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• Howrah Bridge • Fort William • Bellur Math • St. Paul's Cathedral • Eden garden • BBD Bagh • National Library • Indian Museum • Birla Planetarium • Victoria Memorial • Jaldapara Wildlife • Marble Palace • Science City • Botanical Gardens • Dakshineshwar Kali Temple

Howrah Bridge
Howrah Bridge is the first cantilever suspension bridge of its type. Its a feat in modern engineering and technology. Constructed in 1874 over the river Hooghly, the bridge joins the twin cities of Howrah and Kolkata (Calcutta). In year 1871, the need for a bridge between Howrah and Calcutta was felt. After its completion in 1874, it became India's first floating structure. The bridge was partially built in India and partially in Britain. It is one of three bridges on the river Hooghly and is the most famous symbol of not only Calcutta but also West Bengal. Calcutta-Howrah Bridge is a feat of nineteenth-century bridge engineering and technology. The 270 ft high and 1528 ft long bridge was completed in 1874, becoming the biggest floating structure of India. Famed British professional Engineer Sir Bradford Leslie was appointed the chief architect for the project.
Fort William	Top^
Fort William is a must visit tourist attraction place of Calcutta. Situated at the banks of river Hooghly, it was named after King William III of England. Fort William of Kolkata, India, was established during the tenure of British Raj in 1696. It was the guardroom of this two-storied building, where the black hole tragedy took place. During the Plassey war in 1757, Siraj Ud Daulah, the Nawab of Bengal attacked on the fort and defeated the Britishers. This paved way for the construction of a new fort by British. The new fort was initiated by Robert Clive, which got completed by 1780. The basic purpose of setting up Calcutta Fort William was to prevent attacks from Muslim invaders. The area that was cleared around the fort became maidan, where several exhibitions and fairs take place. The foundation of the old fort is still intact. Till date, it is a military area and the Arsenal inside it is worth watching, but for that prior permission of the commanding officer is required.
Bellur Math	Top^
The headquarters of the Ramkrishna mission established by Swami Vivekanand is dedicated to the preaching of Ramkrishna Paramhansa such as unity among all the religions. He was a great Indian philosopher and died in 1897. Belur Math, the Math is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, situated 6 km north of Kolkata. The Ramakrishna Temple; which looks like a church, mosque or temple; depending from where it is viewed, is a building of unique architecture that symbolizes the unique faith of its congregation. On the other bank of the river is the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple where Ramakrishna received his spiritual vision after meditation. There are also 12 Siva temples here.
St. Paul's Cathedral	Top^
St.Paul's Cathedral is built on the Indo-Gothic style of architecture. It was built in the year 1847 by Major W.N.Forbes of the East India Company. The height of the Cathedral is 201 ft. This Cathedral has the rare distinction of being the 1st Episcopal Church of the East. The peak of St.Paul's Cathedral has been designed as a replica of the famous Canterbury Cathedral's Henry Tower. One of the prized possession of the Cathedral is the "Communion Plate" which Queen Victoria bestowed upon Bishop Wilson. The stained glass of the western window, designed in 1880 by Sir Edward Burne Jones is indeed marvelous and during the sunset the reflection through the window is truly ethereal. The Cathedral also has beautiful Florentine frescoes, which are of outstanding quality. For devout Christians and people with an interest in art and architecture, a visit to this majestic Raj-era cathedral is indeed very inspiring.
Eden Garden	Top^
The gardens were named after the sister of Alexander and now houses one of the largest stadiums of India, also known as the Ranji stadium. It also has a wooden pagoda and many beautiful trees. The first ever first-class match that took place in the Eden Gardens was in 1917-18 and the first test match to be played here was in January 1934 against Douglas Jardine's MCC. It was in February 1987, when the first ODI match was hosted here. It has undergone a tremendous modernization and infact, today it boasts of its large accommodation that can capaticitate about 1,20,000 persons. Eden gardens of Calcutta definitely falls into the category of must see places.
