Kolkata-City of Joy

Enjoy the sites of the City of Joy, Kolkata

If you want to experience a visual treat, please visit Kolkata during Durga Puja and visit the beautiful Pandals. Durgotsava is an annual festival that celebrates the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Nabami and Vijayadashami.

 

Place to Experience
  • Art Acre
  • Belur Mutt
  • Dakshineswar
  • Jorasanka Raj Bari
  • The Great Banyan Tree
  • Birla Academy of art and culture
  • The Spectacular Mullick Ghat Flower Market
  • Indian Museum
  • Jain Temple
  • Kalighat Temple
  • Marble Palace
  • Netaji Bhawan
  • Nakhoda Mosque
  • St. Pauls Cathedral
  • Victoria Memorial

 

Nearby Places
  • Mayapur
  • Phulia
  • Shantiniketan
  • Sunderban
  • Tarapeeth

 

City guides – People who can help your guest experience Kolkata sites to the fullest.
  • Subhankar Dasgupta – _+ 91 9830005226
  • Shantimoy City Guide Plans – + 91 9830242803
  • Vijay Jaiswal – + 91 9831135530

 

Kolkata Walks
  • Husnatara Prakash – + 91 9836428280
  • Kolkata Walks – Ifkkhar Hassan – + 91 9830184030

 

We believe that every neighborhood has a story to tell – We tell those through our walking tours.

 

Arts Acre

Art Acre

A global-class facility meant for emerging talent to hone their skills and learn, to cross borders and open eyes Based on traditional values they will exchange ideas and search for true advancements. It is a visionary project of the renowned Indian artist Shuvaprasanna and has developed over three decades into the present Arts Acre Foundation.

“An international quality of a facility for creation and display of art. It is the bold vision and endeavourer of Shuvaprasana to create such an extra ordinary experience for a visitor. The moment you enter the premises you are completely immersed and transported to a different world of art, where creativity ony exists.”

Arts Acre Foundation
Action Area III F- 30 New Town,
Rajarhat, South 24 Parganas, Kolkata 700156
(Near Tata Hospital/ Sapoorji project)
Phone: +91 33 65600207
[email protected]

 

Belur Math

Belur Mutt1

Belur Mutt is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, a chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River; the 40-acre (160,000 m2) campus of the Belur Math on the banks of the Ganges includes temples dedicated to Ramakrishna, Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda. The Ramakrishna temple at the Belur Math is designed to “celebrate the diversity of Indian Religions” and resembles a temple, a mosque, and a church if seen from different positions.
Daily 6:30-11:30am and 3:30-6pm; prayer (aarti) time: 5:30pm

Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission
P.O. Belur Math-711202
Dist. Howrah, West Bengal.
Phone :(91-33-) 2654-1144/1180/5391/8494/9581/9681
Fax: 2654-4346
Email: [email protected]

 

The Great Banyan Tree

The Great Banyan Tree1

The Great Banyan Tree is over two hundred and fifty years old and covers about 14,500 square meters of land (3.5 square acres) in the Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Botanical Garden, Howrah making it the widest tree in the world.

Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Shibpur, Howrah.

 

Birla Academy of art and culture

Birla Academy of art and culture

The Birla Academy of Art & Culture was established in 1967 with the principal objective of fostering the growth of art and culture with emphasis on visual and performing arts. In this time, the Academy has established itself as a centre of cultural, artistic and educational activities. The museum of the Academy has a distinct character of its own and depicts the growth and development of Indian art from 1stcentury, B.C. till now.
Phone – 033 2466 6802/2843

 

Dakshineswar Kali Temple

Dakshineswar3

The Dakshineswar Kali Temple was founded around the middle of the 19th Century by Rani Rashmoni According to traditional accounts, the night before a pilgrimage to Kashi, Rashmoni had a vision of the Divine Mother, in the form of the goddess Kali in a dream and reportedly said..

“There is no need to go to Banaras. Install my statue in a beautiful temple on the banks of the Ganges river and arrange for my worship there. Then I shall manifest myself in the image and accept worship at that place.”

Profoundly affected by the dream, Rani immediately looked for and purchased a 20-acred plot in the village of Dakshineswar where the temple is built. The garbha griha (sanctum sanctorum) houses an idol of goddess Kali, known as Bhavataraini, standing on the chest of a lying Shiva, and the two idols are placed on a thousand-petaled lotus made of silver.

“A sublime experience as you not only overtaken by the energy of the Kali but also of her devotee, Ramkrishna Parmahamsa. His room at the temple is a must visit where in silence you sense the Divine.”

Close to the main temple is the row of twelve identical Shiva temples built facing the east in the typical ‘Aat Chala’ Bengal architecture, they are built on either side of the ghat on the Hoogly river.

All days of the week
6:00 AM – 12:30 PM
3:00 PM – 8:30 PM (From October to March)
All days of the wee
6:00 AM – 12:30 PM
3:30 PM – 9:00 PM (From April to September)

Dakshineswar Kali Temple
Trustees & Secretary
Dakshineswar Kali Temple & Debottae Estate
P.O.: Alambazar,Kolkata-700 035
West Bengal, INDIA
Dial: 2564-5222E-mail: – [email protected]

 

The Spectacular Mullick Ghat Flower Market

Mullick Ghat Flower Market1

Near the southeast end of Howrah Bridge, the flower market is fascinatingly colourful virtually 24 hours a day. The place is heaped with flowers/ garlands of every shape, size and colour.

