Touring Kolkata – The City of Joy
Posted on May 18, 2022 by chikucadmin in Travel GuideTable of Content
Introduction
Best Places to Visit in Kolkata
Conclusion
Introduction
Formerly known as Calcutta, Kolkata was built in the year 1698 and had been the capital of British Empire in India till the year 1911. Fondly called as the City of Joy, Kolkata is a birthplace to various freedom fighters, artists, social workers, and literature scholars. The most apt line that goes well with the city of Kolkata is, ‘What Bengal thinks today, the whole of India thinks tomorrow!’ Being the capital city to the state of West Bengal as of today, Kolkata is a city with rich culture and heritage, along with marvelous architecture monuments, and glorious art and paint galleries. Kolkata is also a major hub for devotees of Goddess Kali and the festival of Navratri is celebrated on an altogether different level in Kolkata. Kolkata is that city where a tourist of any age-group is going to be stunned and in awe for the love the city spreads, along with various tourist attractions, delicious cuisine, year-round events, and a culture filled with vibrancy. Let’s have a look at a few of the major tourists’ places of importance.
Best Places to Visit in Kolkata
- Victoria Memorial
Located right at the center of the main city of Kolkata, the Victoria Memorial is an architecture curio built during the British Raj days in India. Built totally by only using white marble, the Victoria Memorial is built on the lines of the Victoria Memorial of London. The main reason this structure was eructed was to celebrate the 25 years of rule of Queen Victoria over India. As of today, the city of Kolkata and the Victoria Memorial go hand-in-hand with tourists around the globe. Victoria Memorial spreads over 64 acres of land and is encompassed by green and well-maintained gardens on all the sides. Although, practically there are a vast number of statues and structures at the Victoria Memorial, the structure of the symbol of Victory, built out of Bronze with a height of 16 feet is considered to be the most famous of them all. The best time to visit Victoria Memorial is in the evening after sunset as the structure just looks majestic when decorated with lights. It is the perfect example of architecture of the Victorian Era in this modern age.
- Howrah Bridge
The most iconic landmark of the city of Kolkata, the Howrah Bridge is a steel-based construction built over the river Hooghly. Through the eyes of an engineer, this bridge has great importance as it is considered to be one of the longest bridges supported by cantilevers in the world. The Howrah Bridge connects the twin cities of Howrah and Kolkata and it is calculated that on a daily basis more than One Lakh cars travel on this bridge. Also known as the Rabindra Setu, the bridge becomes extra special during the nights when it is all illuminated and a lot of citizens as well as tourists enjoy an amicable walk here enjoying the serenity of the water body. Being the sixth largest bridge, it is named after the great author of India, Ravindranath Tagore. Built at a width of 71 meters and spreading over 130 feet, the Howrah Bridge has 8 lanes for the vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians separately. The engineering of this bridge which holds the bridge with just a single nut and bolt held together by rivets is a real marvel to watch.
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- Park Street
Park Street is one of those streets in Kolkata where you will find people throughout the day and night. A place of enjoyment of the youth, the Park Street has many famous pubs, clubs, cafes, and restaurants that operate 24 hours a day and is lively at any given point of time. The Park Street, fondly called as Mother Teresa Sarani is geographically located in such a way in Kolkata that many important streets intersect the Park Street and in fact it is also the origination point of various other streets. The celebrations of joyous occasions like Diwali, Navratri, and New Year are celebrated in a pompous manner here. A few of the famous places on Park Street are South Park Street Cemetry, The Park Hotel, and Xavier’s College.
- New Market
The biggest bargain shopping hub of Kolkata, the New Market has around 2000 stores for people of all age group to shop and get fascinated. It is the best place to experience the blend of street shopping and road side eateries consisting especially of sea-food. The New Market has till date survived two fire scares and still remains to be the top shopping arena for the citizens of Kolkata. Dated back to the year 1874, the New Market was formerly known as Sir Stuart Hogg Market and is a place you ought to visit if you are the hard nuts to crack in haggling over costs.
- Dakshineshwar Kali Temple
A temple dedicated to Goddess Bhavatarini, another form of Goddess Kali, the Dakshineshwar Temple is sacred and pious place for the Hindus. Located at the eastern banks of the river Hooghly, apart from the main idol there are various other smaller temples located in the vicinity of this major temple. Out of all the temple and prayer rooms, 12 temples are dedicated to Lord Shiva, 1 temple to Lord Krishna and Radha and another one to Rani Rashmoni. This Temple is also the place where Sri Ramkrishna, a famous modern-day sage practiced yoga and meditation. It is said to be a sacred thing to bathe in the bathing ghat, which is directly connected to the main temple. The architecture structure of the whole temple is a beauty in itself.
- Kumortuli
The Kumortuli also known as Kumartuli, is a small area in Kolkata which is filled with clay artists who sculpt the idols of Indian Gods and Goddesses for the different festivals and cultural celebration in Kolkata. Situated in the northern part of the city, the Kumortuli is also famously known as the Banamali Sarkar Street where are lot of artisans sell their handmade clay idols to everyone. It’s a busy place round the year and is also famous for the Dhakeshwari Mata Temple which is located closely to this street. It’s a real art lover’s paradise during the times of Navratri.
