Archive for the ‘Kolkata’ Category
January 2nd, 2012 | 
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Avani Riverside Mall is the crowning glory of Howrah’s changing skyline. Visible from miles away, it beckons all those who are looking to experience the next level of shopping, eating out and entertainment.
It is an architectural wonder spread over a massive 600,000 square feet area, designed to inspire awe and generate admiration. Showing off the most modern facilities as well as a world of amenities, Avani Riverside Mall is as world class as it can get.
Little wonder some of the world’s most desired brands have opened their stores here, and many more are making plans for a grand entry.
Avani Riverside Mall is already being called ‘The mall of many firsts’. To start, it is the first mega mall to be built in Howrah, which speaks volume for Avani Group’s pioneering spirit. And to strengthen this reputation, it has given eastern India its first multi screen PVR, promising a blockbuster movie experience like never before.
But it’s not only the ‘firsts’ that are so attractive about Avani Riverside Mall. For example, Reliance has come with a bang with its CDIT and Timeout stores, along with Reliance Trends. Showcasing everything from consumer durables to books and DVDs. And if one has a taste for slightly unconventional things, the mall is dotted with kiosks offering a variety of avant-garde and fun products exciting and quirky in every sense.
And after a whole day of shopping, one can look forward to a delicious treat that awaits him or her in the biggest food court in the region. Serving everything from Mexican, Italian and Indian to American and Chinese, it’s a mouthwatering feast for everybody.
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The majestic Birla Mandir, which towers to a height of 160 feet at the junction of Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue is a marvel of India’s indigenous craftsmanship. Spread over a 44 kathas of land, the temple which is built of white marble, is of stupendous dimensions.
This majestic temple has been designed on the pattern of the famous Lingaraj Temple of Bhubaneswar.
According to reliable sources, work on this colossal temple began way back in the 1970’s and it took all of 26 years of painstaking labor to complete this temple. A visit to this temple will reveal the intricate Rajasthani temple architecture, which is predominant. The manner in which the layering and decoration of the temple facades have been done is a pointer to the high degree of skill involved during the construction process.
Not only is the Mandir an architectural marvel in Kolkata’s landscape, this temple has experimented with innovative ideas to add luster. For instance, episodes from from the sacred Hindu scripture – Bhagavad Gita has been pictorially depicted through stone engravings which means that the eternal message of the Gita is lapped up by visitors without much difficulty.
Major Attraction Of Birla Mandir,Kolkata
The highest tower in the temple reaches a height of 165 feet while the ancillary towers reach 116 feet. The Geeta Bhavan, a hall is adorned with beautiful paintings depicting scenes from Indian mythology. There is also a temple dedicated to Buddha in this complex with fresco paintings describing his life and work. The entire complex, especially the walls and the upper gallery are full of paintings carried out by artists from Jaipur in Rajasthan. The rear of the temple has been developed as an artificial mountainous landscape with fountains and waterfalls.
Vidyasagar Setu, popularly known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, was erected in1992. A manifestation of constructional excellence, Vidyasagar Setu of West Bengal acts as a vital link between the capital city– Kolkata – and Howrah. The Setu facilitates commutation of around 85, 000 transportation sources regularly. The entire structure of Vidyasagar Setu in Kolkata was transformed into an operational Bridge in a time span of 22 long years.
Comprising of nine traffic tracks, the 457 meter long Setu is a unique engineering wonder as its framework is aptly backed by 121 loops. The very base of Vidyasagar Setu goes to a depth of 100 meter in the River Hooghly. With a width of 115 meter, the Setu is believed to have incurred a considerable cost of Rs. 388/- crore.
One of the outstanding attractions of West Bengal, Vidyasagar Setu of Kolkata receives hundreds and thousands of visitors every year. In fact foreign travelers who come to explore the touristy pleasures of eastern India, make it sure that they can avail of a drive down the exotic lanes of Vidyasagar Setu.
Apart from its tourism popularity, Vidyasagar Setu in West Bengal has also become an important connective point which joins the city of Kolkata with the nearby Bengal Engineering College and Botanical Garden. Ever since Vidyasagar Setu came into existence, Howrah Bridge of Kolkata has been relieved from the ever-increasing traffic rush.
The daily commuters of West Bengal can now enjoy a hassle-free journey the credit of which goes to the one and only Vidyasagar Setu.
Fort William is one of Kolkata’s most enduring Raj era edifice. This is a fort of stupendous dimensions and is spread over an area of 532 bighas. It was built by Robert Clive in the year 1781. Fort William has the dubious distinction of being the only fort in the world from where not a single shot was fired.
Today this magnificent fort located in the periphery of the lush green Maidan is the property of Indian Army. The headquarters of Eastern Command is based at Fort William and it has provisions for accommodating 10,000 army personnel. A trip inside this impregnable fort has history written all over. From the time you enter Fort William till the time you are inside, you will be transported to an altogether different era. An era when the British ruled supreme in India. An era when the East India Company was a mega rich corporation with military and trading posts around the globe. Today, a visit to Fort William will enable you to rekindle that unmistakable Raj era charm. A charm which still lingers on in Kolkata even after five decades of independence from colonial rule.
