Budget Hotels Calcutta

Where to Stay
Most of the budget places are around Sudder St, off Chowringhee Rd, by the Indian Museum. Sudder St is the hangout street for the traveler’s crowd. There is a shortage of budget accommodations in Calcutta.

The Paying Guest Program can be arranged through the West Bengal Tourist Office (248-8271), BBD Bagh, and the Government of India Tourist Office (242-1402), 4 Shakespeare Sarani.

Sudder St Area (Lower)
The Salvation Army Red Shield Guest House (2252-0598), 2 Sudder St, is a popular, well-maintained budget place with clean rooms ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 900, and Rs 100for a dorm bed. The more expensive rooms have baths. It is often booked, but if you can get in, it is a good value. They will look after nonresidents’ baggage for Rs 10 a day. They may have bed bugs.
The popular Hotel Maria (2252-0860), Sudder St, has basic rooms with a common bath for Rs 250/350 to Rs 350/400 with bath. Dorm beds, Rs 100.
Hotel Paragon (2252-2445), 2 Stuart Lane, is a popular place on a quiet street. It has rooms for Rs 150/250 with a common bath, Rs 550 with bath, and dorm beds for Rs 85. The upstairs rooms are much better than the gloomy ground floor rooms. There is a pleasant courtyard upstairs.
Modern Lodge (2252-4960), 1 Stuart Lane, is a popular place with rooms with a common bath for Rs 125/200, with a private bath for Rs 250/400.

The best rooms are the ones with bath on the upper floor and roof. The manager here can also help you find cheap flights. Many budget travelers stay at these two places and they are both good places to meet people.
Diplomat Hotel (2246-8434), 10 Sudder St, has basic rooms with common bath for Rs 250 and A/C rooms for Rs 600.
Hilson Hotel, (2217-3896; fax: 2246-3999) 4Sudder St, has clean rooms with common bath for Rs 200/250 and Rs 450 for a double with bath.
Down the street and about the same price is the Shilton Hotel (2252-1512; fax: 2246-0961; Email: shiltoncal@hotmail.com), which has rooms with bath for Rs 300/400 to Rs 400/600..
Times Guest House (245-1796), upstairs near the Blue Sky Cafe, run by a friendly Sikh man, has rooms with common bath for Rs 200 and Rs 250 with a bath. Dorm beds are Rs 100.
Tourist Inn (2245-0134), in the middle of Sudder St, has small, clean rooms with common bath for Rs 180/350 and A/C rooms for Rs 650. It has a nice common area.
Centrepoint Guest House (2252-8184; fax: 2252-2867; EmailL ian_rashid@yahoo.com; 244-8184), 20 Mirza Ghalib St (Free School St), by Sudder St, is a decent place that has rooms with bath for Rs 200 and Rs 400 with A/C. It has a lounge with a TV.
Mansukh Guest House (249-8232) 25 Marquis St, has double rooms for Rs 400 and small A/C rooms for Rs 550.
Neelam Hotel (2229-9198), Dr M Ishaque Rd, south of Sudder St, has big run-down rooms for Rs 250/400 and with A/C for Rs 600.
Across the street is the East End Hotel, (2229-8921), Dr M Ishaque Rd, which is a decent place with rooms (with TV) for Rs 400/500.
Classic Hotel, (222907390), down an alley off Mirza Ghalib St, has singles, some without windows, for Rs 250, doubles with bath and TV for Rs 525, and A/C rooms for Rs 900. The rooms are all right, but they have far-out paint jobs. Bucket hot water available.
Khaja Habib Hotel (293-305), 33 Mirza Ghalib St, has well-maintained, clean rooms.
YMCA (2249-2192; fax 2249-2234; Email: swarajsi@123india.com), 25 Jawaharlal Nehru Rd, near the Indian Museum, is an older, gloomy building with large rooms with bath for Rs 550/700 and Rs 800/900 with A/C. Dorm beds are Rs 150. This place is popular with Indian businessmen, so it is often booked. Room rates include breakfast and dinner.
YWCA (2229-7033), 1 Middleton Row, near Park St, is a nice, older place, with clean rooms with common bath for Rs 500/750 and Rs 850/1050 with private bath. Meals are included, and there is a good tennis court.

Where to Stay—Others Lower
There are Retiring Rooms with bath at the Howrah railway station for Rs 150.
Railway Yatri Nivas (660-1742), next to the station, has rooms with attached bath for Rs 400 (Rs 500 for rooms with A/C). Dorm beds are Rs 100. You have to have a train ticket for 200 km or more to stay here.
There are Retiring Rooms at Sealdah railway station.

About a five-minute walk from Howrah Station, on the same road as the Howrah Bridge, are a group of hotels.
Hotel Meghdoot (666-4018), P-3A Dobson Lane, has rooms for Rs 300 and Rs 600 with A/C.
Natraj (666-2536), next door, has rooms for Rs 400 and Rs 500 for a room with TV.
Hotel Saket (666-4839), just off Dobson Lane, is a big place with rooms for Rs 350/450 and Rs 600 for an A/C room.
Hotel Manish (666-6317), P-1 Dobson Lane, is centrally air-conditioned and has rooms for Rs 700/800 up to Rs 1100.
The Calcutta Airport has Rest Rooms for Rs 400/500 with A/C. Dorm beds are Rs 40.
The YMCA (244-3814), 42 Surendra Nath Banerji Rd, has doubles starting at Rs 200 and dorm beds for Rs 80, plus a temporary membership fee of Rs 25. It is often full.

