Kolkata
Kolkata (Bengali: কলকাতা Kolkātā, Hindi: कोलकाता Kolkātā), formerly and still fondly called Calcutta, is the largest city in eastern India and the capital of the state of West Bengal. Once the capital of the British Raj till 1911, Kolkata is said to have been built on three villages along the Hooghly River, a distributary of the mighty Ganges. The city has seen tremendous growth during and after the partition of India in 1947. Greater Kolkata has a population of over 22.5 million (2025), making it one of the world's largest cities.
Kolkata is an "in your face" city that shocks and charms the unsuspecting visitor. Long known as the cultural capital of India and home to the Bengali Renaissance, the "City of Joy" (the sobriquet became more famous after the publication of a novel of the same name) continues to spawn generations of poets, writers, film directors and Nobel Prize winners.
If your trip only allows for a visit to one or two of India's largest cities, then definitely consider placing Kolkata on your itinerary. It is arguably one of the most socially, culturally and politically progressive cities in India. Love it or hate it, you definitely won't forget the "City of Joy".
Districts
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| BBD Bagh (GPO, High Court, Lal Dighi, Lok Bhavan, Netaji Subhas Road, Old Court House Street, Writers' Building) The colonial district is still the city's central administrative district, with one of the best remnants of British colonial architecture in the world. |
| Esplanade (Chowringhee, Entally, Esplanade Row East, Free School Street, Lenin Sarani, New Market, Park Street, Shakespeare Sarani, Sudder Street, Taltala) The modern heart of Kolkata, and the city's central business district. |
| Maidan (Hooghly Riverfront, Indira Gandhi Sarani, Strand Road, Victoria Memorial, Vijay Durg) A 400 hectares (990 acres) urban space with numerous festivals, sports, rallies and protests. |
| South Kolkata (Alipore, Ballygunge, Bhowanipore, Chetla, Gariahat, Park Circus, Rabindra Sarobar, Rash Behari) The posh and new part of the city. |
| Southern Suburbs (Behala, Dhakuria, Garden Reach, Garia, Jadavpur, Joka, Kidderpore, New Alipore, Pailan, Patuli, Taratala, Tollygunge) The rapidly mushrooming localities to the south of the city. This is a relatively newer part of the city where a lot of expansion is going on. |
| North Kolkata (Bagbazar, Bowbazar, Burrabazar, Chandni Chowk, College Street, Hatibagan, Jorasanko, Kumartuli, Maniktala, Rabindra Sarani, Shyambazar, Sovabazar) The older area of the city, a fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of century-old buildings. North Kolkata was known as Black Town during the British period as it was home to the native population. |
| Northern Suburbs (Baguiati, Baranagar, Belgachia, Birati, Chitpur, Cossipore, Dakshineswar, Dum Dum, Lake Town, Nagerbazar, Sinthee, VIP Road) The large industrial area to the north of the city with a number of factories, including jute, paper, cotton, ordnance and chemicals. Also a major transport hub in the city where air travel and rapid transit converge. |
| East Kolkata (Anandapur, Bantala, Beleghata, Chinar Park, EM Bypass, Kasba, Mukundapur, New Town, Salt Lake, Santoshpur, Tangra, Ultadanga) Rapidly developing, especially the IT and finance sectors. Home to many shopping malls, five-star hotels, theme parks, posh housing estates and technology parks. |
Understand
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Kolkata (Bengali: KOHL-kah-tah) is the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. Spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River, Kolkata was once the administrative centre of the British Raj, governing a vast region that stretched from Pakistan to Burma (Myanmar) and the "second city of the British Empire after London".
Name
[edit]The name "Kolkata" is derived from Kolikātā (কলিকাতা), the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of the name. Some say the name derives from Kālīkhyetro (কালীক্ষেত্র), meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (কলি koli) and coir rope (কাতা kātā).
The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal. However, the name "Calcutta" still survives in the names of certain institutions.
History
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Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which arrived in 1690, and to British India, of which Calcutta became the capital in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta. There were 3 villages named Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata. Later the village Kalikata became the city of Kolkata. But some Indian historians have disputed this claim, arguing that Kolkata developed naturally over a period, centred on the ancient Kali temple at Kalighat and the port at Kidderpore.