Much of Fort William is unchanged except for the fact that the St.Peter’s Church which used to serve as a chaplaincy center for the British citizens of Kolkata no longer exists.
Inside the Fort as you walk through the main boulevard, you will come across disciplined and impeccably dressed Indian Army personnel carrying out their military duties in the true spirit of patriotism. The tall and sturdy jawans manning the fort are always very courteous to visitors and tourists alike.
The Structure of Fort William
The Fort is a brick-and-mortar structure built in the shape of an irregular octagon surrounding 5 square km of which five sides look landward and three on the river, surrounded by a fosse 9 meter deep and 15 meter broad which can be flooded in times of emergency. There are six gates Chowringhee, Plassey Calcutta, Water gate St Georges and Treasury Gate. A telephone office, recreation club, canteen, cinema hall, restaurant, swimming pool and wide moat surround it. For the tourist, there is a museum housing arms and armours, swords, muskets and machine guns. Another section has photographs of the Burma campaign and of the Bangladesh Liberation War. The Arsenal inside is worth visiting with a prior permission required from the Commanding Officer.
Withing the Fort
Inside the Fort is the St. Peter’s Church which was constructed in 1928. Swimming pool, Boxing stadium, Firing Range and other necessary arrangements are present within the Fort. There is also a provision for ten thousand interns of the Fort. The Fort has huge archways, one of which is known as ‘Plassey Gate’. It is said that this is the only Fort in the world from where not a single bullet or cannon-ball has ever been shot.
Detail About The Place
Built - 1906- 1921
Cost - Rs1,050,000,000
Designed by - Sir William Emerson
Maximum height – 84 feet / 26 meters (without statue)
Maximum width – 228 feet / 69 meters
Open – Daily except Monday
Timing - 10.00 A.M. To 4.30 P.M.(March to October it close at 3.30 P.M.
Best Season - October to March
History About It
A splendid architectural structure in white marble, modelled on the Taj Mahal, was built in the early 20th Century in memory of Queen Victoria between 1906 and 1921 and was formally inaugurated by the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VIII of England. Set in beautiful garden grounds, the Victoria Memorial houses a large bronze statue of the Queen Empress Topped with a moving angel this memorial faces the Calcutta Maidan. The statues of Motherhood, Prudence, Learning, Art, Justice, Architecture and Charity are brought from Italy. The magical lighting effect in the evening and a fairy tale ‘Fountain of Joy’ facing the memorial building create an atmosphere of unforgettable charm. It also has a 5 meter tall bronze winged figure of Victory, weighing 3 tons.
It was designed by Sir William Emerson. It also act as a museum, where people could see before them pictures and statues of men who played a prominent part in the history of India. Presently it is the finest and most prominent building and art museum of Calcutta, India, under the Department of Culture, Govt. of India.
In the evening, the light and sound programs is a major attraction for the tourists. Every day, crowds of people visit the premises from early morning to sunset. Being one of the most popular tourist spot in the city, it is one of the few well-maintained heritage buildings that exist in the city today.
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Location: Bank of the Ganges, north of Belur Math in Kolkata
Dedicated to: Goddess Kali
Founded by: Queen Rasmani of Janbazar
Year of establishment: 1847 – 1855
The construction of the temple started in 1847. Queen Rasmani the renowned queen of Janbazar, had founded this temple. It is believed that she was instructed by Goddess Kali in her dream to construct this temple.
The construction work was completed in 1855. It cost an estimated Rs. 9 lakhs of which, Rs. 2 lakhs was spent on the day of inauguration. The temple and its adjoining areas stand on 25 acres of land. Queen Rasmani purchased the required land from some Mr. Hasti.
Dakshineswar temple is dedicated to goddess Kali. The temple, in conventional Nava-ratna style, measures 46 feet square and rises over 100 feet high. It is one of the largest temples of Kolkata.
The main attraction of the temple is that the Ganga (Hooghly river) flows beside the temple. The 12- spired temple with its enormous courtyard is surrounded by 12 other temples dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is a world famous place of pilgrimage and it was here that the famous religious thinker Rama Krishna Paramahamsa achieved his spiritual vision and preached the unity of all religions. He was an worshipper at this temple and he used to live in the temple premises. His room is open to the visitor.
Ramakrishna served as temple’s head priest. From the first days of his service in the shrine of the goddess Kali, he was filled with a rare form of love for the Goddess known in Hinduism as maha-bhava. Worshiping in front of the statue of Kali, Ramakrishna would be overcome with such ecstatic love for the deity that he would fall to the ground and immersed in spiritual trance, lose all consciousness of the external world. Ramakrishna fully realized the infinite and all-inclusive nature of the divine.
The Panchavati, a congregation of five ancient trees, is a spot for peaceful meditation. Here Sri Ramakrishna used to meditate and performed severe penances sitting on the ‘Panchamundi (5 skulls) Ashana’ – a custome which is mandatory for the ‘Tantrika’ form of worship.
