WELCOME TO THE

CULTURAL CAPITAL OF
INDIA

KOLKATA
THE CITY OF JOY
 INTRODUCTION OF KOLKATA
Till the 17th century, Calcutta was nothing more than a village. But,
today it is one of the major metropolitan cities of India along with Delhi,
Mumbai and Chennai. The credit for its present status goes to the expansion
plans of the European powers, especially the British Raj. Kolkata was once
the capital city of British India and also the Gateway to India till 1912. It is
a major commercial city consisting of big industrial plants and corporate
houses.
 GEOGRAPHY OF KOLKATA

Location
 Kolkata is located in the eastern part of India at 22.88 degree north & 88.20
degree east.
 It has spread linearly along the banks of the Hooghly River.
The Bay of Bengal coastline is about 60 miles to the south.
Distance from sea – 60 miles from Bay of Bengal.
HISTORY OF KOLKATA

• Kolkata is not an ancient city like Delhi,

with Its impressive relics of the past.

• It's largely a British creation which dates

back only some 300 years and was the
capital of British India until the beginning
of this century.
• In 1686, the British abandoned Hooghly,
their trading post 38km up the Hooghly
River from present-day Kolkata, and
moved downriver to there small villages -
Sutanati, Govindpur and Kailkata.
• Much of the Kolkata's most enduring
development took place between 1780 and
1820.
• Latter in the 19th century, Bengal
became an important centre in the struggle
for Indian independence, and this was a
major reason for the decision to transfer
the capital to Delhi in 1911.
FAIRS

 Vidyasagar Mela ( January )

 Industrial India Trade Fair ( December )
 Travel & Tourism fair ( August )
 Poush Mela ( December )
 Handloom Expo ( may )
 Calcutta book fair ( February )
 Lexpo ( December – January )
FESTIVALS
 Durga Puja - Durga Puja is widely
celebrated in West Bengal, where it is a
five-day annual holiday. In West Bengal,
which has a majority of Bengali Hindus it
is the biggest festival of the year.

 Eid-ul-fitr - The three Eids, Eid ul-

Fitr and Eid ul-Adha and eid-ul-zoha
commemorate the passing of the month of
fasting, Ramadan, and the willingness of
the Prophet Ibrahim to sacrifice his son
for Allah.

 Kali Puja - Kali puja (like Durga Puja)

worshipers honor goddess Kali in their
homes in the form of clay sculptures and
in pandals. She is worshipped at night
with Tantric rites and mantras.
 UNIQUENESS & VALUE
HOWRAH BRIDGE
Howrah Bridge is a cantilever
bridge with a suspended span over
the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India.
Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was
originally named the New Howrah
Bridge. The bridge is one of two on
the Hooghly River and is a famous
symbol of Kolkata and West Bengal.

VIDYASAGAR SETU
Vidyasagar Setu also known as
the Second Hooghly Bridge, is
a toll bridge over the Hooghly
River in West Bengal, India, linking
the cities of Kolkata . It was the
second bridge to be built across the
Hooghly River; the first, the Howrah
Bridge (also known as Rabindra
Setu) 3.7 kilometers (2.3 mi) to the
north, was completed in 1943.
HAND-PULLED-RICKSHAWS
Rickshaw is one of the oldest vehicles of
Kolkata. It may be a matter of surprise that the
city manages to retain the hackneyed rickshaw
along with the present day transport systems
like the metro railway.
In India, hand-pulled rickshaws are only seen
in this city.

TRAM
The Kolkata tram is a tram system
in Kolkata, India, run by the Calcutta
Tramways Company (CTC). It is
currently the only operating tram
network in India and the oldest
operating electric tram in Asia, running
since 1902
 EDEN GARDEN
WORLD SECOND LARGEST CRICKET STADIUM
Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata, India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket
team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a venue
for Test, One Day International and Twenty20 International matches.It is the largest cricket
stadium in India by seating capacity, and the third-largest cricket stadium in the world
behind Melbourne Cricket Ground and Stadium Australia. Eden Gardens has been called
"cricket's answer to the Colosseum" and is widely acknowledged to be one of the most
iconic cricket stadiums in the world.
 SALT LAKE STADIUM
WORLD SECOND LARGEST FOOTBALL STADIUM
Salt Lake Stadium or Yuva Bharati Krirangan is a
multipurpose stadium in Bidhannagar, Kolkata, West Bengal. It is the largest stadium in
India by capacity. Reportedly total 85,000 bucket seats will be installed in the stadium before
U-17 world cup in 2017. The record attendance of 131,000was set in 1997 in a match
between East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan AC. The stadium recently switched back to natural
grass from artificial turf as part of the preparations for hosting the U-17 World Cup. The new
turf was unveiled in a Kolkata Derby match between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan during the
Calcutta Football League
 PLACES TO VISIT
VICTORIA MEMORIAL
The Victoria Memorial is a large marble
building in Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal,
India which was built between 1906 and 1921.
It is dedicated to the memory of Queen
Victoria (1819–1901) and is now a museum
and tourist destination under the auspices of
theMinistry of Culture
St. Paul's Cathedral Church
Built between 1839 and 1847, St Paul's
Cathedral is one of India's most important
churches. It's east of the Victoria Memorial at
the South end of the Maidan. The steeple fell
during an earthquake in 1897 and was
redesigned and rebuilt. Inside there's some
interesting memorials and stained glass,
including the west window by Sir Edward
Burne-Jones.

Dakshineswar Temple
Dakshineswar Kali Temple is a Hindu
temple located in Dakshineswar
near Kolkata. Situated on the eastern
bank of the Hooghly River, the
presiding deity of the temple is
Bhavatarini, an aspect of Kali, meaning,
'She who liberates Her devotees from
the ocean of existence.
 FAMOUS FOOD
Phuchka
Rarely will you come across a
Calcuttan who doesn’t swear by
this descendant of the Pani
Puri/Gol Gappa family. One of
the most iconic street food in the
streets of the city, Phuchka
comes in numerous variations

Rasgulla
It is a syrupy dessert popular in
the Indian subcontinent and
regions with South Asian
diaspora. The dish originated
in East India; the present-day
states of Odisha and West
Bengal are variously claimed to
be the birthplace of the dish.