Where to Stay—Middle
Hotel Swagath (475-6150; fax 475-8324), 37 Hazra Road, is good place to stay in south Calcutta. Rooms are Rs 700/750 to Rs 800/850 with A/C. Checkout time is 8 am. They have a decent vegetarian restaurant. It is a good idea to call first, because they are often full, especially in Dec/Jan.
Hotel Trimoorti (475-6878), 24 Ray St, (off Elgin Rd.), is a good place with rooms with TV for Rs 500/650 and Rs 700/800 with A/C.
Hotel Circular (244-1533; fax 245-0263), 177A AJC Bose Rd, is a good centrally located place. Rooms with hot water, A/C, and TV are Rs 650/700 up to Rs 850/950. It is located across the street from Mother Teresa’s Missionaries.
Hotel Carlton, 2 Chowringhee Pl., is a good place with rooms for Rs 750.

Where to Stay—BBD Bagh
The Hotel Embassy (279-040), Prin­cep St, has rooms with bath and TV for Rs 550/600 and Rs 800 with A/C.
The popular Broadway Hotel (2236-3080; fax 2236-4151; Email: broadway@vsnl.com), 27A Ganesh Chandra Ave, a block west of the Indian Airline office on Chittaranjan Ave, has rooms for Rs 250 for a single with common bath and clean large rooms with a bath and TV for Rs 500/600. It is often full.
Central Guest House (2237-4876), Chittaranjan Ave and 18 Prafulla Sarkar St, is a recommended place with rooms for Rs 300/400 and Rs 600 with A/C. It is in a relatively quiet area. The hotel is on Chittaranjan Ave, but the entrance is down a back alley off Prafulla Sarkar St. The rooms in the back are quiet, while the rooms on Chittaranjan Ave can be noisy.

Where to Stay—Chowringhee
Hotel Lindsay (2252-2237; fax 2252-0310; Email: hotellindsay@vsnl.net), 6th floor, 8A Lindsay St, opposite New Market, is a decent place that has clean modern rooms for Rs 800/900 and Rs 1500/1700 with A/C. It has a good view of the city.
The Lodge (440-620), by Sudder St, is a clean place with rooms for Rs 500/600 and Rs 750 with A/C.
Lindsay Guest House (244-8639), on the floor above, has fairly simple clean rooms that are a decent value. Rooms are Rs 600/700 and Rs 800/1000 with A/C. There are good views from rooms 901, 902, and 903.
Hotel Plaza (244-6411), 10 Sudder St, has decent small rooms for Rs 500/600 and Rs 600/700 with A/C. Many rooms do not have windows.
The well-managed CKT Inn (2252-0130; fax: 2252-0665), 12A Lindsay St, is a good place that has rooms with A/C and TV for Rs 1100/1400. This place is often full.
Hotel VIP (2229-6428; fax 2229-3715: Email: hvipcal@mantraonline.com), Mirza Ghalib St, has rooms, some without windows, for Rs 1500 and Rs 2150 with A/C. It is well-managed.
Heera Hotel (2228-0663), 28 Grant St, north of New Market, has carpeted modern rooms with bath for Rs 700/800 and Rs 950/1200 with A/C.
Astoria Hotel (2245-1514; fax 2245-8589: Email: astoria@hotmail.com), 6/2 Sudder St, has good-sized A/C rooms with color TV for Rs 900/1200 and Rs 1200/1400.
Gujral Lodge (2244-0620; fax 2245-5109), 2nd floor, behind the Hotel Lindsay, has well-maintained, clean, large rooms with bath for Rs 700/900 abd /rs 1200 with A/C..

Where to Stay—High
Fairlawn Hotel (2252-1510; fax 2252-1835; email fairlawn@cal.vsnl.net.in), 13A Sudder St, is a classic example of a British Raj hotel and is recommended for its atmosphere. Rooms are $60/70 (includes meals). My friend was able to get a slightly cheaper price by telling them he did not intend to eat there. It is run by Mr and Mrs Smith, who still run the hotel almost fifty years after Independence. People either like this place or not. I guess if you are from England you already seen it before. As many of the rooms are not so good, this can affect your opinion of the place. Most rooms have A/C. There is a 20% discount between April and September.
Tollygunge Club (2473-4539; fax 2473-1903), 120 Deshapran Sasmal Rd, is a country club with a relaxing atmosphere in the southern part of Calcutta. Foreign guests are allowed to stay as long as they are tidy. Visitors must write, fax, or call in advance. Rooms range from Rs 950/1000 to Rs 2500/2800. It has an indoor and outdoor pool, clay tennis courts, billiards, a badminton court, two squash courts, table tennis, and horses. The Club used to be an old indigo plantation, and this is where Tipu Sultan’s family lived after his death. Guests are expected to dress properly, but a coat and tie is not necessary. It is a ten-minute walk from the Tollygunge metro station.
Lytton Hotel (2249-1872; fax 2249-1747; Email: lytton@glascl01.vsnl.net.in), 14 Sudder St, is a good, centrally located place with rooms for Rs 1900/2500. You have to get a room here early, as it fills up. It has two good restaurants, and is recommended.
Old Kenilworth Hotel (242-5325), 7 Little Russel St, has atmosphere and large rooms for Rs 1100/1200 and Rs 1200/1400 with A/C. It is in an old, colonial-style house; the rooms have balconies. All rooms have a bath and sitting area.
Great Eastern Hotel (2248-2311; fax 2248-0289; Email: geh@vsnl.com), 1-3 Old Court House St, is a big, old place with 200 rooms. It dates back to the British Raj and has seen better days. Rooms go for Rs 800/1000 and Rs 1400/1750 with A/C. A suite is Rs 2600. This place is popular and is usually filled by noon. The cheaper rooms are recommended.
Kenilworth Hotel (2282-3939; fax 2282-5136; email: kenilworthkol@kenilworthotels.xom), 1 Little Russel St, has modern A/C rooms with TV and fridge for $120/130. It has an old and a better new wing, so you should ask to see a few rooms. It has a good Chinese restaurant.
Astor Hotel (282-9957; fax 282-7430), 15 Shakespeare Sarani, is well located and has a beautiful garden. Rooms are Rs 1300/1500. It has a well-known restaurant.
The three-star Hotel Rutt Deen (247-5240; fax 247-5210), 21B Loudon St, has good A/C rooms for Rs 1200/1400.

