BENGAL ATTRACTION

LIVE LIKE A KING

Rabindra Setu

The HOWRAH BRIDGE

Howrah Bridge is a cantilever bridge with a suspended span over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. Commissioned in 1943, the bridge was originally named the New Howrah Bridge, because it replaced a pontoon bridge at the same location linking the two cities of Howrah and Kolkata (Calcutta). On 14 June 1965 it was renamed Rabindra Setu after the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was the first Indian and Asian Nobel laureate.

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Vidyasagar Setu

The Second Hooghly Bridge

Vidyasagar Setu, also known as the Second Hooghly Bridge, is a toll bridge over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India, linking the cities of Kolkata & Howrah.

With a total length of 823 metres, Vidyasagar Setu is the longest cable–stayed bridge in India. It was the second bridge to be built across the Hooghly River; the first, the Howrah Bridge 3.7 kilometres to the north, was completed in 1943.

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The Victoria Memorial

In memory of Queen Victoria

The Victoria Memorial is a large marble building in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, which was built between 1906 and 1921. It is dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria & is now a museum & tourist destination under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture. The Memorial lies on the Maidan (grounds) by the bank of the Hooghly River, near Jawaharlal Nehru road.

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Kali Temple

One of the 51 Shakti Peethas

Kalighat Kali Temple is a Hindu temple in West Bengal, India dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali. It is one of the 51 Shakti Peethas.

Kalighat was a Ghat sacred to Kali on the old course of the Hooghly river (Bhāgirathi) in the city of Calcutta. The name Calcutta is said to have been derived from the word Kalighat.

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Belur Math

Founded by Swami Vivekananda

Belūr Maṭh or Belur Mutt is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, a chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located on the west bank of Hooghly River, Belur, West Bengal, India and is one of the significant institutions in Calcutta. This temple is the heart of the Ramakrishna Movement. The temple is notable for its architecture that fuses Hindu, Christian and Islamic motifs as a symbol of unity of all religions.

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Sundarbans

UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Sundarbans is a natural region comprising southern Bangladesh and a part in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the largest single block of tidal halophytic mangrove forest in the world. The Sundarbans covers approximately 10,000 square kilometres (3,900 sq mi) most of which is in Bangladesh with the remainder in India. The Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Sundarbans National Park

Tiger Reserve, and a Biosphere Reserve

The Sundarban National Park is a National Park, Tiger Reserve, and a Biosphere Reserve in West Bengal, India. The delta is densely covered by mangrove forests, and is one of the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger. It is also home to a variety of bird, reptile and invertebrate species, including the salt-water crocodile.

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Dakshineswar

Kali Temple

Dakshineswar Kali Temple is a Hindu temple located in Dakshineswar near Kolkata. Situated on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, the presiding deity of the temple is Bhavatarini, an aspect of Kali, meaning, 'She who liberates Her devotees from the ocean of existence i.e. Saṃsāra'. The temple was built in 1855 by Rani Rashmoni, a philanthropist and a devotee of Kali. The temple is famous for its association with Ramakrishna, a mystic of 19th Century Bengal.

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Tiger Hill, Darjeeling

UNESCO World Heritage Site

Tiger Hill (2,590 m) is located in Darjeeling, in the Indian State of West Bengal, and is the summit of Ghoom, the highest railway station in the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway – a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It has a panoramic view of Mount Everest and Mt. Kangchenjunga together.

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Eden Gardens

A cricket ground

Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata, India. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the IPL's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a venue for Test, ODI and T20I matches. With a seating capacity of 66,000, it is the largest cricket stadium in India, and the second-largest cricket stadium in the world behind the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Eden Gardens has been called "cricket's answer to the Colosseum" and is widely acknowledged to be one of the most iconic cricket stadiums in the world.

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St. Paul's Cathedral

first Episcopal Church in Asia

St. Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Kolkata, India, noted for its Gothic architecture. It is the seat of the Diocese of Calcutta. The cornerstone was laid in 1839; the building was completed in 1847. It is said to be the largest cathedral in Kolkata and the first Episcopal Church in Asia. It was also the first cathedral built in the overseas territory of the British Empire.

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Science City

largest science centre

Science City, Kolkata is the largest science centre in the Indian subcontinent under National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture, Government of India, is at the crossing of Eastern Metropolitan Bypass and J B S Haldane avenue, Kolkata. It is considered by some people as the most distinguished landmark in post-independence Kolkata.

