KOLKATA- it's all about the way we look at it…
Lets start from the scratch and know little about the history of Kolkata.
Kolkata comprised of three villages, namely Kalikata, Gobindapur, and Sutanuti. Kalikata was a fishing village; Sutanuti was a riverside weavers' village.
By the 1850s, Kolkata had two areas: White Town, which was primarily British and centered around Chowringhee; and Black Town, mainly Indian and centered around North Calcutta. In the 19th century, the Bengal Renaissance brought about an increased socio cultural sophistication among city denizens. In 1883, Kolkata was host to the first national conference of the Indian National Association, the first avowed nationalist organization in India.
Lets look into some interesting facts about Kolkata.
Kolkata is the only city in India with Hand pulled Rickshaws. The concept is very primitive and has been brought in by Japan; it is still followed in Kolkata.
Kolkata is the only city in South Asia and India with Trams. Salt-lake stadium in Kolkata is the Football stadium with second Highest seating capacity in world.
Kolkata is the first Indian city to have mass rapid transit system/metro train.
BOI PARA or the college street is one the most popular places for book lovers. College Street is also considered to be one of the largest markets of second-hand books in the world. The World's Largest tree in terms of area covered: The great Banyan Tree, Botanical Garden, KolkataSecond Largest Planetarium in the world, and the largest planetarium in Asia: Birla Planetarium, Kolkata. The Eden Gardens Cricket Ground is the third largest cricket stadium in the world by seating capacity. Kolkata is considered the birthplace of a fusion cuisine, now popular as 'Indian-Chinese'. It was basically brought in by the Chinese from the Haka region and modified to suit the Indian palate. The Tangra neighborhood in East Kolkata is known as 'Chinatown'.
Kolkata has mainly two China Towns where the Chinese are settled… one in the Tiretta bazar area, that is known as Old China Town, and another in Tangra, known as New China Town. The famous Chinese breakfast is available in both these places. Tiretta Bazaar's Chinese Breakfast is something one cant miss. The Chinese street breakfast of tiretta bazaar starts at around 6am and by the time clock strikes 8 everything is finished.
… Tiretta bazar full of people busy having Chinese breakfast and vendors selling chinese food items like Chicken Momos, Pork Momos, Shu Mei, Sausages, Prawn wafers, Tai Paos, Fried dough sticks, Chicken Rolls etc.
The Indian Museum situated in Kolkata is the oldest in the Asia – Pacific region. It is located on the Chowringhee Avenue (now J.L. Nehru Road), it houses perhaps the greatest collection of Indian natural history and an Indian Art.
The Writers' Building originally served as the office for writers of the British East India Company, hence the name. Designed by Thomas Lyon in 1777, the Writers' Building has gone through several extensions over the years.
The Marble Palace is a privately owned collection of eclectic sculptures. It was built by Raja Rajendra Mullick in 1835. More than 50 varieties of marbles were used for the décor of the mansion. The house was built in neoclassical style, while the open courtyards depict Bengali tradition. Science City is a complex near the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass featuring a lot of interactive science and live bioscience exhibits, as well as having Kolkata's first OMNIMAX theatre.
The Jorasanko Thakur Bari is the ancestral home of the Tagore family and was converted into a museum in 1961.
National Library of India located in Alipore is India's leading library and a public library. It was inaugurated in 1836 by the Governor General Lord Metcalfe by transferring 4675 books from the College of Fort William.
The Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge with a suspended span over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. On 14 June 1965 it was renamed Rabindra Setu, after the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was the first Indian and Asian Nobel laureate. It is still popularly known as the Howrah Bridge.
Apart from tourist attractions the Bengali food is another captivating topic to talk about. The various foreigners that come to Kolkata for tourism purpose go to places to learn to prepare Bengali cuisine. The succulent food compels the people to try it at least once. While talking about food how can I forget about the delicious sweets or 'mishti' as it is called by the kolkattans. The variability in variety and the amazing taste makes it irresistibly yummy. Since ages it has been a custom in Kolkata to exchange sweets during religious or cultural celebration, be it the festival of any religion. So people who have a sweet tooth, Kolkata is the best place to experiment. The mishti doi of Kolkata is the staple for all. Cottage cheese based sweets like sandesh, rosogolla and chanar payesh. Other must try delicacies consist of Misti doi (sweetened curd) and Patali gur confectionery (date palm jaggery). When it comes to Calcutta cuisine, it can be said that each district of Bengal has its own unique dish to offer like Langcha and mihidana-sitabhog of Bardhaman, sharbhaja of Krishnanagar, chanabora of Murshidabad etc. Other staples of Kolkata are Luchi, Cholaar dal,Kochuri and alurdom,Chop-cutlet,Telebhaja
The race course of Kolkata is one of the largest horse race venues in India. The race course was built in 1820 and was maintained by the Royal Calcutta Turf Club.
The races are held from the month of July to September, and again from November to March. The races are usually held on Saturdays, and also on other public holidays.
The Belur Math is another place worth a visit. Unlike the chaos and constant scams around the Kalighat Kali Temple, Belur Math is clean, peaceful, safe, and a perfect place to relax. The Temple, located on the banks of the Hooghly River (branches off from the Ganges), was founded by Swami Vivekananda and is now the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math religious organization. The temple incorporates architecture and designs from Hinduism, Islam and Christianity.
Photography is strictly prohibited at Belur Math and they have plenty of security guards making sure you don't snap any photos. So much to see, so much to learn, so much to experience, the city in its own has its own language of love, respect and generosity. The experience of this city cannot be described in words, it is something to be felt and cherished.