“Set in the old part of Kolkata, under the Howrah Bridge, surrounded by some old architecture the flower market is a photographers delight. It tends to get mucky during monsoons, so you need to be attired suitably.”

 

Indian Museum

Indian Museum

Founded in 1814 at the cradle of the Asiatic Society of Bengal Indian Museum is the earliest and the largest multipurpose Museum not only in the Indian subcontinent but also in the Asia-Pacific region of the world.

27, Jawaharlal Nehru Rd,
Park Street area
Kolkata,
West Bengal-700016
Phone-+91-33-2286-1702/2286-1699.

 

Kolkata Jain Temple

Jain Temple3

The temple is dedicated to Pareshnath, who was the 23rd Jain Tirthankar. The temple consists of four temples inside of it. The deity of Lord Shitalnathji is seated in the sanctum sanctorum, and his diamond-studded forehead is a major attraction for the visitors. There is a lamp, which burns with ghee inside the sanctum sanctorum, which has been continuously burning ever since the initiation of the temple since 1867.

36, Badridas Temple Street Kolkata 700004
03325554187.

 

Kalighat Kali Temple

Kalighat Temple

Kalighat Kali Temple is one of the 51Shakti Peethas. Kalighat was a Ghat (landing stage) sacred to Kali on the old course of the Hooghly river (Bhāgirathi). The name Calcutta is said to have been derived from the word Kalighat. The Kalighat temple in its present form is only about 200 years old, although it has been referred to in Mansar Bhasan composed in the 15th century, and in Kavi Kankan Chandi of the 17th century. Kalighat represents the site where the toes of the right foot of Dakshayani or Sati fell. Legend has it that a devotee discovered a luminant ray of light coming from the Bhāgirathi river bed, and upon investigating its source came upon a piece of stone carved in the form of a human toe.

The temple schedule as per the notice put up recently.
Sun/Sat/Tue Weekdays
Opening Time: (For Mongal Aarti) 4.00 A.M
Opening Time: (For Public) 5.00 A.M
Nitya Puja: 5.30 A.M to 7.00 A.M
Bhog Rag: 2.30 P.M. to 3.30 P.M. 2.
Sandhya Aarti: 6.30 P.M. to 7.00 P.M.
Closing of Temple: 10.30 P.M.
Kali Temple Rd, Kalighat, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

 

Marble Palace

Marble Palace1

Marble Palace is a palatial nineteenth-century mansion in North Kolkata. It is located at 46, Muktaram Babu Street, Kolkata 700007. It is one of the best-preserved and most elegant houses of nineteenth-century Calcutta.The mansion is famous for its marble walls and floors, from which its name derives.

46, Muktaram Babu Street, Kolkata 700007.

 

Victoria Memorial

Victoria Memorial5

The Victoria Memorial (Victoria Memorial Hall) is a large marble building, which was built between 1906 and 1921. It is dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria (1819–1901) and is now a museum and tourist destination. The Prince of Wales, later King George V, laid the foundation stone on 4 January 1906 and it was formally opened to the public in 1921.

1, Queen’s Way, Kolkata, West Bengal 700071, India
+91 33 2223 1890.

 

Jorasanko Thakur Bari

Jorasanka Raj Bari

Jorasanko Thakur Bari (Bengali: House of the Thakurs (Anglicized to Tagore) in Jorasanko, north of Kolkata, Bengal, India, is the ancestral home of the Tagore family. It is currently located on the Rabindra Bharati University campus at 6/4 Dwarakanath Tagore Lane[1] Jorasanko, Kolkata 700007.[2] It is the house in which the poet and first non-European Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore was born. It is also the place where he spent most of his childhood and died on 7 August 1941.

259, Rabindra Sarani, Singhi Bagan, Jorasanko, Kolkata, West Bengal 700007, India.

 

Netaji Bhavan

Netaji Bhawan

(Netaji’s Residence) is a memorial hall of Subhas Chandra Bose (“Netaji”) in Kolkata, owned and managed by Netaji Research Bureau. It includes the museum, archives and library. This is the ancestral house of Subhas Chandra Bose.

NETAJI BHAWAN
38/2, Lala Lajpat Rai (Elgin) Sarani
Kolkata- 700 020, West Bengal, India
Phone: + 91 33 2486 8139
Fax: + 91 33 2486 8070
Email: [email protected].

 

Nakhoda Masjid

Nakhoda Mosque2

The Nakhoda Masjid is the principal mosque of Kolkata, India. The mosque was built as an imitation of the mausoleum of Mughal Emperor Akbar at Sikandra, Agra by Kutchi Memon Jamat, a small community of Sunni Muslim community from Kutch. Abdur Rahim Osman, a leader of the Kutchi Memon Jama’at, who funded the building was a shipping prince: The mosque was named Nakhoda meaning Mariner.

