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The heart of Kolkata (Calcutta) is the Maidan, a large public park. The Maidan came into being in 1758 as a military strategy. The jungle around the new Fort William (completed 1773), which was constructed below the ground level, was cleared to allow the guns to fire freely. Strangely enough not a single shot has been fired from the fort. The treeless character of the Maidan changed almost a century later when trees were planted and avenues constructed. Maidan, today is famous to Kolkatans for hosting numerous political rallies time and again. Besides political rallies, the Maidan is the favorite rendezvous for the sports loving people of Kolkata (Calcutta). Numerous sports clubs of all kinds dot the maidan. Celebrated football clubs like the Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, of national fame have their clubs located in this vast stretch of greenery. The Maidan is a great equalizer - from football played by the under privileged to international horseshows patronized by the elite. The Calcutta Race Course is also located in this area. The Maidan also serves as the site for numerous fairs like the famous Calcutta Book Fair. The Calcutta Book Fair is amongst the largest book fairs in the world and draws huge crowds of book lovers from all corners of the metropolis. Kolkata’s claim to culture is perhaps best upheld by book fairs it hosts every winter. Bengal is proverbially said to hold thirteen festivals in twelve months. The Calcutta Book Fair is gaining prominence and may soon become a proverbial fourteenth.
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Today the Maidan is the pulse of Kolkata’s throbbing life. Many of Kolkata’s main attractions are situated in and around the Maidan. Despite the construction of modern buildings, the Taj of the Raj - the Victoria Memorial Hall, still dominates the Maidan skyline. The Victoria Memorial Hall was inaugurated in 1921 in memory of Queen Victoria. Today it’s a museum having various Victoria memorabilia, Raj paintings and other displays. Built with white marble from Markana, Rajasthan, it is probably the most graceful structure in Kolkata (Calcutta). As night descends on Kolkata (Calcutta), several of the city’s landmarks including the Victoria Memorial Hall are illuminated giving the Maidan area a fairy tale look. | ||||||
Several of Kolkata’s attractions are on a triangular shaped plot in the vicinity of the Victoria Memorial Hall. The Birla Planetarium designed like a Buddhist stupa is one of the largest planetariums in the country. The St. Paul’s Cathedral was built in 1847. It is one of the most impressive religious landmarks in the city. The elegant and beautiful structure stands majestically in a sprawling lawn. Nearby is the Nehru Children’s Museum which has interesting displays of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata among other things.
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The Rabindra Sadan, Nandan and the Academy of Fine Arts form the cultural zone of Kolkata (Calcutta). While Rabindra Sadan is an excellent auditorium, Nandan is one of the best movie theaters in India. The arts flourish in Kolkata (Calcutta) and Kolkata (Calcutta) is often called the cultural capital of India. | ||||||
The Jawaharlal Nehru Road is Kolkata’s most important thoroughfare. It’s more popularly known by its older name of Chowringhee Road (after a sixteenth century hermit Chowringhee Giri). Many of Kolkata’s tallest buildings including the Jeevan Sudha, Jeevan Deep, Chatterjee International Center, Tata Center and the Everest Building are located on the Jawaharlal Nehru Road. The Indian Museum or the Jadughar, on the J L Nehru Road, is the oldest and largest museums in India. It is the ninth oldest regular museum of the world, and is the oldest institution of its kind in Asia Pacific region and repository of the largest museum objects in India. It was founded in 1814 (the building was completed in 1875). Also on J L Nehru Road is the Oberoi Grand hotel, one of the finest hotels in Kolkata (Calcutta). The present hotel was bought, in 1943, by Raibahadur M.S.Oberoi, the groups founder. It was used to accommodate 2000 allied soldiers during World War II. Next to Oberoi is the more modern Peerless Inn.
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Central Kolkata (Calcutta) has seen the construction of several new commercial complexes. The swank ITC Center is one of the several new office complexes that have come up in Central Kolkata (Calcutta) Park Street was named after Chief Justice Sir Elijah Impey’s deer park. The road was originally called the European Burial Road. Park Street is Kolkata’s dividing line between the congested north and comparatively more spacious south. Park Street is famous for its several restaurants and bars. One of Kolkata’s top institutions, the St. Xavier’s College is on Park Street. It is run by the Jesuits. Kolkata’s oldest remaining cemetery is on Park Street and is known as the South Park Street Cemetery. It dates back to 1767. Among the landmarks on Park Street is the Asiatic Society (founded 1784) by Sir William Jones and the Park Hotel. Today apartments and commercial complexes are fast replacing the older mansions on Park Street. | ||||||
The south of Park Street area is Kolkata’s preferred address. The area sandwiched between Park Street, Jawahar Lal Nehru Road and the Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Road is home to many of Kolkata’s corporate and business houses. Also expensive apartment complexes, shopping centers, foreign banks, consulates, hospitals, nursing homes and other available services have made this area the main commercial center of Kolkata (Calcutta). | ||||||
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The Acharya Jagdish Chandra Bose Road was formerly known as the Lower Circular Road. It runs along a north south corridor and later makes a turn to run along an east west corridor and connects to the Vidyasagar Setu (Second Hooghly Bridge). The east west section of the road runs through the busy commercial areas and the Maidan. This section is dotted with high-rise buildings. The north south stretch goes through the more congested areas. The Missionaries of Charity is an important institution of the north south stretch. | ||||||
The Sealdah Railway Station, the N R S Medical College & Hospital (Nilratan Sircar), the R K Ahmed Dental College are other important landmarks of the north south stretch of A J C Bose Road. The Sealdah railway station is one of the busiest in the country with hundreds of suburban trains connecting it to the various suburbs. This area is dotted with many bazaars (markets). | ||||||
