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| Calcutta/Kolkata : An Introduction |
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Although the name Kalikata had been mentioned in the rent-roll of the Great Mughal emperor Akbar and also in Manasa-Mangal, to explore the history of Calcutta, we have to go back to the 17 th. century. It was in 1690....Job Charnock came to the bank of the river Hooghly (it's the part of the Ganges) and took the lease of the three villages- Sutanuti, Govindapur and Kolikata(Calcutta) as a trading post of British East India Company.
The city became famous in 1756, when Siraj-Ud-Dawlah, the last independent nawab of Bengal, captured the city . But the British regained their power in 1757 and the city was recaptured under Robert Clive. Warren Hastings, the first Governor-General of India, made it the seat of the supreme courts of justice and the supreme revenue administration, and Calcutta became the capital of British India in 1772. By 1800 Calcutta had become a busy and flourishing town, the center of the cultural as well as the political and economic life of Bengal. |
| Calcutta/Kolkata : Places of Interest |
Victoria Memorial At the southern end of Maidan stands the Victoria Memorial built between 1906 and 1921 on the lines of the Taj Mahal in memory of Queen Victoria. This huge white-marble museum houses a vast collection of memorabilia from the days of British empire. There are potraits, statues and busts of almost all the main participants in British India history. Two regular sound and light shows are held in the evening. Closed on Mondays. |
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MP Birla Planetarium This planetarium, near the government of India tourist office, is one of the largest in the world and is located on Calcutta's Eastern metropolitan bypass. There are shows in English everyday. This 21st century marvel of science, communication and environment is the first and only institution of its kind in India. Set amidst trees and lawns, here one finds science out of doors and alive. |
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Howrah Bridge It is one of three bridges on the river Hooghly and is the most famous symbol of not only Calcutta but also West Bengal. This bridge is marvel of British engineering. Howrah Bridge is a suspended bridge on pillars. The bridge though very old is still holding good to reduce the traffic across the river.This Engineering marvel has been the firmest symbol of Calcutta. The huge cantilever bridge, strung on 270 feet high pillars connects Calcutta from Howrah. |
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Vidyasagar Setu Vidyasagar Setu a golden Gate Bridge look alike, 2kms downriver, was completed in 1994. It is a modern day engineering marvel and is the largest cable stayed bridge in Asia. The bridge connects the twin cities of Calcutta and Howrah. It was built at a cost of Rs. 388 crores. |
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| Physical and Human Geography Area: City - 40 square miles (100 square km), Metropolitan - 533 square miles (1,380 square km)
Population: City - 3,305,006, Metropolitan - 11,100,000 Language Spoken: Bengali (Vernacular), Hindi, English, and Urdu.
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| Education Primary education is supervised by the government of West Bengal and is free in schools run by the municipal corporation. A large number of children, however, attend recognized schools that are under private management. Calcutta has three
major universities: the University of Calcutta, Jadavpur University, and Rabindra Bharati University. The Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, is pretty close to Calcutta. Calcutta also hosts one of the Indian
Institutes of Management. Highly recognised Research institutions include the Indian Statistical Institute, the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, the Bose Institute (natural science), and the All-India
Institute of Hygiene and Public Health, which is a constituent college of the University of Calcutta. Business Calcutta is the world's largest processor of jute; also important are food processing, hosiery
and footwear production, the manufacture of textiles, and the making of iron and steel goods. The coal mines, tea gardens, and industrial concerns of West Bengal and neighbouring states are managed and financed from
Calcutta. Chief exports through the city's port are crude steel, pig iron, coal, machinery, gunnies (jute sacking), sugar, and tea. Engineering constitutes the city's other major industry. In addition, city factories
produce and distribute numerous consumer goods--notably foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco, and textiles and chemicals. It is also a major centre for printing, publishing, and newspaper circulation, as well as for
recreation and entertainment. Also the Calcutta stock exchange plays an important part in the organized financial market of the country. Climate Calcutta is mostly humid. The temperature in Calcutta reaches a
maximum of about 108 F (42 C) and a minimum of about 44 F (7 C). The average annual rainfall is about 64 inches (1,625 mm). Most of this is between June and September, the rainy season. The winter is short, from
November till February. |
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Distance Chart |
Agra - 1258 Km
Ahmedabad - 1924 Km
Amritsar - 1855 Km
Bangalore - 1881 Km
Bhopal - 1356 Km
Bhubaneswar - 411 Km
Chennai - 1676 Km
Coimbatore - 2167 Km
Cuttack - 416 Km
New Delhi - 1461 Km
Hubli - 1934 Km
Hyderabad - 1516 Km
Indore - 1570 Km
Lucknow - 980 Km
Shimla - 1751 Km
Srinagar - 2284 Km
Thane - 1944 Km
Tirupati- 1634 Km
Vishakhapatnam - 866 Km
 
and more
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| Kolkata / West Bengal related resources |
| West Bengal Government |
| Governor's Office, West Bengal |
| Consumer Affairs Department, West Bengal |
| Directorate of Commercial Taxes, West Bengal |
| Directorate of Library Services, West Bengal |
| Environment Department, West Bengal |
| Finance Department, West Bengal |
| Information Technology Department, West Bengal |
| Power Department, West Bengal |
| Technical Education and Training Department, West Bengal |
| Tourism Department, West Bengal |
| West Bengal Pollution Control Board (WBPCB) |
| Kolkata Traffic Police |
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