Kolkata | West Bengal | India

Kolkata

Kolkata | West Bengal | India

Kolkata: the cultural capital of India
Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is the capital of West Bengal, an Indian state sharing its border with Bangladesh. Kolkata is a great place to visit, famous for its history, monuments, and culture. This city is also known as the cultural capital of West Bengal, due to its rich heritage of art, music, and literature.

Important information about Kolkata
Kolkata is the second largest city in India, and an extremely populated place, having a perfect confluence of multicultural people.

Some important information about Kolkata are as follows:
• It is situated on the bank of Hooghly river, a part of the Ganges.
• It was a British colony from the early British rule in India. A large part of Indian freedom movement had flourished in Kolkata.
• It was the birthplace of many Indian great personalities, like Raja Rammohun Roy, Swami Vivekananda, Subhash Ch. Bose, and Rabindra Nath Tagore.
• It is well-connected with the other parts of the country, and world through airways, railways, and roads.

Ways to Kolkata
Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is connected with all major Indian cities, and other countries of the world. The city is also connected with other parts of the country through scores of trains that connects the city with New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Jammu, Amritsar, etc. and also through bus routes.

Weather in Kolkata
Kolkata has a tropical wet, and dry climate. In summer, the place becomes pretty hot, when whether sometimes touch 40-42 degrees centigrade. In winter, the weather becomes very pleasant, when the temperature varies from 10-23 degrees centigrade. Kolkata gets monsoon rainfall from June to September every year. It receives an average of 1550mm rainfall every year.

Places to visit in Kolkata
Tourists would like to visit innumerable places in Kolkata, but the most popular places of this city are as follows:
• Victoria Memorial Hall – Commissioned by Lord Curzon, the then viceroy of India, this large architectural wonder was built to commemorate Queen Victoria’s demise in 1901.
• Fort William – It was constructed in 1780 during the tenure of viceroy Robert Clive to protect the British power from Mughal attacks. It is one of the most popular destinations in Kolkata.
• Indian Museum – It is the biggest and the oldest museum in India. The building itself is a monument with 200-year-old history.
• National Library – This is the largest government supported library in India. Many rare manuscripts and books of Indian writers are preserved here. The building is also a grandeur that worth visiting.
• Tagore’s house – Visit to Kolkata is never complete without visiting the Tagore’s house. This world-famous bard had spent a major part of his life in Kolkata.

Besides, innumerable locations in and around Kolkata are worth visiting, like Dakhineshwar, Howrah Bridge, Marble Palace, Birla Planetarium, Nicco Park, Saheed Minar, Swami Vivekananda’s house, College Street, Kalighat, etc.

Best time to visit Kolkata
October to March is the best time to visit this city; however, tourists come here throughout the year in leaps and bounds. Tourists who can’t tolerate scorching summer should avoid visiting the city within April to June.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ashis Roy