Howrah Bridge, located over the Hoogli River in West Bengal, India, is said to be the busiest bridge of the world. It got its name owing to the fact that it connects the city of Howrah to Calcutta. Hawrah Bridge in Kolkata, India, also known by the name ‘Rabindra Setu’, was set up in 1874. It stands on two 270 feet high pillars. Calcutta Howrah Bridge is a cantilever truss bridge that was constructed without using any nuts and bolts. Though, earlier it had a tram route, but presently, it is serving mainly as a Road Bridge. Howrah bridge has got two sister bridges also, namely, Vidyasagar Setu and the Vivekananda Setu that are situated at different points over the hoogly river. This bridge acts as an important symbol of Kolkata.
How about visiting a vintage bridge which has no nuts & bolts in its construction but still standing tall for the last 66 years? Hard to believe? The Bridge in concern – one of the busiest in the world – is located at Howrah in West Bengal. The Howrah bridge, the sixth longest of its type, has been an emblem of the city of Kolkata from its inception. So much so that the world knows Kolkata by its trams, the Victoria Memorial, and of course the Howrah Bridge. Opened to traffic in 1943, the construction of the bridge was started in 1937. The bridge has remained one of the most renowned landmarks of Kolkata. More than 150,000 vehicles and 4,000,000 pedestrians cross over the bridge every day. Technically speaking, Howrah Bridge is a “Cantilever Truss” bridge, constructed entirely by riveting, without nuts or bolts!
Notable features of the Howrah Bridge:
1. 705 meters in length, 97 feet in width, 82 meters in height
2. 26,500 plus mega tonne of high-tensile steel was used
3. Suspension type Balanced Cantilever
4. 325 ft, length of each anchor arm
5. 468 ft, length of each Cantilever arm
6. 564 ft, suspended span
7. Deck width 71 ft, footpath 15 feet on either side
8. No nuts & bolts
9. Total 8 articulation joints, 3 at each of the cantilever arms, and 2 in the suspended portions
10. Carriageway Minimum headroom is 5.8 m
11. River traffic freeboard is 8.8 m
12. Ranks sixth in World’s top 10 longest Cantilever bridges
South African architects Bentel Associates International (BAI), pioneers in commercial architecture, have been making their mark on the Indian architectural landscape for the last few years.The one million square feet (93 000m2) South City Mall on Prince Anwar Shah Road is part of a mixed-use development project across 31 acres in south Kolkata. The development includes four residential towers with 1 600 flats, a 75 000 square feet (7 000m2) art club and 125 000 square feet (11 650m2) dedicated to school and car parking facilities for more than 1 600 cars.
“The planning for the one million square feet (93 000m2) South City Mall is based on symbiosis between large and small retailers to create a micro environment that encourages visitors to shop,” says architect and senior director at BAI Nicolas Kyriacos, who coordinates the development of new business in India for the company and oversees concept, development and design direction.
According to a recent survey conducted by global property consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield, not all mall operators are likely to benefit equally: “Only the ones in favourable locations and having the right format and suitable strategies are likely to remain long-term players,” the survey states. Kyriacos agrees: “Prior to starting work on South City Mall we had already been working in India for a few years. We had observed that the planning of the existing malls in India lacked an understanding of mall culture. Malls were generally designed along high street or strip shopping principles rather than being based on mall design principles. Many of these malls failed to succeed.”
In first-world countries, it is generally accepted that if a retail environment lacks synergy between its diverse elements and experiences it will not be successful. Although location is important, the right expertise in conceptualisation, design, development and management of malls is absolutely necessary to optimise long-term sustainability and profitability.
Mall’s design concept
“South city Mall was an exceptional challenge in that we inherited a structural footprint within which we were asked to create a shopping environment that would be financially viable for the developers whilst also satisfying international standards.” Kyriacos and his team examined the existing structural footprint and recognised that by introducing a large central atrium and creating a double mall, they would be able to create space for many small shops as well as excitement and drama which would enable them to develop a world-class shopping environment.
The second and third floors have been visually integrated by introducing a focal point – an atrium along the entire length of the mall. This has been reinforced by designing the multiplex with the entry on the second floor and its exit from the third floor. The primary reason for doing this was to ensure that the food court, family entertainment component and the young fashion zone would not only contribute to creating excitement but also would become a destination. It offers the shopper uninterrupted visibility of at least 30 per cent of all line shops at a glance. This focal point can even be experienced from the road outside. It has also been designed to accommodate promotions of any type and size.
“This design allows us to concentrate and maximise the FSI (floor space index) of the development on one side of the site thus allowing us to introduce a multilevel car park on the other side. This will afford shoppers the convenience of parking and entering the five-level shopping mall at each level,” adds Kyriacos. Another innovative aspect of the design is that South City Mall functions as a ‘race track’ for shoppers with the anchors positioned along the ‘track’ in a way that draws the shoppers past the smaller retailers.