Kolkata, or the 'City of Joy', evokes a number of images in the mind of tourists - towering bridges, traditionally clothed people strolling in the streets of city and extravagant festival celebrations are just few of them. The fast expanding city with commercial, complexes and residential buildings coming up towards the eastern side of it, is the gateway to the Eastern part of India. The capital city of India under the British Raj, the city is also referred as the intellectual capital of India.


Location
Kolkata is located in the eastern part of India which spreads along the banks of the Hooghly river. It is the capital of the state of West Bengal, a burning hub of the IT industry .

Climate
Calcutta is at its best during its short winter, when the daily maximum temperature hovers around 27°C, and the markets are filled with fresh vegetables and flowers. Before the monsoons, the heat hangs unbearably heavy. The arrival of the rains in late June brings relief. October and November are quite pleasant, and the best time to travel the place.


Major Travel Attractions
Victoria Memorial - The white marble structure surrounded by lush green gardens is the most beautiful monumental legacy of the British India . Lord Curzon built the monument in the early 20th century in the memory of Queen Elizabeth. Formally inaugurated by the Prince of Wales in 1921, there are innumerable portraits and statues signifying the legacy of the British Raj in India.

Kali Mandir - Kolkata got its name from Kali Mandir. The temple, dedicated to Kali, the goddess of destruction is also sometimes referred to as Kalighat. It is from here that the old village Kalikata took its name and finally changed to the present Kolkata.

Zoological Garden - The Garden preserved lots of variety of popular fauna from all over the country, specially the tigers and bears. There is a rich reptile house and a varied species of birds are also to found. Facility for undertaking research work to study the behaviour of the animals are also done. The garden was established in the year 1875 to protect the animal species from parasites and other diseases.

Indian Botanical Garden - Covering an area of 273 acres on the bank of the Hooghly river, it contains around 12,000 living perennial plants and two million dried out plants specimen in the herbarium. The Garden has experimented on plants like Tea, Cinchona, Mahagony as well as jute utilization and improvement of cotton, rubber, bamboo etc. Many exotic gardens have been established from its findings, specially the Palm house and the Orchid Gardens.

Writers Building - The Writers building is famous for its Corinthian facade, and is a landmark in history of Kolkata. Initially built as a residence for the clerical and administrative staff of the British East India Company , the building, at present houses the main state secretariat. Decorated with tall columns, the corridors are flanked by ornate arches and the pavilions gives a beauty to the colonial architecture.

The Howrah Bridge - The Magnificent Howrah Bridge, which took six years to get completed, is a marvel of the 20th century India. The Howrah bridge that crosses the Hooghly river is a relief to thousand of masses who ply on the bridge regularly. The most striking thing is that the bridge is built with out of a single piers within the river.

The Eden Garden - The Eden gardens were created in the year 1840 with a Burmese style pagoda. The park is the playing ground of the International cricket matches and hockey matches in Kolkata. During the matches the Garden comes to its full delight with crackers and fire works all around.