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Kolkata (Calcutta)

Why Go? History...... 453 ’s second-biggest city is a daily festival of human exist- Sights...... 453 ence, simultaneously noble and squalid, cultured and des- perate. By its old spelling, Calcutta conjures up images of Activities...... 465 human suffering to most Westerners. But locally, is Volunteering...... 465 regarded as India’s intellectual and cultural capital. While Tours...... 465 poverty is certainly in your face, the dapper Bengali gen- Sleeping...... 466 try continues to frequent grand old gentlemen’s clubs, back Eating...... 470 horses at the Calcutta Racetrack and tee off at some of In- dia’s finest golf courses. Drinking & As the former capital of British India, Kolkata retains a Nightlife...... 475 feast of colonial-era architecture, albeit much in a photogen- Entertainment...... 476 ic state of disrepair. Meanwhile urban slums contrast with Shopping...... 477 dynamic new-town suburbs and a rash of air-conditioned shopping malls. Kolkata’s also the ideal place to experience the mild, fruity tang of . Friendlier than In- dia’s other metropolises, this is a city you ‘feel’ more than Best Places simply visit. to Eat ¨¨Bhojohari Manna (p475) ¨¨Oh! Calcutta (p474) When to Go ¨¨Fire and Ice (p474) Kolkata (Calcutta) ¨¨Amigos (p474) °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm 40/104 32/800

24/600 20/68

Best Places 16/400 to Stay 0/32 8/200 ¨¨Oberoi Grand (p468) ¨¨Chrome (p468) -20/-4 0 J F DNOSAJJMAM ¨¨Hotel Kempton (p467) Sep/Oct The Nov–Jan Cool May–Sep Best city dresses up and dry; there’s avoided unless magnificently a November film you’re prepared for the colourful festival and a for a very serious mayhem of Durga big book fair in drenching. Puja. January. 451 Kolkata (Calcutta) - 033 - ¨ % ¨

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: 185 sq km 185sq : ENTRY

The newly rebuilt air rebuilt The newly - fre arrive Buses MAIN three has The city stations: major train and Sealdah Howrah, (Chitpore). Kolkata has a growing port area international of range flights. Bang quently from and regional ladesh destinations. OF Sleeping Telephone Main Classified Bengali Tourist News Curiosities Population Area below ₹1200 below ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨

rangandatta.wordpress. com/blog-index/calcutta- kolkata) ¨ kolkata.clickindia.com) ¨ $ ₹10,000, to ₹10,000 Resources ¨ sutapa.com) ¨ westbengaltourism.gov.in/ web/guest/kolkata) ¨ calcuttaweb.com) ¨ Top Top Tip head-spinning the for Come contrasts and disarmingly human quality of the city rather than for sights. specific Fast Facts ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨

kalia. mishti paturi (white chingri rohu cham-cham Gobindobhog Indian (young coconut), (young coconut), curries and and curries (poppy seed). Typical Typical seed). (poppy late Jan) Jan) late (chicken) are ( in curd) and and curd) in (eggplant daab h ( shorshe posto (small puris – dough that – an acquired taste – taste is – fish an acquired murgir mid-Nov) Week-long festival of of festival Week-long mid-Nov) doi begundoi luchi h and richer, -based ( (mashed banana-flower, sometimes sometimes banana-flower, (mashed late Jan/early Feb) Kolkata Boi Mela Boi Kolkata Feb) Jan/early late Conference h

jhal early Feb) Prayers for educational for Prayers Feb) early ( lau ghonto h Sep or Oct) Kolkata’s biggestfestival. Kolkata’s Oct) or Sep ( Jun/Jul) Major Krishna chariot festivalchariot Krishna Major Jun/Jul)

Festival

h Mela h Music

( ( (hilsa) is considered the tastiest fish, kachki Puja mildly mildly spiced, Bengali food favours the sweet, MISS

(coconut milk) and (coconut Film Boi

Puja Lane

mochar ghonto Yatra ilish a favourite lunchtime starter combining at least five five least at combining starter lunchtime favourite a

(steamed ) or (curd deliciously sweetened with jaggery), drier spicier Sampling distinctive Bengali food, walking the food, Bengali distinctive Sampling a taking riding the Hooghly ferries, alleys, back chaotic and – if you’ve the city of more see to tour motorbike the Sunderbans. to time – an excursion more got DON’T For a colourful and very affectionate portrait of Kolkata’s Kolkata’s of portrait affectionate very and colourful a For Rath Durga Kolkata Kolkata Sarawati Dover ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ ¨ with and coconut), coconut), and potato with shukto, desserts Bengali sauce. a in milk-based vegetables different and sweets are Most legendary. are characteristic bones, bones, and are very small choices vegetarian Excellent with pumpkin. head pounded include (river prawns) (river and prawns) fish, excellent particularly If you bhekti. the can and handle cod-like chital fatty rui), Bengali and international movies.international and Bengali ¨ equivalent. Puri the to similar ¨ ¨ ¨ biggestfair. book Asia’s ¨ yellow. in dress all success– Top Top Festivals ¨ Sarovar. Rabindra at dance and music classical com com which includes recipes, films and sells book. a evocative brilliantly (rosewater-scented (rosewater-scented cream-cheese balls) and fingers). curd-based (double-textured see http://streetfoodkolkata. scene, food street ever-vibrant dhoi puffs puffs up when fried) are the More usual accompaniment. than characteristic meat or jhol, in feature notes Strong dishes that come steamed in a banana leaf. bhaat Fruity Fruity and rich notes of jaggery (palm sugar), malaikari Bengali curry types include the light, coriander-scented Food