Where to Stay—Luxury
Oberoi Grand Hotel (2249-2323; fax 2249-1217; email: reservations@oberoi-cal.com), 15 Jawaharlal Nehru Rd, is an excellent hotel with a great atmosphere. It is one of the best hotels I have ever seen. It looks like nothing from the outside, but it has a beautiful courtyard surrounding a big pool. Rooms are $250/300. It is an old British Raj hotel. It has three restaurants, including a French one. Recommended.
Taj Bengal (2223-3939; fax 2223-1766), south end of the Maidan overlooking the Victoria Memorial, is an excellent place with room for $225/240 to $400. It has a swimming pool and health club.
Park Hotel (2249-3121; fax 2249-7343; Email: resv.cal@theparkhotels.com), 17 Park St, is centrally located and has rooms for $235/260. It has a pool.
The five-star ITDC Airport Ashok (511-9111; fax 511-9137), by the airport, is good if you are taking a flight in the morning or arriving late at night. Rooms are Rs 5000/5800. It has good facilities.
Hotel Hindustan International (2247-2394; fax 2280-0111), 235/1 AJC Bose Rd, has rooms for $180/190. It has a health club, spa and pool, which non-guests can use.


Pop: 11 million
Phone Code: 033

Before the British arrived in India around 300 years ago Calcutta was just a small village. It was the capital of India under the British until they moved the capital to Delhi in 1911. It is the biggest city in India. Calcutta is a fast-moving city, and it is a nice place to walk around.

It is said that Calcutta received its name when Sati killed herself by self-immolation after her father insulted her husband, Lord Siva. Lord Siva arrived after his wife’s body was already burning. He tore the body from the fire and started his dance of cosmic destruction. The other gods wanted him to stop, and they asked Lord Vishnu to convince him. In order to get Siva to stop, Lord Vishnu cut Sati into 51 pieces. Her toe is said to have fallen at Kali Ghat in the south part of Calcutta. Therefore, the city was called Kalikata, and later Calcutta.

The Hoogly River, which flows through Calcutta, is a branch of the Ganges, and is considered very holy.

The best time to visit Calcutta is from the end of October through the middle of March, at which time the weather is pleasant. During the monsoon season (late June through the middle of September) the rains can cause severe flooding.

History
The British established a trading post here in 1690 under the leadership of Job Charnock. Charnock married a Bengali widow after convincing her not to perform sati upon the death of her former husband. At that time, Calcutta consisted of just three small villages—Govindapur, Kalikata, and Sutanati. In 1707, the old Fort William was built, at a place near present day BBD Bagh (Dalhousie Square). The Mughal ruler in Delhi granted the East India Company permission to have a trading post here in 1715. A moat was built around the perimeter of the city to defend against attacks. It was known as the Maratha Ditch, and was where the present-day Circular Road is now located. By 1750, Calcutta had expanded its population to over 100,000.

In 1756, the Nawab of Bengal, who ruled from Murshidabad, about 200km north of Calcutta, attacked the city. Most of the British escaped onto boats, although some were captured and imprisoned in an underground cellar where many of them suffocated. This incident became known as the “Black Hole of Calcutta.”

Early in 1757, Clive retook Calcutta and made an agreement with the Nawab. Later in 1757, the Nawab became friendly with the French, which helped lead to the Battle of Plassey, won by the British.

After this, the present Fort William was built. Calcutta became the British capital of India in 1772. Many Bengalis became leaders in the Independence movement, which helped lead to the decision to move India’s capital to Delhi in 1911.

Getting Your Bearings
The main part of the city lies along the eastern bank of the Hoogly River (a branch of the Ganges). Howrah, the main train station, is on the west side of the river. BBD Bagh (Dalhousie Square) is where the GPO, West Bengal Tourist Office, American Express, and railway booking offices are located. It is toward the north of downtown, close to the river.

The Maidan is a large park in the center of the city that goes along the river, and the Chowringhee area is to the east of it. The northern part of this area is where Sudder Street and the cheap hotels are located. This is where many budget travelers stay. There are several places where you can get cheap international tickets in the Sudder Street area. Along the Maidan are located many of the middle and higher-class hotels, the airline offices, and the Indian Museum. It is a nice part of Calcutta, and the main area that most tourists see. Kali Ghat is located in south Calcutta.

Change of Street Names
Many street and park names have been changed from the British names to Indian names. Many taxi drivers know only the old name.
Old Name New Name
Ballygunge Store Rd - Gurusday Rd
Chowringhee Rd - Jawaharlal Nehru Rd
Dalhousie Square - BBD Bagh
Harrington St - Ho Chi Minh Sarani
Harrison Rd - Mahatma Gandhi Rd
Kyd St - Dr M Ishaque Rd
Lansdowne Rd - Sarat Bose Rd
Lindsay St - N Sengupta Sarani
Lower Circular Rd - AJ Chandra Bose Rd
Mirzapore St - Surya Sen St
Theatre Rd - Shakespeare Sarani
Wellington St - Nirmal Chunder St

Information
The useful and helpful Government of India Tourist Office (2282-5813; Email: indtour@cal2.vsnl.net) is located at 4 Shakespeare Sarani. vjpetomhjrr. They can give you a computerized printout of many places in India. There is also a Tourist Office counter at the airport, open when flights are arriving and departing. Hours: Mon-Fri 9 am to 5 pm, Sat 9am-1pm

The West Bengal Tourist Bureau (2248-8271; Web Site: http://www.westbengaltourism.com) is located at 3/2 BBD Bagh East. They also have counters at the airport and at Howrah Station. They arrange tours of Calcutta and West Bengal, and book tours and accommodation for the Jaldapara and Sunderbans Wildlife Parks and also help with permits. Hours: Mon-Fri 10 am to 4 pm, Sat 10am-1pm, Sun 8am-12 noon. West Tourism Centre has a counter at the Howrah train station (2660-2518) Hours; Mon-Sat 8am-7pm, Sim 8am-12:30 pm

Survey of India, 13 Wood St, has a good selection of maps including trekking maps.

