About Kolkata
Kolkata, the ‘City of Joy’, formerly known as Calcutta, is one of India’s largest cities, the capital of the state of West Bengal and the gateway to the Eastern and North Eastern parts of India. Calcutta, located on the banks of the river Hoogly, was established in the year 1686 by Job Charnock as a result of the expansion plans of the British Raj. In 1772, when Calcutta was announced as the capital of British India, Warren Hastings, the first British Governor-General of India moved all important offices from Murshidabad -- the former capital of Bengal during Mughal Period -- to Calcutta. In 1911, the capital was shifted from Calcutta (now Kolkata) to Delhi.
Rabindranath Tagore, Satyajit Ray, CV Raman and Amartya Sen are some of the famous Bengalis who lived in Kolkata whose contribution to the state and the country will always be remembered. The city is known for its culture --- art, music, literature, cinema. It is a ‘foodie’s paradise, particularly for sweets. The Bengali ‘rossogolla’ and sandesh are famous all over India.
Some of the tourist attractions of the city are Victoria Memorial, Marble Palace, Jorasanko Thakurbari and Dakshineswar Temple. If one has a few days in hand, a visit to Darjeeling for a view of the Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas, or to the Sunderbans for a chance meeting with the Royal Bengal tiger may be worthwhile.