©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd # Kolkata (Calcutta) Why Go? History . 445 India’s second-biggest city is a daily festival of human Sights . 446 existence, simultaneously noble and squalid, cultured and Activities . 458 desperate. By its old spelling, Calcutta conjures up images of human suff ering to most Westerners. But locally, Kolkata Tours . 459 is regarded as India’s intellectual and cultural capital. Sleeping . 459 While poverty is certainly in your face, the dapper Bengali Eating . 463 gentry continues to frequent grand old gentlemen’s clubs, Drinking . 466 back horses at the Calcutta Racetrack and tee off at some of Entertainment . 467 India’s fi nest golf courses. Shopping . 468 As the former capital of British India, Kolkata retains a feast of colonial-era architecture, albeit much in a photo- genic state of semi-collapse. Meanwhile urban slums con- trast with dynamic new-town suburbs and a rash of air- Best Places to Eat conditioned shopping malls. Kolkata’s also the ideal place to » Bhojohari Manna (p 466 ) experience the mild, fruity tang of Bengali cuisine. Friendli- er than India’s other mega-cities, this is a city you ‘feel’ more » Kewpies (p 465 ) than simply visit. » Oh! Calcutta (p 465 ) » Fire and Ice (p 464 ) When to Go Best Places to Kolkata (Calcutta) Stay °C/°F Temp Rainfall inches/mm 40/104 32/800 » Oberoi Grand (p 460 ) 24/600 » Chrome (p 461 ) 20/68 » Tollygunge Club (p 462 ) 16/400 0/32 » Ashreen Guest House 8/200 (p 460 ) -20/-4 0 J FDNOSAJJMAM Oct The city Nov–Jan Cool May–Sep Best dresses up mag- and dry; there’s avoided unless nificently for the a November film you’re prepared colourful mayhem festival and a for a very serious of Durga Puja. big book fair in drenching. January. Food MAIN POINTS OF Fruity and mildly spiced, Bengali food favours the sweet, rich ENTRY notes of jaggery (palm-sugar), daab (young coconut), malai- The city has three kari (coconut milk) and posto (poppy seed). Typical Bengali major train stations curry types include the light, coriander-scented jhol, drier Howrah, Sealdah and spicier jhal and richer, ginger-based kalia. Strong mustard ‘Kolkata’ (Chitpore). notes feature in shorshe curries and paturi dishes that come The airport is well steamed in a banana leaf. Gobindobhog bhaat (steamed connected domesti- rice) or luchi (small puris) are the usual accompaniment. cally and has a modest More characteristic than meat or chicken (murgir) are chin- range of international gri (river prawns) and excellent fi sh, particularly white rui fl ights. Buses arrive (rohu), fatty chital, cod-like bhekti and tasty but bone-fi lled frequently from Ban- ilish (hilsa). Excellent vegetarian choices include mochar gladesh and regional ghonto (mashed banana-fl ower, potato and coconut), doi destinations. begun (eggplant in creamy sauce) and shukto, a favourite lunchtime starter combining at least fi ve diff erent vege- tables in a milk-based sauce. Bengali desserts and sweets are legendary. Most characteristic are mishti dhoi (curd de- Fast Facts liciously sweetened with jaggery), rasgulla (syrupy sponge » Population: 14.7 million balls) and cham-cham (double-textured curd-based fi ngers). » Area: 185 sq km » Telephone code: %033 DON’T MISS » Main language: Bengali Sampling distinctive Bengali food, walking the chaotic » Sleeping prices: back alleys, riding the Hooghly ferries, taking a motor- $ below ₹1200, $$ ₹1200 bike tour to see more of the city and – if you’ve got to ₹10,000, $$$ above more time – an excursion to the Sundarbans. ₹10,000 Top Tip Top Festivals Come for the head-spinning » Dover Lane Music Conference (www.thedoverlanemusic contrasts and disarmingly conference.in, late Jan) Indian classical music and dance at human quality of the city Rabindra Sarovar. rather than for specifi c sights. » Kolkata Boi Mela (www.kolkatabookfaironline.com, late Jan/early Feb) Asia’s biggest book fair. Resources » Saraswati Puja (early Feb) Prayers for educational success, all dress in yellow. » Bengali Recipes (http:// » Rath Yatra (Jun/Jul) Major Krishna chariot festival similar sutapa.com) to the Puri equivalent. » Tourist office (www » Durga Puja (www.durga-puja.org, Oct, see p 457 ) Kolkata’s .wbtourism.com/kolkata/ biggest festival. index.htm) » Lakshmi Puja (full moon after Durga Puja) and Kali Puja » News & Listings (www (Diwali) feature more idol dunking. .calcuttaweb.com) » Kolkata Film Festival (www.kff.in, mid-Nov) Week-long » Classified ads (http:// festival of Bengali and international movies. kolkata.quikr.com, http:// kolkata.clickindia.com).