Calcutta This Fortnight, provides a schedule of events in Calcutta, and is available at the West Bengal Tourist Office.

Some of the states with tourist offices in Calcutta are:
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
3A Auckland Place (2247-2604)
Arunachal Pradesh
4B Chowringhee Place (248-6500)
Assam
8 Russell St (298-331)
Bihar
26B Camac St (247-0821)
Himachal Pradesh
25 Camac St (2nd Flr)
Jammu & Kashmir
12 JL Nehru Rd
Madhya Pradesh
Chitrakoot Bldg, 6th Flr, Rm 7, 230 AJC Bose Rd (247-8543)
Manipur
26 Roland Rd (747-075)
Mizoram
24 Old Ballygunge Rd (748-279)
Nagaland
11 Shakespeare Sarani (242-5269)
Orissa
55 Lenin Sarani (2244-3653)
Rajasthan
2 Ganesh Ave
UP
12 A Netaji Subhas Rd
Sikkim
4th Floor, Poonam Bldg, 5/2 Russell St (2267-7516)
Tripura
1 Pretoria St (242-3836)

Tours
The Government of India Tourist Office (242-1402), 4 Shakespeare Sarani, organizes a full-day tour to the Indian Museum, Victoria Memorial, Nehru Children’s Museum, Zoo, the Sitalanath Jain Temple, Dakshineswar Temple, and Belur Math for Rs 75. It departs from their office every day except Monday at 8 am.

The West Bengal Tourist Office (2248-8271; Web Site: http://www.westbengaltourism.com), 3/2 BBD Bagh, offers a similar tour (as above) for Rs 75. Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-4pm, Sat 8am-12 noon.

West Bengal Tourism offers a tour to Sunderbans Wildlife Sanctuary between October and March and it is a good way to see this place. For more information, see the Sunderbans section.

There are some interesting walking tours of Central Calcutta organized by the Foundation for Conservation and Research of Urban Traditional Architecture (CRUTA), (554-6127), 67B Beadon St, which visits the old buildings and palaces in the area. The tourist offices have information about these tours.

Warren Travels (298-274), 31 Chowringhee Rd, operates tours on specific themes, such as the arts of Calcutta or a river cruise.

Money
American Express (2248-9471; fax 2248-8096), 21 Old Court House St, changes money quickly and efficiently. Hours Mon0Fri 10am-6pm, Sat 10am-2pm.

Thomas Cook (2280-3907; fax 247-5854), Chitrakoot Bldg, 230 AJC Bose Rd, also changes money efficiently. Hours: Mon-Sat 10 am-6pm

Main banks: Grindlays Bank, 41 Jawaharlal Nehru Rd & 19 Netaji Subhas Rd; State Bank of India, 1 Strand Rd & Jawaharlal Nehru Rd; Bank of America, 8 India Exchange; and Citibank, 43 Jawaharlal Nehru Rd. Most of these banks have ATM machines.

There is a 24-hour branch of the State Bank of India at the Calcutta airport.

RN Dutta (2248-6975), Stephen House, 4-5 BBD Bagh East and 5&7 Kidderpore Dock, Near West Bengal Tourism (Hours Mon-Fri 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-2pm, as well as Maneek Lal Sen, New Market, are licensed brokers who can change money outside banking hours. Travellers’ Express Club,(2245-7604; fax: 2252-2867) 20 Mirza Ghalib St, near Sudder St (Hours: Daily 10am-6pm

Post, Phone and Internet
The service to find phone numbers that have changed is English-1952; Bengali-1953; Hindi-1951.

The GPO at Subhash Rd, BBD Bagh has an efficient poste restante (Mon to Sat 7 am to 8.30 pm). It also has a philatelic department for stamp collectors. The New Market post office is on Mirza Ghalib St (Free School St), just opposite Sudder St. The Park St Post Office is efficient for mailing parcels. There is also a post office in the domestic terminal of the airport.

The Central Telegraph Office is located at 8 Red Cross Place. The Telephone Bhavan is located at BBD Bagh. There is a fax place on Shakespeare Sarani (others elsewhere).

US citizens can make collect calls to America from the US Consulate.

Courier service: DHL (2281-3131) , 21 Camac St, Chowringhee area. does shipping worldwide.

There are plently of places to surf the Internet, especially in the Sudder St area. Enternet (2217-5268), 9 chowringhee Lane. good for Internet Cyber Empire, at the New Empire Cinema near New Market, Netfreaks (2216-1689), 2/1 Sudder St, near the Salvation Army, is a good place for Internet.

Visa Extensions, Permits & Income Tax Clearance
The Foreigners Registration Office (2247-3300/1), 237 AJC Bose Rd, is where you apply for a visa extension and a permit to visit the Andaman Islands. To get an income tax clearance you go to Room 11, Income Tax Building, Bentinck St
.
Photography and Camera Repair
Narain’s Photo Cine Centre, 20H Park St, and Bombay Photo Stores, 33–34 Park Mansions, Park St, are good places. North East Colour Photo (2249-2098), 14 Sudder St, by New Market, does one-hour processing.

