Discover the Soul of Kolkata (Calcutta)

Kolkata (Calcutta) is the largest city in India, indeed one of the largest in the world. Established as a British trading post in the 17th century, the city rapidly grew, acquiring a life and vibrancy of its own. Its glory is still reflected in the buildings of Chowringhee and Clive Street, know as Jawaharlal Nehru Road and Netaji Subhash Road respectively. It is a city which leaves no-one indifferent-fascinating, effervescent, teeming with life, peoples, cultures. The impact can be a shock at first; the rickshaws, cars, brightly painted lorries, trolley buses, the cries of the street vendors, labourers hard at work on the construction of the vast underground railway, the noise and colour of the huge New Market, the bustle of the crowds...but soon the jumbled impressions will sort themselves out. Central Kolkata (Calcutta) is best viewed in perspective around the rolling green of the Maidan, 3 square kilometres of parkland where the early-morning yoga sessions provide for the city dwellers a relaxation from the stresses of urban life. For relaxation of another kind, visit the Indian Museum, one of the finest in Asia. Other attractions include the huge white marble Victoria Memorial, the Octherlony Monument and the headquarters of the Rama Krishna mission. To the north of the city is the silent beauty of the Belur Math and, across the river, the Botanical gardens (with a 200 years old Banyan tree, reputedly the largest in the world)and the Kali temple of Dakshineshwar. Kolkata (Calcutta) has a soul. The Bengalis are poets and artists of India and this has affected their city. Kolkata (Calcutta) will certainly grow on you. For a complete change, take a plane or boat from Kolkata (Calcutta) to Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, the peaceful sun-soaked paradise in the Bay of Bengal.

source by india-tourism.com