| Calcutta (Kolkata, কলকাতা) | |
 | |
| The Victoria Memorial, a memory of Raj. | |
| Information | |
| Country |  India |
|---|---|
| Region | Eastern india |
| Watercourse | Hooghly |
| Area | 206,08 km² |
| Population | 4 496 694 hab. () |
| Density | 21 820,14 inhab./km² |
| Postal code | 700001 |
| Spindle | UTC 05:30 |
| Location | |
 22 ° 34 ′ 22 ″ N 88 ° 21 ′ 50 ″ E | |
| Official site | |
Calcutta (officially called Kolkata since 1995) is a city located in the region ofEastern india, in India. It's a huge city, with several neighborhoods offering tours, restaurants, hotels, and nightlife.
Calcutta is the capital of West Bengal and one of the largest urban agglomerations ofIndia. It is the largest city in eastern India. It is a city which both shocks and charms the uninformed visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the Bengal Renaissance, the “City of Joy” continues to give birth to generations of poets, writers, directors and Nobel Prize winners. If you can only visit one or two metropolitan cities in India, you should definitely consider placing Calcutta in the itinerary. Loved or hated, the city on the shore of the Hooghly River remains unforgettable.
Neighborhoods
- Esplanade - The colonial district is still the central business district and is considered the heart of Calcutta. Consisting of Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), Dalhousie Square (B.B.D. Bag), Chandni Chowk, Barra Bazaar and Sudder Street.
- South Calcutta - The upscale part of town. Covers Ballygunge, Gariahat, Bhawanipur, Alipore, Chetla, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Park Circus and Entally.
- Southern fringes - The localities are multiplying rapidly south of the city. This district includes Tollygunge, Behala, Joka, Pailan, Jadavpur, Garia and Narendrapur. There are a number of educational establishments and lavish shopping malls in this area. It is a relatively new part of the city, where urbanization is progressing strongly.
- Maidan - The area comprising the immense park and its surrounding neighborhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Khidirpur, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank, and Chowringhee.
- North Calcutta - The old quarter of the city, a fascinating district dominated by small alleys and hundreds of century-old buildings. Includes Chitpur, Bagbazar, Belgachhia, Shyam Bazaar, Shobha Bazaar, Maniktala, Jora Sanko and the famous College Street area. There is also the Sealdah Station, one of the largest rail hubs in India, and the newly constructed Calcutta Station.
- North fringes - The large industrial zone, north of the city, extends to Naihati and Barasat. It includes Kashipur, Dumdum, Belghoria, Khardah, Panihati, Titagarh, Barrackpore, Madhyamgram, etc. There are a number of factories including jute, paper, cotton, munitions and chemicals. Dum Dum, which is Calcutta's prime communication hub, with an international airport, Metro Rail, Circular Rail and Ground Rail, is in this neighborhood.
- East Calcutta - This district is developing rapidly, particularly the IT sector, and is home to the largest shopping center in theIndia. It encompasses Salt Lake City (Bidhan Nagar), Chinar Park, Rajarhat, Town Lake and the E. M. Bypass. Many five-star hotels, theme parks, chic housing estates and techno-parks are being built in this area.
- Howrah - Although technically it is an autonomous city, Howrah is indeed a part of the metropolitan area of Calcutta, and Howrah station is where one arrives or leaves from, when a connection with any destination north or west of Calcutta.
Understand
Story
The history of Calcutta is closely linked to the British East India Company, which arrived in Calcutta in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock is generally considered to be the founder of Calcutta. There were then three villages, named Sutanuti, Govindapur and Kolkata. The village of Kolkata became the city of Calcutta. However, in recent years a number of Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata occupies the site of an ancient Indian city, centered around the ancient temple of Kali, at Kalighat. The Calcutta High Court ruled legalizing this version and rejected Job Charnock's name as the city's founder and August 24 as his date of birth. This historic judgment is based on the conclusions of a high-level committee of experts. Calcutta has been proven to have a highly civilized society for centuries, before the arrival of Europeans.
Whatever its origins, Calcutta flourished as the capital of British India, during the 19e century, the golden age of Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university was founded there in 1857. Calcutta became the center of Indian arts and literature and the national independence movement made its debut there. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911, the consequences of the partition of Bengal in 1947, the birth of a violent and bloody Maoist movement (the Naxalite movement), in the 1970s, and strong instability politically, Calcutta has become synonymous with urban degradation and poverty. Progress is however noticeable.