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Indian Museum

largest and oldest museum in India

The Indian Museum is the largest and oldest museum in India and has rare collections of antiques, armour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings. It was founded by the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Kolkata (Calcutta), India, in 1814. The founder curator was Dr Nathaniel Wallich, a Danish botanist.

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Gorumara National Park

Indian rhinoceros

Gorumara National Park is a National Park in northern West Bengal, India. Located in the Terai region of the Himalayan foothills, it is a medium-sized park with grasslands and forests. It is primarily known for its population of Indian rhinoceros. The park has been declared as the best among the protected areas in India by the Ministry of Environment and Forests for the year 2009.

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Eco Park

urban park in Rajarhat, Kolkata

New Town Eco Park is an urban park in Rajarhat, Kolkata. The park is situated on a 480 acres plot and is surrounded by a 104 acres waterbody with an island in the middle. The park was conceptualised by Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee. West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) is the overarching body coordinating the construction of the park, along with different other government bodies responsible for implementation of different works inside the park.

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Birla Mandir

built by the industrialist Birla family

Birla Mandir in Kolkata, India, is a Hindu temple on Asutosh Chowdhury Avenue, Ballygunge, built by the industrialist Birla family. This temple is open in the morning from 5.30 A.M. to 11 A.M. and in the evening from 4 .30 P.M. to 9 P.M. On Janmashtami, the birthday of Krishna, devotees come from far away places to pay their respect to the deities.

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Nicco park

amusement park

Nicco Park is an amusement park in India, located in Salt Lake City, Kolkata. The park was created to attract tourists to the state by providing family-friendly recreation as well as educative entertainment. Nicco Park opened on 13 October 1991, and has since been referred to as the Disneyland of West Bengal. Presently, the 40 acre park is home to over 35 different attractions and has served over 24 million customers. Nicco Park also provides a "green" environment.

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Birla Industrial & Technological Museum

first science museum in India

Birla Industrial & Technological Museum (BITM), a unit under National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture, Government of India, is at Gurusaday Road, Kolkata.

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Fort William

established during the tenure of British Raj in 1696

Fort William is a fort built in Calcutta on the eastern banks of the River Hooghly, the major distributary of the River Ganges, during the early years of the Bengal Presidency of British India. It was named after King William III of England and Ireland and II of Scotland. In front of the Fort is the Maidan, which used to be a part of the Fort and is the largest urban park in Calcutta.

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Birla Planetarium

largest planetarium in Asia and the second largest planetarium in the world

The Birla Planetarium in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, is a single-storeyed circular structure designed in the typical Indian style, whose architecture is loosely styled on the Buddhist Stupa at Sanchi. Situated at Chowringhee Road adjacent to the Victoria Memorial, Kolkata, it is the largest planetarium in Asia and the second largest planetarium in the world.

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Shaheed Minar

Monument

The Shaheed Minar, formerly known as the Ochterlony Monument, is a monument in Kolkata that was erected in 1828 in memory of Major-general Sir David Ochterlony, commander of the British East India Company, to commemorate both his successful defense of Delhi against the Marathas in 1804 and the victory of the East India Company’s armed forces over the Gurkhas in the Anglo-Nepalese War. It was designed by J.P. Parker and paid for from public funds.

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Botanical Garden

a wide variety of rare plants

The Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden is situated in Shibpur, Howrah near Kolkata. They are commonly known as the Calcutta Botanical Garden, and previously as the Royal Botanic Garden, Calcutta. The gardens exhibit a wide variety of rare plants and a total collection of over 12,000 specimens spread over 109 hectares. It is under Botanical Survey of India (BSI) of Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.

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Tipu Sultan Mosque

Built by the youngest son of Tipu Sultan

The tipu Sultan Shahi Mosque (also known as Tipu Sultan Masjid) is a famous mosque in Kolkata, India. Located at 185 Dhartamtalla Street, the mosque is a relic of architectural and cultural heritage. People from all sections of society and religions are allowed to visit and take pictures of this historical premises.

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Salt Lake Stadium

largest stadium in India

Salt Lake Stadium is a multipurpose stadium in Bidhannagar, Kolkata, West Bengal, with a current capacity of 68,000. It is the largest stadium in India by capacity. Before its renovation in 2011, it was the second largest football stadium in the world, having a seating capacity of 120,000. Prior to the construction and opening of Rungrado May Day Stadium in 1989, it was the largest football stadium in the world.