The foundation stone was laid on 11 September 1926. The total cost incurred for the construction was 1,500,000 rupees in 1926.

 

St. Paul’s Cathedral

St. Pauls Cathedral4

Built between 1839 and 1847, St Paul’s Cathedral is one of India’s most important churches. It’s east of the Victoria Memorial at the South end of the Maidan. The steeple fell during an earthquake in 1897 and was redesigned and rebuilt. Inside there’s some interesting memorials and stained glass, including the west window by Sir Edward Burne-Jones.

1A, Cathedral Rd,
Maidan,
Kolkata,
West Bengal 700071,
India
+91 33 2223 0127.

 

Shantipur-Phulia

The bustling town of Shantipur in Nadia district of West Bengal, India, is just 90 kilometres (2 hours drive) north of the metropolis of Kolkata. The Shantipur –Phulia region has over 125,000 handlooms, churning out Shantipuri, Tangail, and Jamdani handloom sarees in a variety of yarns like cotton, tussar and silk.

 

Shantiniketan

Shantiniketan

Shantiniketan was made by the famous Nobel laureate Rabindranath, whose vision became what is now a university town (Visva-Bharati University). It is the most renowned place of higher learning in India, with a list of alumni that includes Nobel-winning economist Amartya Sen, and globally renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray to name a few. Some of the attractions at Shantiniketan are: Prayer Hall, Dehali, Black House, Shantiniketan Griha, Kala Bhavan, Uttarayan Complex, Bichitra, Sangeet Bhavan. Chhatimtala, Kankalitala, Visva-Bharati Central Library.

Rail: The nearest railhead is Bolpur, 2 km away. Trains connecting Bolpur with Howrah/Sealdah (Calcutta) are 3015/3016 Howrah-Bolpur Shantiniketan Exp, 3133/3134 Sealdah-Mughalsarai Exp, 3071/3072 Howrah-Jamalpur Exp, 2557/ 2558 Kanchenjunga Exp., 335/336 Vishwabharati Fast Pgr., Shantiniketan Exp., Danapur Fast Pgr. and Tarapith Passenger.

Road: Good motorable roads connect Shantiniketan with Calcutta (213 kms, Bolpur 2-Panagarh 44-Burdwan 48-Calcutta 119), Durgapur (56 kms) and Sarnath (197 kms).

 

Mayapur

Mayapur

Mayapur is located on the banks of the Ganges river. The headquarters of ISKCON are situated in Mayapur and it is considered a holy place by a number of other traditions within Hinduism, but is of special significance to followers ofGaudiya Vaishnavism as the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, regarded as a special incarnation of Krishna in the mood of Radha. It is situated at around 150 Kms from Kolkata.

Train
From Howrah station
If you are catching a train at Howrah, a less-crowded train to catch is *Intercity express*, which leaves Howrah at about 3pm (the train does not operate on Sundays.) It reaches Nabadwip Dham by about 5:45pm.

 

Sunderbans

Sunderban1

Sunderbans is the world’s largest estuarine forest and delta covered by mangrove forests and vast saline mud flats is situated on the lower end of Gangetic West Bengal. A land of 54 tiny islands, criss-crossed by innumerable tributaries of the Ganges that was once infested by Arakanese and Portuguese pirates is now the abode of varied flora & fauna population. Sunderban is bound on the west by river Muriganga and on the east by rivers Harinbhahga and Raimangal.

The world’s largest estuarine forest and delta covered by mangrove forests and vast saline mud flats is situated on the lower end of Gangetic West Bengal. A land of 54 tiny islands, criss-crossed by innumerable tributaries of the Ganges that was once infested by Arakanese and Portuguese pirates is now the abode of varied flora & fauna population. Sunderban is bound on the west by river Muriganga and on the east by rivers Harinbhahga and Raimangal.

Sunderban is accessible by air, rail and road via Kolkata. But, as the entire place is a network of river tributaries, you have to take boat ride to visit the remote areas of the park.

Road: Road transportation is available from Kolkata for Namkhana (105-kms), Sonakhali (100-kms), Raidighi (76-kms), Canning (64-kms), and Najat (92-kms), which are all near the Sunderban and have access to the riverine waterways.

Water: Sunderban are approachable only by riverrine waterways. Motor launch facilities are available from Namkhana – Bhagabatpur Crocodile Project- Sagar Island -Jambudwip; from Sajnekhali – Sudhanyakhali-Buridabri- Netidhopan-Holiday Island; from Sonakhali – Gosaba; from Raidighi – Kalas.

 

Nature Cure and Yoga Centre

Nature Cure and Yoga Centre2

Nature Cure and Yoga Centre is a retreat for calming and rejuvenating your overworked body, mind and spirit. Located an hour away from the city of Calcutta, it’s far enough for it to be a relaxing getaway yet near enough to offer the convenience of staying connected.

Diamond Harbour Road
Konchowki, P.O. & P.S. Bishnupur
24-Parganas (S) Pin: 743503
West Bengal (India)
+91 33 24533880/1

 

Personal Remarks

There are many more sites to be enjoyed in and around Kolkata. I am sharing some of my favorites with you.