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• Howrah Bridge • Fort William • Bellur Math • St. Paul's Cathedral • Eden garden • BBD Bagh • National Library                             • Indian Museum • Birla Planetarium • Victoria Memorial • Jaldapara Wildlife • Marble Palace • Science City • Botanical Gardens                     • Dakshineshwar Kali Temple

Howrah Bridge
Howrah Bridge is a spectacular construction, the third largest cantilever bridge in the world and was opened in 1943. The 71 ft wide bridge can accommodate eight lanes of traffic and is flanked by two wide footpaths. The bridge is one of the four on the Hooghly River and is a famous symbol of Kolkata and West Bengal. The other bridges are the Vidyasagar Setu (popularly called the Second Hooghly Bridge), the Vivekananda Setu and the newly built engineering marvel Nivedita Setu. Apart from bearing the stormy weather of the Bay of Bengal region, it successfully bears the weight of a daily traffic of approximately 80,000 vehicles and, possibly, more than 1,000,000 pedestrians. It is the sixth longest bridge of its type in the world.
Fort William	Top^
Fort William Named after King William III of England, construction of the present Fort William was completed at the end of the eighteenth century at the cost of two million pounds. A garrison of ten thousand can be accommodated here and six hundred guns can be mounted within its walls. Inside the fort premises there is a church, a market, a post and telegraph office, a cinema, swimming pool, boxing stadium, parade grounds, football grounds and a firing range. Today this fort is the property of the Indian Army with a provision to accommodate 10,000 army personnel. The fort still stands as before, except the St. Peter’s Church which no longer exists. The fort is built in a shape of an octagon. A telephone office, recreation club, canteen, cinema hall, restaurant, swimming pool and wide moat surround it. A museum inside the fort consists of arms and armors, swords, muskets and machine guns kept on display for the visitors.
Bellur Math	Top^
Belur Math, is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, situated 6 km north of Kolkata. The Ramakrishna Temple; which looks like a church, mosque or temple; depending from where it is viewed, is a building of unique architecture that symbolizes the unique faith of its congregation. On the other bank of the river is the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple where Ramakrishna received his spiritual vision after meditation. There are also 12 Siva temples here.
St. Paul's Cathedral	Top^
St.Paul's Cathedral is built on the Indo-Gothic style of architecture. It was built in the year 1847 by Major W.N.Forbes of the East India Company. The height of the Cathedral is 201 ft. This Cathedral has the rare distinction of being the 1st Episcopal Church of the East. The peak of St.Paul's Cathedral has been designed as a replica of the famous Canterbury Cathedral's Henry Tower. One of the prized possession of the Cathedral is the "Communion Plate" which Queen Victoria bestowed upon Bishop Wilson. The stained glass of the western window, designed in 1880 by Sir Edward Burne Jones is indeed marvelous and during the sunset the reflection through the window is truly ethereal. The Cathedral also has beautiful Florentine frescoes, which are of outstanding quality. For devout Christians and people with an interest in art and architecture, a visit to this majestic Raj-era cathedral is indeed very inspiring.
Eden Garden	Top^
Eden Gardens are laid out with ornamental trees, shrubs, winding foliage, sparkling fountains and a beautiful Burmese pagoda. Well equipped with all the latest facilities, (the cricket stadium is located here) it is a popular place for relaxation as well as cricket. The first ever first-class match that took place in the Eden Gardens was in 1917-18 and the first test match to be played here was in January 1934 against Douglas Jardine's MCC. It was in February 1987, when the first ODI match was hosted here. It has undergone a tremendous modernization and infact, today it boasts of its large accommodation that can capaticitate about 1,20,000 persons. Eden gardens of Calcutta definitely falls into the category of must see places.
BBD Bagh	Top^
When Kolkata was the administrative centre for British India, BBD Bagh was the centre of power. It is a square area built around the old Lal Dighi tank which exists till date. It was later called the Tank Square and then the Dalhousie Square. Now it was renamed after Benoy, Badal, and Dinesh, three freedom fighters who were hung by the British during the protests against the partition of Bengal in 1905. The tank in the centre, fed by natural springs, is said to have supplied Charnock with drinking water. BBD Bagh and its surrounding roads and areas like Netaji Subhash Road, Biplabi Trailakya Maharaj (formerly Brabourne) Sarani, Lyons Range, India Exchange Place, Mission Row, R.N. Mukherjee Road and Fairlie Place form the older commercial hub of the city.
Botanical Gardens	Top^
Botanical Gardens 20 km from the heart of town is the oldest botanical garden in India and a haven for nature lovers. Spread over 273 acres, it contains over 30,000 varieties of trees and plants. The garden's main attraction is the world's largest banyan tree, 200 years old with over 600 aerial roots. Thus the scrumptious Assam and Darjeeling teas trace their roots to this garden. Apart from the regular Indian species it is also possible to be amongst some rare breeds straight from the Amazon and Congo basins, Brazil, Sumatra as well as Java. The grand sight of soaring Mahogany trees, enchanting and natural Orchid House and the glorious Cuban Palms is a memory of a lifetime.