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- Babu Ghat
The Babu Ghat is situated on the eastern banks of the river Hooghly and is renowned for its historical past. A lot of citizens and tourists are seen taking an evening stroll at the Babu Ghat, and is also a place for leisure for families, friends, and colleagues. The Ghat is located in such a way that one can easily observe the Rabindra Setu as well as the Vidyasagar Setu just in one glance giving it an aesthetic beauty.
- College Street
The College Street of Kolkata is a 1.5-kilometer patch, considered to be the largest second-hand book seller and buyers’ market. It is called as the Boi Para, which literally translates to Book Colony by the locals of Kolkata. Many book-readers avidly come to the College Street to buy books at the cheapest rates possible and the best part is that one can haggle over the rates here. Along with second hand book shops, there are offices of publishing houses too based here and for a literature lover, one can even find the first or the second edition of the book of his favorite author. Also, a lot of literature-based events are held at the College Street.
- South Park Cemetry
A non-church Cemetry of the 18th century, the South Park Street Cemetry is as of today maintained by the Archaeological Department of India. The carvings and engravings on the tombs here are extremely beautiful to watch and by no means it has a spooky angle to it. There is a mysterious Tomb which is just numbered are 363, that is believed to be of a woman who never wished to share her identity. With the picture-perfect view, this Cemetry is a place used for shooting in a lot of Bengali as well as Bollywood movies. It is surrounded by tall trees and monuments engraved for the pious souls. It is a heritage site which shouldn’t be missed when in Kolkata.
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- Old Chinatown
Also called as the Tiretta Bazar and located in an extremely close proximity to Lal Bazar, the Old China Town Market is located in the Central Part of Kolkata. As of today, this place is a home to around 2000 Chinese Immigrant Community. Old China Town is most famed for its delicious and mouthwatering street food that is served here. Also, the beautiful structured and designed Chinese Temples are worth a watch here. It is also the best market to buy fresh meat, sea-food and also a lot of other produce.
- Indian Museum
The Indian Museum of Kolkata is the 9th oldest museum in the world apart from being the largest museum in India. Built in the year 1814, this museum is also called as Jadughar by the locals. It showcases a wide range of paintings, idols of Buddha, ancient scriptures and even Egyptian Mummies. Along with these artefacts, the Indian Museum also showcases paintings, ornaments, weapons, antiques, fossils, and skeletons from the Mughal Era. The Indian Museum is basically a collection of 35 art galleries which are arranged in accordance to 6 categories. For the History Readers, there is a huge library along with a book shop right inside the premises of the Indian Museum.
- Alipore Zoo
The Alipore Zoo is the oldest zoological park that has been established in India and is a widely famed tourists’ attraction spot of the city. It is also known by the names of Calcutta Zoo or the Zoological Garden of Alipore. The name is derived after the extinct giant Aldabra tortoise ‘Advaita’ who died in the year 2006 after living for around 250 years. Spread over 50 acres of land, the Alipore Zoo is a weekend getaway for the families of Kolkata where the children can spend a gala of time watching and studying animals. This zoo has been operating since the year 1876.
- Jawaharlal Nehru Road
Jawaharlal Nehru Road is one of the most prime roads of Kolkata which was also known as the Chowringhee Road, which was based on the name of a Jain Guru who used to stay here. The Jawaharlal Nehru Road stages huge and beautiful houses of the crème class of Kolkata and is flanked by gardens on all sides. The development in this area has now been banned owing to the preservation of Fort William according to the Archaeological Survey of India.
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- Science City
Under the National Council of Science Museums, the Science City was built in the year 1997 and is the biggest science museum in the Indian subcontinent. The Science City teaches children about the scientific advances in a lot easier way using entertainment as a medium of teaching. There is also a beautiful aquarium in the Science City which showcases exotic breeds of fish and insects’ mush to the joy of the younger generation. There are various other things notable in the Science City like the mini-Jurassic Park, Energy Ball, Ocean Waves, Time Machine, Optical Illusions, and a ropeway ride to enjoy the aerial view of Kolkata.
- Millenium Park
Located at the banks of the river Hooghly, the Millenium Park is a privately owned but open for public garden spread on a perimeter of approximately 2.5 kilometers in Kolkata. It is an extremely well-maintained garden with a separate playing area with a lot of amenities for the children. A perfect family hangout spot for the Kolkata locals and a must-see tourists’ icon of the city.
Conclusion
Kolkata indeed is a city of joy and happiness as there is no time to spend a single dull moment in this city. A perfect blend of cultural heritage and modernization, Kolkata is one of the four metropolitan cities of India which is flocked by tourists throughout the year. When in Kolkata, enjoy the above given attractions with a lot more other places according to your interests and likes. Happy Holidays in Kolkata!
