
alive
 INDIAN MUSEUM
This museum was established in 1878 on Jawaharlal Nehru Road. The museum
is built in Italian architectural style and is considered as the largest
museum in the country and one of the best in Asia. The largest museum in
the country, the museum has six sections: Art, Archaeology,
Anthropology, Geology, Zoology and Industry (economic botany). From the
Egyptian mummy to the skeleton of the whale and some rare statues; the
museum has every thing. One of the rooms has a collection of meteorites.
The museum also has a unique fossil collection of prehistoric animals
which includes a giant crocodile and a huge tortorise. The art
collection has many fine pieces from Orissa and other temples and superb
example of Buddhist Gandharan art.
 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS
Calcutta's interesting zoo-the oldest in India-was the creation of Sir
Richard Carnac Temple who was Governor of Bengal from 1874 to 1877. It
was opened on Jan 1st 1876, by the Prince of Wales. The 16 hectare
grounds house a wide species of animals & birds including the rare white
Bengal Tiger. There is a separate reptile house and a children's zoo.
Migratory birds find sanctuary on a small lake in the zoo every winter.
The gardens are open from 6 a.m. To 5 p.m. daily.
The Zoological Gardens at Alipore opened to the public in 1876, have one
of the finest collections of birds, animals, and reptiles. Within the
Gardens, there is also a childrens' Zoo. The aquarium in front of the
Zoological Gardens contains sea-fishes of rare varieties.
 BOTANICAL GARDENS
The extensive Botanical Gardens, on the west bank of the Hoogly river,
strech forever 1 km along the river and occupy 109 hectares. The gardens
were originally founded in 1786 and administered by Colonel Kyd. It was
from these gardens that the tea now grown in Assam and Darjeeling was
first developed. Trees of the rarest kinds, from Nepal, Brazil, Penang,
Java and Sumatra can be found here. There are towering Mahogany trees,
an avenue of Cuban Palms and an Orchid House. Mango and Tamarind trees
shade the grassy lawns. But the main attraction of the garden is the 200
year old Banyan Tree, claimed to have the second largest canopy in the
world. It is the world's largest, having a circumference of 330m.
The Palm House in the centre of gardens is also well worth a visit.The
gardens are over the Howrah Bridge, 19Km by bus from Chowringhee. The
gardens are open from sunrise to sunset, and although they tend to be
very crowded on Sunday, on other days they are peaceful and make a
pleasant escape from the hassles and crowd of Calcutta.
 BIRLA MANDIR
Located on Asutosh Chowdhury Avenue, it is the latest addition to the
places of visit in Calcutta. Built over twenty- two years of painstaking
labour, it is an all marble structure with very high quality Rajasthani
engravings.
TAGORE HOUSE
The rambling old Tagore House is a centre for Indian dance, drama, music
and other arts. This is the birthplace of Rabindranath Tagore, India's
greatest poet, and his final resting place. It's just off Rabindra
Sarani, north of BBD Bagh, and is open Monday to Friday 10 am to 5 pm,
Saturday upto 2 pm (close Sunday). There is a daily Bengali
sound-and-light show at 6 and 7 pm.
 NALBAN
Located in the heart of Salt lake city (a satellite township) just 12
kms. away from central Calcutta, Nalban is a beautiful picnic spot for
families who would want to spend a few hours in the quiet greenery, away
from the busy city. The main attraction of the place is the four hundred
acre picturesque lake with various kinds of boating facilities like
paddle boats, shikaras and rowing boats. A unique added attraction is
the newly installed hovercraft.
|
T
