8 places to visit in Kolkata

8 different places to visit in Kolkata

_________________________________________________________________________________

1. The Victoria Memorial (Victoria Memorial Hall) is a large marble building in Kolkata (Calcutta), West Bengal, India which was built between 1906 and 1921. It is dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria (1819–1901) and is now a museum and 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.

2. Kolkata Trams 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.







3. 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 October 13, 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.

4. Science City, Kolkata is the largest science center 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. Saroj Ghose, the first director general of NCSM, who is credited with having conceptualized this center in 1997. This center was inaugurated by two parts: the ‘Convention Center Complex’ was unveiled on 21 December 1996 by Paul Jozef Crutzen in presence of the then chief minister Jyoti Basu and the whole center was opened by the then prime minister Inder Kumar Gujral on 1 July 1997. On 10 January 2010, prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh laid the foundation stone for the second phase of Science City in presence of the then chief minister of West Bengal, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

5. Rabindra Sarovar (previously known as Dhakuria Lake) is an artificial lake in south Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal.
The name also refers to the area surrounding the lake. It is flanked by Southern Avenue to the North, Rashbehari Avenue(Russa Road) to the West, Dhakuria to the East and the Kolkata Suburban Railway tracks to the south.A number of people come for a walk around the lake in the mornings to enjoy the fresh air. Many visit the sunrise point to offer their prayers to the sun. During the day, it is visited by families on a picnic, tourists, young lovers and joggers.






6. Princep Ghat is a Ghat built during British Raj, along the river bank of Hooghly and on its bank on Kolkata side. The Palladian porch in the memory of eminent orientalist James Prinsep, famous for deciphering the inscriptions of Ashoka, was designed by W. Fitzgerald and constructed in 1843.
It is located between the Water Gate and 
the St George's Gate of the Fort William. It was built in 1841 and named after James Prinsep, the Anglo-Indian scholar and antiquary. The monument rich in Greek and Gothic inlays, was restored by the state's public works department in November 2001 and has since been well-maintained. In its initial years, all the royal British entourages used the Prinsep Ghat jetty for embarkation and disembarkation. Prinsep Ghat is one of the oldest recreational spots of Kolkata and people come here in evenings on weekends to have stroll along the bank, with many food-stalls selling variety of road-side foods.

7. Swami Vivekanad's Ancestral House is a museum and cultural center. It is located at 3, Gourmohan Mukherjee Street, Kolkata, India.In this house, Swami Vivekananda (then called Narendranath Datta) was born on 12 January 1863.The house remained Vivekananda's home throughout his childhood and early youth. The cultural center was inaugurated by the President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam.




8. Eco Tourism Park or the New Town Eco Park (Prakriti Tirtha) is an urban park in Rajarhat, Kolkata. The park is situated on a 480 acres (190 ha) plot and is surrounded by a 104 acres (42 ha) waterbody with an island in the middle. The park was conceptualized by Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee in July 2011. 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. The park has been divided into three broad parts; 1) ecological zones like wetlands, grasslands, and urban forest, 2)theme gardens and open spaces, 3)and urban recreational spaces.The Eco Park is further divided into different sub-parts according to the different types of fauna planted.According to the plan, the park will have different areas like wild flower meadows, a bamboo garden, grasslands, tropical tree garden, bonsai garden*, tea garden, Cactus Walk*, a heliconia garden*, a butterfly garden, a play area and an amphitheater(*-yet to be added).Further, there is plan to develop an Eco-resort in public-private partnership, and will also include an area where handicrafts from different part of the state will be exhibited.The park was inaugurated on 29 December 2012 by Mamata Banerjee.


Sources : Wikipedia