Kolkata

Kolkata [1] (formerly Calcutta) is the capital of West Bengal and the second largest city in India (after Mumbai).

Districts

• South Kolkata — the posher part of the city. Covers Bhawanipur, Alipore, New Alipore, Rash Behari, Tollygunge, Ballygunge and Behala.

• Esplanade — the colonial district is still the central business area and is considered the heart of Kolkata. Made up of Park Street, Mirza Ghalib Street (Free School Street), Dalhousie Square, Chandni Chowk, Central Avenue, College Street, Barra Bazaar and Sudder Street.

• Maidan — the lungs of Kolkata. The area consisting of the huge park and its surrounding neighborhoods. Includes Fort William, Strand Road, Khidirpur, Dufferin Road, Hooghly Bank and Chowringhee.

• Dum Dum — the northern area of the city, a filthy yet fascinating district dominated by narrow little lanes and hundreds of shops. Belgachhia, Shyam Bazaar, Shobha Bazaar, Cantontment and Laketown.

• East Kolkata — Rapidly developing, and home to India's largest mall. Encompasses Salt Lake City, Bidhan Nagar, AJC Bose Road and the E.M. Bypass.

• Howrah — while technically its own city, Howrah is very much a part of the Kolkata metro area, and Howrah train station is where you'll arrive/depart from if connecting with anything north or west of Kolkata.

Culture and History

Ancient and Pre-British History

History

Kolkata's history is intimately related to the British East India Company, which first arrived in 1690, and to British India, which Calcutta became the capital of in 1772. Job Charnock was widely known as the founder of Calcutta but in recent years a number of Indian historians have disputed this claim. On 16th may, 2003 the Hon’ble Kolkata High Court has dismissed the name of Charnock as the city’s founder and 24Th august 1690 as its birthday. This landmark verdict came after Sabarna Roy Choudhury Paribar Parishad and nine other intellectuals of the city filed a public interest litigation. The verdict was based upon the findings of an expert committee report headed by the famous historian late Sri Nemai Sadhan Basu.

In the nineteenth century Calcutta was the epicentre of activity in the early stages of the national movement of independence. Calcutta remained in the forefront of Indian prosperity up to independence and for some more years afterwards before the population pressure on infrastructure and political disturbances led to a gradual decline. A violent and bloody Marxist Maoist movement known as the Naxal movement (after Naxalbari, the place where it first started) in the 1970s left the city badly bruised.

Modern Kolkata

Kolkata is the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. Kolkata witnessed an economic decline from the late sixties till the late nineties. The city's economic fortunes turned the tide as the early nineties economic liberalization in India reached Kolkata's shores during late nineties. Kolkata is a multicultural, cosmopolitan city. Apart from the diversity of India, the cultures represented are that of the Europeans (Including Germans, Armenians, and others), and other Asians (Including Chinese, Sinhalese, and Tibetans).

Since 1977, a "Left Front" coalition of communist and Marxist parties has continuously ruled the state. This is reflected in street names and memorials in the city. For example there are streets like Lenin Sarani, Ho Chi Minh Sarani, etc.. The Left Front regained control of the Municipal Corporation of Kolkata from the Trinamul Congress in the 2005 civic elections.

Economy

Thanks to the forward-looking leadership of the Left front, Kolkata is fast developing into a modern infotech city with various private sector companies setting up shop here. The landscape of the city is also fast changing with flyovers, gardens and several new commercial establishments. Kolkata city itself has expanded into its suburbs, with the Greater Kolkata stretching from Kalyani (in Nadia District) in North to Diamond Harbour in South (in the South 24 Parganas District).

The city's fortunes have looked up since the early nineties, coinciding with the liberalization of the Indian economy. Its economy has been amongst the fastest growing in the country. The New Metro city is characterised by popular spots like Inox Multiplexes, Nandan, Tantra, Barista Coffee Shops, Sourav's Pavilion and Science City.

