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KOLKATA
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Fascinating, Bewitching,
Bewildering. That's Calcutta, the capital of West Bengal and India's
largest city, a seething mass of activity with a cosmopolitan
atmosphere. Calcutta had become a busy & flourishing town, the center of
cultural as well as political and economic life of Bengal. It isn't an
ancient city like Delhi, with its impressive relics of the past. In
fact, it's largely a British creation & was capital of British India.
SIGHTSEEING
 VICTORIAL
MEMORIAL
At the southern end of Maidan stands the Victoria Memorial built
between 1906 and 1921 on the lines of the Taj Mahal in memory of Queen
Victoria. This huge white-marble museum houses a vast collection of
memorabilia from the days of British empire. There are portraits,
statues and busts of almost all the main participants in British India
history. Two regular sound and light shows are held in the evening.
Closed on Mondays.
HOWRAH BRIDGE
 It
is one of three bridges on the river Hooghly and is the most famous
symbol of not only Calcutta but also West Bengal. This bridge is marvel
of British engineering. Howrah Bridge is a suspended bridge on pillars.
The bridge though very old is still holding good to reduce the traffic
across the river.This Engineering marvel has been the firmest symbol of
Calcutta. The huge cantilever bridge, strung on 270 feet high pillars
connects Calcutta from Howrah. It four traffic lanes are daily used by
over a lakh vehicles. The newly constructed Vidya Sagar Setu is also a
cable suspended bridge. This bridge is supposed to reduce the traffic on
the old Howrah Bridge.
EDEN
GARDEN
In the North-West corner of the Maidan are small & pleasantly laid out
Eden Gardens. The gardens were created in 1840 and named after the
sister of Lord Auckland, the former governor general. The idea was to
make a Biblical - style garden of Eden in India. The expanse dotted with
beautiful trees and shrubs is intersected by winding paths, and there is
a large artificial lake. Alongside the gardens, is the world famous Eden
Gardens cricket stadium. The stadium is supposed to be the largest in
Asia with a seating capacity of more than a lakh spectators. The
Calcutta cricket ground, where International test & one day matches are
held, is also with in the gardens. Near the gardens you can take a
pleasant walk along the bank of hoogly river.
 SHAHEED
MINAR
This 165 ft. High monument was erected by public subscription in 1828,
to honour Sir David Ochter Lony, a one- time resident of Malwa &
Rajputana. More recently, it has now been renamed 'Saheed Minar' to
honour the martyrs of the freedom struggle. An important landmark in
Calcutta, it is located at the Northern end of the Maidan.
 VIDYASAGAR
Vidyasagar Setu a golden Gate Bridge look alike, 2kms downriver, was
completed in 1994. It is a modern day engineering marvel and is the
largest cable stayed bridge in Asia. The bridge connects the twin cities
of Calcutta and Howrah. It was built at a cost of Rs. 388 crores.
Unfortunately it is not making the big difference that was envisaged, as
the approaches are too narrow to to handle the amount of traffic that
use bridge, and plans for widening the road are slow in implementation.
 BIRLA
PLANETARIUM
This planetarium, near the government of India tourist office, is
one of the largest in the world and is located on Calcutta's Eastern
metropolitan bypass. There are shows in English everyday. This 21st
century marvel of science, communication and environment is the first
and only institution of its kind in India. Set amidst trees and lawns,
here one finds science out of doors and alive.
 KALI
TEMPLE
Rebuilt in 1809 on the site of much older temple, Kalighat (as it is
also known) is the actual temple from which kalikata (anglicised to
calcutta) takes its name and is an ancient center of Hindu pilgrimage.
The architecture is of typical medieval Bengal style.According to legand,
when Shiva's wife's corpse was cut up, one of her fingers fell here.
Since then it has been an important pilgrimage site and is always
extremely busy. Despite industrialisation and commercial activity that
has given Calcutta a new look, the Kali temple remains unchanged,
attracting a larger number of pilgrims and visitors every day. Visitors
to the temple recieve as 'prasad' a vermillion paste , the symbol of
Kali, to wear on the foreheads as a tilak. Mother teresa's hospital for
the Dying Destitute is right next door to the temple and volunteers and
travellers are welcome to visit. The temple is 2Km south of St Paul's
Cathedral and is easily accessible by Metro (Kalighat Station).
 NICCO
PARK
Nicco Park is situated at Salt Lake. This Amusement park is the
Disneyland of West Bengal, with a variety of unusual games and rides.