To the north, the A J C Bose Road continues as the Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy Road, formerly known as the Upper Circular Road. This road is an important connector for the northern suburbs. The Shahid Minar is another landmark of Kolkata (Calcutta), located in the heart of Esplanade in the northern part of the Maidan. Originally known as the Ochterlony Monument, it was built in 1828 to commemorate the victory of Sir David Ochterlony and his troops in the Nepalese wars. The busy Esplanade area is surrounded by decaying but stately mansions of yesteryears. | ||||||
Esplanade East is a very busy and conjested area with scores of bill boards jostling for space. When seen from the Shahid Minar, the famous Howrah Bridge dominates the Kolkata (Calcutta) Skyline towards the northern end of the Maidan (Esplanade East). The domed building on the left (partially visible) is the Raj Bhavan, the official residence of the State Governor. The other domed building is the General Post Office (GPO). The tall building in the middle is the Reserve Bank of India. The building with the communication tower is the Telephone Bhavan. The tall white building on the right is the United Bank of India (UBI) headquarters. | ||||||
The New Market area is a shopper’s paradise. It is centered around the New Market and the Lindsay Street. The market itself was opened in 1874 and is officially named after Kolkata’s first municipal commissioner Sir Stuart Hogg. The market suffered a major setback when a large section of it was gutted by fire. A new section has come up but the market needs a major revamp to improve its ambience. New air conditioned complexes like the Shreeram Arcade and the Treasure Island (a bit cramped) have also come up. Other than these complexes, hundreds of shops line the Lindsay Street and the surrounding areas. Many of Kolkata’s movie theaters like the New Empire, Lighthouse, Globe, Roxy, Elite and Chaplin (Minerva) are in this area. Sudder Street, with hotels like the Fairlawn and the Lytton, is nearby. | ||||||
Kolkata’s College Street, as the name suggests, is home to many of the city’s colleges. The University of Calcutta, India’s second oldest modern university was established in 1857. CU, as it is called, is one of the largest universities in India. On one side of the University is the prestigious Presidency College which was founded in 1874. On the other side is Asia’s oldest medical school, the Calcutta Medical College which was founded in 1835. Right in front of the Calcutta University is the College Square with a water tank. The historical Sanskrit College established in 1824 is on one side of the square. Just opposite to the Presidency College is the Coffee House - famous for it’s addas and a favorite place for college students and intellectuals. Adda is a way of life for Bengalis and there is probably no equivalent English word. It means so many things but in brief it is a mixture of discussion, debate, tea / coffee, snacks and cigarettes. College Street is also a veritable book bazaar with hundreds of book shops catering to every taste and budget. It is a book lover’s paradise where one can find books on all possible subjects. | ||||||
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Kolkata (Calcutta) and its suburbs have grown in linear fashion along either side of the Hooghly river. The Hooghly river is Kolkata’s reason for growth. For most people of Kolkata (Calcutta) the Hooghly is the holy Ganges or the Ganga. The New Secretariat Building, the State Bank of India, the Calcutta High Court and the Ordnance Factory Board buildings are all located close to the banks of the river Hooghly. The Shipping House and the New Koilaghat building are situated on the Strand Road. The Strand Road area forms the older business section of the city. Kolkata (Calcutta) is an important riverine port, but the silting of the river Hooghly has stunted its growth. The main docks are further south at Kidderpore. A lot of port activity has shifted further downstream to Haldia town. Around the BBD Bagh area there are many heritage buildings like the Town Hall and the Raj Bhavan. | ||||||
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The BBD Bagh is the administrative hub of Kolkata (Calcutta). It is named after Benoy, Badal and Dinesh, three young martyrs. The square has a rectangular water tank. On the northern side is the massive red Writers’ Buildings, built in 1776, West Bengal’s secretariat and an ode to India’s complex bureaucracy and administrative system. The domed General Post Office (built 1868) and the Reserve Bank of India are other buildings that dominate the square. The Kolkata (Calcutta) Police headquarters at Lal Bazar is one block from the square. BBD Bagh and its surrounding roads and areas like Netaji Subhash Road, Biplabi Trailakya Maharaj Sarani, formerly known as Brabourne Road, Lyons Range, India Exchange Place, Mission Row, R N Mukherjee Road and Fairlie Place form the older commercial hub of the city. Many companies and financial institutions have their main offices in this area. Banks like the Allahabad Bank, UCO Bank and the UBI have their headquarters in this area. Giant public sector undertakings like Andrew Yule, Balmer Lawrie and Coal India also have their offices here. BBD Bagh and its adjoining areas are home to establishments like the Calcutta Stock Exchange, the Eastern railway offices at Fairlie Place, Tea Board, the Calcutta Improvement Trust and the various chambers of commerce. | ||||||
The Nakhoda Masjid is Kolkata’s largest Mosque. It was built in 1927 and is modeled on the Sikandra (Akbar’s tomb) at Agra. It is in Chitpore on Rabindra Sarani. About 10,000 men can perform the ‘Namaaz’ in the stupendous prayer hall of the mosque. The Eden Gardens used to be a lush area covered by trees and gardens. The Ranji Stadium at the Eden Gardens is more popularly known as the Eden Gardens. It is the site of one of the world’s largest cricket stadiums with a seating capacity of 90,000. The original Eden Gardens, which was laid out in 1835 by the Eden sisters, is now a small park. The park has a Burmese Pagoda brought over from Burma in 1853. Just next to the Ranji Stadium is the Netaji Indoor Stadium which has a multipurpose utility as a sporting complex, exhibition and cultural center. | ||||||
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The Vidyasagar Setu or the Second Hooghly Bridge is an important landmark of Kolkata (Calcutta). It is named after one of India’s great sons - Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. It’s a magnificent cable stayed bridge and provides an alternative to the Howrah Bridge. | ||||||