Kolkata is home to many industrial units, of large Indian corporations, whose product range is varied and includes - engineering products, electronics, electrical equipment, cables, steel, leather, textiles, jewellery, frigates, automobiles, railway coaches and wagons.

Several industrial estates like Taratolla, Kalyani, Uluberia, Dankuni, Kasba, Howrah are spread throughout the urban agglomeration. A huge leather complex has come up at Bantolla. An export processing zone has been set up in Falta. Specialized setups like the country's first Toy Park, and a Gem and Jewellery Park have also been established.

Kolkata is also starting to become a major hub for the IT (Information Technology) industry. With the formation of New Town at Rajarhat and extension of Salt Lake's Sector-V, Kolkata is rapidly turning into a pro-IT town. More and more businesses are coming to Kolkata to set up their offices.

Geography

Kolkata is located in the eastern part of India at 22°82′ N 88°20′ E. It has spread linearly along the banks of the river Hooghly.

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has an area of 185 square kilometres. The city proper today can be roughly divided into two sections along Mother Teresa Sarani (Park Street). North of Park Street is the more congested part of the city. South of Park Street is the slightly better planned section of the city.

The old Central Business District (CBD) is where the seat of the West Bengal Government is located, along with many other government offices. Several banks have their corporate (Allahabad Bank, United Bank of India, UCO Bank) or regional headquarters (Reserve Bank of India, State Bank of India, Bank of India, Central Bank of India amongst many others) around the B. B. D. Bagh area. Many of Kolkata's older business groups have their main offices here. The area is a mix of multi-storeyed office blocks and colonial buildings.

The newer CBD is around the south of Park Street, Camac Street and AJC Bose Road. Several high-rise office blocks including some of Kolkata's tallest commercial buildings - like the Chatterjee International Centre, Tata Centre, Everest House, Industry House, CGO Building - are located here.

Maidan (open field) is situated between the river Ganges and J.L.Nehru Road (or Chowringhee). It is said to be the lungs of Kolkata. The lush green meadow also houses Victoria Memorial, Eden Gardens, and several sporting clubs. Kolkatans simply love to stroll in the Maidan.

In an effort to relieve congestion in the main city, many government offices have shifted to high-rise office buildings lining Bidhan Nagar's (Salt Lake) Central Park.

The residential buildings are mainly lowrise and comprise of older colonial buildings and numerous new four storied apartment blocks. Ten to twelve storied apartment blocks have come up in large numbers in south Kolkata. The city has relaxed its rules on high-rise construction recently and twenty storied buildings are becoming more common. The tallest residential towers of eastern India - the four thirty-five-storey towers of South City are under construction on Prince Anwar Shah Road.

Heavy construction activity along the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass is changing the face of the city. Luxury hotels, a convention centre, speciality hospitals, condominium complexes, malls and multiplexes are coming up at a rapid pace.

The city's expansion in the eastern side is spearheaded by the construction of a large new city called New Town adjacent to the well planned Bidhan Nagar. Located in Rajarhat, it is one of the largest planned urban developments in India.

The neglected western side of the urban agglomeration has got a boost recently with the signing of an agreement with Chiputra, an Indonesian company to build the Kolkata West International City (KWIC). Another huge new township is in the proposal state in Dankuni.

Slums and dilapidated structures exist in many pockets of the city proper and house over 25% of the city's population (Census 2001). Slum redevelopment schemes have helped improve living conditions by a small extent but there is huge scope for improvement in this area. Efforts to shift slum dwellers to newer developments have often met with resistance and failure because many of the slums are in prime areas of the city and the slum dwellers who are integrated in the social structure of the neighbourhood do not want to shift.

Travel to Kolkata, visa requirements

Flights to Kolkata, airtickets

Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport [2] (IATA: CCU) connects Kolkata with South East Asia and receives some flights from Europe and North America but is surprisingly small for a city of this size and hasn't been refurbished since the 1950s. The domestic terminal, on the other hand, is among the best in India. It is undergoing a major face-lift and expansion to cope with the expanding bulk of air traffic and new airline companies popping up almost every month.

