| North Calcutta (Calcutta) | |
 | |
| State | India |
|---|---|
| Federated state | West Bengal |
North Calcutta is a district of the city of Calcutta.
To know
Shovabazar Rajbari thakur dalan during Durga Puja
North Calcutta is the oldest area of Calcutta, a charming district dominated by narrow alleys and hundreds of century-old buildings. It includes Barabazar, Chitpur Road, Bagbazar, Belgachhia, Shyambazar, Shobhabazar, Maniktala, Jorasanko and the College Street area. Also located here are Sealdah Station, one of India's largest railway hubs, and the newly built Calcutta Station.
How to orient yourself
North Calcutta: full screen map.Below is a list of the main landmarks in the area:
- 1 [link not working]Bose Institute, 93/1 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Rd (Located next to the Rajabazar Science College). A scientific research institute founded by Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose in 1917 in what was his former residence. It is now the main campus at the head of several branches.
- 2 Medical College of Calcutta. Founded in 1835, it was the first Medical College in Asia.
- 3 Shovabazar Rajbari, 33 & 36 Raja Nabakrishna Deb St. The Rajbari, now partly in ruins, was probably built around or before 1757. The Durga Puja was started in 1757, after the British victory at the Battle of Plassey.
Rabindra Sarani, formerly known as Chitpore Road, is now considered an extension of the Burrabazar
- 4 Presidency University. Established as a Hindu College in 1817, renamed as Presidency College in 1855 and converted into a university in 2010.
- 5 Star Theater (Near the Hatibagan intersection).
- 6 Calcutta University. The first Western-style Indian university founded on January 24, 1857.
How to get
Sealdah Railway Station
Thakur Bari
On the train
Shallow suburban tracks cross the eastern border of north Calcutta. The circular rail system covers the western and northern edges of northern Calcutta. The stations in this area are:
- 7 Calcutta railway station (Chitpore). Circular railway station.
- 8 Tala railway station. Circular railway station.
- 9 Baghbazar railway station. Circular railway station.
- 10 Sovabazar Ahiritola railway station. Circular railway station.
- 11 Barabazar railway station. Circular railway station.
- 12 Bidhannagar Road Railway Station.
- 13 Patipukur railway station. Circular railway station.
- 14 Sealdah Railway Station. Sealdah Railway Station was built with the laying of the Eastern Bengal Railway main line in 1862. It is among the busiest railway stations in the country with huge numbers of people commuting to the city for work.
By bus
The longer roads in Kolkata have a north-south alignment and as such road transport is available from north Kolkata to other parts of Kolkata. However, road transport slows down during peak business hours.
By subway
The metro is the fastest and most convenient way to reach the north of Kolkata. However, there is only one path that runs along the city from north to south. This means that you may need to switch to other modes of transport to reach your destination. There are rides every 10/15 minutes at a cost of ₹ 5/15. The service operates at the following times: Mon-Sat 7: 02-21: 49 and Sun 10: 02-21: 49.
Marble palace
The metro runs from Noapara (on the northern edge) to Kavi Subhas (New Garia) in the southeast. The entire metro route within North Calcutta is underground. North Calcutta metro stations are:
- 15 Noapara metro station.
- 16 Dum Dum Metro Station.
- 17 Belgachia metro station.
- 18 Shyambazar metro station.
- 19 Shovabazar Sutanuti metro station.
- 20 Girish Park Underground Station.
- 21 Mahatma Gandhi Road Metro Station.
How to get around
What see
The northern part of Calcutta is home to the old buildings belonging to the Zamindar (owners), other wealthy Bengalis who traded with the British. Preserve the cultural heritage of Calcutta. The structures of the building give an impression of the real people who occupied them. The area is generally busy and has some interesting markets including the famous ones Mail, Burrabazar, the College Street Book Market, where with a little patience you can find many out of print books. While on College Street a visit to College St Coffee House. Also around the area are the Calcutta Medical College, the Presidency College and theCalcutta University, all pioneers in their field within the country.
- Bauddha Dharmankur Sabha, 1 Buddhist Temple St (Close to Indian Airways headquarters), ☎ 91 33 2211 7138. A Buddhist monastery founded in 1892 and run by the Bengal Buddhist Association. The distinguished red building is mostly made up of a school and a guest house. There is a small hidden Buddhist shrine on the first floor.