Whatever its origins, Calcutta flowered as the capital of British India during the 19th century, the heyday of the Raj. The University of Calcutta, the first modern Indian university, was founded here in 1857. Calcutta became the centre of Indian arts and literature and the national movement for independence got its start here. However, with the transfer of the capital to Delhi in 1911 and the pains of the partition of Bengal in 1947, a violent repressive and feudal state machinery was operational for nearly the first two decades after independence. Calcutta became plagued by power outages, labour unrest, disappearing industry and violence from the ideologically-motivated Maoist movement (the Naxalbari movement) in the 1970s. In 1985, the then-Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi referred to the city as a "dying city" because of the social and political traumas.
In 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of the Communist and Marxist parties came to power and ruled West Bengal for 34 years. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city with names like Lenin Sarani and Ho Chi Minh Sarani. During this period, the various egalitarian approaches implemented at improving the living standards of the downtrodden have helped the city in bridging the wealth gap and decreasing impoverishment.
Economy
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Once India's leading city, Kolkata experienced a steady economic decline in the decades following India's independence due to a steep population increase and a rise in militant trade unionism. From the 1960s to the late 1990s, several factories were closed and businesses relocated. Despite this, the city's fortunes have looked up since the early 1990s, coinciding with the liberalisation of the Indian economy. Kolkata's economy is now amongst the fastest-growing in India. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. The new metro city is characterised by popular spots such as multiplexes, theatres, clubs, pubs, coffee shops, and museums.
The old Central Business District (CBD) is the main seat of the Government of West Bengal. Several banks have their corporate or regional headquarters around the BBD Bagh area. Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings.
The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings are in this area. An even newer CBD is being developed across Salt Lake and New Town, which is part of an effort to relieve congestion in the core city. Many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Salt Lake's Central Park.
Since 2000, information technology (IT) services revitalised the city's stagnant economy. With the expansion of Ecospace and Bengal Silicon Valley (BSV) in New Town, and Sector V in Salt Lake, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT city, with various private sector companies setting up regional offices here. The city also has experienced growth in the manufacturing sector, with industrial estates at Bantala, Kasba, Taratala etc.
Culture
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Kolkata is known for its literary, artistic and revolutionary heritage and it was the birthplace of modern Indian literary and artistic thought. The city has a tradition of political graffiti depicting everything from outrageous slander to witty banter and limericks, caricatures and propaganda.
Kolkata has been called the "City of Palaces", because of the numerous palatial mansions built all over the city. During British rule, the city witnessed a spate of frenzied construction activity of buildings largely influenced by the conscious intermingling of Gothic, Baroque, Roman, Oriental and Islamic schools of design. The layout of much of the architectural variety in Kolkata owes its origins to European styles and tastes imported by the British and, to a much lesser extent, the Portuguese and French. However, many of these structures are in various stages of decay, as of 2022. Some of the major buildings of this period are well maintained and several buildings have been declared as heritage structures.
Kolkata is also famous for the film industry around Tollygunge, known as "Tollywood" (a blend of Tollygunge and Hollywood). From the beginning of the silent era in 1919 to the talking era in the 1930s and the golden days of the 1950s to the 1970s has been a chequered history. It has seen renowned filmmakers like Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak, Mrinal Sen and Tapan Sinha.
Orientation
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Place name changes
After India's independence, many colonial place names in Kolkata were changed, including streets. They were named after either freedom activists (Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Rash Behari Bose, Mahatma Gandhi), prime ministers (Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi), famed scientists (Jagadish Chandra Bose, Prafulla Chandra Ray) or international personalities (Lenin, Ho Chi Minh, Shakespeare). For a traveller, the practical problem would be that many places would have multiple names in usage. The new names are seen on maps and posters, while the old names are still used by some locals. So you need to be careful about specifying which place you need to get to. The district articles use the most common name in usage, with the official name in parentheses. A few important common names and their corresponding official names to remember are given at the table below. |
| Common name | Official name |
|---|---|
| Amherst Street | Raja Rammohan Roy Sarani (RRR Sarani) |
| Camac Street | Abanindranath Thakur Sarani (AT Sarani) |
| Central Avenue | Chittaranjan Avenue (CR Avenue) |
| Chowringhee Road | Jawaharlal Nehru Road (JL Nehru Road) |
| Dalhousie Square | Benoy-Badal-Dinesh Bagh (BBD Bagh) |
| Grey Street | Sri Aurobindo Sarani |
| Park Street | Mother Teresa Sarani (MT Sarani) |
| Red Road | Indira Gandhi Sarani (IG Sarani) |
| Salt Lake | Bidhannagar |
| Southern Avenue | Dr. Meghnad Saha Sarani |
| VIP Road | Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue (KNI Avenue) |
Kolkata can be roughly divided into two sections along Park Street. North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better-planned section of the city, with wider roads and a better-equipped police force for keeping law and order. The better planning in South Kolkata is because it was built much later. The North is the real, old Kolkata, and most of the oldest families and buildings are there.