Take a prepaid taxi from the airport to the city. It is about 20 km from the city. Expect to pay about Rs. 150-250 depending on your destination. Alternatively, adventurous souls can try out the new rail link to Dum Dum, where you can board the Metro (underground railway).

By train

There are two major railway stations in Kolkata - Howrah (not in Kolkata actually, it's in the next city Howrah) and Sealdah. A new terminus station called 'Kolkata' has also started functioning since 2005, but presently it accommodates very few trains.

There are computerised Railway Reservation Offices at several places in the city, though the one near Strand Road on Fairly Place is the most popular.

Kolkata is well connected by rail to almost all the big stations in India and also serves as the gateway to the North Eastern India.

NB: Although the staff are very helpful at the main stations, they are hindered by the lack of modern equipment.

By car

Buses to Kolkata

Esplanade Bus Station is the city's main station for inter-state and inter-city buses.

If you're heading to Bangladesh book tickets at Shyamoli Yatri Paribahan, 6/1 Marquis St (parallel to and one block south of Sudder Street, and just west of Mirza Ghalib St, next door to DHL), 2252 0693. 2-3 buses per day leave this office on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, usually at 5:30AM, 8:30AM and 12:30PM. Rs 86 to Haridaspur border post (about 2.5 hours), or all the way to Dhaka (with a bus change at the border) will run Rs 550 (about 12 hours). Beware that several travel agencies around this area also sell tickets for these buses, but at very inflated prices. At the border it's best to change money on the Indian side, but count it carefully and double-check the math on their calculator. On the Bangladesh side you can catch a flat-bed cycle-rickshaw for Tk5 for the 2km trip to the bus stand for onward travel - or you can walk, but expect the hopeful rickshaw-wallahs to follow you at least half way.

By boat

The river Hooghly that runs through the west of the city offered one of the first reasons to the foundation of the British commercial settlement. The river continues to offer one of the less crowded but slow traffic medium. There are several points (popularly called Ghats and jetties) on the bank of the river from where you can board several regular routes of ferry services. Ferries can be fairly large launches to small improvised motorized boats. They are extremely safe though. Even if you don't get any exotic manual boats like you get in Varanasi, the river transport of the city lets you go to several old spots near the bank in a hassle-free manner with an additional dash of the view of decadent river front of the city.

Get around

By taxi

Kolkata just wouldn't look the same without the plethora of yellow painted ambassador taxis that clog its many roads. They're easily available and relatively cheap, and will usually use their meters! (Though most are outdated so expect to be shown a conversion chart at the end which will double or triple the meter reading).

By metro

Metro Railway, Kolkata [3] was the first underground rail in India, yet it still has only a single route connecting the north and south of the city, from Dumdum to Tollygunge (work is in progress on the extension to Garia). It is the cleanest, most reliable, least crowded and most efficient of all the transportation Kolkata has to offer. Trains run every 10-15 minutes and at Rs 4-8 it's darn cheap too.

Stops include Esplanade (for Chowringhee), Park Street, Maidan (for Victoria Memorial and Planetarium), Rabindra Sadan and Kalighat.

By tram

Calcutta Tramways [4] is the only tram service in all of India. Though decommissioned in some part of the city, electric trams are still one of the means of traveling between places within the city. They move slow on the laid tracks in traffic jammed streets, but they are environment friendly (no emission). Check their site for routes and schedules.

By train

The electrified suburban rail network of the SER and the ER is extensive and includes the Circular Rail.

Buses to Kolkata

The city has an extensive bus network (possibly the most exhaustive in the whole of India), and this is the cheapest, though not always the most comfortable means of transport. Among the buses that ply the city streets, the deluxe buses run by CSTC (Calcutta State Transport Corporation), CTC (Calcutta Tramways Company) and WBSTC (West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation) are probably the better option. A/C buses are also available to select destinations from near the airport.