Camera Craft, 1st floor, 24 Park St, and Latif’s, 24 Chowringhee Rd, are good camera repair shops.

Foreign Consulates
Bangladesh
9 Circus Ave (247–5208)
To obtain a visa for Bangladesh, you must go to Delhi, even though there is a
consulate in Calcutta.
Bhutan
48 Tivoli Court (241-301)
Denmark
3 Netaji Subhas Rd (248-7478)
France
26 Park St (290-978)
Germany
1 Hasting Park Rd (479-1141)
Italy
3 Raja Santosh Rd (479-2426)
Japan
12 Pretoria St (242-2241)
Nepal
1 National Library Ave (479-1173)
Netherlands
18A Brabourne Rd (262-160)
Russia
7 Alipore Ave (479-7006)
Thailand
18B Mandeville Gardens (440-7836)
UK
1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani (242-5171)
USA
5/1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani (242-3611)

Travel Agencies
Blue Sky Travels (2244-0934) at 2/1 Sudder St, was recommended to me as a good discount travel agency. They are efficient and cheap. Travellers’ Express Club, (2245-76040 20 Mirza Ghalib St (Free School St), is efficient and offers good discount airline tickets. Crystal Travel, Paragon Hotel off Sudder St, is supposed to be a good place for cheap tickets.

American Express (248-6181), 21 Old Court House St; Sita World Travels (292-174), 3B Camac St; Mercury Travels (242-3535) and Travel Corporation of India, both at 46C JL Nehru Rd, are established travel agencies.

Places To Shop
New Market, Lindsay Street, is a large market carrying a wide range of items. It has more than 2,000 stalls. As you approach the market, expect someone (or a group of people) to run up to you and drag you (literally) from shop to shop. Avoid them, as they are usually totally useless and will get you moving at the speed of light. Chamba Lama sells Tibetan goods and silver jewelry. Sujata’s is a well-known silk shop.

The Central Cottage Industries Emporium, 7 JL Nehru Rd, has a wide selection of handicrafts.

Good places to obtain musical instruments are Braganza & Co, 2A Marquis St, and J Reynold & Co, 15 Mirza Ghalib St. They also repair instruments.
Hiren Roy & Son, Rashbehari Ave, Gariahat, is a famous sitar maker. They have made sitars for Ravi Shankar.
Naskar & Sons, 14 Ganga Prasad Mukherji Rd, makes good tamburas and sitars.
Hemen Roy & Sons, Rashbehari Ave, Triangular Park, makes excellent sitars and tamburas.
Manoj Kumar Sarder & Brothers, 8A Lal Bazaar St, across from the police station, make first-class sitars and sarods.

Bookshops
The Oxford Book Shop, 17 Park St, and Cambridge Book Company, 20D Park St, are good bookstores.
Newman’s is on the same block as the Great Eastern Hotel.
The Bookmark is upstairs at 56D Mirza Ghalib St.
Booklands, at the eastern end of Sudder St, has a good selection of tourist books.
Many of the bookshops along Mirza Ghalib Street have a good selection of books.
Landmark 92282-2617), 3 Lord Sinha Rd, third fllor of Emami Shopping Center, has one of the best selection of books in town. Also has music and stationary.
Seagull Bookstore (2476-5865; Web Site: http://www.seagullindia.com) 31A Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Rd, near Indira Cinema and Bhowanipore police station. Hours: Mon-Sat 10am -6pm.

The Survey of India has a Map Sales Office, 13 Wood St, where they sell good maps of India’s major cities.

There is a large Book Fair in the Maiden in December-January. It is like having hundreds of bookshops all in one place.

Medical and Opticians
The Wockhardt Medical Centre (2475-4046), 2/7 Sarat Bose (Lansdowne) Rd, south of Chowringhee, is open Mon-Sat 8am to 7pm. Dr Paes,
Vital Medical Services (2282-5664), 5th Floor, 6 Ho Chi Minh Sarani, is open Mon-Fri 10am-5pm. Kothari Medical Centre (479-2557), 8/3 Alipore Rd, has good doctors and is recommended.
Woodlands Nursing Home (453-951), 8/6 Alipore Rd; Belle Vue (244-2321), 9 Dr UN Brahmachari St; and Park Nursing Home (244-3586), 4 Victoria Terrace, are suggested private clinics.
There is also the Centre for Tibetan Herbal Medicine, 400 Jodhpur Park.

Opticians: Stephens, 23 JL Nehru Rd; Himalaya, 25 Camac St; and President, 306 Bepin Behari Ganguly St (Lal Bazaar).

Indian Museum
This is both the largest and one of the best museums in India. It is located at the intersection of JL Nehru Rd and Sudder St. The museum contains 36 galleries. On the right side of the main entrance is the Archaeological Section, containing a large collection of old sculptures and deities. There is a polished sandstone Lion Capital which dates from the 3rd century and an interesting collection of sculpted stone railings from the Buddhist site at Bharhut, Madhya Pradesh, dating from the second century BC. In this museum there are fossils, an art collection, a great coin collection, an Egyptian Gallery with a mummy, meteorites, and carvings of the Buddha. Open daily except Monday 10 am to 5 pm and closes a half-hour earlier between Dec and Feb. Admission Foreigners/Indians Rs 150./10; Camera Rs 50.

Maidan and Fort William
The Maidan, located in the middle of Calcutta, is one of the largest city parks in the world. It is 1km wide and 3km from north to south. Running along the west side of the park is the Hoogly River, and on the east side is Jawaharlal Nehru Rd (Chowringhee Rd).

Fort William is situated on the west side of the Maidan, near the river. Construction of this large fort was begun in 1758 and completed in 1781, costing £2 million. The area around the fort was cleared to give the cannons a clear shot, and that area later became the Maidan. The Indian Army presently uses the fort and it can only be visited with special permission, which is hard to get.

