Xplore Kolkata

The name Kolkata and the anglicized name Calcutta have their roots in Kalikata the name of one of the three villages (Kalikata, Sutanuti, Govindapur) in the area before the arrival of the British. This change has not always been reflected by overseas media, but news sources like the BBC have opted to call Bombay Mumbai and Calcutta Kolkata. On the other hand, many Indians still refer to the city as "Calcutta" and residents of the city continue to use the name "Calcutta" colloquially, especially when speaking in English.

General Information is very essential for having a memorable vacation.

Location: 22.33⁰ N 88.20⁰ E.

Time Zone: GMT + 5:30.

Official Languages: English, Bengali.

Area : 185 sq. Km (71 sq. mi).

Postal Code: 700 xxx.

Telephonic Code: +91 33 xxxx xxxx.

Currency:  Indian Rupees (INR). 1 USD = 45 – 49 INR.

History The discovery of the nearby Chandraketugarh an archaeological site provides evidence that the area has been inhabited for over two millennia. The city's documented history, however, begins with the arrival of the English East India Company in 1690, when the Company was consolidating its trade business in Bengal. Job Charnock, an administrator with the Company was traditionally credited as the founder of this city. The heyday of the Raj. Calcutta University, the first modern Indian university was founded here in 1857. The national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, and a violent and bloody Maoist movement (the Naxalite movement) in the 1970s, Calcutta has become synonymous with urban decay and poverty.

Climate Kolkata has a tropical wet-and-dry climate. The annual mean temperature is 26.8 °C (80.2 °F); monthly mean temperatures range from 19 °C (66.2 °F) to 30 °C (86.0 °F).  Summers are hot and humid with temperatures in the low 30's and during dry spells the maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) during May and June.  Winter tends to last for only about two and a half months, with seasonal lows dipping to 9 °C – 11 °C (54 °F – 57 °F) between December and January. The highest recorded temperature is 43.9 °C (111.0 °F) and the lowest is 5 °C (41.0 °F).  On an average, May is the hottest month with daily temperatures ranging from a low of 27 °C (80.6 °F) to a maximum of 37 °C (98.6 °F), while January the coldest month has temperatures varying from a low of 12 °C (53.6 °F) to a maximum of 23 °C (73.4 °F).

Every Information you need to visit, eat, stay in Kolkata is given below. Check out…

Getting to Kolkata is easy, simple and economical. By Air all airlines from South East Asia and some from Europe fly in and out of Kolkata directly through the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU). By Rail Kolkata lies in the Eastern Line and is well connected to all other parts of the country by regular and some of the Luxurious trains. The two major Rail Stations are Howrah and Sealdah. By Road Kolkata is connected to other cities by National Highways and Golden Quadrilateral Roads. By Bus Kolkata is well connected by road to Bangladesh and has regular and daily services to Dhaka. Visa may be required to travel and return back to India, Esplanade Bus Terminus is the major bus station in Kolkata. By Boat Kolkata can be reached by boat through the Hooghly River from other places in India like Varanasi.

Moving Around in Kolkata is easy and economical due to recent increase in transportation Infrastructure. By Bus WBSTC, CTC, CSTC operates buses to-fro from all major cities and within the city. Bus Travel is cheap and economical costing around 0.1$ – 0.5$, probably the most exhaustive transport in India. A/C busses are available to some destinations from near airport. By Metro Kolkata Metro is the first underground rail in India. It is the cleanest, most reliable, convenient, and efficient. Trains run every 10-15 mins and cost around 4 – 8 Rs. By Auto Rickshaws Shared Autos are available for fixed tariff and in fixed routes only. By Rickshaw Long the world's only major metropolis where human-pulled rickshaws were still a major form of transport, a complete ban was supposed to be imposed in November 2006 - but with 35,000 union members who are unlikely to disappear overnight it was not implemented. By Tram Calcutta Tramways is the only tram service in India and the oldest electrical tram network in Asia. By Cabs Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow ambassador taxis. They're easily available and relatively cheap, and will usually use their meters.

Places to See are rich distributed evenly in and around the city.

