| Area : | 187 sq. kms. |
| Altitude : | 5.8 meters. (approx.) |
| Climate (deg c) : | Summer- Max. 41.7, Min. 38.1. Winter- Max. 29.3, Min. 9.6. |
| Rainfall : | 158 cms June to Mid September. |
| Languages Spoken : | Bengali, English, Hindi. |
| Best Time to Visit : | Throughout the year. |
About Kolkata :
Kolkata, the city of Joy has love and warmth, dreams and hopes, agony and ecstasy, magnificence and squalor, guts and glory in equal measure. A rumbustious admixture of inexorable life, Calcutta is exuberant, teems with life and incorporates myriad colors of moods, styles, cultures, politics, industry and commerce. You can find whatever interests you from a rocking nightlife to living traditions, from state of the the art, techno heartbeats to the eternally spiritual Ganges. What, however, sets her apart and finds the pride of place is Calcutta's position as the high-priestess of culture.
Long before India became Independent, Kolkatta had ceased to become the Imperial capital. The partition of the country ensured it lost its economic supremacy as well. Calcutta has meanwhile grown into a strange combination of ancient and modern, skyscrapers and Victorian edifices, heaven of the rich and the poor. Yet, Kolkatta has remained the place where cultural renaissance began, a city that still breathes culture in its famed addas,tea shops, bus-stops and even the new fangled malls that still have people talking about the latest cultural phenomenon. A City that hibernates in the name of a deity during Durga and produces proud sons who dominate leading edge technologies, sciences, arts, economics and media.
History of Kolakata :
Kolkata is over 310 years old and had a fairy tale beginning. Amongst the British merchants sailing down the river was one Job Charnock who rowed ashore to Sutanati, one of a cluster of three villages the other two being Govindapur and Kalikata.
During the British Raj Kolkata was known as the Jewel Of The East and was the capital of the country till 1911. Kolkata ceased to be the capital of British India, as the capital was removed to the newly built city of Delhi, but remained the capital of undivided Bengal until the partition of India in 1947. Bengal was then split up into two parts, the Western portion remained within India (and renamed West Bengal) while the Eastern portion went to Pakistan ( now Bangladesh).
Today Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal, a state in India. It is still the most important city in the East, the nerve center of trade and industry, commerce, port and business center of international consequence. Kolkata always captured attention of cultural ferment, artistic expression and political causes. It is a symbol of India's unity in diversity. Now kolkata is the A-1 city of India.
Tourist Palace in Kolkata :
The Victoria Memorial: Adjacent to the Maidan, stands the neo-classical attempt at building the Taj, an enormous paean in marble to the Grand Empress - The Victoria Memorial. The failed attempt although, a cross between classical western and Mughal style, yet reveals the global attraction for the monument of love even in those days. It was opened on 1921. There are enormous oil paintings in the Royal Gallery, illustrating episodes from queen Victoria's long, eventful life and reign, an impressive collection of the British colonial period.
Dalhousie Square: The erstwhile Dalhousie Square with a lake at the centre – is the administrative nerve centre of Kolkata. Writer's Building on the north side of the square dates from 1880 represents Gothic-style architecture and is now the administrative office of the ruling Marxist Government. You can visit the West Bengal tourist office on the eastern side of the square. The General Post Office, with its majestic dome and Corinthian columns is another masterpiece of colonial legacy. It is built on the same site as the original Fort William.
Academy of Fine Arts: The city's cultural attractions begin with the Academy of Fine Arts. Established in 1933, the latest and arguably the greatest works of contemporary artists are exhibited here throughout the year. Other vibrant and cutting edge Group theatres and dance programs happen everyday in a hall inside. Solely dedicated to the greatest cultural son of Bengal, the Rabindra gallery exhibits manuscripts, paintings and personal belongings of Tagore.
The Asiatic Society was founded by Sir William Jones in 1784 with Warren Hastings as its first patron.Located at 1, Park Street (in the junction of Park Street and J.L.Nehru Road) it contains a library inside that has approximately 20000 tomes including 8000 rare Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian and Hindi manuscripts. It also houses invaluable archaeological relics, geological and ethnological specimens.
Asutosh Museum of Indian Art: This museum has rare and valuable collections including Bengal patachitra paintings, 'katha shilpo' art etc. Its location within Centenary building of University of Calcutta makes the highest art very accessible to the youth.
Birla Academy of Art and Culture: Patronized by an eminent industrial family of India , it has an excellent collection of paintings and sculptures . Situated at Rabindra Sarobar at south Calcutta, you can also witness regular exhibitions here.
Birla Planetarium: One of the largest Planetarium in Asia, it gives a ringside view of the astral play of celestial bodies. The internal diameter of the tomb measures 82 feet and you can recline to get the finest views. Choose from Hindi, English and Bengali shows.
Indian Museum which is the largest and the best museum in the country. Established in 1814, commonly known as 'Jadughar’, it is also one of the oldest in Asia. The museum preserves more than 54000 coins which are more than 2400 years old.
How to Reach at Kolkata :
Air: Most of the domestic airlines have direct services to and from Kolkata to other important cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Patna, Varanasi, Lucknow, etc. Kolkata provides direct flights to most of the countries in the Southeast Asia. The airport in Kolkata is situated at Dumdum, around 17 km northeast of the city center.
Rail: Trains from the other parts of the country connect Kolkata. Super-fast trains such as Rajdhani Express and Shatabdi Express join the city from Delhi and nearby cities such as Bokaro and Rourkela. Coromandel Express and Gitanjali Express connect Kolkata to Chennai and Mumbai respectively. The city has two major railway stations-one at Howrah and the other at Sealdah.
Road: Kolkata is connected with most of the Indian cities by road. The Esplanade Terminus in the heart of the city is the main bus terminus. A new development is the starting of Dhaka-Kolkata bus service. The buses are colorful, air-conditioned, and comfortable.
Water: Mechanized boats and ships are available on a regular basis for Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Luxury cruises are also operational between Kolkata and Haldia, a modern port city nearby.