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Bandel Church

one of the oldest Christian churches

The Basilica of the Holy Rosary commonly known as Bandel Church is one of the oldest Christian churches in West Bengal, India. Situated in Bandel, Hooghly district of West Bengal, it stands as a memorial to the Portuguese settlement in Bengal. Founded in 1599, it is dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Rosário, Our Lady of the Rosary. It is also a parish church, part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta. It is one of the most prominent historical churches in West Bengal as well as in India.

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Alipore Zoo

India's oldest formally stated zoological park

The Alipore Zoological Gardens (also informally called the Alipore Zoo or Calcutta Zoo) is India's oldest formally stated zoological park and a big tourist attraction in Kolkata, West Bengal. It has been open as a zoo since 1876, and covers 46.5 acres. It is probably best known as the home of the now expired Aldabra giant tortoise Adwaita, which was reputed to have been over 250 years old when it died in 2006.

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Aquatica

water theme park

Aquatica is an 75,000sq ft (17 acre) water theme park in Kolkata, India. The theme park was started in 1999. It is one of the largest water amusement parks in Kolkata as well as eastern India. Recently another water theme park, Wet 'O' Wild, has come up near Nicco Park in the Salt Lake City area.It is quite a popular destination on the day of holi.

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Nandan

film and cultural centre

Nandan is a government-sponsored film and cultural centre in Kolkata, India. The primary aim of the cultural hub is to encourage and facilitate cinematic awareness in society. It includes a few comparatively large screens housed in an impressively architectured building.

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Academy of Fine Arts

one of the oldest fine arts societies in India

The academy was formally established in 1933 by Lady Ranu Mukherjee. It was initially located in a room loaned by the Indian Museum, and the annual exhibitions used to take place in the adjoining verandah.

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Rabindra Sadan

cultural centre and theatre

The foundation stone of Rabindra Sadan was laid by the then Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru on 5 August 1961. The construction work of the auditorium ended in October 1967. It is noted for its large stage which is a prime venue for Bengali theatre and Kolkata Film Festival.

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Royal Calcutta Golf Club

One of the oldest golf club in world

The Royal Calcutta Golf Club is the oldest golf club outside the United Kingdom and is the second-oldest outside Scotland. The oldest club outside Scotland is The Royal Blackheath in London, established in 1766.

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Tollygunge Club

one of the premier country clubs of India

The Tollygunge Club, popularly called Tolly, is one of the premier country clubs of India, located in Tollygunge in south Kolkata.

Sir William Cruikshank established the club as an equestrian sports facility in the year 1895 to "promote all manner of sports". It is spread over a 100 acres (400,000 m2), with a clubhouse that is over 200 years old.

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General Post Office

GPO

The General Post Office, Kolkata, is the central post office of the city of Kolkata, India, and the chief post office of West Bengal. The post-office handles most of the city's inbound and outbound mail and parcels. Situated in the B.B.D. Bagh area, the imposing structure of the GPO is one of the landmarks in the city.

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Calcutta High Court

the oldest High Court in India

The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The High Court building's design is based on the Cloth Hall, Ypres, in Belgium.

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Marble Palace

famous for marble wall & floors

The Marble Palace (Kolkata), located at 46, Muktaram Babu Street, Kolkata 700007, is a palatial mansion located in North Kolkata, India, which was built by Raja Rajendra Mullick in 1835 and contains many beautiful Western sculptures, pieces of Victorian furniture, and paintings by European and Indian artists. Large chandeliers, clocks, and busts of kings and queens decorate the hallways of the palace. It is famous for marble wall & floors, antiques, paintings by Rubens, curios, marble statues,floor to ceiling mirrors and for its collection of rare birds.

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Jorasanko Thakur Bari

House of the Thakurs

Jorasanko Thakur Bari in Jorasanko, north of Kolkata, West Bengal, India, is the ancestral home of the Tagore family. It is currently located on the Rabindra Bharati University campus at 6/4 Dwarakanath Tagore Lane Jorasanko, Kolkata 700007. It is the house in which the poet and first non-European Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore was born. It is also the place where he spent most of his childhood and died on 7 August 1941.

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National Library of India

the largest library in India

The National Library on the Belvedere Estate in Alipore, Kolkata, is the largest library in India by volume and India's library of public record. It is under the Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism & Culture, Government of India. The library is designated to collect, disseminate and preserve printed material produced in India. The library is situated on the scenic 30-acre Belvedere Estate. It is the largest in India with a collection in excess of 2.2 million books.

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Raj Bhavan

official residence of the Governor

Raj Bhavan is the official residence of the Governor of West Bengal, located in the state' capital city Kolkata. Built in 1803, it was known as the Government House in the pre-independence days.