Victoria Memorial and the race course are in the south part of the park. Eden Gardens (1836) is a pleasant, well laid-out garden in the northwest corner of the Maiden, with a Burmese pagoda set in a small pond, brought from Myanmar (Burma) in 1856. Nearby is Ranji Stadium, where cricket matches are played.

Ochterlony Monument
This 48m (158 ft) column, built in 1828, is located at the north end of the Maidan. It has an Egyptian base, a Syrian column, and a Turkish cupola. It was named after Sir David Ochterlony, who led the East India Company’s army during the Nepal War (1814–16). It has been renamed the Shahid Martyr’s Minar.

There are good views from on top of the column. To gain access to the top, visitors must first obtain permission from the Assistant Commissioner’s office on the 2nd floor of police headquarters on Lal Bazaar St (northeast corner of BBD Bagh). Permission is not given during the first and last weeks of each month.

Victoria Memorial
This impressive monument was built as a memorial to Queen Victoria between 1906 and 1921. It is located at the south end of the Maidan. It is a mixture of the Italian Renaissance and Saracenic styles, and has Mughal domes. It is an interesting museum that has 25 galleries with over 3,000 exhibits, including sculptures, weapons, paintings, and other art forms. Inside are Queen Victoria’s piano and writing desk. The Calcutta Gallery has an exhibit depicting the history of Calcutta in paintings, dioramas, and maps. When you approach the Memorial you pass a large seated bronze statue of Queen Victoria. Open daily except Mon 10 am to 4.30 pm. From March to October it closes at 3.30 pm. Admission Foreigners/Indians Rs 150/10. Guided tours are free.

There is a Sound and Light Show in English about Indians of Calcutta and the history of the struggle for Independence. It starts daily (except Mon) at 8.15 pm. Admission Foreigners/Indian Rs 20/10. There is a Musical Fountain in the Maidan in front of the Victoria Memorial.

Saint Paul’s Cathedral
This large church (1847) has a gothic tower, a grand altar, three Gothic stained glass windows, and the impressive west window, designed by the well-known Burne Jones. It has Florentine frescoes and a gold communion plate given by Queen Victoria. The church is situated on Cathedral Rd, east of the Victoria Memorial. Open 9 am to noon and 3 to 6 pm. Sunday services: 7.30, 8.30, and 11 am, and 6 pm.

Birla Planetarium
Located across from the Government of India Tourist Office (2223-1516), north of St Paul’s, the planetarium is one of the largest in the world. Every day but Monday there are shows in English between 12.30 and 6.30 pm, but times change daily. Admission Rs 10. Be careful of pickpockets while waiting in the queue for tickets.

Academy of Fine Arts
The Academy of Fine Arts, Cathedral Rd, just south of St Paul’s Cathedral, on Cathedral Rd, has different artist exhibitions of Bengali contemporary artists, such as Rabindranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, and other Bengali School painters. In the evening there are regular performances of Indian classical music. Open daily except Mon, noon to 6.30 pm Admission, Rs 7.

Nandan is the film center next door, which has a library, archives, and an auditorium. It was designed by Satyajit Roy, a well-known filmmaker.

Nehru Children’s Museum
This is an interesting doll museum, featuring doll exhibits illustrating the pastimes of the Mahabharata and Ramayana. It is located at 94/1 JL Nehru Rd. (Chowringhee Rd), near St Paul’s. Open daily except Mon 11.30 am to 8.30 pm. Admission, Rs 7.

Central Calcutta

Asiatic Society
Located at 1 Park St, the Asiatic Society, established in 1784, contains a library of 150,000 books and 60,000 manuscripts, some dating back to the 7th century. It has a museum, which was opened in 1814, that contains a coin collection, one of Ashoka’s rock edicts, and a painting collection, which includes paintings by Rubens, Canaletto, Reynolds, and Guido. Open 10 am to 5 pm; admission is free. There is a reading room open to the public Mon to Fri 10 am to 8 pm, Sat and Sun 10 am to 5 pm.

South Park St Cemetery
Near the southeast end of Park St, at the corner of AJC Bose Rd, 2km from the Maidan, is South Park St Cemetery, where British residents were buried between 1767 and 1830. It has some interesting tombs and inscriptions, which tell an interesting story of the times. Many important British personalities including Colonel Kyd, the founder of the Botanical Gardens, were laid to rest here. There is a good guidebook (Rs 25). Open daily 7 am to 4 pm. Admission free.

ISKCON Temple
The Calcutta ISKCON Temple (247-6025; fax 247-8575) is located at 3C Albert Road, in the center of the city, near the junction of Camac Street and Acharya JC Bose Road. If you get on Camac Street, people will know where the xe "Hare Krishna:Calcutta" Hare Krishna Mandir is located. It is located in an old building with Gaura-Nitai, Jagannath, and Radha Govinda Deities. They have recently opened guest rooms in a new building behind the temple. Guests must follow ashram rules.

Ratha-yatra is held each year in June/ July. It is said that well over a million people attend this colorful event.

There is a bus to Mayapur leaving almost every day from the temple at 6 am, returning to Calcutta at 9 pm. It is a good idea to reserve the bus a day in advance (call 247-3757 or 247-6075 for reservations). The bus costs Rs 100 (one way) and is a convenient way to get to Mayapur.

BBD Bagh Area

BBD Bagh (Dalhousie Square)
This square, located a few blocks north of the Maidan, was previously known as Dalhousie Square. It was renamed after Benoy, Badal, and Dinesh, three freedom fighters who were hung by the British during the protests against the partition of Bengal in 1905. In the area around the square there are many important, old buildings which were used by the British while Calcutta was still the capital of India. The large red-brick Writers’ Building (1880), is on the north side of the square (clerical personnel were known as writers). It is now the West Bengal Government Secretariat.

