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Howrah Bridge |
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Howrah Bridge, located over the Hoogli River in West Bengal, India, is said to be the busiest bridge of the world. It got its name owing to the fact that it connects the city of Howrah to kolkata. Hawrah Bridge in Kolkata, India, also known by the name 'Rabindra Setu', was set up in 1874. It stands on two 270 feet high pillars. kolkata Howrah Bridge is a cantilever truss bridge that was constructed without using any nuts and bolts. Though, earlier it had a tram route, but presently, it is serving mainly as a Road Bridge. Howrah bridge has got two sister bridges also, namely, Vidyasagar Setu and the Vivekananda Setu that are situated at different points over the hoogly river. This bridge acts as an important symbol of Kolkata. kolkata-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. |
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Fort William |
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 Fort William is a rather impressive testimony of the British Raj’s military acumen.
It is interesting to note that the state is the proud owner of two Fort William’s, which served as a stronghold of the Indian army in East India. The imposing edifice was built under the able supervision of mastermind architects Sir Charles Eyre and John Beard.The construction of the Government House, located within the rambling acres of Fort William, was started in the year 1702 and was completed in 1706. This edifice was christened after William II, King of England. However, the entire compound took a longer time to be completed and came into existence only in the year 1781. The whole idea was that Fort William was an impenetrable fort of the Indian Army. Currently, however, Fort William serves as the Military Head quarters of the Eastern Command and can hold a garrison up to strength of 10,000 troops. |
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Bellur Math |
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 Belur Math is located on the West Bank of the Ganges river. It is one of the finest specimen of temple architecture in India. The architecture on display at Belur Math has a harmonious fusion of three principal world religion - Christian, Mohammedan and Hinduism i.e. At Belur Math you will find architectural elements of a church, mosque and a temple.The architectural design of Belur Math is a reflection of the "International Brotherhood of Religion" which was preached by the 19th century spiritual giant and seer - Bhagawan Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansadev. The idea of a permanent monastic base or Math was first conceptualized by the great Swami Vivekananda who was one of the foremost disciples of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna. After the passing away of Thakur Sri Ramakrishna, most of his disciples led a wandering life. Some went to the Himalayas, some to the South Indian pilgrim spots and soon. They did not have any platform from where they could carry out their austerities. Seeing the deplorable condition of his brother monks, the great Swami with the blessings of te Holy Mother Sarada Devi who was Thakur Sri Ramakrishna's holy consort, decided to build anorder or Math and thus the Ramakrishna Mission was born in the year 1897. |
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St. Paul's Cathedral |
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 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. |
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Eden Garden |
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 Kolkata, apart from being a land of culture and traditions, is also passionate about sports. Famous for its craze for football and cricket, the city boasts of housing the oldest cricket ground in India, the famous Eden Garden. It is also known to be the stadium with one of the largest cricketing facilities in the world. Also called the Lord's of Asia, Eden Garden club came into existence in the year 1864. The sitting capacity of the stadium is 90,000, which is one of the largest in the whole of India.Apart from a cricket ground, Eden Garden comprises of an indoor cricket stadium, two indoor sports complexes and the All India Radio building. The stadium hosted its first ever first-class cricket match in 1917-18. The first test match of this stadium was played in January 1934. A one day match was played here for the first time in February 1987, between India and Pakistan. The stadium, till now, boasts of having hosted 35 Test matches and 21 One Day International matches. |
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BBD Bagh |
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 It was later called the Tank Square and then the Dalhousie Square. Now it was renamed after Benoy, Badal, and Dinesh, three freedom fighters who were hung by the British during the protests against the partition of Bengal in 1905. The tank in the centre, fed by natural springs, is said to have supplied Charnock with drinking water. 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. There are many historical buildings, offices, business centers and banks which surround the square.