BBD Bagh	Top^
The memorial dedicated to the three brave Bengali martyrs known as Dinesh, Badal and Binay, is also the commercial centre of the city. It is also known as the Dalhousie square and houses Raj Bhawan, Assembly house, High Court and General Post Office along with the Secretariat. GPO is said to be situated at the venue of the first fort of British in India. There is also the legend of the infamous Black Hole associated with the area, where is it said that the tyrant Siraj-Ud-Daulla cramped 146 people in a small room for a night and only 23 survived the ordeal and were found alive in the morning. BBD Bagh and its surrounding roads and areas like Netaji Subhash Road, Biplabi Trailakya Maharaj (formerly Brabourne) Sarani, Lyons Range, India Exchange Place, Mission Row, R.N. Mukherjee Road and Fairlie Place form the older commercial hub of the city.
Botanical Gardens	Top^
Botanical Gardens 20 km from the heart of town is the oldest botanical garden in India and a haven for nature lovers. Spread over 273 acres, it contains over 30,000 varieties of trees and plants. The garden's main attraction is the world's largest banyan tree, 200 years old with over 600 aerial roots. Thus the scrumptious Assam and Darjeeling teas trace their roots to this garden. Apart from the regular Indian species it is also possible to be amongst some rare breeds straight from the Amazon and Congo basins, Brazil, Sumatra as well as Java. The grand sight of soaring Mahogany trees, enchanting and natural Orchid House and the glorious Cuban Palms is a memory of a lifetime.
Birla Planetarium	Top^
Birla Planetarium One of the most technically advanced in the world, the Birla Planetarium is close to the crossing of Theatre Road and Chowringhee Road. Daily shows are held in English, Hindi and Bengali as the planetarium's gigantic projector recreates the night sky. The Planetarium also has an astronomical library and art gallery. Birla planetarium provides a parlance where astronomical presentations take place. It provides useful piece of information about our solar system, galaxies, life span of stars, space, planets and other heavenly bodies in the most interactive manner via audio video aids. Usually the lectures are given in English, Hindi, and Bengali and occasionally in Oriya, Tamil & Gujarati. Calcutta Birla planetarium is a single storied circular edifice designed in the typical Indian style. It is a must see place for those interested in astronomy. Its astronomy gallery maintains a huge collection of fine paintings & celestial models of renowned astronomers. It enables you to explore science outdoors.
Dakshineswar Kali Temple	Top^
The ancient temple, which was reconstructed in 1809 in its present form, is also known as the Kalighat temple. The city was named Calcutta or Kolkata after this temple as an anglicized version of Kalikata. Dakshineswar Temple On the banks of the Ganges near Bally bridge you can find one temple of goddess Kali & 12 temples of God Shiva worth a photo. The temple compound, apart from the nine-spired main temple, contains a large courtyard surrounding the temple, with rooms along the boundary walls. There are twelve shrines dedicated to the aspects of Shiva, Kali's companion, along the riverfront, a temple to Radha-Krishna, a bathing ghat on the river, a bookshop, a shrine to Rani Rashmoni. The chamber in the northwestern corner just beyond the last of the Shiva temples, is where Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa spent a considerable part of his life.
Marble Palace	Top^
Once the private mansion of a Zamindar, it was built in 1835. Today, it serves as a private zoo and museum with several statues and paintings on display. The Marble Palace in Kolkata is an exquisitely engineered palatial mansion that was built by Raja Rajendra Mullick Bahadur, who was one of the wealthiest landlords of Bengal in the year 1835. It's sheer magnificence and scintillating artistry will surely captivate you in a state of trance. This architectural masterpiece is made from the extensive use of Italian marble. The lush green lawn in front of it is clad with statues of Hindu Gods, The Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, the great explorer Christopher Columbus, Lord Buddha and some lions. The Marble Palace in Kolkata was named so by Lord Minto as 126 different types of marbles, accumulated from different corners of the country were employed to give shape to this one of a kind architectural delight.