St Andrew’s Kirk (1818), a Scottish church, is on the northeast corner of BBD Bagh. East of BBD Bagh, on RN Mukherjee Rd (Mission Rd) is the Old Mission Church built in 1770.

On the west side of the square is the white-domed GPO (1868), and on the east side is the West Bengal Tourist Office. There is a Stamp Museum next to the GPO.

The original Fort William was located where the GPO is now located. There are brass markers near the GPO, which mark where the fort’s walls used to be located. The “Black Hole of Calcutta,” actually a guard room, was located at the northeast corner of the post office. Over 100 people were held prisoner there by Siraj-ud-daula on a hot June night in 1756. The room had only very small windows and it is believed that many of the prisoners suffocated overnight.

About three blocks north of BBD Bagh, near the Howrah Bridge, is the Armenian Church of Our Lady of Nazareth. Founded in 1724 by Cavond, an Armenian from Persia, it is the oldest church in Calcutta.

St John’s Church
This little church dating from 1787 is one block southwest of BBD Bagh. It has an interesting cemetery, which contains the octagonal mausoleum of Job Charnock, who died in 1692. Also buried here is Admiral Watson, who helped Clive retake Calcutta. The monument dedicated to the British who died during the “black hole” incident was moved here from its old location near the GPO. Open Mon to Fri 9 am to noon and 5 to 6 pm. Services with a pipe organ, Sun 8 am. Admission Rs 10.

South of BBD Bagh
At the north end of the Maidan, there are some interesting old British buildings. Diagonally opposite St John’s Church is Raj Bhavan (Government House), the one-time home of the British Governor-Generals and Viceroys. The governor of West Bengal now lives here and it is not open to the public. The interior is richly decorated and contains some interesting items, such as Tipu Sultan’s throne.

Next to Raj Bhavan is the Town Hall. A few blocks west of Raj Bhavan is the Gothic-style High Court (1872), which has a 55m tower. Southwest of Raj Bhavan is Vidhan Sabha, the State Legislative Assembly.

North Calcutta
Howrah Bridge, a single span bridge crossing the Hoogly River, is said to be the most used bridge in the world—with over 60,000 vehicles and unlimited pedestrians crossing it daily. Expect delays of at least half an hour if trying to cross the bridge during rush hour. The bridge is located next to the Howrah railway station.

South of the Bridge is Armenian Ghat, which is one of the busiest bathing ghats along the Hoogly.
Nakhoda Mosque

This huge red sandstone mosque was built in 1926 to accommodate 10,000 people. It has two 46m high minarets and was modeled after Akbar’s tomb in Sikandra (near Agra). The mosque is located north of BBD Bagh and is open from 6 am to 8 pm.

Marble Palace
The Marble Palace (1835) is the old home of the rich Bengali zamindar (landowner), Raja Rajendro Mullick Bahadur. It is located north of MG Rd, on Muktaram Babu St, a small road off Chittaranjan Ave, This lavish mansion is impressive. There are some important statues and paintings on display here, which include the works of Rubens, Titian, Gainsborough, and Sir Joshua Reynolds. There are also beautiful chandeliers, European antiques, Venetian glass, old pianos, and blue china vases. There is a small zoo here. To enter you need to get a free pass at the Government of India Tourist Office. Occasionally you can gain admission by offering baksheesh to the caretaker. Open daily except Mon and Thurs 10 am to 4 pm.

Asutosh Museum of Indian History at Calcutta University has a Bengali folk art exhibit, handicrafts, and old Buddhist manuscripts and statues. It has terracotta figures and textiles. Open weekdays 10.30 am to 4.30 pm, and on Sat 10.30 am to 3 pm. Admission free.

Established in 1857, Calcutta University was the first university opened by the British in India.

Paresnath Jain Temple
This temple, built in 1867, is dedicated to Sitalanath, who was the 10th of the twenty-four Jain tirthankaras. The inside is ornately decorated with Venetian glass mosaics, chandeliers from Paris and Brussels, a gilded dome, stained glass windows, and mirror inlaid pillars. There is a group of temples here in a nice garden. Open daily 6 am to noon and 3 to 7 pm. The temple is located northeast of the downtown area, near the Belgachia Metro Station.

Rabindra Bharati University
Tagore House, off Rabindra Sarani, north of BBD Bagh, is a cultural center for Indian music, dance, and the arts. Rabindranath Tagore, India’s most famous modern poet, was born and died here. He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913. Also located here is the Rabindra Bharati Museum, which has an exhibit depicting the story of the Tagore Family and the Bengal Renaissance with a collection of memorabilia and art. It is located on Dwarkanath Tagore Lane in North Calcutta. Open weekdays 10 am to 5 pm, and on Sat 11 am to 1.30 pm. Admission Foreigners/Indians Rs 50/5.

Sound-and Light Show Tues-Wd, Fri-Sun starting 7pm from Feb-Une and at 6pm Nov-Jan. Admission Rs 10. First show is in Bengali and the second in English.

Belur Math
The Belur Math is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, which was founded in 1899 by Swami Vivekananda, a disciple of Ramakrishna. The temple here, built in 1938, is a mixture of Hindu, Islamic, and Christian architectural styles. It is located north of the Howrah Bridge, on the other side of the river. There is also a museum exhibiting Vivekananda’s personal effects, and a riverside park. Open Oct through March 6.30 to 11.30 am and 3.30 to 6 pm; April through Sept 6.30 to 11.30 am and 4 to 7 pm.