Over the past several decades, the city has expanded to the south and the east, with the "Greater Kolkata" region spanning over 1,880 km2 (730 sq mi), from Kalyani to Jaynagar Majilpur. Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass has been changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, convention centres, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls, and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace. The city's expansion on the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a new satellite township called New Town, adjacent to the well-planned Salt Lake. It is one of the largest planned urban developments in India.
Kolkata consists of numerous neighbourhoods (পাড়া, pāṛā) that possess a strong sense of community. They have their own clubs and sometimes playgrounds.
Between the river Hooghly and Chowringhee Road, the Maidan (open field) is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Fort William, Victoria Memorial, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans love to stroll in the Maidan.
The residential buildings are mainly low-rise and comprise older colonial buildings and numerous new four-storied apartment blocks. 10- to 12-storey apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in South Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction, and 20-storey buildings are becoming more common.
However, slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city and house over 25% of the city's population (2001 census). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions to a small extent, but efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated into the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift.
People
[edit]Kolkata is a multicultural and cosmopolitan city, with diversity from all over India, as well as including Europeans (including Germans, Armenians, and others) and other Asians (including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans). Kolkata is also notable for being home to India's largest Chinatown, which continues to be home to a handful of ethnic Chinese residents whose families have lived in India for several generations.
Climate
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Kolkata has three main seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter. Summer, from March–May, is hot and humid with temperatures touching 38-42°C. Monsoon starts in June and lasts till September or October. This is the time when heavy showers sometimes lead to waterlogging in a few areas. Winter is from November to February. This is the best season to visit the city, as the weather is very pleasant with temperatures ranging between 8 and 20°.
Read
[edit]- Calcutta: Past and Present (1905) by Kathleen Blechynden. It gives a detailed background of the British-era Calcutta as the former capital of India, as well as the city's lifestyle in the early 20th century.
- City of Joy (1985) by Dominique Lapierre.
Watch
[edit]- Citi Life - Calcutta My El Dorado by Mrinal Sen.
- City of Joy (1992) by Roland Jaffé. Film adaption on the book of the same name by Dominique Lapierre.
Visitor information
[edit]- 1 Tourism Centre, 3/2, BBD Bagh E (near Great Eastern Hotel), ☏ +91 33 22436440, toll-free: 1800 2121 655, wbtourismpublicity1@gmail.com. The staff at the Tourism Centre is very helpful and the centre has a lot of information on West Bengal tourism. You can book a government lodge there before travelling to your favourite destination.
Official websites:
Talk
[edit]Bengali is the native language of the majority in Kolkata. Many educated locals also understand English and some Hindi. Many shopkeepers and taxi drivers can communicate in Hindi or broken English, and government offices will typically have English-speaking staff on duty.
The Bengali dialect spoken by the educated class of Kolkata forms the basis of the modern standard register (colito bhāshā), largely replacing the archaic Sanskritised register (sādhu bhāshā) still found in some Bengali signs. Other than that, the traditional working class of the city has its own dialect, often called "Calcutta Cockney" in linguistics.
In addition, Kolkata has developed its own dialect of Urdu, called Kalkatiya (کلکتیا). It is largely confined to the older residents of the city's Muslim neighbourhoods, many of whom came from Bihar. The dialect has influences from Bengali, Bhojpuri and Magadhi languages. The educated locals of the neighbourhoods tend to use Standard Urdu, which is closer to the Hindi spoken in the city.