National Library	Top^
The National Library, India is the largest library in the country. Housed in the former residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, the library contains almost 2 million books and nearly half a million documents. It is an institution of National importance under the 'Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Government of India'. The library is designated to collect, disseminate and preserve the printed material produced in the country, attracts almost a thousand readers every day. National library has a huge collection of books and periodicals received from different parts of the country. Here, you can find books in almost all the Indian languages. There are separate language divisions that process the information for their readers in their respective native languages. Some of the language divisions that maintain their own collection consist of Hindi, Kashmiri, Punjabi, Sindhi, Telugu and Urdu. Also, these language divisions help in solving the reference queries of their readers. There is a separate division for children that cater to their information and recreation needs
Indian Museum	Top^
Indian Museum was established in 1914. First of its kind and still the largest in the country. The Museum has six sections : Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Geology, Zoology, and Industry (Economic Botany). The Art Section comprises Tibetan temple banners, metal images, enamelled wares, bidriwares, ornaments, silver wares, glass wares, pottery, ivory and bone work, wooden sculptures, leather objects, lacquered toys. The Archaeological Section displays stone-age artifacts from India and abroad, pre-historic antiquities from Mohenjodaro, Harappa The Anthropological Section displays numerous objects of material cultures of both tribal and non-tribal peoples of India. The extensive Geological Section has over 80,000 specimens, displayed in four galleries showing varieties of meteorites, precious stones, ornamental building stones, rocks and minerals and fossils. The Zoological section, is rich with innumerable specimens of insects, fish, reptiles, mammals and birds. The industrial Section has several thousand botanical specimens bearing upon medicine, forestry, agriculture and cottage-industry. The Museum has a publication unit and a library.
Victoria Memorial	Top^
A splendid architectural structure in white marble, modelled on the Taj Mahal, was built in the early 20th Century in memory of Queen Victoria between 1906 and 1921 and was formally inaugurated by the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VIII of England. Set in beautiful garden grounds, the Victoria Memorial houses a large bronze statue of the Queen Empress Topped with a moving angel this memorial faces the Calcutta Maidan. The statues of Motherhood, Prudence, Learning, Art, Justice, Architecture and Charity are brought from Italy. The magical lighting effect in the evening and a fairy tale 'Fountain of Joy' facing the memorial building create an atmosphere of unforgettable charm. It also has a 5 meter tall bronze winged figure of Victory, weighing 3 tons. It was designed by Sir William Emerson. It also act as a museum, where people could see before them pictures and statues of men who played a prominent part in the history of India. Presently it is the finest and most prominent building and art museum of Calcutta, India, under the Department of Culture, Govt. of India.
Science City	Top^
Science city is truly a unique center of science, communication and environment. This institute was built in 21st century and till date it is the only one of its kinds within the country. Calcutta science city is located on Calcutta's Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. It can capacitate about 2215 persons. The science city of Kolkata, India consists of the main auditorium, 1 small size auditorium and about 8 fully air conditioned seminar halls. These seminar halls are well equipped with latest technology audiovisual systems. It is easy to reach Science city, as it easily accessible by buses and other means of transportation. The concept of science city is simply mind-blowing. Infact, it has given a new dimension to the field of science that teaches various scientific aspects through the process of discovery and that too in the outdoor settings. Open on all weekdays except Mondays the Science city is one place to get lost in the cycle of evolution with roaring dinosaurs, mammoths, sabre tooths and many other Jurassic life size creatures. Hold your breath all these activities can be undertaken within a budget of Rs 100/- per head, just make sure that you reach early so that you don’t regret the lack of time for not being able to do justice to each section.
Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary	Top^
The Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Alipurduar sub-division of Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal and about 124 km from Siliguri. This wildlife sanctuary is spread over an area of 114 square km. and located close to Phuntsholing in Bhutan. The nine tributaries of the Torsa river flow through the area which is shaded by tall grasses, mighty trees, perennial streams and sandy riverbanks. This sanctuary was established in the year 1941 for the protection of one-horned rhinos. The one–horned rhino, tiger, including the Royal Bengal Tiger, wild elephant, deer, bear, sambar, barking deer, hog Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary, West Bengal deer, leopard, wild pig, bison and various other birds can also be seen here. Elephant safaris can be enjoyed at the Sanctuary. The best time to visit the sanctuary is between October and May. The nearest airport is situated at Bagdogra. Jaldapara is connected by road with Darjeeling and Siliguri. The Madarihat is the nearest railway station which is only 7 kms from the Sanctuary.