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Archive for the ‘Kolkata’ Category

West Bengal, an epicenter of the Bengali culture, is an eminent tourist destination. The state is also replete with some remarkable architectural edifices of the likes of Fort William and Victoria Memorial. Fort William is a rather impressive testimony of the British Raj’s military acumen.

It is interesting to note that the state is the proud owner of two Fort William’s, which served as a stronghold of the Indian army in East India. The imposing edifice was built under the able supervision of mastermind architects Sir Charles Eyre and John Beard.

The construction of the Government House, located within the rambling acres of Fort William, was started in the year 1702 and was completed in 1706. This edifice was christened after William II, King of England. However, the entire compound took a longer time to be completed and came into existence only in the year 1781. The whole idea was that Fort William was an impenetrable fort of the Indian Army. Currently, however, Fort William serves as the Military Head quarters of the Eastern Command and can hold a garrison up to strength of 10,000 troops.

The brick-and-mortar complex located in the heart of the city breathes in the freshness of greenery into the polluted and congested metropolis of Kolkata. Three sides of the building face the River Hoogly and the structure is surrounded by a moat 9 m deep and 15m broad. The building has six massive gates that open onto Chowringhee, Plassey Calcutta, Water Gate, St Georges and Treasury Gate. The current military head quarters houses a swimming pool, cinema hall, restaurant, telephone office, recreation club and canteen for the entertainment of the military officials. Tourists too can be enlightened by the wonders at Fort William’s museum that houses arms, weapons, armors, swords, machine guns and muskets. There are also photographs that vividly illustrate the Burma campaign and the Bangladesh Liberation War. However, prior permission has to be obtained from the Commanding Officer in order to visit the secure premises of the arsenal.

The undisputed monarch of the architectural edifices and tourist attractions that Kolkata abounds is undoubtedly the stately Victoria Memorial. Resplendent in pristine white, the building, built towards the end of the British Raj’s tenure in India, highlights architectural splendor at its zenith.

The proposal for the building and the classical architecture style was Lord Curzon’s brainchild but the mastermind architect Sir William Emerson was responsible for the blueprint of the basic design and layout. The building represents the ornate English architecture with a slight Indian tinge that was very common in the buildings of London in those days. The architect’s creative genius was inspired by the layout of the Belfast City Hall.

As the name signifies, Victoria Memorial was built as a tribute to Queen Victoria, the then “Empress of India”, to mark her death. Victoria Memorial, all dressed up in its imperial grandeur, is one of the majestic landmarks that draw myriads of locals and tourists for sightseeing.

The erstwhile princes of the various states in India provided the funds for this impressive edifice. Victoria Memorial houses a grand museum that showcases the portraits of those who played a monumental role in shaping India’s future. The building is located amidst sprawling acres of well-tended lawns and gardens. It also contains a sparkling lake that gleams like a mirage of quicksilver under the saffron sunbeams.

Victoria Memorial is a popular haunt for morning walkers, families as well young couples looking for a safe refuge. Another attraction of visiting the majestic edifice is the quaint horse drawn carriages that take tourists reminiscent of the days of the Raj.

One of the important landmark of Kolkata, the Birla Planetarium of West Bengal attracts many tourists all through the year. Founded by the educational trust of the Birla group of companies in 1962, the Birla Planetarium of West Bengal boasts to be one of the biggest astronomical observatories of the world.

The Birla Planetarium offers the visitors with an excellent opportunity to explore the cosmos and its activities. The planetarium caters to several shows in a day that enlightens the spectators with the zodiac systems, solar systems, the important stars and planets. The Birla Planetarium performs the dual function of providing a comprehensive and cohesive knowledge about the various geographical and astronomical systems of the cosmos and entertaining the viewers as well.

The Birla Planetarium conducts the shows in three different languages of English, Hindi and Bengali for the convenience of the spectators. The different shows enhance and enrich the level of knowledge of the spectators. Equipped with all the necessary technical support systems, the Birla Planetarium offers the spectators with a wonderful show that satisfies the intellectual appetite of the viewers.

Amidst the busy streets of central Kolkata, the white building of Birla Planetarium stands Tall with it’s over imposing structure that adds to the glory of the city. The luxuriant gardens of the Birla Planetarium make it an ideal spot for the tourists who are absolutely thrilled with the spectacular presentation of the solar systems of the cosmos.

