Location & Attractions
Tourist attractions
The city has many attractions like the Howrah Bridge, Indian Museum, Botanical Gardens, Kalighat Temple and Victoria Memorial, among others.
The city has many attractions like the Howrah Bridge, Indian Museum, Botanical Gardens, Kalighat Temple and Victoria Memorial, among others.
Howrah Bridge
An Engineering marvel, otherwise known as Ravindra Setu across the Hooghly river, the bridge is a huge cantilever construction strung on two 270 foot-high pillars. The bridge connects Kolkata and Howrah and is the lifeline of the city. To ease the load off this bridge, a new bridge, Vidyasagar Setu was built in 1994. It affords a panoramic view of the Calcutta (Kolkata) skyline.
An Engineering marvel, otherwise known as Ravindra Setu across the Hooghly river, the bridge is a huge cantilever construction strung on two 270 foot-high pillars. The bridge connects Kolkata and Howrah and is the lifeline of the city. To ease the load off this bridge, a new bridge, Vidyasagar Setu was built in 1994. It affords a panoramic view of the Calcutta (Kolkata) skyline.
Indian Museum
The Indian Museum is a National Museum and one of the finest in Asia. It houses rare antiques, ornaments, armour, fossils, stones, paintings of the Mughal era, regal outfits/uniforms, skeletons of rare animal and mummies, among other exhibits. It is situated on J L Nehru Road.
The Indian Museum is a National Museum and one of the finest in Asia. It houses rare antiques, ornaments, armour, fossils, stones, paintings of the Mughal era, regal outfits/uniforms, skeletons of rare animal and mummies, among other exhibits. It is situated on J L Nehru Road.
Birla Planetarium
The Birla Planetarium is one of the largest planetariums in Asia and is located at 96, Jawaharlal Nehru Road. Programs are held in English, Bengali and Hindi from 12 noon to 7 pm daily, except on Mondays. It can accommodate 500 persons.
The Birla Planetarium is one of the largest planetariums in Asia and is located at 96, Jawaharlal Nehru Road. Programs are held in English, Bengali and Hindi from 12 noon to 7 pm daily, except on Mondays. It can accommodate 500 persons.
Kalighat Temple
Legend goes that the name of Calcutta (Kolkata) is derived from the famous Kali deity of this temple located at Kalighat in Soutar.
Legend goes that the name of Calcutta (Kolkata) is derived from the famous Kali deity of this temple located at Kalighat in Soutar.
Festivals
Kolkata is a city that seems to enjoy a never-ending stream of festivals.
Durga Puja is celebrated for 10 days during October. The festival symbolises the triumph of good over evil with the Goddess Durga slaying the most powerful demon, Mahisasur. This is the season for receiving and giving gifts. New clothes are purchased. Shops overflow with the latest goods. People visit thousands of puja pandals (makeshift shrines) set up across the city.
Durga Puja is celebrated for 10 days during October. The festival symbolises the triumph of good over evil with the Goddess Durga slaying the most powerful demon, Mahisasur. This is the season for receiving and giving gifts. New clothes are purchased. Shops overflow with the latest goods. People visit thousands of puja pandals (makeshift shrines) set up across the city.
The festival reaches its climax on the 10th day, Mahadasami. On this day, statues
and cutouts of the goddess Durga slaying the demon is carried in decorated carts
or trucks in festive processions and immersed in the Hooghly River. Laxmi Puja is
celebrated on a full moon night, five days after Mahadashami, when the Goddess of
wealth Lakshmi is revered. Kali Puja, performed to pay obeisance to Kali, the Goddess
of destruction, is celebrated towards the end of October or the beginning of November.
Kali is worshipped as the Mother Goddess who protects all from evil. The image of Kali usually shows her foot on Lord Shiva's chest, a severed head in one hand, her sword in the other, and wearing a garland of skulls. The actual puja ceremony takes place at midnight on the day of the new moon. Kali Puja coincides with Diwali, the festival of lights. Family members clean their households and light up candles in the home. It is a night of much revelry, with Bengalis bursting firecrackers until the wee hours. On the occasions of Durga Puja and Kali Puja, special drummers, the Dhakis, using huge drums made of a hollow mango tree branch and goatskin, arrive from all over Bengal to play during the festival. Noboborsho marks the beginning of Bengali New Year, which normally occurs in mid-April. Businessmen carry their new "halkhata" account books, statues of Ganesh and Lakshmi to the Kali Temple for blessings. On Charak Puja, the eve of the Bengali New Year, devotees at Chatu Babu Bazar attach themselves to giant rotating swings symbolising the cycles of life.
Makar Sankranti: The Makar Sankranti festival in mid-January marks the winter solstice. Over 5,00,000 pilgrims gather on Sagar Dwip, an island some 150 kilometres south of Kolkata, for the three-day Ganga Sagar Mela between January 12 and 14. Sagar Dwip is the place where the waters of the Ganges merge with Bay of Bengal.
