Destination: Kolkata

Kolkata, the City of Palaces is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal and is situated on the east bank of the River Hooghly. The Port of Kolkata is India’s oldest operating port and it is the cultural, commercial, and educational center of East India. Kolkata is also known as Kalikata in Bengali, formerly Calcutta, and the City of Joy, for the lively, friendly, and loving behavior of all the citizens of the city. Kolkata generates a number of great personalities like poets, writers, and film directors.

The history of Kolkata is not much old. The cultural capital of India was established in the year 1686; the British East India Company came on the bank of the river Hooghly and took Kolkata as its trading post including two other villages and Calcutta became the capital of British India in 1772. In 1756, the nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-daullah captured the village but soon it was recaptured by the British on the battlefield of Plassey, in 1757. Calcutta was the capital of India, till 1912, but after the independence of India in 1947, Calcutta became the capital city of the state of West Bengal.

Calcutta hosts a variety of fairs, film fests, music conferences, and folk fairs. Durga Puja in Kolkata can be found as far back as the middle ages. It attracts national and international tourists by offering them a number of tourist places like museums, galleries, heritage buildings, amusement parks, temples, churches, and synagogues.

Best Places to Visit in Kolkata

Belur Math Shrine

It is situated by the holy river the Ganges. . The serene campus of Belur Math on the Ganga includes temples dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, and Swami Vivekananda, in which their relics are enshrined, and the main monastery of the Ramakrishna Order.

Dakshineshwar Kali Temple
This is a very famous temple located in Dakshineswar, near Kolkata. The deity of the temple is Bhavatarini. It is well constructed by a good architect.

Howrah Bridge

It is also known as Rabindra Setu and is a famous landmark of Kolkata. It is considered one of the wonders of the world. It is one of three bridges on the river Hoogly and is the most famous symbol of Calcutta as well as West Bengal.

Park Street

The Park Street is officially called Mother Teresa Sarani. One of the most happening places in Kolkata, is also called the food street and the street that never sleeps.

Kalighat
Kalighat Temple is a place for worshipping Goddess Kali. It is said that the old temple was housed within a small hut. . Kalighat is believed to be a place where Goddess Sati’s last finger of her left hand was dropped.

Maidan
Maidan is situated at the heart of the city and is one of the main attractions of the city. Maidan is considered to be the landmark of the city.

Eden Gardens
This stadium is considered one of the finest in the world and is often termed the? Lords of Asia?. Eden Gardens is the second largest stadium in the world just after the cricket ground in Melbourne.

Science City

One of the newest and most popular tourists? the attraction of Kolkata is Science City. The main attractions of Science City are Space Theatre, Time Machine, 3D shows, Dynamotion, Natural Science Park, Dinosaurs Complex, and Evolution Theme Park.

Victoria Memorial

Victoria Memorial is a large marble building in Kolkata. It is dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria and is now a museum and tourist destination.

Indian Museum

It is the largest and oldest museum in India and has rare collections of antiques, armor and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings.

Marble Palace
It is one of the best-preserved and most elegant houses of nineteenth-century Calcutta. The mansion is famous for its marble walls and floors, from which its name derives.

Best time to visit Kolkata

Kolkata has a tropical wet and dry climate. Summer (March-May) is the hottest season with a maximum temperature crossing 40 C and a minimum above 30 C. Monsoon (June to September) provides a major portion of annual rainfall and heavy showers are occurring during this season. Winter (November to February) enjoys a cool climate with temperatures hovering around 9 C to 11 C.

Best time to visit Kolkata

The best time to visit the city is from October to March. This is a good time to visit Kolkata as the weather is cool and occasional rainfall makes the evening very pleasant. Kolkata celebrates Kali Pooja (Dussera festival) spreading across 9 days of festivities and religious functions in October. This has been celebrated with much enthusiasm and fervor.
How to Reach Kolkata

By Air
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is situated at Dumdum, which is about 17 kilometers away from the heart of the city. This airport has good connectivity across major cities in India and abroad.

By Train
Kolkata has an efficient network of railways and is well linked to cities across the country. Superfast trains such as Rajdhani Express and Shatabdi Express connect Kolkata from Delhi and nearby places. There are two major railway stations in the city ? one is located in Howrah and the other at Sealdah.

By Road
Kolkata is connected with most of the Indian cities by road. Kolkata has a broad network of government and private buses. The Calcutta State Transport Corporation (CSTC), Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC), and West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (WBSTC) run regular bus services in the city. The Esplanade Terminus in the heart of the city is the main bus terminus.