Kolkata, The City Of Joy

One of the few cities in India where both the bygone and the new coexist in perfect harmony is Kolkata.The city has both the old heritage buildings of the British era with their own legacy standing high

as well as the swanky buildings with malls.

Kolkata is not just like any other city to visit and click photos, you have to soak your senses in it to realize the actual charm of this city.

Dear readers, we will update blog shortly with loads of pictures. Currently we do not have much quality pictures of Kolkata.

Some of the striking beauties of the city are

1. Victoria memorial

The Victoria Memorial officially known as the Victoria Memorial Hall was established in 1921 and is a memorial building dedicated to Queen Victoria. Sir William Emerson, the architect laid down the actual plan of the memorial.  The design of the structure represents a fusion of British and Mughal architecture

The Memorial is the largest repository in India for a visual history of Kolkata. It also has a major collection of paintings, sculptures and manuscripts from the British period.

2. Kolkata Tram

The Kolkata Tram was founded in 1880 by the Calcutta Tram Corporation (CTC). The Kolkata tram is the oldest operating electric tram in Asia, running since 1902.

3. Kolkata Metro

Kolkata metro was the first metro service in the whole country. Now many cities like Delhi, Bangalore has started the service but still Kolkata metro is unique in the sense a part of the metro route is actually underground!!

4. National Library

A visit to the national Library puts one’s doubts to rest as why Bengals are one of the most intellectuals in the country. This library is truly a book lover’s paradise. The national Library,Kolkata is the largest library in the country by volume and India’s library of public records. The library has a collection in excess of 2.2 million books.

5. Howrah Bridge

The Howrah bridge is a suspension type cantilever bridge build on the river Hooghly. It is the busiest cantilever bridge in the world and is the 6th longest bridge of this type in the world.

A second bridge named Vidyasagar Sethu has been build and is the longest cable stayed bridge in India. Both the two bridges look spectacular in the evening.

6. Kali Ghat Temple

Kali ghat temple is a hindu temple dedicated to Goddess kali. It is one of the important Shakti Peeths in India. Thousand of devotees throng the temple gates every single day.

7. St Paul’s Cathedral

St Paul’s Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral completed in 1847. It is a beautiful cathedral with neo-gothic style of architecture

8. Eden Gardens

Visit the iconic Eden Gardens on any ongoing match day to feel the sports pulse of the city. It is the largest stadium in India and the second largest in the world in terms of sitting capacity and this huge stadium sits pretty in the heart of the city.

9. Indian Museum

The Indian Museum is the largest museum in India and has the rarest of the rare collections of antiques, fossils, manuscripts, paintings found in any other museum in India. It was founded by a Danish botanist in 1814.

10. Birla Planetarium

The planetarium was inaugurated in 1963 by the then Prime Minister of India Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.

It is the largest planetarium in Asia and the second largest in the world. The Planetarium has an astronomical observatory equipped with a Celestron C-14 Telescope with accessories such as ST6 CCD camera and solar filter.

The city of Kolkata is undoubtedly one of the most charismatic city with really helpful people.You can plan your visit during October-November when the festival called Durga Puja takes place. Though the city will be very crowded during that time but seeing Durga Puja in Kolkata is a lifelong memory to relish. The whole city gets lits up with thousands and thousands of lightnings and decorations. Seeing the hundreds of lifelike Durga Idols in the various pandals will definitely mesmerise you.

The city is definitely worth a thousand visits. Truly it is the “City of joy”.

Best time to visit:

  October-February

To get there:

By Air:

Kolkata has a domestic and an International Airport and is well accessible from anywhere.

By Train:

The city has two major train stations Howrah and Sealdah and is connected to the whole of India very well.

Stay:

There are numerous of good staying options in the city.

Good to know: The native tongue for Kolkatans is Bengali. However, English or Hindi can do the job for you as well.  

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