Central Kolkata South of BBD Bagh is the huge, lush, green, open parkland known as Maidan. Continuing south from here you will find Eden Gardens (one of the most famous cricket stadiums in the world), Akashwani Bhavan, All India Radio building Indoor Stadium Fort William, the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. The fort is still in use and retains its well-guarded grandeur. Visitors are allowed in with special permission only. Victoria Memorial Along St. George’s Gate Road, on the southern fringe of the Maidan, you will find Kolkata's most famous landmark , a splendid white marble monument (CLOSED MONDAYS). Calcutta Racecourse, Chowringee, is the Market place of Kolkata. You will find shops ranging from Computer Periferals to cloth merchants. Even tailors and a few famous Movie theaters too. This place is a favourite pass time for local people.

Northern Kolkata The Northern part of Kolkata houses the old buildings belonging to the Zamindars (Landlords), other rich Bengalis who used to trade with the British. It preserves the cultural heritage of Kolkata. River Ganga is the hot spot for the development of the North along with Kolkata. It is generally crowded and has some interesting markets including the famous Posta, Burrabazar whole sale markets, College Street Book market where you can trace many out of print books with a little patience. While in College Street a visit to the College St Coffee House is a must. Also around the area are the Calcutta Medical College, the Presidency College and Calcutta University. North of BBD Bagh you will find the Nakhoda Mosque (the largest mosque in Kolkata) and the Shobhabajar Rajbari the ancestral house of Rja Naba Krishna, one of the rich locals to side with Clive during his war with Nabab Siraj-Ud-Daula. Further along you will find Jorasanko Thakur Bari (Tagore Family residence). Parashnath Jain Temple, near the Belgachia metro station. Parashnath Jain Temple, at Gouribari, less visited, reachable from the Sovabazar Metro station (take an auto rickshaw). Marble Palace, The marble palace was the private mansion of Zamindar (Land owner) Raja Rajendro Mullick, who had built this palace in 1835. Today this place has an incongruous collection of statues and paintings. There is also a private zoo housing a collection of birds from different corners of the world. The Howrah Bridge spans the Hooghly River linking Howrah to Kolkata. It is said to be the busiest bridge in the world. No photos allowed. Kali temple of Dakshineswar is to the north of the city on the banks of the Ganges, across from Belur Math. Nicco Park.

Southern Kolkata Southern Kolkata is less congested and more modern. You will find more apartment blocks, more green spaces and more affluent homes. The Tollygunge Club is one of the oldest clubs and a famous colonial relic housing a golf course, horse riding facilities, swimming pools, accommodation, etc. Its located in Tollygunge area. Rabindra Sarovar is a large open lake and park area housing boating clubs, an open air theatre and eateries and comes under the Ballygunge area. Birla Industrial  Technological Museum on Gurusaday Road in Ballygunge. Royal Calcutta Golf Club is the oldest golf club in the world after St. Andrews in Scotland,located in Tollygunge. Tollywood (the home of Bengali Films) and Television centre are also found in Tollygunge. Ramakrishna Mission Institute in Golpark,at Ballygunge. The Birla Temple is the largest in Kolkata and worth a visit. Its located on Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue(Old Ballygunge Road) in Ballygunge. National Library of India at Alipore. The South City Mall at Lake Gardens, the biggest shopping mall of Eastern India. The Kalighat Kali Temple, very famous to Hindus, it houses Kolkata's patron deity. Mother Teresa's Hospital for the destitute is next door to the Kalighat temple. China Town near Park circus houses some of the finest Chinese eateries. Inox-Forum at Elgin Road near Rabindra Sadan -- multiplex movie hall along with a big shopping mall. Big Bazar on E. M. Bypass at Highland Park (Baghajatin)- here you can buy almost everything under the sun at reasonable price. Gariahat which comes under Ballygunge area. It is the biggest shopping district of Kolkata,where one can find shops ranging from branded showrooms and malls like Pantaloons, westside, Raymonds to numerous smaller shops.

West of the Hooghly Howrah Station, The Botanical Gardens at Sibpur. Belur Math, a huge complex and the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission.

Museums to be Visited Indian Museum, Town Hall, Marble Palace, Gurusaday Museum (Diamond Harbour Road), Jawahar Shishu Bhawan, Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, Science City, Sabarna Sangrahashala, Barisha.

