Beautiful places in Kolkata

I have been staying in this nice city 'Kolkata' since last five years. Though due to my busy professional life I get hardly enough time to roam around the city but still then I managed to visit some wonderful places in this 'City of Joy' in my spare time.

Dakshineswar Kali Temple

Dakshineswar Kali Temple is situated in Dakshineswar close to Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal. It’s a Hindu place of worship located on the eastern bank of River Hooghly. Bhavatarini is the presiding deity of this temple. Bhavatarin is an aspect of Kali. Constructed by Rani Rashmoni, a devotee of Goddess Kali and a philanthropist in the year 1855, the temple is popular for its association with Ramakrishna, a mystic of the 19th century Bengal.

The compound of Dakshineswar temple consists of a huge courtyard which surrounds the temple with rooms along with the boundary walls. Together with the 9-spired main temple, there 12 shrines dedicated to Shiva located along the river front, a temple dedicated to Radha and Krishna, a bathing ghat on the river and a shrine dedicated to Rani Rashmoni. A chamber located in the north-western corner beyond the Shiva temple is said to be the place where Ramakrishna spent a significant part of his life.

Birla Mandir

Birla Mandir is a Hindu Temple constructed by the distinguished industrialist family- the Birla. The temple is located on Asutosh Chowdhury Avenue, Ballygunge and is one of the most visited tourist attraction of Kolkata. Every day the temple remains open from 5.30 am to 11 am in the morning and then 4.30 Pm to 9 PM in the evening. Every Janmashtami, on the birthday of Lord Krishna, many devotees comes to visit the temple from different places to pay their tribute and respect to the deities.

The construction work started in the year 1970. It took about twenty six years to complete this entire structure. Finally on February 21, 1996, Swami Chidanandaji Maharaj did the Pran Prathistha in the morning. Dr. Karan Sigh inaugurated the Birla Mandir on the same day.

Victoria Memorial

Officially known as Victoria Memorial Hall, is a memorial building constructed in memory of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. This memorial building is located in Kolkata, India which is the capital of the state of West Bengal. At present, Victoria Memorial Hall serves as a museum and is ranked amongst the most popular tourist attractions of the city.

Sir William Emerson who was the then President of the British Institute of Architects had drew up and designed the plan of this memorial. The whole construction work was delegated to Messrs. Martin & Co of Calcutta. The superintending architect in charge was Vincent J Esch.

History:

In January 1901 after the death of Queen Victoria, the then Victoria of India, Lord Curzon suggested the setting up of an appropriate and fitting monument which would be colossal, airy, splendid and grand bounded by gorgeous garden.

Lord Curzon suggested it would be a ‘historical museum’ where public would see before them the statues and pictures of great men who played an important role in this country, especially the history of Calcutta. People of India and the princes responded bigheartedly to the appeal made by Lord Curzon and the cost in constructing this monument which amounted to 1 crore and 5 lakhs of rupees was wholly derived from the voluntary contributions.

On January 4, 1906, King George V, who was the then Prince of Wales laid the foundation stone. However, it was officially opened to the public in the year 1921.

Birla Planetarium

Birla Planetarium is one of the biggest museums in Asia. This museum is a prominent attraction of Kolkata, the “City of Joy“. It was in the year 1962 when Birla Planetarium came into existence. All credit to Birla Education Trust for constructing this beautiful center of communication, science, and environment.

Birla Planetarium is located at the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass of the city of Kolkata. It offers a platform where various astronomical presentations take place. It offers valuable piece of information about the galaxies, solar system, life span of the star, planets and the other heavenly bodies in the most interactive manner via the use of audio-video aids.

Alipore Zoo

Alipore Zoo, also known as Alipore Zoological Gardens is one of the oldest zoological parks of India. This is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Kolkata, West Bengal. The zoo was opened on May 6 in the year 1876 and it covers about 46.5 acres of land. It is best known as home to few captive breeding projects including the Manipur Brow-antlered Deer.

Alipore Zoo is a popular tourist attraction not only of Kolkata but of the state of West Bengal. You can find a great variety of animals like Jaguar, African lion, Royal Bengal Tiger, One horned Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, Giraffe, zebra, dromedary camel, elephant, African Lion, jaguar that has been recently taken from Australia. There is a collection of some rare species of birds like Macaw, parrots, touracos, Swinhoe’s Pheasant, Amherst’s Pheasant, hornbills and some of the largest flightless birds like Ostrich, Cassowary and Emu etc.