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Writers' Building

secretariat building of the State Government

The Writers' Building, often shortened to just Writers', is the secretariat building of the State Government of West Bengal in India. It is located in West Bengal's capital city of Kolkata. It housed the office of the Chief Minister of West Bengal until 4 October 2013. Now most of the departments have moved out to another building named Nabanna in Howrah on a temporary basis for facilitating renovation of the Writers'.

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Howrah station

the oldest station and largest railway complex in India

Howrah Junction railway station is the oldest station and largest railway complex in India with maximum number of platforms in the entire railway system of India, 23 platforms. It is one of the four intercity railway stations serving the city of Kolkata, the others being Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station. The terminal station is located on the west bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by Howrah Bridge. With 23 platforms, it has the highest train-handling capacity of any railway station in India; and is top ranked first busiest railway stations in terms of passenger volume per day.

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Netaji Indoor Stadium

famous for indoor games and cultural events

The Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor Stadium is an indoor sports arena, in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The facility seats 12,000 people. This indoor stadium is located just beside the Eden Gardens. It used to host the Sunfeast Open, a WTA Tour tennis tournament. It is also the home of the Pro Kabaddi League team Bengal Warriors.

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Mohun Bagan Athletic Club

oldest existing football club in India

Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an football club based in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. The club was established in 1889 by Bhupendra Nath Bose and is the oldest existing football club in India. Mohun Bagan were given the title of the National Club of India in 1989, by then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, during the club's centenary celebration and in commemoration of the club's famous victory over East Yorkshire Regiment during the 1911 IFA Shield Final, which made them the first Indian club to defeat a British club to lift the prestigious title.

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New Market

Famous Shopping Area

New Market is a market in Kolkata situated on Lindsay Street at Free School Street (Mirza Ghalib Street). Although primarily "New Market" referred to the original enclosed market, today in local parlance, the entire shopping area is often known as "New Market". Some of the earliest English quarters of Calcutta were in an area known then as Dalhousie Square. Terretti and Lalbazar nearby were the customary shopping haunts of the British. Later settlements arose in Kashaitola, Dharmatala and Chowringhee.

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Park Street

Night Life

In the 1970s and 1980s much of Kolkata's night life took place at Park Street. Many noted musicians had played at popular night spots such as Trinca's, Blue Fox, Mocambo and Moulin Rouge. Even before that, in the 1940s, 50s and 60s Kolkata's prolific night life was centred on Park Street. The Park Hotel chain started with the opening of its first hotel, the 150 room, The Park on the fashionable Park Street on November 1, 1967.

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Sealdah railway station

one of the busiest railway stations in India

Sealdah Railway station was started in 1869. Before 1978, there was a tram terminus at Sealdah station. Trams departed from here towards Rajabazar, Howrah Station, High Court, Dalhousie Square, Park Circus and Dharmatala. The first horse tram service of Kolkata was also started from Sealdah to Armenian Ghat, following the currently route 13, 14 & 16 between Lebutala & Dalhousie Square.

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Calcutta Medical College

first institution in India imparting a systematic education in western medicine

Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, more commonly referred to as Calcutta Medical College. It was established 1835 as a Medical College. It was the second college to teach European medicine in Asia & the first to teach in English. The hospital associated with the college is one of the largest hospitals in Kolkata.

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University of Calcutta

first institution in Asia to be established as a multidisciplinary and secular Western-style university

The University of Calcutta (informally known as Calcutta University or CU) is a public state university located in Kolkata, West Bengal, India established on 24 January 1857. It was the first institution in Asia to be established as a multidisciplinary and secular Western-style university.

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Presidency University

one of the finest academic institutions in India

Presidency University, Kolkata, formerly Hindu College and Presidency College, is a public state university located in Kolkata, West Bengal. The college was established in 1817 by Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Radhakanta Deb, David Hare, Justice Sir Edward Hyde East, Baidyanath Mukhopadhya and Rasamay Dutt.

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College Street

famous for its small and big bookstores

College Street is a ~1.5 km long street in central Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. It stretches (approximately) from Ganesh Chandra Avenue Crossing in Bowbazar area to MahATM facility near hotela Gandhi Road crossing. Its name derives from the presence of many colleges, housing many centres of intellectual activity especially the Indian Coffee House, a café that has attracted the city's intelligentsia for decades.

