Heritage Kolkata

k lovers, on any given day one can satiate their hunger for books by visiting the hawker laden streets of College Street. Famous for its education institute, and having Presidency College to its one end College Street is filled with book vendors. Name any book, from educational to the latest Marquez, the book vendors are equally adept at their knowledge of books. Finish off the tiring day by sipping the famous coffee of Coffee house where many a budding poet, writer have found inspiration and is a culture pot for political and apolitical discussions among its visitors. For the shopaholics, Hog market or more famously known New Market is the place to be. Hog market comprises of a series of shops where one can find goodies of all kinds. Be it old antique silver jewellery or dress materials, old world bakery shops and the best meat in town, New market is definitely ‘Kolkatan’s’ favourite shopping destination. Apart from this numerous shopping malls have sprung up and are popular travel places where you can shop at leisure. For the stroller, a walk down Golpark is definitely a treat. Gariahat a place where the footpath is laden with street hawkers selling affordable cotton clothes, to old non precious jewellery, this part of the city is culmination of the old and the new. Stop by Ramakrishna Mission library for a sneak into the life of Sri Ramakrishna, or catch a bite in the eateries near-by, or stop over for tea in a mud vessel that can be bought from the street corner tea stall. Kolkata has always been a secular city, and it houses the most famous and old churches, temples Gurudwaras and Masjids. Kolkata boasts of year old churches like St Paul’s cathedral or St John’s church will make you marvel at their magnificence and serenity. Stop over at Dakhineshwar Kali temple for the darshan of the deity and the beauty of the temple situated across the river will enthral your senses. One of the popular visiting places of Kolkata is the Victoria Memorial. Built by Lord Curzon as a memorial for Queen Victoria, and the massive structure stands today to boast of the magnificence and beauty that it offers to the city. The structure is well maintained with a sprawling lawn and garden and one can visit Victoria memorial Museum to get a taste of the European era’s architectural marvel. It is a heritage landmark like the Indian Museum which is also located nearby. To get a glimpse of the Heritage Kolkata, a trip to the northern parts is a must. The crowded streets of North Kolkata still brings in the nostalgia of this heritage city. The wholesale marketplace of Burrabazar will remind you of the days when the merchants or the baniyas arrived at the docks with their bundles of goods. North Kolkata is also famous for Jorasako, where the house of the famous bard of West Bengal still remains. You can visit the Kumartuli area. Where the famous sculptures of the state dwells. No matter what time of the year you are here, you can see idols being built to perfection. Of the other visiting places in Kolkata, the “Ghats” are the favourite of all tourists. Mallikbazar Ghat, Princep Ghat are two of the other riverside locations of Kolkata. You can see the hustle of flower merchants selling their wares early every morning or enjoy a peaceful boat ride along the Ganges. For the food lover, Kolkata has much to offer. Be it fine dining, Park Street is the place you are looking for if you believe in good food that comes at a good price. Breakfast at Flury’s is a definite start to your day as the breakfast spread here is delicious. From an array of restaurants that leave you spoilt for choice, Park Street also houses a lot of pubs and lounges. Come Christmas or any festivity, the streets of Park Street is the one place that will give you the feeling of celebration. If you are in arts and cinema, visit Nandan adjacent to the famous Rabindra Sadan and be entertained with the best movies on show. December sees the crowd of Kolkata looking forward to the film festival that showcases movies from across the World. The theatre adjacent to Nandan, Academy of Fine Arts - has on display the best of theatre, Kolkata has still kept the flames of theatre alive with weekly shows. The people of Kolkata are art enthusiasts. A visit near this area will treat you to the flora and fauna of the Mohor Kunj and the Citizen’s Park where you can breathe in your shot of fresh air, well within the heart of the city. From food, to books, to cinema, to spiritual attainment- Kolkata is a city that has a little something to offer to people of all tastes and interest. The City with its cobbled streets and hand drawn rickshaws and horse carts doing the rounds, has managed to keep alive the old world charm as well as embrace an all new wifi connected streets and mushrooming shopping malls, and multiples. A perfect blend of heritage and modern life, tourist spots and refuge Kolkata is certainly a City Of Joy.