The astronomical observatory of the Birla Planetarium is one of the most sought after tourist destination of West Bengal that reflects the engineering skills of the people of West Bengal.

Mani Square is on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass of Kolkata.  It is the next generation shopping and entertainment destination.  It has the Kolkata’s first IMAX theater, a 3-screen multiplex, Scary House, Spencer’s Hypermart, Westside, McDonald’s, a 25,000 square foot food court, 50,000 square feet of fine dining space, top brand stores, state-of-the art amenities and facilities to help you.  There is a large space for car parking.  About 1500 vehicles can park there!  Isn’t it amazing?

The Mani Square has good customer service.  They are as follows:

1.    Customer Relation Officers.
2.    First Aid.
3.    Lost and Found Assistance.
4.    Comfort Zone.
5.    Car Wash Service.
6.    Valet Parking.
7.    Mobile phone recharging.
8.    Internet connection/WiFi.
9.    Fax and business Center Service.
10.  Wheelchairs.
11.  Children’s Day Care Center.
12.   ATM Counters.

If you fall sick or any medical aid, you just call any staff, they are going to help you.  The lost and found assistance is at the ground floor.  The atrium and sofas are all over the mall that helps you regroup and energize yourself.  While you are shopping, you can cleanse your car.  So the car wash service is available.  There is valet parking.  The pick up point is on the south side of the mall.  There are 2 tiers of service:  Gold and Platinum.  If your mobile phone is not recharged, you can recharge them at the customer service desk.  You can surf the net free of cost at WiFi hotspots.  Here you can get fast, reliable, wirefree internet connection.  You can send faxes wherever you want by just coming at the customer service desk!  There are wheelchairs for the disabled people.  The staff is eager to help you.  There is a crèche where your child can play while you shop.  There are baby strollers, which will help the mother and father of the kids.  It can be rented on an hourly basis.  The ATM counter point gives you tension free shopping.

We get a large number of shops under one roof.  A number of reputed brands and companies have opened their outlets here at Mani Square making it the hottest destination for shopping!!! For books and stationery, there are Luxor Parker, Starmark, Westside, and Write Site. For cards and gifts, there are Archies, Ariana, Exclusive Lines, Infinity, Presto stamps, Nik-Nish, Starmark, Westside and Wonderland. For kidswear, there are Barbie, Catmoss, Lilliput, Little Shop, OVO, Oyo, Paridhan, Scram, Westside, and Zapp. For confectionary and icecream parlour, there are Baskin and Robbins, Biscotti, Cookieman, Just Desserts, Mama Mia, New Zealand Naturals. The department stores are My Dollar Store, Spencers, and Westside. For electronic, computer, and Communication, there are Ezone, Planet M, The Mobile Store. For footwear, there are Addidas, Liberty, Magnet, M&B footwear, Nike, Puma, Reebok, Westside, Woodland.

So visit this place, enjoy the right shopping ambience and shop till you drop!!!

Indian Museum in Kolkata is the largest museum in India. It is the ninth oldest regular museum of the world and oldest institution of its kind in Asia Pacific region. Indian Museum is a multipurpose and multi disciplinary institution of national importance. The museum was established at the Asiatic Society, the earliest learned body in the country on 2nd February 1814. Dr. Nathaniel Wallich, a Danish botanist, was the founder curator of the museum.
Indian Museum was transferred to the present building in 1878 with two galleries. Today, the museum has over sixty galleries of Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Geology, Zoology and Botany sections, spreading over ten thousand square feet area. Many rare specimens of both Indian and Trans-Indian origin relating to Humanities and Natural Science are preserved and displayed in
museum.

Spread on the Ist and II floor, the Art collection of the Indian Museum comprises of miniature paintings, textiles, decorative art objects from Asian countries — China, Japan, Nepal, Tibet, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Java and Kampuchea. Muslin and Jamdani from Dhaka, Baluchari textile of Murshidabad, Phulkari of Punjab, Chamba rumal, Persian carpets, Kanthas of Bengal, ritual robes, wood carving, metal images, ivory, lacquerware, bronze, ornaments; Persian, Mughal, Rajasthani, Pahari, Deccani miniature paintings, manuscript illustrations of Western and Eastern India, Bengal school paintings, Nepalese and Tibetan temple banners.