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Babughat

one of the many ghats built during British Raj

The ghat has a tall colonial structure, which is the landing berth of the ghat. It is a fine Doric-Greek style pavilion with huge pillars. The ghat, originally known was Baboo Raj Chandra Ghat, is now only known by first words Baboo-ghat or Babu-ghat. Babu / Baboo in Bengali means Sahib or gentleman. The ghat is named after Babu Raj Chandra Das, husband of Rani Rashmoni and zamindar of Janbazar, who built it in 1830, in memory of her late husband.

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Prinsep Ghat

one of the oldest recreational spots of Kolkata

Prinsep Ghat is a ghat built in 1841 during the British Raj, along the Kolkata bank of the Hooghly River in India. The Palladian porch in the memory of the eminent Anglo-Indian scholar and antiquary James Prinsep was designed by W. Fitzgerald and constructed in 1843.

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Digha

seaside resort town

Digha is a seaside resort town in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies in East Midnapore district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal. It has a low gradient with a shallow sand beach with gentle waves extending up to 7 km (4.3 mi) in length. It is the most popular sea resort in the West Bengal.

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Mandarmani

longest driveable beach in India

Mandarmani is a seaside resort village in the state of West Bengal, India, lies in East Midnapore district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal. It is one of the large and fast developing seaside resort village of West Bengal. It is almost 180 km from Kolkata Airport on the Kolkata - Digha route. red crabs crawling around the 13 km long beach is a special attraction of Mandarmani. It is argued to be the longest driveable (drive in) beach in India.

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Trams

oldest operating electric tram in Asia

The Kolkata tram is a tram system in Kolkata, India, run by the Calcutta Tramways Company (CTC). It is currently the only operating tram network in India and the oldest operating electric tram in Asia, running since 1902.

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Kolkata Metro

first Metro Railway in India

The Kolkata Metro is a rapid transit system serving the city of Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. The network currently consists of one operational line of 27.22 km from Noapara to Kavi Subhash with five other lines in various phases of construction. The Kolkata Metro was the first Metro Railway in India, opening for commercial services from 1984. There are 300 metro services daily carrying over 650,000 passengers making it the second busiest metro system in India.

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Mayapur

The headquarters of ISKCON

Mayapur is located on the banks of the Ganges river, at the point of its confluence with the Jalangi, near Nabadwip, West Bengal, India, 130 km north of Kolkata (Calcutta). The headquarters of ISKCON are situated in Mayapur and it is considered a holy place by a number of other traditions within Hinduism, but is of special significance to followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism as the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, regarded as a special incarnation of Krishna in the mood of Radha. It is visited by over a million pilgrims annually.

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Tea gardens of West Bengal

Tea cultivation in the North Bengal had started off about 120 to 150 years ago in Dooars region.

North Bengal Tea producing areas include district of Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar, Kishanganj and North Dinajpur. North Bengal has about 450 tea gardens spread out in the Darjeeling hills, Terai and Dooars region that are registered as sellers in the Siliguri Tea Auction Centre.

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Bengali cuisine

only traditionally developed multi-course tradition

Bengali cuisine is a culinary style originating in Bengal, a region in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent, which is now divided between Bangladesh and West Bengal. With an emphasis on fish, vegetables and lentils are served with rice as a staple diet. Bengali cuisine is known for its subtle (yet sometimes fiery) flavours, and its spread of confectioneries and desserts. It also has the only traditionally developed multi-course tradition from the subcontinent that is analogous in structure to the modern service à la russe style of French cuisine, with food served course-wise rather than all at once.

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Kumortuli

one of the seven wonders in Kolkata

Kumortuli is a traditionally potters’ quarter in northern Kolkata, the capital of the east Indian state of West Bengal. By virtue of their artistic productions these potters have moved from obscurity to prominence. This Kolkata neighbourhood, not only supplies clay idols of Hindu gods and goddesses to barowari pujas in Kolkata and its neighbourhoods, but a number of idols are exported.It is one of the seven wonders in Kolkata.

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Durga Puja Of Bengal

an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga

Durga Puja also referred to as Durgotsava or Sharadotsav is an annual Hindu festival in South Asia that celebrates worship of the Hindu goddess Durga. It refers to all the six days observed as Mahalaya, Shashthi, Maha Saptami, Maha Ashtami, Maha Navami, and Vijayadashami.

Durga Puja festival marks the victory of Goddess Durga over the evil buffalo demon Mahishasura. Thus, Durga Puja festival epitomises the victory of Good over Evil. In Bengal, Durga is worshipped as Durgotinashini, the destroyer of evil and the protector of her devotees.

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