- 1 Datta Ancestral Home (Vivekananda birthplace), 3 Gour Mohan Mukherjee St. The 18th century building was in a dilapidated condition, getting worse by the day. The Ramkrishna Mission acquired it, along with an adjacent lot, in May 1999. The mission restored Swamiji's ancestral home without changing any of its original architectural features. It houses Swamiji's birthplace, the meditation hall (first floor) and the museum, where some of the items used by Swamiji, his father, his mother and his brothers are kept.
- 2 Calcutta Police Museum, 113 Acharya Prafulla Chandra Rd, ☎ 91 33 23607704 (director).
Tue-Sun 10 am-5pm. The museum seeks to collect, preserve and interpret objects related to the history of the Calcutta police. The exhibits include various items seized during the country's freedom struggle. - 3 Mahabodhi Society of India, 4A Bankim Chatterjee St (Near College St), ☎ 91 33 2219 9294. A small but interesting Theravedan Buddhist temple located in a historic building. There is a library and a sanctuary room on the second floor. Meditation classes take place every first and third Sunday of the month.
- 4 Mahajati Sadan, 166 Chittaranjan Ave. Auditorium and cultural center planned as part of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's independence movement. The first stone was laid in 1939 by Rabindranath Tagore, who called it Mahajati Sadan (House of the Nation). It was completed by Dr. B.C. Roy in the early 1950s.
- 5 Marble Palace, Chorbagan, 46, Muktaram Babu Street, Jorasanko (Close to Tagore House; Mahatma Gandhi Road subway station). 10:00-16:00. Built in 1840 by Raja Rajendra Mullick, now a museum. You can spend the afternoon there among precious art objects including works by Rubens and Sir Joshua Reynold. The marble palace was the private residence of Zamindar (land owner) Raja Rajendro Mullick, who had built this palace in 1835. It is located in a congested part of the city. A real garden, perhaps an acre with a Palladian manor in the center. Today this place has an incongruous collection of statues and paintings. There is also a private zoo which houses a collection of birds from different corners of the world.
- 6 Parashnath Jain Temple (Close to Belgachia metro station). Admission is officially reserved for Janists only since 2012 by order of the management.
- 7 Parashnath Jain Temple (In Gouribari). Less visited than that of Belgachia.
- 8 Rabindra Bharati Museum (Jorasanko Thakur Bari or The house of the Tagore), 6/4 Dwarakanath Tagore Lane, Jorasanko, ☎ 91 33 22181744, @[email protected].
₹ 50; students ₹ 25. Tue-Sun 10: 30-17: 00. Jorasanko Thakur Bari is the ancestral home of the Tagore family. Rabindra Bharati University was founded here in 1962. - 9 [link not working]Raja Rammohan Roy Memorial Museum, 85A, Raja Rammohan Roy Sarani, ☎ 91 33 2360 5122. The relics in the museum consist of photographs, sketches, paintings and excerpts from Rammohun's writings and others reproduced, as far as possible, in facsimile. Also period furniture and representations of dioramas designed to recreate the times. Together, they not only give us glimpses of the various facets of one of the greatest personalities of the modern age, but at the same time they take us back to a historical period when India was at the crossroads, and Rammohun announced the advent of 'was modern.
- 10 Vidyasagar Smriti Mandir, 36 & 36/1 Vidyasagar St (Approachable from Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road or Raja Rammohan Roy Sarani), ☎ 91 33 22413018. The former residential home of Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, a social reformer, language pioneer and key figure in Bengal's revival, has now been transformed into a women's college running various vocational and language courses. The heritage building, renamed with its present name, has a part used as a museum.
Tue-Sun 10 am-5pm. The museum seeks to collect, preserve and interpret objects related to the history of the Calcutta police. The exhibits include various items seized during the country's freedom struggle.
₹ 50; students ₹ 25. What to do
Shopping
- Burrabazar (Letteralmante: large market). The Calcutta wholesale market is distributed between Burrabazar and Posta. The place where it is located is the old Sutanuti Hut before the British arrived. With the influx of Marwaris (a commercial class) during British rule from northern India, it was transformed into Burrabazar. The saying goes that if one is willing to pay a price, whatever is available at the Burrabazar. The market thrives by selling large quantities at affordable prices.
- Hatibagan-Shaymbazar market, Spread along Bidhan Sarani.
- Manicktala market. A large market for many varieties of fish.
- Mullick Ghat. Wholesale flower market. At the base of Howrah Bridge, on the Kolkata side, is the city's bustling flower market. Flowers are an essential part of city life, they are bought not only for temple prayers but also for wedding decorations, events and festivals.
- Orchid Point, 3 / 1A Upendra Chandra Banerjee Road, Kankurgachhi. There are the main brands.