The South East Asian gallery in the Art section has three separate galleries for artifacts from China-Japan, Burma and Nepal-Tibet. In the gallery of the China-Japan, there are coloured porcelains, wine cups, ivory and rhinoceros horn carved articles, paintings etc.
 

The National Library in Kolkata is the largest library in India. It is an institution of National importance under the Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Government of India. National Library is situated on a scenic 30 acres Belvedere Estate, in Kolkata. The library is designated to collect, disseminate and preserve the printed material produced in the country.

The origins of the National Library can be traced back to 1836 when the Calcutta Public Library was established. The then Governor General, Lord Metcalf transferred 4,675 volumes from the library of the College of Fort William to the Calcutta Public Library. In 1891, the Imperial Library was formed by combining a number of Secretariat libraries. Lord Curzon, the then Governor General of India, conceived the idea of opening a library for the use of the public. He amalgamated Calcutta Public Library with the Imperial Library. The library was formally opened to the public on 30th January 1903 at Metcalf Hall, Kolkata. After independence, the library was renamed as the National Library.

Established in 1875, and spread over nearly 100 acres in the heart of Kolkata are the Zoological Gardens. Inaugurated by the Prince of Wales in 1876, it is one of the oldest and the largest Zoos of India.

During the winter season, the migratory birds flock in the zoo for its artificial lake and vegetation. But in recent times the birds do not flock so much as the yester years due to ecological imbalances.

The zoo displays a large number of crowd-pulling megafauna, including the Royal Bengal Tiger, African Lion, Jaguar, Hippopotamus, Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros, Reticulated Giraffe, Grant’s Zebra, Emu, Dromedary Camel and Indian
Elephant. Previously, other megafauna like the Panthera hybrids and the Giant Eland were present.

The zoo sported a large collection of attractive birds, including some threatened species up until the 1980s – large parrots including a number of Macaw species, Conures, lories and lorikeets; other large birds like Touracos and Hornbills; colourful game birds like the Golden Pheasant, Lady Amherst’s Pheasant and Swinhoe’s Pheasant and some large flightless birds like the Emu, Cassowary and Ostrich. However, lack of pairing and exchange programs have caused a significant decline in the populations, causing some of the populations to die out.

‘SOUTH CITY’ is a mixed use development on 31.14 acres of land in South Kolkata having 4 Residential towers comprising of 1600 flats, Club, School and more than a million sq.ft. Shopping Mall, all planned of international standard. It is the biggest retail development in Eastern India located at 375, Prince Anwar Shah Road, Kolkata – just opposite Jodhpur Park, a posh residential area and close to Gariahat, the main shopping hub of South Kolkata.

The Mall will be surrounded by customers with the perfect demography from a retail point of view, whether in terms of disposable income, a modern mindset or an ambitious lifestyle. It is surrounded by new upcoming housing projects Merlin manor, Merlin Residency, City High, Orbit Heights, Westwind, Hiland Park, Udayan, Bengal Shrachi, Orbit City, Sugam Park, Ekta Heights– all residential complexes housing the upwardly mobile, who want to make a lifestyle statement. The residential complex within South City will house 1600 families. So the footfalls are assured.

Designed after exhaustive research of the best shopping malls around the world, great attention has been placed on details. The stores inside South City Mall are synergistically placed and promise to change the way people perceive shopping and entertainment in Kolkata. We have already booked space for anchor stores such as Pantaloons, Shopper’s Stop, Giant, Fame Cinemas and some of the other known brands that will be present in South City Mall are annexed here with: The fabulous façade, the colossal multilevel car park for 1400 cars, the exceptional landscaping, the larger floor plate ensuring larger footfall, and shops arranged in consumer friendly clusters, and all this with fine dining options and a fabulous food-court, ensures a shoppers’ paradise.

Kolkata has the highest credit/deposit ratio in the country and is the third largest retail market in India. Not surprisingly one in every ten of India’s richest consumers resides in West Bengal. With easy accessibility by the Lake Gardens flyover to Southern Avenue and its proximity to EM Bye-Pass through the Jadavpur Connector, the retail hub of South Kolkata is ready for a paradigm shift to the South City Mall.