jayaraman
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KOLKATTA -
It is the CITY OF JOY,
It is the CULTURAL CAPITAL OF INDIA
It is poorman's LONDON
The cost of living in Kolkata is the lowest in India. People here are very good, not selfish, not crooked minded, helpful, you can have fun. Since your are also from London you will find many buildings built by British in 18/19 th centuries. Once it used to be very unclean and it has changed a lot. You will get good food. People here are somewhat poor, and refugees from Bangladesh is plenty.
Kolkata, formerly Calcutta, city (1991 pop. 10,916,272), capital of West Bengal state, E India, on the Hugli River. It is the second largest city in India and one of the largest in the world. Ten of Kolkata's suburbs—Haora, South Suburban City, Bhatpara, South Dum Dum, Kamarhati, Garden Reach, Panihati, Baranagar, Hugli-Chinsura, and Serampore—have well over 100,000 people each. The area of the Kolkata metropolitan area is 228.5 sq mi (591 sq km), extending more than 40 miles along the Hugli. Kolkata is the major seaport (see Haldia) and industrial center of E India; jute is milled, and textiles, chemicals, paper, and metal products are manufactured. Bengali, Hindi, and Urdu are the main languages. The city has terrible poverty, chronic unemployment, overcrowding, inadequate transportation, and resultant social unrest.
Kolkata was founded c.1690 as Calcutta by the British East India Company. In 1756 the nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daula, captured Kolkata and killed most of its garrison by imprisoning it overnight in a small, stifling room, known as the notorious “Black Hole.” Robert Clive retook the city in 1757. From 1833 to 1912, the city was the capital of British India.
Calcutta-Sightseeing -
Calcutta Guide: A walk along Chowringhee Road sets the pace as you set out to unravel the rare beauty of this city. Across the road sweeps a huge, lush green, open parkland called the Maidan, centering around Fort William, the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773.
Along St George’s Gate Road, on the southern fringe of the Maidan, your sight is arrested by a splendid monument in white Makrana marble. Built in Italian Renaissance *** Saracenic style, Victoria Memorial was planned by Lord Curzon. A light and sound show recreates history every evening.
The adjoining Race Course, built in 1819, is one of the best in the east and is the scene of much gaiety, especially during the winter season.Northwards, along Chowringhee Road, stands the Birla Planetarium, one of the largest in the world. The central dome measures 25 mts in diameter.Located on Chowringhee Road is the Indian Museum built in 1877 in Italian style of architecture.
Walk in to a varied collection of exhibits that include unique fossils, Buddhist Gandharan art, an Egyptian mummy and a roomful of memories !The 48 mt tower of Ochterlony Monument , now renamed Shahid Minar , holds command at the northern end of the Maidan.And the mighty river Hooghly beckons.At the northern end of the Maidan, towards the river, is the Old British Government house now called Raj Bhavan .
A walk across is the Town Hall , built in 1813, in Doric style of architecture. It is now the City Magistrate’s Office.Don’t let the riverfront mesmerize you yet !Between the Town Hall and the Strand is the Calcutta High Court.
The Howrah Bridge and the Vidyasagar Setu frame the skyline of the riverfront. The ambience is as amicable and profound as the river that flows alongside.But, turn back to your trail of discovery. Dalhousie Square was the administrative centre for British India. On one side is the General Post Office, a majestic specimen of Edwardian architecture. It is built on the site of the original Fort William. On the other side stands Writers’ Building , a massive Gothic structure with lonic pillars – still the house of political power.
The dulcet whispers of history echo through the old mansions of Hindu aristocrats in North Calcutta. One such old house, Tagore House, at Jorasanko, is the birth place of Rabindranath Tagore, India’s greatest modern poet. Converted to Rabindra Bharati University, it is now a centre for Indian Classical Fine Arts.
I have lived in Calcutta for 38 years and I love her - |
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