Things to Do 

  

  Take a walk along the river. There is a good promenade near Eden Garden.

  Take a stroll down memory lane at Princep ghat.

  Take a boat cruise in small boats under the starlit sky at Outram Ghat.

  Several modern cinemas are dotted around the city, including INOX at the Forum Shopping Mall and the City Centre in Salt Lake, 89 Cinemas at Swabhumi near Salt Lake City and Fame at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, RDB Adlabs at RDB Boulevard, Near Infinity Building in Sector 5, Salt lake, all showing Indian and American blockbusters.

  Nandan, 1/1 AJC Bose Road, (east of Rabindra Sadan metro station) +33 2223 1210. The symbol of art and culture in the city and the site of the Kolkata Film Festival every November.

  Football (soccer) is a passion for many Kolkatan’s with the national clubs, Mohun Bagan Athletic Club and East Bengal Club being the best known teams.

  The Kolkata Book Fair takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. This is the largest book fair in Asia and is a major event in the city.

  Durga Puja, a festival honoring the Hindu goddess Durga, takes place in October. The biggest festival for Hindus in Bengal and Eastern India, Kolkata takes on an almost carnival like ambiance. Streets shut down for the construction of pandals, large stands that depict events from the Ramayana and crowds flock to the biggest and best ones. A great time to visit Kolkata (unless you have a fear of crowds!).

Educational Institutions are very rich in and around the Kolkata city. Some of them are

            Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata, University of Calcutta(ranked among top 500 in world), National Institute of Technology Durgapur, Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur.

Embassies and High Commissions

   Bangladesh Deputy High Commission, Circus Ave (Just east of AJC Bose Rd), +91 (0)33 2290 5208/5209, issues 15 day visas, ranging from Rs 500 (~$10) for Indians to a steep Rs 5000 (~$110) for American citizens. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos.

   British Deputy High Commission, 1A Ho Chi Minh Sarani, Calcutta 700071, +91 (0)33 2288 5173-76,

  German Consulate General Kolkata/Deutsches Generalkonsulat Kalkutta, 1 Hastings Park Road, Alipore, Kolkata 700027, +91-(0)33-2479 1141/ 1142/ 2150, 2439 8906. The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the consulate of Prussia in 1854.

  United States of America, Consulate-General of the, 5/1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani, Kolkata 700071, +91-33-3984 2400. It is the oldest diplomatic post of the USA in India, and possibly the oldest continuously operating US diplomatic post in the world.

  The French Embassy, opening shortly in the Salt Lake area. Allaince Francais du Bengal, a cultural institute of France, offers French courses and has a vast library.

  The Consulate General of the People’s Republic of China in Kolkata EC72,Sector 1, Salt Lake City, Kolkata-700064,

Shopping Malls are part of every metropolis. Some of the shop malls in the region are South City Mall (near Jadavpur Police Stn), Metropolis Mall (near Highland Park), City Center (Saltlake), Mani Square Supermall (EM Bypass), Metro Plaza (near British Embassy), Vardaan Market, Orchid Point (Kankurgachi), Forum (Bhowanipore), Shreeram Arcade (New Market), City Center2 (Newtown, Rajarhat), and many more.

Shopping Lanes Maidan Market for all sport items at cheap price Chandni Market is famous for all small electronic items/gadgets & old reusable electronic products New Market for all kinds of Clothing, Toys, Collectible Shopping needs. Treasure Island is like a multistoried market mainly fulfilling needs of Clothing demands & various other make-up & cosmetic items

Eat Flury's, on Park Street, was once considered the best English bakery in all of Asia and you can almost imagine Joe Stilwell and Lord Mountbatten arguing over who had command over the allied forces in Burma while enjoying tea, scones, and clotted cream!. Nizam's, in New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll.

               Bengali: Aaheli,Hotel Pearless Inn(12,J.L.NehruRoad), Kewpies(2 Elgin Lane).

               Mughlai: Saffron (17 Park Street), The Marble Room(1&2, Little Russel Street), Shiraj(56, Park Street), Rahamania(56, Park Street)

               North Indian: Sonargaon(34-B Belvedere Road), Guchhi(JA-1 Sector III, Salt Lake), Teej(2, Russel Street), Amber(11 Waterloo Street, Esplanade), Mirch Masala(49/2 Gariahat Road).