How to have fun
- 1 Indian Coffee House, 1F, 15 Bankim Chatterjee Street (Facing College Street), ☎ 91 33 2241 4869. A venerable building managed by the Indian Coffee Workers Cooperative Society. High ceilings, peeling paint, skylights, and traditionally uniformed workers create a 1920s or 1930s movie image. Also, the coffee and food are good and cheap.
- 2 Paramount Juices & Shakes, 1D, Bankim Chatterjee Street, College Square, ☎ 91 33 22192433.
Where to eat
Average prices
- 1 Allen Kitchen, 40/1, Jatindra Mohan Avenue (Close to Sovabazar Sutanuti metro station). 16:00-21:00. Famous for its shrimp cutlet. One of the oldest restaurants in Kolkata, founded in the late 19th century.
- 2 Chinese Breakfast, Sun Yat Sen Street (Behind Poddar Court). Snacks under ₹ 30. Before 8:30. A delicious experience in Calcutta where Chinese fish are steamed, fried or in soup. Many of the Chinese who gather in the bazaar come here.
- 3 Golbari (New Punjabi Hotel), 211, Acharya Prafulla Chandra Road (At the five-point intersection of Shyambazar). Famous for the Kosha Mangsho (spicy goat meat).
- 4 Niranjan Hagar (Next to the north west exit of Girish Park tube station). 16:00-21:00. Famous fryer. Try their duck roe, mutton koftas and special fried fish.
- 5 Mitra Cafe (Diagonally opposite the Shyambazar metro station). Famous for his Brain Chop. Also try the various ribs, cutlets or Afghans.
- 6 New Madras Tiffin, 138, Bidhan Sarani, Hatibagan, ☎ 91 9804237342. 10:00-22:00. Good South Indian vegetarian. The articles of Mysore, Dosa, Dahi vada and Kulfi are absolutely worth trying
- 7 Only 4 Chinese Gazab (Gazab), 34C, Shyampukur Street, Hatibagan, ☎ 91 33 30859011. 12:00-22::30. Chinese products of Indian quality and excellent pork. Also try their Darsaan with vanilla ice cream.
- 8 Rupa, 222A, Acharya Prafulla Chandra Rd (At the five-point intersection of Shyambazar). Quality Bengali lunch. Famous for Shukto - Bhaat (Bengali dish of bitter gourd and rice) and Kosha Mangsho (spicy goat meat).
- Chittaranjan Mistanna Bhandar, 73, Shyampukur Street, Shyambazar (Near the Shambazar A.V.). A centennial sweet shop famous for Bengali sweets like Rosogolla, Rajbhog, Chomchom, etc. To try: Rosogolla and Modhuporko.
Where stay
Moderate prices
- Anand Bhavan, 95 Chittaranjan Ave (Opposite the Calcutta Medical College), ☎ 91 33 22374014.
- 1 AV Hotels Pvt Ltd, 1 Shambhu Mullick Lane, Burrabazar, ☎ 91 33 22687741, 91 33 2268-7746, 91 33 2268-7748, 91 33 2268-7749. Northern Indian vegetarian cuisine.
- Avenue Club Hotel, 95A Chittaranjan Ave (Opposite the Calcutta Medical College), ☎ 91 33 2236-4988, 91 33 22257337.
- 2 De Bengal hotels, 17 Mahatma Gandhi Rd, ☎ 91 33 2360-3512.
- Lovely Guest House, 17 Manindra Mitra St (Opposite Surendranath College, just off Mahatma Gandhi Road).
- Mahabodhi Society of India, 4A Bankim Chatterjee Rd (Next to College St), ☎ 91 33 2219-9294. Room with private bathroom ₹ 250, room with shared bathroom ₹ 150; dorm place for ₹ 60. The guesthouse is part of the Buddhist monastery and, although simple, has a lot of character.
- Padma Hotel, 131 Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Rd (Close to the Sealdah flyover), ☎ 91 33 2227-0552.
- 3 Palace Hotel, 31/2 Mahatma Gandhi Rd, ☎ 91 33 2350-0634.
- 4 Santiniketan Hotel, 16B, Mahatma Gandhi Rd, ☎ 91 33 23501661.
Average prices
- 5 Ashoka Hotel, 133, Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Rd (In front of Sealdah Court, across the flyover), ☎ 91 33 66039939.
- 6 Raja Guest House Pvt. Ltd., 8/2 Bhawani Dutta Ln (Close to Presidency College), ☎ 91 33 2241-3827.
For places to sleep in the Sudder Street area see Esplanade, for the Ballygunge area see South Calcutta. For other areas, see the relevant area page.