Even though Hindi is common in Kolkata, a few Bengalis are sensitive to it. There has been some cases of prejudice against Hindi speakers in the city. Although it's generally not a problem getting by with only English, learning some Bengali will make your trip much smoother.
Get in
[edit]By plane
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- 1 Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU IATA, Dum Dum Airport, Kolkata Airport), Jessore Rd (about 18 km (11 mi) outside the city centre), ☏ +91 33 2511 8036, +91 33 2511 8787, +91 33 3987 4987, fax: +91 33 2511 9266, apdkolkata@aai.aero. The airport has excellent connectivity with most of the major cities in India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. It is a major centre for flights to Siliguri and North-Eastern India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Southeast Asia and the Middle Eastern cities of Dubai and Doha.
Although the airport is large and spacious, after immigration it lacks the facilities generally associated with busy international airports; there is no cafe, only one sit-down restaurant, very limited number of small shops, and no free Wi-Fi. Toilets are also sparse and far apart.
The airport has a well-established facility of prepaid taxis and air-conditioned buses connecting it to the city centre. Parking facilities at the airport terminal include two underground parking levels accommodating 3,000 cars, and outdoor car parking which can handle an additional 2,000 cars. DigiYatra facility is available at departure gates 2B and 3A, security hold area 1, 2 and 3 and boarding gates 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23.
Transport options to central Kolkata:
- By bus: State-run air-conditioned buses are available to get into the city centre. Cheaper, and hassle-free, and since you can hail a taxi anywhere in the city centre to take you to your final destination, you do not need to worry. The buses are parked outside the arrival gate at the integrated terminal. Do not be dissuaded by the taxi touts, who would try to make you believe that the buses do not run anymore.
- By metro: The airport is served by Jai Hind 4 in front of the parking lot.
- By taxi: In case you are arriving at busy hours, it is better to get a prepaid taxi (₹150-250), which takes you directly to your destination. There is no practice of tipping taxi drivers anywhere in India. Moreover, app-based cab services (such as Ola and Uber) are also available from the airport.
By train
[edit]Kolkata is served by five major railway stations across the metropolis, which connects the city to almost all the major stations in India. Most local trains serving Kolkata run from Howrah and Sealdah stations. The trains run as far as Lalgola (near Murshidabad) at the north, Hasnabad at the east, Namkhana at the south, Midnapore at the southwest and Bardhaman at the west.
Howrah
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- 2 Howrah ER SER (code: HWH), RBC Rd, ☏ +91 79857 27760. The largest railway complex in India with over 600 trains arriving per day, including local trains. An estimated two million people use the station every day. It consists of 23 platforms. Wholly owned by the Eastern Railway (ER), Howrah station is divided into three parts: the Old Complex, the New Complex and the Howrah Metro complex. For passengers, there is a large, covered waiting area between the complexes and the platforms for passengers awaiting connecting trains. Free Wi-Fi is present at the station.
Transport options to central Kolkata:
- By bus: Buses to Howrah Station stop to a bus terminal close to the Howrah Bridge. Air-conditioned buses are available between Howrah Station and Kolkata Airport.
- By metro: Howrah is served by the Green Line 2 . The station is on the footpath connecting the Old Complex to the New Complex.
- By taxi or cab: There are taxi stands outside Howrah Station, where taxis and cabs are parked in long queues.
- By car: The station platforms have two "cab roads" for cars within the complex. Bankim Setu at the end of the platforms allows the cars to exit the complex quickly. After exiting the complex, take the Howrah Bridge and cross the Hooghly River.
- By ferry: There is a ferry terminal ("ghat") opposite the station that can get you to the opposite side of the river. It takes ₹5 to cross the river.
Sealdah
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- 3 Sealdah ER (code: SDAH), APC Rd, Sealdah. One of the busiest railway stations in India with a huge number of people commuting to the city for work. The station is divided into Sealdah North, Sealdah Main and Sealdah South. There are 21 platforms in the station. Sealdah North and Sealdah Main terminals are used for most local and express trains, while Sealdah South terminal is used for the local trains from South 24 Parganas.