               South Indian: Raj Restaurant (Forum Mall Branch 10/3 Elgin Road), Malgudi Jn(24, Camac Street).

               North West Frontier: Kalash(235/1, AJC Bose Road), Peshawari (ITC Hotel Sonar Bengla Sheraton & Towers, 1, Haldane Avenue).

               Punjabi: Honey Da Dhaba (P-54, V.I.P. Road), C.I.T.

               Thai: Baan Tha (The oberoi hotel, 15, Jawaharlal Nehru Road), Dynasty (14 & 14/1, Sudder Street).

               Chinese: China Valley (Ideal Plaza, 11/1 , Sarat Bose Road), Chinoiserie (The Taj hotel, 34B, Belvedere Road), Pan Asian (ITC Hotel Sonar Bengla Sheraton Hotel, 1, Haldane Avenue), Mainland China (Uniworth House, 3-A, Gurusaday Road), Red Hot Chilli Pepper (26/2, Ballygunge Circular Road), Waldorf Restaurant (13D, Russell Street).

                Continental: La Cucina, West View Bar & Grill, La Terasse, Bichitra, Barbeque.

                Italian: The Hub (The Taj Hotel, 34B, Belvedere Road).

               Multi Cuisine: Dum Pukht, Mustard, Sourav's Food Pavillion, Orbit, Ashoka Restaurant, Charnock’s, Charnock City, Grain of Salt, Oasis Restaurant, Trincas, Marco Polo, Chacha's Hotel,

Stay Safe Kolkata is reasonably safe, and in general the people are more friendly and helpful than in many of India's other large cities. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are generally not persistent and rarely a threat.

Get Outs are common as they can be reached in 5-6 hours and return by night.

            Vishnupur famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures, and silk sarees

            Santiniketan famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore. the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and kantha stitch sarees.

            Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Lava-Lolegaon, are some of the hill stations near by.

            Phuentsholing Bhutan Government buses depart for this Bhutaneese border town from the Esplanade Bus Station at 7PM on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The journey takes around 18 hours and costs 300Rps. The buses are comfortable, but the roads through West Bengal are full of pot holes, so don't bank on getting much sleep on the way.

.           Sunderbans National Park Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers

            Beaches The southern part of the State hosts several beach towns such as Digha, Sankarpur, Junput and Mondarmoni. Take a car or a bus that plies regularly from Esplanade to these serene beaches.

            Green Mall About 10 km from Kolkata in the village of Samukpota is a "Green Mall" which offers an extensive collection of palm tress plus other plants, gardening tools, yoga instruction, and South Indian food.

Where to Stay Kolkata has some of the finest hotels that suits every pocket. The cost of a Double Room ranges from 200 Rs. – 20000 Rs. Per night. Here we include some of the hotels classified on the budget criteria. Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the Sudder Street area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Budget hotels can also be found around the station in Howrah. Sudder Street is more centrally located but both are well connected by public transport.

5star, 4star and luxury: ITC Sonar (near Science city), The Oberoi Grand (Chowringhee), Taj Bengal (Belvedere Road, Alipur), Hyatt Regency (off EM Bypass), The Kenilworth (Russel St), Hotel Hindustan International (AJC Bose Rd), The Park (Park St).

Higher Mid range: Hotel Aston (3, Aston Road ☎ 091-33-24863145), Housez (43, 43, Mirza Galib Street ☎ +91 33 2227 6020), Hotel Samilton (37, Sarat Bose Road ☎ 3051 - 7700 / 7777), Hotel Roland (28A, Rowland Road).

Budget: Artland hotel,(Diamond harbour road), Hotel circular,(AJC Bose road), Hotel Heera holiday inn,(Park street area), Hotel Park Inn (talbagan lane), Hotel Pushpak intenational (Mirza Ghalib Street), Swagatam Inn (VIP road), Hotel Diplomat (Park Street), Jaapon (Mirza Ghalib Street), Hotel Palace (Park Street), Siesta Guest House (AC-31 Sec 1, Salt Lake), Hotel Heera (Grant Street).