Monday, 25 February 2013

Kolkata Tourist Attractions - Places to visit in Kolkata (Calcutta)



Howrah Bridge, Victoria Memorial Hall, Birla Planetarium, Indian Museum, Kalighat, Science City, Kolkata Metro, Eden Gardens, Dakshineshwar Kali Temple, Mother House, Belur Math shrine, Sri Mayapur Chandrodaya Temple(ISKCON), , South Park Street Cemetery, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Birla Industrial & Technological Museum, , Birla Temple, Jain Temple few more places..

Places to visit in Kolkata (Calcutta) :


Almostt all the buildings in Dalhouise square(BBD Bagh) which is the central Kolkata, makes one to think that we are yet to get freedom from the British Raj. We can actually wonder if there are one or two such buildings but it irritates you or feels like we are still living in the past or we are still been the slaves if we see every such building is of British style which is poorly maintained, rust filled doors, dark dooms, long iron rusted doors..some exceptional like that of the Writer's building, Governor Bhavan, Indian Museum, Income tax building, NS Road full of Banks, RBI, Governor's and Post offices...

Howrah Bridge: 

Howrah Bridge, located over the Hoogli River in West Bengal, India, is said to be the busiest bridge of the world. It got its name owing to the fact that it connects the city of Howrah to Kolkata. Hawrah Bridge in Kolkata, India, also known by the name ‘Rabindra Setu’, was set up in 1874. It stands on two 270 feet high pillars. Kolkata Howrah Bridge is a cantilever truss bridge that was constructed without using any nuts and bolts. Though, earlier it had a tram route, but presently, it is serving mainly as a Road Bridge. Howrah bridge has got two sister bridges also, namely, Vidyasagar Setu and the Vivekananda Setu that are situated at different points over the hoogly river. This bridge acts as an important symbol of Kolkata.






 The Victoria Memorial Hall (museum): 
-A beautiful marble monument that stands as a symbol of the city in travel guides


Kolkata Victoria memorial hall is a fabulous museum that was established in the year 1921. The credit for designing and drawing the plan for this monument goes to Sir William Emerson, President of the British Institute of Architects. Victoria Memorial of Kolkata, India is a fantastic place that will take you into the world of past history, where you can view the photos and effigies of prominent personalities, who made an incredible contribution in the glory of India. Today, Victoria memorial is one of the finest art museums in Kolkata. It is a 184 ft tall edifice that was constructed on 64 acres of land. The museum houses a group of mind-blowing figures above the north porch that epitomize prudence, learning and motherhood.

Victoria Memorial Hall - view from north


Victoria Memorial Hall - view from east

Victoria Memorial Hall




Calcutta or Kolkata – an old capital city of INDIA.


'Kolkata' an old capital city of INDIA.

Yamaha nagari Calcutta puri..

namaho hugli howrah varadhi….


Kolkata - the old capital of India, this city has its glory of been the capital..British East India company's capital of India, with Victoria Fort built for the Queen, Writer's Building for Administration, Howrah Bridge for transportation, Tramcars in the road for heritage look, it is still the capital of British Raj in India.

The roads are just wonderful and well-laid without potholes and the entire life in Kolkata, as you will see from a few of the pictures below, revolves around the footpath. Places like New Market (called Burrabazar-is a marketplace, people say it’s a Heart of Kolkata City), which is a very crowded market area that is very old like old city market near Charminar area in Hyderabad.

busy traffic areas on kolkata roads

The crowd and the temperature in this city are so special that it is always high compared to all the other cities in India. The people are friendly, speak Hindi like Bengali.. Polite and courageous, Water flows freely in the streets during the morning and evening which cleans the people, people clothes and also their vehicles! 


streets are busy in the market area


busy market area

It is a wonderful city constantly buzzing with activity. Street food seems to be extremely popular here and at any time of the day one can see people gorging on the puchkas, bhel puris, puri-alu and everything else that are available to eat. People specially recommended tasting puchkas & bhelpuri on the road-side and this was one thing that came as an anti-climax. The Puchka of Kolkata is just the Pani-Puri of Hyderabad and Golgappa as it is called in some other places. The discovery of this was particularly comical in the way I indulged in an animated conversation with the pani-puri fellow on the nomenclature of the dish in various parts of the country.

Them Famous BHEL PURI in kolkata city..
I am confident that Kolkata single handedly allows the Ambassador car to remain in production in India. There are no autos and the taxis (yellow Ambassador Taxies) are affordable and honest. Two wheeler s on the roads are a rare sight.

Yellow Ambassador Taxies in Kolkata city

All in all, I fell in love with Kolkata. I walked great distances in the city on foot and when inevitable I took the metro rail, buses et al. The metro rail of Kolkata is definitely of international standards and super punctual. The TVs fixed on the platforms constantly show either Mithun or Charlie Chaplin stuff. Don't know what they have in common.. wink Wink.