Modern Calcutta
Calcutta is the main economic, commercial and financial center of eastern India. It experienced an economic decline from the end of the sixties until the end of the nineties. The city's economic activity reversed this trend with the economic liberalization of India in the early 1990s, which spread to Calcutta at the end of the 1990s. Calcutta is a cosmopolitan and multicultural city. Besides the diversity of its Indian populations, there are also Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, etc.) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese and Tibetans).
Since 1977, a "Left Front", a coalition of Communist and Marxist parties, has continuously governed the state. This is reflected in the names of streets and monuments in the city. For example, there are streets like Lenin Sarani, Ho Chi Minh Sarani, etc. The Left Front stripped the Trinamul Congress of control of Calcutta Municipality in the 2005 municipal elections. However, in 2010, the Trinamul Congress regained power in Calcutta.
To go
By plane
- 1 Netaji-Subhash-Chandra-Bose International Airport (IATA : CCU, ICAO: VECC, নেতাজী সুভাসচন্দ্র বসু বিমান বন্দর) to Dum Dum (17 km northeast of city center)
By train
By car
By bus
Circulate
By taxi
Taxi is rather expensive in town:
- To cross the city (from north to south) count 100 rupees.
- To go from the station to Park Street (the cheapest area for hotels), it will be 50 rps
Taxis have either electronic meters or a meter like those on rickshaws (mechanical), this meter does not indicate the price, but refers to a rupee conversion table that all drivers have.
When leaving the station, many drivers will offer you much higher prices, prefer the pre-paid taxi outside Howrah station to avoid any surprises.
By Metro
The first metro in India, and runs smoothly, metro every 10 min about which allows you to cross the city from north to south and stops at most tourist spots. 7 h To 21 h 45, Sunday of 15 h To 21 h 45.Count 4 rupees per trip (1 ticket = 1 trip) if you stay in Calcutta and 6 rupees to see the suburbs of Calcutta. Currently only one metro line is available and crosses the city from north to south.
By bus
To see
- Indian Museum. 10 rupees if you are Indian, 100 rupees for a foreigner. Allow 100 Rps more if you have a camera. The museum is housed in a large building dating from the Victorian era. Inside, lots of fossils from prehistoric times, stuffed animals and prehistoric skeletons. There are also Hindu and Buddhist statues and sculptures that have been recovered from certain temples.
- Academy of Fine Arts. Open from 12 h To 19 h, except Monday. 2 Cathedral Road. Free
If you are on Sudder Street take the metro next to the Indian Museum and stop at 'Rabindra Sadan' station (only 2 stations) This place is a cultural center of Bengal, contemporary local and Indian artists exhibit their canvases or sculptures.Outside there are many small shops selling all kinds of books, newer ones, encyclopedias and old books, and young people meet here to chat, have a drink and have a good time, a place pleasant therefore and a mini cultural center.
- Kali temple. 5 small temples, some of which have been undergoing renovation for a long time, to go there: Kalighat metro station. The temples are not exceptional but the city's poor and sadus seem to gather here to have a good time.Many children play in the very courtyard of the temple which does not seem as active as the temples in the south of the India, which makes it much more joyful. The houses around are very poor and the river which passes behind is in a disastrous state but that does not prevent the families from coming to throw coins in this river to have the blessing of Kali. Some (children and old) come in the late afternoon to look for these pieces in the mud and the rubbish lying around.
- 1 Victoria Memorial Hall
Do
To learn
Volunteering
Several possibilities of volunteering are available around Kolkata.
- Human Wave, 103, Tentultala Lane, Mankundu, Hooghly 712136 [1], Phone: 91 26 854904, Email: [email protected]. HUMAN WAVE is an NGO helping children, women and communities around Kolkata. Visit their website [2] for more information on volunteer opportunities.
To buy
Eat
Cheap
Middle class
Luxury
Have a drink / Go out
Housing
Most hotels, lodges and guesthouses are located on Sudder Street.
Cheap
When taking the subway, stop at Park Street and walk 10 min on foot from there. In this street and in the surroundings, no problem to find a hotel, the owners of the hotels which still have room are in the street and you can ask them the price. Count around 100 to 200 rupees for one night for one person.