Birla Planetarium	Top^
Birla Planetarium One of the most technically advanced in the world, the Birla Planetarium is close to the crossing of Theatre Road and Chowringhee Road. Daily shows are held in English, Hindi and Bengali as the planetarium's gigantic projector recreates the night sky. The Planetarium also has an astronomical library and art gallery. Birla planetarium provides a parlance where astronomical presentations take place. It provides useful piece of information about our solar system, galaxies, life span of stars, space, planets and other heavenly bodies in the most interactive manner via audio video aids. Usually the lectures are given in English, Hindi, and Bengali and occasionally in Oriya, Tamil & Gujarati.
Dakshineswar Kali Temple	Top^
Dakshineswar Temple On the banks of the Ganges near Bally bridge you can find one temple of goddess Kali & 12 temples of God Shiva worth a photo. The temple compound, apart from the nine-spired main temple, contains a large courtyard surrounding the temple, with rooms along the boundary walls. There are twelve shrines dedicated to the aspects of Shiva, Kali's companion, along the riverfront, a temple to Radha-Krishna, a bathing ghat on the river, a bookshop, a shrine to Rani Rashmoni. The chamber in the northwestern corner just beyond the last of the Shiva temples, is where Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa spent a considerable part of his life.
Marble Palace	Top^
The Marble Palace in Kolkata is an exquisitely engineered palatial mansion that was built by Raja Rajendra Mullick Bahadur, who was one of the wealthiest landlords of Bengal in the year 1835. It's sheer magnificence and scintillating artistry will surely captivate you in a state of trance. This architectural masterpiece is made from the extensive use of Italian marble. The lush green lawn in front of it is clad with statues of Hindu Gods, The Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, the great explorer Christopher Columbus, Lord Buddha and some lions. The Marble Palace in Kolkata was named so by Lord Minto as 126 different types of marbles, accumulated from different corners of the country were employed to give shape to this one of a kind architectural delight.
National Library	Top^
The National Library, India is the largest library in the country. Housed in the former residence of the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal, the library contains almost 2 million books and nearly half a million documents. It is an institution of National importance under the 'Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Government of India'. The library is designated to collect, disseminate and preserve the printed material produced in the country, attracts almost a thousand readers every day. National library has a huge collection of books and periodicals received from different parts of the country.
Indian Museum	Top^
Indian Museum was established in 1914. First of its kind and still the largest in the country. The Museum has six sections : Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Geology, Zoology, and Industry (Economic Botany). The Art Section comprises Tibetan temple banners, metal images, enamelled wares, bidriwares, ornaments, silver wares, glass wares, pottery, ivory and bone work, wooden sculptures, leather objects, lacquered toys. The Archaeological Section displays stone-age artifacts from India and abroad, pre-historic antiquities from Mohenjodaro, Harappa The Anthropological Section displays numerous objects of material cultures of both tribal and non-tribal peoples of India. The Zoological section, is rich with innumerable specimens of insects, fish, reptiles, mammals and birds. The industrial Section has several thousand botanical specimens bearing upon medicine, forestry, agriculture and cottage-industry. The Museum has a publication unit and a library.
Victoria Memorial	Top^
A splendid architectural structure in white marble, modelled on the Taj Mahal, was built in the early 20th Century in memory of Queen Victoria between 1906 and 1921 and was formally inaugurated by the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VIII of England. Set in beautiful garden grounds, the Victoria Memorial houses a large bronze statue of the Queen Empress Topped with a moving angel this memorial faces the Calcutta Maidan. The statues of Motherhood, Prudence, Learning, Art, Justice, Architecture and Charity are brought from Italy. It was designed by Sir William Emerson. It also act as a museum, where people could see before them pictures and statues of men who played a prominent part in the history of India. Presently it is the finest and most prominent building and art museum of Calcutta, India, under the Department of Culture, Govt. of India.
Science City	Top^
Science city is truly a unique center of science, communication and environment. This institute was built in 21st century and till date it is the only one of its kinds within the country. Calcutta science city is located on Calcutta's Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. It can capacitate about 2215 persons. The science city of Kolkata, India consists of the main auditorium, 1 small size auditorium and about 8 fully air conditioned seminar halls. These seminar halls are well equipped with latest technology audiovisual systems. It is easy to reach Science city, as it easily accessible by buses and other means of transportation. The concept of science city is simply mind-blowing. Infact, it has given a new dimension to the field of science that teaches various scientific aspects through the process of discovery and that too in the outdoor settings.
Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary	Top^
The Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Alipurduar sub-division of Jalpaiguri district in West Bengal and about 124 km from Siliguri. This wildlife sanctuary is spread over an area of 114 square km. and located close to Phuntsholing in Bhutan. The nine tributaries of the Torsa river flow through the area which is shaded by tall grasses, mighty trees, perennial streams and sandy riverbanks. This sanctuary was established in the year 1941 for the protection of one-horned rhinos.