Kolkata-At a glance

1. Best Time To Visit: October to March

2. Official Language: Bengali

3. Languages Spoken: Bengali, Hindi, English

4. Climate: Tropical

5. Main Attractions: Victoria Memorial, Howrah

Bridge, Fort William, Indian Museum, Nicco

Park

What to See?

Top 5 Places to Explore in Kolkata

#1 Victoria Memorial

Located by the banks of Hooghly

river on the Jawaharlal Nehru

Road, the Victoria Memorial is a

museum and a renowned tourist

spot. A classic example of the

imperial architecture, this building

is dedicated to the memory of

Queen Victoria. This marble

facade has two galleries namely

the Royal Gallery and the Calcutta

Gallery. Beautiful Gardens

covering an area of 64 acres of

land surrounds the memorial and

imparts a picturesque sight.

Tip: Watch out for the art

exhibitions that take place in the

memorial.

#2 Howrah BridgeHowrah Bridge is a cantilever

bridge with a suspended span over

the Hooghly River. It has 8 lanes on

which round the clock traffic and

numerous pedestrians commute

everyday making it easily the

busiest cantilever bridge in the

world. It is 705 meters long -

making it the sixth longest bridge in

its category. Howrah Bridge has

stood the test of time and has

emerged as the identity of Kolkata.

Featured in numerous movies,

Howrah Bridge is a symbol of

cultural richness of Kolkata.

Tip: Visit the Howrah Bridge in the

early morning hours to absorb the

serenity of the River Hooghly and to

avoid the traffic rush.

#3 Fort William

Fort William is a fort built by

the Britishers on the eastern

banks of River Hooghly. There

are two Fort Williams: Old and

New. The fort is a brick and

mortar construction in shape

of an irregular octagon with an

area of 5 square kilometers.

The headquarters of the

Eastern Command of the

Indian Army is based at Fort

William. Civilian entry to the

fort is restricted. It can

accommodate 10,000 army

personals.

#4 Indian Museum

The Indian Museum is the

largest and the oldest museum

of India. Located in

Chowringhee, this multifarious

museum has six sections

comprising thirty five galleries

of cultural and scientific

artifacts. It has rare collections

of antiques, armour and

ornaments, fossils, skeletons,

mummies, and Mughals

paintings.

#5 Nicco Park

Nicco Park is an amusement

park located in the Salk Late City,

Kolkata. It is spread over an area

of 40 acres and is referred to as

the Disney Land of West Bengal.

It is a joint venture of the state

government with Nicco Group.

The park provides Educational

recreation along with thirty five

thrilling rides. The rides include

Toy Train, Tilt-a-Whirl, Magic

Carpet, Paddle Boat, Water

Chute, Water Coaster, Flying

Saucer, Pirate Ship, River Caves,

Cyclone and Moonraker.

What Else?

Wanna explore more…

Eco Tourism ParkEco Tourism Park (also called

the Prakriti Tirtha) is an urban

park located in New Town in

Rajarhat, Kolkata. It is spread

over an area of 480 acres. It is

divided into three zones or areas:

ecological zones like (wetlands,

grasslands, and urban forest),

theme gardens and open spaces

and urban recreational spaces.

The proposed plan will have

different areas like wild flower

meadows, a bamboo garden,

grasslands, tropical tree garden,

bonsai garden, tea garden,

Cactus Walk, a heliconia garden,

a butterfly garden, a play area

and an amphitheatre.

Kali Temple

There are two prominent Kali

Temples in Kolkata, one at

Kalighat and another at

Dakshineswar. The Kalighat

Kali Temple is one of the 51

Shakti Peethas of India. The

present temple is 200 years old

but it is referred to in historical

texts of 15th century as well.

The idol of Goddess Kali is

unique. The Dakshineswar Kali

temple is comparatively new as

it was built in circa 1855. It is

located on the eastern bank of

River Hooghly. Both the

temples are revered by the

devotees.

Birla Temple

Birla Temple is a Hindu

temple on Asutosh Chowdhury

Avenue, Ballygunge, built by

the industrialist Birla family.

The main temple houses the

idols of deities Radha and

Krishna. The left side has an

idol of Goddess Durga while

right side houses an idol of

Lord Shiva. The temple is

spread over an area of 44

Kathas of land and is built with

white marble.

Tip: Visit this temple on the

occasion of Janmashtami for

cultural delight as huge

celebrations takes place on

that day.

Durga Puja

Durga Puja is an annual Hindu

festival which is a mega event in

Kolkata. The festival continues for

five days starting on the sixth day of

Ashwina shukla paksha and

culminates on the tenth day of

Ashwina Shukla paksha

(September-October). The

atmosphere is electric during this

time of the year as the city is

subdued in prayers and

celebrations. People put on their

new clothes and visit the pandals

for prayers. Delicious food is served

in these pandals. Everyone, from

the young to the old is involved in

the celebrations.

What to Eat?

Puchka and Churmur

Puchka and Churmur are the

trademark street foods of Bengal.

Puchka is panipuri filled with mashed

potato and cooked peas and served

with tamarind water which imparts the

tangy flavor to it. Churmur is in the

form of chaat where the ingredients are

mashed together and served. The

Bengalis relish these delicacies and so

do most of the tourists. These are

readily available at every nook and

corner of the streets of Kolkata

Telebhaja

Telebhaja is a street food of

Bengal and is relished all over.

Different vegetables like onion,

brinjal, potatoes, etc are mixed

with gram flour batter and deep

fried in mustard oil. These are

usually served with green chillies

and chutney or sauce. It is a

staple snack of Kolkata and a trip

to the city is incomplete without

tasting this mouth watering

snack.

Dimer Devil

These are made with half hard

boiled eggs, wrapped with

potato mixture, dipped in batter,

coated with bread crumbs and

then deep fried. It is a street

food which is easily available at

snack outlets. It is an extension

to the famous telebhaja. A

snack worth tasting if you are in

Kolkata.

Where to Shop?

Shopping Street Kolkata has many of street

markets, some of them are:

• Chowringhee Road:

Pavement vendors

Chowringhee Road from

Park Street to New

Market, selling just about

everything under the sun.

• College Street: Known

for its book market.

• Gariahat Road: Famous

for its textile outlets.

• Swabhumi: A perfect

place to buy a momento

to take home

New Market

The name is a misnomer as

it is one of the oldest market

of Kolkata. Also known as

Hogg Market, it is a street

market where you can get

almost anything. From

designer clothes to

electronic gadgets, the

outlets in the labyrinth street

of New Market has every

conceivable item you may

desire. The products

available here are cheap

and affordable and are

subject to bargaining.

Tip: New Market is open till

2:30 pm on Saturdays and is

closed on Sundays.

Where to Stay?

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