As the name suggests, College Street is lined by many of

Kolkata’s academic institutions: the University of Calcutta, Sanskrit

College, Presidency University, the Medical College of Kolkata, to name a
few. When these institutions were established in the 19th century, they
turned the stretch of road between Mahatma Gandhi Road crossing and
Bowbazar crossing into a veritable haven for the city’s intelligentsia.

With an area spanning almost one million square feet, College Street is
also the largest secondhand book market in the world. The mile-long
avenue is dotted with hundreds of bookstores, big and small, and is also
home to India’s biggest publishing houses. The bookstores range from
standard brick-and-mortar affairs to small makeshift stalls made from
bamboo, canvas, or sheets of metal. Each stall and store has its own
history to speak of.

College Street’s main draw is that it boasts a collection of almost every

single title to ever have been sold in Kolkata. Rare books are sold at dirt
cheap prices, and extensive bargaining is the order of the day. One can
find books dating back 250 years, rare first editions as well as copies of
books from publishers that have ceased to exist today.

One of the literati staples on College Street is the famed Indian Coffee
House, which has seen notable Indian writers such as the likes of
Rabindranath Tagore and Satyajit Ray stop in for a cup of chai, a samosa,
and the weekly gossip.

Under Lord Wellesley, who first planned the construction of the roads in the area, College Street was
known as The Great Arterial Road.

The name ‘College Street’ came to exist in around 1817 when the Hindu College was first

established in the city.

College Street has also witnessed the beginning of the revolutionary Naxalite Movement of the

1970s in Bengal. 

This is actually one of the oldest schools in Kolkata. The official date of establishment of this school

is 1818. It is situated opposite to Presidency University and is adjacent to University of Calcutta and

Hindu School

Established in the year 1918, by Mr. Niharanjan Mazumdar, this shop was earlier at 1/a Bankim

Chatterjee Street and its name was "Paradise" during those days. In the year 1936 it shifted to its

present day location - 1/1/1d, Bankim Chatterjee Street and was renamed to "Paramount".

But in the very heart of Kolkata’s academic hub stands a memorial dedicated to the Bengali warriors

killed during World War I.

He received the title "Vidyasagar"