Dakshineswar Kali Temple
This is the Kali temple where Ramakrishna was a priest, and where he realized the unity of all religions. Rani Rashmoni built it in 1847. No pujari (temple priest) would do the worship in the temple because Rani Rashmoni was from a low caste. Ramakrishna’s brother became the priest, then later, Ramakrishna himself accepted the position. There are twelve temples dedicated to Lord Siva and Radha Krishna along the nearby riverbank. Ramakrishna’s bedroom has been turned into a museum containing his personal effects.

It is located on the east bank of the Hoogly, across the river from the Belur Math, near the Vivekananda Bridge. It is 3km north of Belur Math and about 20km north of Sudder St. This temple can be reached by bus #32 from the Esplanade bus stand. Open 6 am to 9 am.

South Calcutta

Zoo
The Calcutta Zoo has on display white tigers and other animals. Open 6 am to 6 pm; admission Rs 2. It is located south of the Maidan in Alipore.
The peaceful Horticultural Gardens are located half a km south of the zoo on Alipore Rd. There is an interesting flower show here at the end of February. Open 8 am to 5 pm; admission Rs 7.

National Library
The National Library was the home of Bengal’s former Lieutenant Governor. It is built in the Renaissance Italian style and is the largest library in India, with over 2,000,000 books. The old Banquet Hall contains over 10,000 reference books and Gazetteers. The library is situated just south of the Maidan in Alipore, on Belvedere Rd. Web Site: http://wwwindev.nic.in/asiatic

Kali Temple
This interesting temple, 6km south of Sudder St, is dedicated to Kali, the patron goddess of Calcutta. Kali means “black.” The tongue of the deity of Kali drips with blood and she wears a garland of skulls. This temple is said to be where Sati’s toe fell after her body was cut into fifty-one pieces by Lord Vishnu while Lord Siva was carrying her. Kali is the destructive side of Lord Siva’s consort, Parvati.

The present temple was built in 1809 on the site of a much older temple. It is said that humans were once sacrificed here. Now they offer goats daily to the temple deity.

Foreigners are permitted limited access in the temple. Open 3 am to 8 pm. There is a stop on the underground metro for the temple at the Kalighat station.

The area where the temple is located is an interesting busy area. A little south of the temple are the burning ghats.

Mother Teresa’s Homes
Located next to the Kali temple is Mother’s Teresa’s Hospital for the Dying and Destitute. Mother Teresa was born in 1910 of Albanian parents in Skopje, now in Macedonia. She received the Nobel Peace Prize for her selfless work in 1979. She came to teach in Calcutta in 1931 as a Loretta Sister. With the Pope’s permission she began the Order of the Missionaries of Charity to help the dying and destitute. Nuns of this order wear white cotton saris with blue borders

In 1952, she opened her first home, which she called Nirmal Hriday (literally, “pure heart”). There are now nearly 200 such homes. The office in Calcutta is at Mother House, 54A AJC Bose (Lower Circular) Rd. If you would like to give a donation for this worthy project, please give it there. Do not give one to someone on the street, as they do not collect in this way.

Other Places

Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, (2247-7241) 19A Gurusday Rd, at the corner of Gariahat Rd, is open daily except Mon 10 am to 5 pm. Admission Rs 10. It may be of interest to children.

Near this museum is situated the Lakshmi Narayan Temple, Ashutosh Chowdhury Rd, suburb of Ballygunge, built by the Birla family in the Orissan style. It has three sikharas (towers) and is open from 5.30 to 11 am and 4.30 to 9 pm.

The Birla Academy of Art and Culture, 109 Southern Ave, has a good exhibit of modern and old paintings and stone sculptures. On display there are Kalighat paintings, terracotta, textiles, and miniatures. Open daily except Mon 4 to 7 pm. Admission Rs 5. They occasionally hold concerts and dramas in the auditorium.

Netaji Bhawan, the home of Subhas Chandra Bose, hero of the Bengali independence movement, is located on Elgin Rd near Chowringhee. Bose started the Indian National Army during the Second World War, who allied themselves with the Japanese to fight the British. There is a small museum here. Open Tues to Sat 1.30 to 4.30 pm. Admission Rs 5.

Maritime Museum at Man-O-War Jetty, Stand Rd, is on a steamer boat.

Botanical Gardens
The extensive and peaceful Botanical Gardens are situated on the west side of the river (the same side as Howrah Station). It is an interesting and peaceful tree garden with many rare species. The gardens cover over 250 acres of land, and stretches for over 1km along the riverfront.

They claim to have the second largest banyan tree in the world (the largest is in Andhra Pradesh), which is over 200 years old. Despite losing its central trunk, the banyan tree covers an area of over 10,000 square metres. It is 420m (1386 ft) in circumference. The original trunk was struck by lightning in 1919. To find the tree, take the right path upon entering the park.

The palm house in the center of the park is interesting. It is crowded on Sundays and public holidays. The gardens are 10km south of Howrah. The white-orange CTC buses (the large buses, not the mini ones) from Esplanade drive over the new bridge and take about half an hour to arrive at the gardens. The buses driving over the Howrah Bridge take longer. From the Chowringhee area take the #55 or #56 bus. The ferries that used to depart from Chandpal and Babu Ghats are no longer running.

Entertainment
Calcutta This Fornight has a list of events for Calcutta. The publication is free at the tourist offices.

Rabindra Sadan (247-2413), Cathedral Rd, at the corner of AJC Bose Rd, has dance, Bengali poetry reading, and drama performances.
At the Drama Theater at the Academy of Fine Arts (248-4302), there are daily shows at 6.30 pm and Sat at 10 am and 3 pm; Admission Rs 10 to Rs 30.

The Dover Lane Music Festival, is held in January-February in South Calcutta. Some of the best musicians in India perform.

The Taj Bengal, Hindustan International, the Park and Oberoi Grand allow non-guests to use their pools (Rs 150–200). Sphere: Related Content