subject: Kolkata, The City Of Joy! [print this page] City of Joy that is what Kolkata the capital city of West Bengal popularly known. Its official English name was changed from "Calcutta" to "Kolkata" in 2001; Kolkata is located in eastern India on the east bank of the Hooghly River. One of the most iconic symbol of Kolkata is situated over river Hoogly. The Howrah Bridge was the first cantilever suspension bridge of its type and is an exemplary feat in modern engineering and was constructed in 1874. Kolkata served as the capital of India during the British Raj until 1912. The name Kolkata and the anglicised name Calcutta have their roots in Kalikata, Kalikata, is believed to be a version of Kalikshetra (the goddess Kali).
There are many travel agents in Kolkata whose package tours from Kolkata will definitely include the following places Howrah Bridge, 6th largest bridge in the world, Chinatown, the only one to exist in India, and National Library of India, the largest in India. Also when in Kolkata experience the slow moving tram services and the Kolkata Metro, the oldest underground system in India.
Also ask your tour operators in Kolkata to arrange sight seeing for the following place. Alipore Zoological Gardens, Esplanade, Howrah or Haora Kolkata , The Indian Museum, The Marble Palace, Birla Ind & Tech Museum, Science City, The Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Gurusaday Museum, The Asutosh Museum, Jawahar Shishu Bhavan, Sabarna Sangrahashala, Aquatica park, Millennium Park, Nicco park, Kalighat , Kolkata Jain Temple, The Dakshineswar Kali Temple, St. Paul's Cathedral and The Tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque
Tours and travels in Kolkata is incomplete without sampling the Bengali cuisine which is radically different from the rest of India. Rice with fish curry is considered to be the staple dish of the people of Kolkata. "Luchi tarkari" is another favorite dish of the residents of Calcutta. Other most popular food items of Kolkata people include "alu posto", "begun bhaja", "alu bhaja" and "dim bhaja" and fish items like Fish Paturi, Chingri Malaikari, Fish Kalia and Bhapa Ilish. If you have a sweet tooth then try some of the popular sweets like "Roshogolla", "Chomchom", "Shondesh", "Rajbhog", "Pantua","Pithe" and "Payesh".
There are several eateries where pure Bengali foods are available. Among them Bhajahari Manna (in Ekdalia Park, Salt Lake), Aaheli, Suruchi (in the Peerless Inn hotel), Kewpies (in 2 Elgin Lane , South Kolkata) and Aradhana (in 205 A.P.C. Road) are very popular for offering traditional Bengali cuisines.
