Kolkata (Calcutta): overview

From its beginnings as a small east-coast trading settlement, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) became a city of palaces in the heyday of the Raj. Today it is recognised as a vibrant cultural centre.

Until 1999, when it took on the local Bengali name of Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal was known to the world as Calcutta. For many years a byword for third-world poverty, Kolkata's charismatic Raj-era architecture, endlessly fascinating street life and rich intellectual and artisitic traditions can come as a surprise to visitors expecting only to find deprivation and poverty. 

Kolkata's history

The city's history dates back to 1686, when the East India Company selected the site for its new headquarters. A factory was established soon after which, by 1773, had gained a European population of more than 100,000, swollen by the arrival of new writers, traders, soldiers and what the administration called ‘cargoes of females’. Two further massive influxes followed Independence, forcing Calcutta’s infrastructure to the verge of collapse. Since then, however, the overcrowding situation has gradually improved.

A cultural hub

The city has a population of around 8 million (the figure for the metropolitan area is more than 15 million) but the Soviet-designed metro and efficient one-way system give the impression of a well-run city.

The city’s reputation as a city of intellectuals and culture is unrivalled in South Asia. It was the home not only of India’s first, and so far, only Nobel laureate for literature, Rabindranath Tagore in 1913, but also its first Oscar winner, Satyajit Ray in 1991, “in recognition of his rare mastery of the art of motion pictures, and of his profound humanitarian outlook…” During the 20th century, the city also produced some of India’s most important painters and sculptors, including Jamini Roy and Nandalal Bose. It retains a strong tradition of left-wing politics and a long-standing Communist administration.

Local sights

Kolkata is a lively place: there is always something happening, be it a religious celebration, concert, cricket match, theatre or movie festival, or political demonstration; and although decaying, the architectural heritage is still there. The budget accommodation is centred around Sudder Street, while the more upmarket hotels are slightly further south on Park Street, but both are within walking distance of the town centre. 

There are also a large number of well-maintained parks, especially the huge Maidan in the heart of the city, where the Victoria Memorial can be found. Other places worth exploring include the Marble Palace, an idiosyncratic museum, and the Kali Temple, a holy Hindu pilgrimage site.

Places to visit in Kolkata (Calcutta)

See all of life on the Maidan

Kolkata’s heart is the broad, open playing field known as the Maidan. Originally laid out to create a clear line of fire from the East India Company’s fort, it attracts joggers, soapbox orators, charlatans peddling cure-alls, and droves of office workers with their lunch boxes. At the end of the day, football and cricket matches take over. 

Remember the Raj at Victoria Memorial

Set amid well tended grounds on the south side of the Maidan, the white-marble Victoria Memorial epitomises perhaps better than any other building in India the pride and pomposity of the British Raj at its zenith. Commissioned by Viceroy Lord Curzon and completed in 1921, it was paid for by ‘voluntary contributions’ from maharajas and nawabs. 

Visit the quirky Marble Palace

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Erected by the wealthy family of Raja Majendra Mullick Bahadur, the opulent Marble Palace, on tiny Muktaram Babu Street, northeast of Dalhousie Square, is a grandiose Palladian villa-turned-museum, set in a park filled with exotic birds and packed with an imaginative juxtaposition of ancient Roman and Chinese sculpture, fine Venetian glass chandeliers, old Flemish masters and naughty French erotica. The elderly resident, a descendant of the original owners, still regales visitors with Chopin in the ballroom.

View the holy Kali Temple

Built in 1809 on the site of a much more ancient structure, Kolkata’s famous Kali Temple, on the south side of the city near Kalighat Metro station, is the holiest site in the city for local Hindus. It is said to stand on the spot where Sati’s little toe landed after her dead body had been dismembered by Vishnu. Pilgrims queue to make offerings of milk mixed with Ganges water and bhang (cannabis).

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