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Botanical Gardens |
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 Botanical Garden in kolkata, famous for its enormous collections of orchids, bamboos, palms, and plants of the screw pine genus (Pandanus). The garden covers more than 109 hectares (270 acres), on which about 1,700 plant species are cultivated. It was founded in 1787 by the East India Company, primarily for the purpose of acclimatizing new plants of commercial value and growing spices for trade. A major change in policy, however, was introduced by the botanist William Roxburgh after he became superintendent of the garden in 1793. Roxburgh brought in plants from all over India and developed an extensive herbarium. This collection of dried plant specimens eventually became the Central National Herbarium of the Botanical Survey of India, which comprises 2,500,000 items. Over the years attractive display gardens for the public have been developed and many kinds of plants have been cultivated for scientific observation. During the 1970s the garden initiated a program to introduce improved food plants and other varieties of economic benefit to the people of India. The best-known landmark of the garden is an enormous banyan tree that is more than 300 m (1,000 feet) in circumference and thought to be two centuries old. |
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Birla Planetarium |
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 Birla Planetarium is sure to set the heart racing of any science enthusiast and even a believer of God. The vastness of our Universe and the captivating creations of nature are to be seen to be believed. The Birla Planetarium constructed in 1962 provides an excellent opportunity for the locals and visitors to witness the glory of our Universe and try and understand our world and creation in layman’s language.This planetarium presents a series of shows wherein numerous scientific theories and discoveries are displayed on the gigantic dome while the commentary in various Indian languages and English explains the intricate world of planets, galaxies, solar system, and life cycles of stars. |
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Dakshineswar Kali Temple |
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 Dakshineswar Kali Temple is situated alongside the Vivekananda Bridge north of kolkata, about 20 km. from BBD Bagh. It is famous for its association - with Ramkrishna who achieved spiritual vision here. This temple was built by Rani Rashmoni in 1847. The 12- spired temple with its enormous courtyard is surrounded by 12 other temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is a world famous place of pilgrimage and it was here that the famous religious thinker Rama Krishna Paramahamsa achieved his spiritual vision and preached the unity of all religions.Ramakrishna served as temple's head priest. From the first days of his service in the shrine of the goddess Kali, he was filled with a rare form of love for the Goddess known in Hinduism as maha-bhava. Worshiping in front of the statue of Kali, Ramakrishna would be overcome with such ecstatic love for the deity that he would fall to the ground and immersed in spiritual trance, lose all consciousness of the external world. Ramakrishna fully realized the infinite and all-inclusive nature of the divine. |
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Marble Palace |
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 Marble Palace, Kolkata located close to the Tagore’s residence in the northern part of the city and certainly a worth watching place in kolkata (now Kolkata). Marble Palace, Kolkata houses an age-old art gallery owned by the Mallick family of Chorbagan. Built in 1855 with Italian marbles by one of Bengal's richest landlord Raja Rajendra Mullick Bahadur, this art gallery personifies the earliest effort at collecting by a private individual.Marble Palace, Kolkata has an interior courtyard, completes with a throne room and happens to be one of the Heritage Buildings in Kolkata. European art objects, oil paintings, both original and copies, and a varied assortment of Chinese and Japanese porcelain are among its prized collections. The paintings include works by Rembrandt, Reynolds, Rubens and Van Goyen besides many others. There is also a small zoo of birds and non-carnivorous animals. The Marble Palace has confirmed its place in the annals of history despite the colossal presence of the Indian Museum. |
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Science City |
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 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. kolkata science city is located on kolkata'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. |
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Nicco Park |
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 Nicco Park is more popularly known as Jheel Meel. It is the ultimate fun and entertainment destination for kids as well as adults. kolkata Nicco Park, situated at Salt Lake, is an amazing amusement park. It can be said about the Nicco Park of Kolkata, India that, it is like the Disneyland of West Bengal with lots of wonderful games and rides. Its most recent addition is the Cave ride that is very interesting and adventurous. It is a spacious park covering about 40-acre land. It is one of the biggest amusement parks in the country and it was opened in the year 1991.For nature lovers, it is truly a feast for eyes. Its main highlights include the beautiful rose garden and the food park, where you can enjoy the mouthwatering yummy dishes. Popular cuisines include North Indian, Bengali, South Indian and Chinese fast food. Today, Nicco Park enjoys the status of being the first amusement park of the world that has obtained ISO 9002 certification from a famous European Certifying Authority. |
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National Library |
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 The National Library located at the picturesque Belvedere Estate in Kolkata is India's biggest public library with a collection of 22,70,954 books and a huge collection of manuscripts, periodicals and newspapers that cater to the demands of Kolkata's intellectuals.Historically, the National Library happens to be the first public library of Eastern India. Kolkata being the capital capital of British East India Company, it was a place of intense intellectual and scholarly activities and naturally, during the initial years of the British colonial rule, Kolkata had a public library which was run primarily through donations. Apart from the public library, there were a few British Secretariat Libraries and a library at Fort William which served as the military headquarters of the British East India Company. Since none of these libraries functioned professionally, Lord Curzon conceptualized an idea wherein the kolkata Public Library and the Secretariat Libraries of British East India Company were to amalgamated and henceforth a new professionally run library by the name of "Imperial Library" was to be set up. |
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Indian Museum |
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 Indian museum, founded in 1814, is one of the oldest museums of Asia. It is located in Chowringhee on the Jawaharlal Nehru Road. Indian museum of Kolkata, India provides you a complete plethora of items to glance. Infact, there is a need to spend one whole day to view all the items. In the must watch category, we have the 4,000-year-old mummy and the urn that is said to contain the ashes of Buddha. Indian museum is more commonly known as 'Jadughar' as in house of magic, where you can also enjoy the fossils, coins, Gandhara art, stones etc. Initially, Indian museum consisted of two departments, namely, Geological and Zoological on one hand and Archaeological and Anthropological on the other. However, in 1840, the Economic Geology Department was also added. On entering the museum, you can find the history of evolution of man. Each phase of evolution has been superbly depicted. On visiting the museum, you will also come across the preserves of several antiques of Mohenjodaro and Harappa. Thus, it can be said that the Indian museum reveals the life history and culture of Indians from ancient times till date in the most beautiful manner. |
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Victoria Memorial |
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 Victoria Memorial houses a large bronze statue of the Queen Empress Topped with a moving angel this memorial faces the kolkata 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 kolkata, India, under the Department of Culture, Govt. of India. In the evening, the light and sound programs is a major attraction for the tourists. Every day, crowds of people visit the premises from early morning to sunset. Being one of the most popular tourist spot in the city, it is one of the few well-maintained heritage buildings that exist in the city today. |
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