By auto-rickshaw

Shared auto-rickshaws are available from different points. They travel in fixed routes and the fare is fixed. They are supposed to take four persons, three in the back seat and one sharing the driver's seat!

By rickshaw

Long the world's only major metropolis where human-pulled rickshaws were still a major form of transport, a complete ban was finally imposed in November 2006 - but with 35,000 union members who are unlikely to disappear overnight they're still a pretty common sight, especially around Chowringee.

Hiring a car

Privately owned rental car places are available throughout the city. Rates depend on the make, model, size and comfort level of the car. Agreements are flexible, for example, cars can be rented even for couple of hours at an hourly rate. Most rental cars are accompanied with a driver from the rental agency. Here are contacts of a few rental car agents:

• Travel Cars, +91 33 2249 4970 Queens Mansion, Garage No. 8, Park Street.
• Time Cabs, +91 33 2247 9574 13, Camac Street.
• Wenz, +91 33 227 8926, Oberoi Grand Hotel.

Kolkata attractions and sightseeing

The city sprawls along the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, a tributary of the Ganges, which divides it from Howrah on the western bank. For travelers, the most relevant parts of Kolkata are south of the Howrah Bridge in the areas around BBD Bagh and Chowringhee.

Maidan

South of BBD Bagh is the huge, lush, green, open parkland known as Maidan. Continuing south from here you will find

Eden Gardens (one of the most famous cricket stadiums in the world),

• All India Radio building

• Fort William, the massive and impregnable British Citadel built in 1773. The fort is still in use and retains its well-guarded grandeur. Visitors are allowed in with special permission only.

• Victoria Memorial [5] Along St. George’s Gate Road, on the southern fringe of the Maidan, you will find Kolkata's most famous landmark , a splendid white marble monument.

• Calcutta Racecourse

Chowringee

Northern Kolkata

The Northern part of Kolkata houses the old buildings belonging to the Zamindars (Landlords), other rich Bengali people who were trading with the British. It is generally crowded and has some interesting markets including the famous College Street Book market where you can trace many out of print books with a little patience. While in College Street a visit to the College St Coffee Shop is a must. Also around the area are the Calcutta Medical College, the Presidency college and Calcutta University.

North of BBD Bagh you will find the

• Nakhoda Mosque (the largest mosque in Kolkata) and the

• Marble Palace where you will find The oldest zoo in Kolkata and a wide collection of art inside a palatial old Kolkata building.

Further along you will find

• Jorasanko Thakur Bari (Tagore Family residence).

• Parashnath Jain Temple, near the Belgachia metro station.

• Parashnath Jain Temple, at Gouribari, less visited, reachable from the Sovabazar Metro station (take an auto rickshaw).

• Marble Palace, The marble palace was the private mansion of Zamindar (Land owner) Raja Rajendro Mullick, who had built this palace in 1835. It is situated on the Muktaram Babu Street in a congested part of the city. A real garden, of may be an acre with a Palladian Mansion set square in the centre. Today this place has an incongruous collection of statues and paintings. There is also a private zoo housing a collection of birds from different corners of the world.

• The Howrah Bridge [6] spans the Hooghly River linking Howrah to Kolkata. It is said to be the busiest bridge in the world. No photos allowed.

• Kali temple of Dakshineswar is in the north of the city on the banks of the Ganges, across from Belur Math.

Southern Kolkata

Southern Kolkata is less congested and more modern. You will find more apartment blocks, more green spaces and more affluent homes.

• The Tollygunge Club is one of the oldest clubs and a famous colonial relic housing a golf course, horse riding facilities, accommodation etc.)

• Rabindra Sarovar is a large open lake and park area housing boating clubs, an open air theatre and eateries.

• Birla Industrial & Technological Museum

• Royal Calcutta Golf Club is the oldest golf club in the world after St. Andrews in Scotland.