The Cave Ride is the latest addition and is the only of its kind in this
part of the world. The park is open to the public from 10.00 A.M to 8.00
P.M everyday during the winter and 11.00 A.M to 9.00 P.m everyday during
the rest of the year.
RABINDRA SADAN
Situated on the southeast corner of the Maidan. The Rabindra Sadan is
the seat of Bengali - culture where every evening, drama cultural
programmes & exhibitions are held.
 SCIENCE
CITY
It is located on Calcutta's Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. This 21st
century marvel of science, communication and environment is the first
and only institution of its kind in India.The pioneering effort of
NCSM, in setting up open air Science Parks has now added a new
dimension to science teaching through a process of discovery in the
outdoor setting. Set amidst trees and lawns, here one finds science
out of doors and alive
 INDIAN
MUSEUM
This museum was established in 1878 on Jawaharlal Nehru Road. The
museum is built in Italian architectural style and is considered as
the largest museum in the country and one of the best in Asia. The
largest museum in the country, the museum has six sections: Art,
Archaeology, Anthropology, Geology, Zoology and Industry (economic
botany). From the Egyptian mummy to the skeleton of the whale and some
rare statues; the museum has every thing. One of the rooms has a
collection of meteorites. The museum also has a unique fossil
collection of prehistoric animals which includes a giant crocodile and
a huge tortorise.The art collection has many fine pieces from Orissa
and other temples and superb example of Buddhist Gandharan art.
ZOOLOGICAL
GARDENS
Calcutta's interesting zoo-the oldest in India-was the creation of Sir
Richard Carnac Temple who was Governor of Bengal from 1874 to 1877. It
was opened on Jan 1st 1876, by the Prince of Wales. The 16 hectare
grounds house a wide species of animals & birds including the rare
white Bengal Tiger. There is a separate reptile house and a children's
zoo. Migratory birds find sanctuary on a small lake in the zoo every
winter. The gardens are open from 6 a.m. To 5 p.m. daily.
The Zoological Gardens at Alipore opened to the public in 1876, have
one of the finest collections of birds, animals, and reptiles. Within
the Gardens, there is also a childrens' Zoo. The aquarium in front of
the Zoological Gardens contains sea-fishes of rare varieties.
 BOTANICAL
GARDENS
The extensive Botanical Gardens, on the west bank of the Hoogly river,
strech forever 1 km along the river and occupy 109 hectares. The
gardens were originally founded in 1786 and administered by Colonel
Kyd. It was from these gardens that the tea now grown in Assam and
Darjeeling was first developed. Trees of the rarest kinds, from Nepal,
Brazil, Penang, Java and Sumatra can be found here. There are towering
Mahogany trees, an avenue of Cuban Palms and an Orchid House. Mango
and Tamarind trees shade the grassy lawns. But the main attraction of
the garden is the 200 year old Banyan Tree, claimed to have the second
largest canopy in the world. It is the world's largest, having a
circumference of 330m.
The Palm House in the centre of gardens is also well worth a visit.The
gardens are over the Howrah Bridge, 19Km by bus from Chowringhee. The
gardens are open from sunrise to sunset, and although they tend to be
very crowded on Sunday, on other days they are peaceful and make a
pleasant escape from the hassles and crowd of Calcutta.
 BIRLA
MANDIR
Located on Asutosh Chowdhury Avenue, it is the latest addition to the
places of visit in Calcutta. Built over twenty- two years of
painstaking labour, it is an all marble structure with very high
quality Rajasthani engravings.
TAGORE HOUSE
The rambling old Tagore House is a centre for Indian dance, drama,
music and other arts. This is the birthplace of Rabindranath Tagore,
India's greatest poet, and hisfinal resting place. It's just off
Rabindra Sarani, north of BBD Bagh, and is open Monday to Friday 10 am
to 5 pm, Saturday upto 2 pm (closef Sunday).There is a daily Bengali
sound-and-light show at 6 and 7 pm.
NALBAN
Located in the heart of Salt lake city (a satellite township) just 12
kms. away from central Calcutta, Nalban is a beautiful picnic spot for
families who would want to spend a few hours in the quiet greenery,
away from the busy city. The main attraction of the place is the four
hundred acre picturesque lake with various kinds of boating facilities
like paddle boats, shikaras and rowing boats. A unique added
attraction is the newly installed hovercraft.
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