Victoria Memorial A
splendid architectural structure in white marble, modeled on the
Taj Mahal, was built in the early 20th century. In memory of Queen
Victoria and was formally inaugurated by the Prince of Wales in
1921 who later became King Edward VIII of England. The stately bronze
statue of the queen near the entrance, the brass canons, wrought
iron street lamps, manicured lawns, gardens and pathways, the magical
lighting effect in the evening and a fairy tale 'Fountain of Joy'
facing the memorial building create an atmosphere of unforgettable
charm.
Indian Museum
This museum was established in 1878 on Jawaharlal Nehru Road. The
museum is built in Italian architectural style and is considered
as the largest museum in the country and one of the best in Asia.
The largest museum in the country, the museum has six sections:
Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Geology, Zoology and Industry (economic
botany). From the Egyptian mummy to the skeleton of the whale and
some rare statues; the museum has every thing. One of the rooms
has a collection of meteorites. The museum also has a unique fossil
collection of prehistoric animals which includes a giant crocodile
and a huge tortoise. The art collection has many fine pieces from
Orissa and other temples and superb example of Buddhist Gandharan
art.
Eden Gardens In
the North-West corner of the Maidan are small & pleasantly laid
out Eden Gardens. The gardens were created in 1840 and named after
the sister of Lord Auckland, the former governor general. The idea
was to make a Biblical - style garden of Eden in India. The expanse
dotted with beautiful trees and shrubs is intersected by winding
paths, and there is a large artificial lake. Alongside the gardens,
is the world famous Eden Gardens cricket stadium. The stadium is
supposed to be the largest in Asia with a seating capacity of more
than a lakh spectators. The Kolkata cricket ground, where International
test & one day matches are held, is also with in the gardens.
Near the gardens you can take a pleasant walk along the bank of
hoogly river.
Maidan & Fort William
After the events of 1756, the British decided there would be no
repetition of the attack on the city and set out to replace the
original Fort William, in the Maidan , with a massive and impregnable
new fort. First they cleared out the inhabitants of the village
of Govindpur and in 1758 laid the foundations of a fort. Around
the fort a huge expanse of jungle was cut down to give the cannons
a clear line of fire but, as usually happens, the fort has never
fired a shot in anger. The fort is still in use today and visitors
are only allowed inside with special permission. Even the trenches
and deep fortifications surrounding the fort's massive walls seem
to be out of bounds. The area cleared around Fort William became
the Maidan, the 'lungs' of modern Kolkata. This huge green expanse
stretches three km north to south and is over a km wide. It is bound
by Strand Rd along the river to the west and by Chowringhee Rd,
lined with shops, offices, hotels and eating places, to the east.
The stream known as Tolly's Nullah forms its southern boundary,
and here you will find a racecourse and the Victoria Memorial. In
the north-west corner of the Maidan is Eden Gardens, while Raj Bhavan
overlooks it from the north.
Ochterlony Monuments
Now officially renamed the Shahid Minar, this 48m column tower over
the northern end of the Maidan. It was erected in 1828 and named
after Sir David Ochterlony, who is credited with winning the Nepal
War. The column is an intriguing combination of Turkish, Egyptian
and Syrian architectural elements. There's a fine view from the
top of the column, but permission to ascend must be obtained from
police headquarters, which is on Lal Bazaar St. It's only open Monday
to Friday and you should simply ask for a 'monument pass' at the
Assistant Commissioner's office on the 2nd floor.
St Paul's Cathedral 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. It's open to visitors from 9 am to noon, and from 3
to 6 pm. Sunday services are at 7.30 and 8.30 am, and 6 pm.
Howrah Bridge It
is one of three bridges on the river Hooghly and is the most famous
symbol of not only Kolkata but also West Bengal. Until 1943, the
Hooghly River was crossed by a pontoon bridge which had to be opened
to let river traffic through. There was considerable opposition
to construction of a bridge due to fears that it would affect the
river currents and cause silting problems. This problem was eventually
avoided by building a bridge that crosses the river in a single
450m span - there are no pylons at all within the river.
HOW TO GET THERE
By Air: India Airlines connect Kolkata with Mumbai, Delhi,
Chennai, Port Blair, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, Patna, Lucknow,
Tezpur, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Silchar, Imphal, Bagdogra, Agartala,
Bangalore, Vishakhapatnam (Vizag), Guwahati, Dimapur, Hyderabad
and Car-Nicobar.
By Rail: Howrah and Sealdah, two main railway stations are
there in Kolkata. Kolkata is connected by rail to most of the important
places in India.
By Road: Good motorable roads connect Kolkata to all the
major cities in India. Some of these are: Puri-560 kms, Bhubaneshwar-498
kms, Shiliguri-000 kms, Darjiling-678 kms, Krishnanagar-000 kms,
Baharampur-000 kms, Patna-547 kms, Ranchi-000 kms, Alahabad-000
kms, Kanpur-000 kms, Lucknow-000 kms, Haridwar-1586 kms, Varanasi-681
kms, Bombay-2060 kms, Delhi-1490 kms, Madras-0000 kms, Panaji (Goa)-0000
kms.
State
Express
101, Bhanot House,
17, Community Centre,
Gulmohar Enclave Extn., New Delhi - 110049, India Tel: 91-11-26855483,
26852712, 26524006 Fax: 91-11-26868552,
24351351 E-Mail:statexp@del2.vsnl.net.in
A
splendid architectural structure in white marble, modeled on the
Taj Mahal, was built in the early 20th century. In memory of Queen
Victoria and was formally inaugurated by the Prince of Wales in
1921 who later became King Edward VIII of England. The stately bronze
statue of the queen near the entrance, the brass canons, wrought
iron street lamps, manicured lawns, gardens and pathways, the magical
lighting effect in the evening and a fairy tale 'Fountain of Joy'
facing the memorial building create an atmosphere of unforgettable
charm. 
In
the North-West corner of the Maidan are small & pleasantly laid
out Eden Gardens. The gardens were created in 1840 and named after
the sister of Lord Auckland, the former governor general. The idea
was to make a Biblical - style garden of Eden in India. The expanse
dotted with beautiful trees and shrubs is intersected by winding
paths, and there is a large artificial lake. Alongside the gardens,
is the world famous Eden Gardens cricket stadium. The stadium is
supposed to be the largest in Asia with a seating capacity of more
than a lakh spectators. The Kolkata cricket ground, where International
test & one day matches are held, is also with in the gardens.
Near the gardens you can take a pleasant walk along the bank of
hoogly river. 
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. It's open to visitors from 9 am to noon, and from 3
to 6 pm. Sunday services are at 7.30 and 8.30 am, and 6 pm. 
It
is one of three bridges on the river Hooghly and is the most famous
symbol of not only Kolkata but also West Bengal. Until 1943, the
Hooghly River was crossed by a pontoon bridge which had to be opened
to let river traffic through. There was considerable opposition
to construction of a bridge due to fears that it would affect the
river currents and cause silting problems. This problem was eventually
avoided by building a bridge that crosses the river in a single
450m span - there are no pylons at all within the river. 
State
Express