• Tollywood (the home of Bengali Films) and Television centre are also found in Tollygunge.

• The Jadavpur University

• Ramakrishna Mission Institute in Golpark.

• The Birla Temple is the largest in Kolkata and worth a visit.

• National Library of India

• The Kali temple of Kalighat, very famous to Hindus, it houses Kolkata's patron deity. It was founded by the Sabarna Roy Choudhury Family.

• Mother Teresa's Hospital for the destitute is next door to the Kalighat temple.

• China Town near Park circus houses some of the finest Chinese eateries.
• Inox-Forum at Elgin Road near Rabindra Sadan -- multiplex movie hall along with a big shopping mall

.* Big Bazar on E. M. Bypass at Highland Park (Baghajatin)- here you can buy almost everything under the sun at reasonable price

West of the Hooghly

• Howrah Station

• The Botanical Gardens at Sibpur.

• Belur Math, a huge complex and the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission.

TBD

• Kolkata been nicknamed the City of Palaces. This comes from the numerous palatial mansions built all over the city. During the British colonial era from 1700-1912, when Calcutta was the capital of British India, it witnessed a spate of frenzied construction activity of buildings largely influenced by the conscious intermingling of Gothic, Baroque, Roman, Oriental and Islamic schools of design. Unlike many north Indian cities, whose construction stresses minimalism, the layout of much of the architectural variety in Kolkata owes its origins to European styles and tastes imported by the British and, to a much lesser extent, the Portuguese and French. The buildings were designed, and inspired by the tastes of the English gentleman around and the aspiring Bengali Babu (literally a nouveau riche Bengali who aspired to cultivation of English etiquette, manners and custom as such practices were favourable to monetary gains from the British). Today many of these structures are in various stages of decay. Some of the major buildings of this period are well maintained and several buildings have been declared as heritage structures. Conservation efforts are patchy and are often affected by problems of litigation, tenant troubles, ownership disputes, old tenancy laws and a lack of funds.

• Government House, Kolkata, built in the early 19th century, is modelled on Kedleston Hall. The House was once the seat of the Viceroys of India; later, when the Government moved to New Delhi, it became the residence of the Governor of Bengal, a function that it fulfils to this day. While the basic features of Kedleston have been faithfully copied (the Palladian Front, the Dome etc.), Government House is a much larger, three storeyed structure. Also, the Government of India evidently did not have the funding constraints that forced the Curzons to leave their house incomplete: Government House has all four wings originally conceived for Kedleston. So today, a 'complete', brick built Kedleston, on a much grander scale, is located in its acres of gardens at the heart of the Kolkata business district.

Museums and Galleries

• Indian Museum
• Town Hall
• Marble Palace
• Gurusaday Museum, Diamond Harbour Road
• Jawahar Shishu Bhawan
• Birla Industrial and Technological Museum
• Science City
• Sabarna Sangrahashala, Barisha.

Organized tours

• Tourism Dept. of Govt. of India has 1 day tour starting at 8:00AM daily except Monday (check the rate & timings Ph: +91-33-2282-5813). The bus departs from 4, Shakespeare Sarani.

• West Bengal Tourism Development Corp (WBTDC), +91 33 2248 8271, [7]. Offers half and full day sightseeing tours around the city.

City tours

• Take a walk along the river. There is a good promenade near Eden Garden.

• Take a stroll down memory lane at Princep ghat.

• Take a boat cruise in small boats under the starlit sky at Outram Ghat.

• Several modern cinemas are dotted around the city, including INOX at the Forum Shopping Mall and the City Centre in Salt Lake, 89 Cinemas at Swabhumi near Salt Lake City and Fame at Metropolis Mall in Highland Park, all showing Indian and American blockbusters.

• Nandan, 1/1 AJC Bose Road, (east of Rabindra Sadan metro station) +33 2223 1210. A modern cinema complex and unique cultural center without parallel in the country. It was inaugurated by Satyajit Ray in 1985. It is the symbol of art and culture in the city which is termed as the Cultural Capital of India. It hosts the Kolkata Film Festival in November.

• Football (soccer) is a passion for many Kolkatans with the national clubs, Mohun Bagan Athletic Club [8] and East Bengal Club [9] being the best known teams.

• The Kolkata Book Fair [10] takes place from the last week of January to the first week of February. This is the largest book fair in the world where the book publishers from across the globe interact with the readers, turning all of the roads in the city into fairgrounds!

• Durga Puja takes place in October and is the festival of Bengalis. Traditionally a Hindu festival, the religion part takes a back seat here. The population of Kolkata increases three fold during the festival and the people remain on the street for the whole day and night to see the “Puja pandels”. It's a great time to visit Kolkata if you can bear the crowds.

Learn

• University of Calcutta, [11]. Established in 1857 it was the first modern university on the sub-continent.

Work

Volunteering is a real option here with several options.

• Mother Teresa's Mission accepts volunteers to help in its multiple projects around town. Enquire at the motherhouse.

Shopping, Kolkata souvenirs

Kolkata is an important trading center for handicrafts produced in Eastern India. Bankura horses, saris from Shantiniketan, and leather goods top the list of Kolkata specialities. It is also famous for its rasgollas and a tin or two as a gift for the folks back home. New Market is probably the most famous place to go shopping but there are bargains everywhere.

• Malls: Metropolis Mall (near Highland Park).

Good restaurants and cheap meals

(See district pages for restaurant listings.)

Kolkata was famous for having the best restaurants long before Indians in other cities learned to eat out. Many of the restaurants that line the streets in the Esplanade area have been around for more than a hundred years (unfortunately, many also show their age!). Flury's, on Park Street, was once considered the best English bakery in all of Asia and you can almost imagine Joe Stilwell and Lord Mountbatten arguing over who had command over the allied forces in Burma while enjoying tea, scones, and clotted cream!

But the joy of food in Kolkata is in its Indian foods. Nizam's, in New Market, is credited with the invention of the famous Kati Kebab roll and still serves up the best of the best. Street vendors selling egg rolls/chicken rolls abound and their freshly prepared kati rolls are safe to eat and enjoy. Mughali Paratha (a paratha stuffed with minced meat) is a Calcutta speciality and can be found in various 'cabins' off Chowringhee Road. 'Chops', a sort of deep fried ball stuffed with beet and veggies is another peculiarity that you won't find anywhere else in the world. Puchkas, the Calcutta version of paani-puri, is available on the streets but be wary of the water!

Bengali sweets are famous all over India. Rasagolla (cheese balls dipped in a sugary syrup), Pantua - a fried variant of the same, Rasomalai- the same cheeseballs dipped in creamy sweetened milk, Mishti Dahi (sweet yogurt), Sandesh (several variations available). Try some shops like K.C. Das, Bhim Nag, Nakur Nandy, Sen Mahasoy, Ganguram and not to forget Mithai. These are cheap and should be eaten fresh.

Kolkata is also the home of Indian Chinese food (now making inroads in far-off New York!). Chinese restaurants are everywhere so try the Indian variant of hot and sour soup and the famous Indian chinese dish of chilli chicken.

Bengali food is centered around fish. Macher jhol, literally fish in water, is a watery fish curry available everywhere and goes well with rice, but Bengalis everywhere swear by the hilsa fish (a variant of shad). Hilsa, lightly marinaded in mustard and steamed is up there with the best fish dishes in the world. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to find a restaurant serving Bengali food so try to make friends with a local!

Kolkata nightlife, bars, clubs and pubs.

• If you really want to try some "Kolkata Variety of Drinks", try Shibuji's Soda Shikanji. It is a small non-descript store that is located on Theater Road, just East of Camac Street. Shikanji is a mixture of pop/soda like Coca Cola or cream soda with special Indian spice mixture made of Salt, Pepper, Lime and couple other common herbs (Note: I am not talking about drugs). On Holi ( A traditional Indian Festival) you get Bhang. This is a pure and clean drink made with milk and herbs.

Hotels, youth hostels, lodging

For individual hotel listings, please see the the various district pages.

Kolkata has long had a concentration of budget backpacker hotels in the Sudder Street area and many of these are colonial era gems, albeit decaying ones. Budget hotels can also be found around the station in Howrah. Sudder Street is more centrally located but both are well connected by public transport.

Contact

• The area dialing code for Kolkata is 33. From overseas dial +91 33 XXXX XXXX, from within India dial 033 XXXX XXXX. For mobile phones, dial +91 9XXXX XXXXX.

Internet

• Iway, [12] has a branch at 59 Park St opposite Music World with around 20 computers and fast connections. ~Rs 25/hour.

Stay safe

Kolkata is reasonably safe, and in general the people are more friendly and helpful than in many of India's other large cities. One noted problem is the drug dealers around Sudder Street. However, as the dealers obviously do not want to draw undue attention to their activity, they are generally not persistent and rarely a threat.

Cope

Embassies and Consulates

• Bangladesh Deputy High Commission, Circus Ave (Just east of AJC Bose Rd), +91 (0)33 2290 5208/5209, issues 15 day visas, ranging from Rs 500 (~$10) for Indians to an extortionate Rs 5000 (~$110) for American citizens. Applications are received at window #4 M-F from 9-11AM, and visas are generally ready the next afternoon. Bring 3 passport photos.

• German Consulate General Kolkata/Deutsches Generalkonsulat Kalkutta, 1 Hastings Park Road, Alipore, Kolkata 700027, +91-(0)33-2479 1141/ 1142/ 2150, 2439 8906. The origins of the German consulate in Kolkata can be traced to before the existence of Germany itself, to the establishment of the consulate of the kingdom of Hanover in 1851 and the consulate of Prussia in 1854.

• United States of America, Consulate-General of the, 5/1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani, Kolkata 700071, +91-33-3984 2400. It is the oldest diplomatic post of the USA in India, and possibly the oldest continuously operating US diplomatic post in the world. Benjamin Joy was appointed the first American Consul to Calcutta by George Washington in 1792, upon the express recommendation of then Secretary of State, Thomas Jefferson. The office at 5/1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani houses the Consulate General and the Office of Consular Affairs. The American Center, located at 38A Chowringhee Road, is home to the American Information Resource Center (formerly the American Library/United States Information Service), and the offices of the United States Educational Foundation in India (USEFI) and the U.S. Commercial Service (USCS).

Get out

• Vishnupur - famous for terracotta temples, clay sculptures, and silk sarees

• Santiniketan - famous for the Ashramik School, and university founded by Nobel Laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore. the town is also known for its handmade leather crafts and kantha stitch sarees

• North Bengal - a mountainous region home to Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Digha and Shankarpur

• Phuentsholing - Bhutan Government buses depart for this Bhutanese border town from the Esplanade Bus Station at 7PM on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The journey takes around 18 hours and costs 300Rps. The buses are comfortable, but the roads through West Bengal are full of pot holes, so don't bank on getting much sleep on the way.

Sundarbans National Park

Part of the largest littoral mangrove in the world, and home to the famous Bengal Tigers

Tours from Kolkata

The following arrange tours to the Sunderbans from Kolkata:

• West Bengal Tourism Development Corp (WBTDC), +91 33 2248 8271, [13]. Offers 2-3 day safaris to the Sunderbans.

• Help Tourism, +91 33 2455 0917, 2485 4584, +91 98310-31980, helptourismkolkata@gmail.com. offers interesting Wildlife Trip packages for Sunderbans, mainly for small groups. They have their own setup called Sunderbans Jungle Camp on Bali Island.

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