Kolkata - Calcutta - the largest metropolis in India - is a vibrant 'city of joy', prolonged the length of the eastern bank of the Hoogly River. Kolkata is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. The city has a population of almost 5 million, with an extensive metropolitan populace of over 14 million, making it the third-largest urban agglomeration and the fourth-largest city in India. It is a center of movement in the fields of arts, music, theatre and sports, the city prides itself on the numerous celebrity it has sent fort.

A vivacious city with a diverse socio-political culture, Kolkata is renowned for its radical history, ranging from the Indian struggle for independence to the leftist and trade union movements. Referred to as the "Cultural Capital of India", "The City of Processions", and the "City of Joy", the city is recognized for its legendary, creative and innovatory inheritance.

Calcutta was the capital of the British India till 1912. In 1690, Job Charnok, a mediator of the East India Company chose this position for a British trade resolution. Before the British came it was just a rural community; the capital city of Bengal was Murshidabad, around 60 miles north of Calcutta. In 1756, Siraj-ud-daullah, nawab of Bengal, assaulted the city and captured the fort. Calcutta was summoned up in 1757 by Robert Clive when the British defeated Siraj-ud-daullah on the battle field of Plassy. In 1772, Calcutta became the capital of British India, and the first Governor General Warren Hastings moved all important offices from Murshidabad to Calcutta. Till 1912, Calcutta was the capital of India. After that, Calcutta became the capital city of West Bengal.

Access
Air
India Airlines connect Calcutta with Bombay, Delhi, Madras, Port Blair, Nagpur, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, Patna, Lucknow, Tezpur, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Silchar, Imphal, Bagdogra, Agartala, Bangalore, Vishakhapatnam (Vizag), Guwahati, Dimapur, Hyderabad and Car-Nicobar. Rail
Howrah and Sealdah, two

main railway stations are there in Calcutta. Calcutta is connected by rail to most of the important places in India.
Road
Good motorable roads connect Calcutta to all the major cities in India. Some of these are: Puri-560 kms, Bhubaneshwar-498 kms, Shiliguri-000 kms, Darjiling-678 kms, Krishnanagar-000 kms, Baharampur-000 kms, Patna-547 kms, Ranchi-000 kms, Alahabad-000 kms, Kanpur-000 kms, Lucknow-000 kms, Haridwar-1586 kms, Varanasi-681 kms, Bombay-2060 kms, Delhi-1490 kms, Madras-0000 kms, Panaji (Goa)-0000 kms.
Local Transport
Metred Taxis, Cycle & Man-pulling rickshaws, city buses, Trams, Electric Trains & Metro rail services are available.

Howrah Bridge
The cantilevered bridge, also identified as Rabindra Setu, is comparable in dimension to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. It is the busiest bridge in the world. It is one of three bridges on the river Hooghly and is the most prominent emblem of not only Kolkata but also West Bengal.

Birla Planetarium
This planetarium is one of the largest in the world and is situated on Kolkata's Eastern metropolitan bypass. This 21st century wonders of science, communication and surroundings is the first and only organization of its kind in India.

Victoria Memorial

The most popular tourist spot Victoria Memorial is an enormous white-marble construction and the most continuing of remains of the British Raj in India.

BBD Bagh (Dalhousie Square)
When Kolkata was the executive centre for British India, BBD Bagh was the centre of authority. On the north side of the square stands the enormous Writers' Building, which dates from 1880. Also on BBD Bagh is a rather more functional place, the Kolkata GPO, and on the eastern side of the square is the West Bengal tourist office.

Raj Bhavan
The Raj Bhavan is not just a traditional edifice. It is Kolkata’s excellent attraction reminding the history and sublimating it.
Raj Bhavan, Kolkata, the previous Government House, used to be the place of British majestic authority. Constructed in the years 1799-1803 when Marquis Wellesley was the Governor General,

this notable and splendid building was planned on the lines of Kedleston Hall in Derbyshire, the inherited house of Lord Curzon who afterward lived here as the Viceroy and the Governor General right 100 years later than Wellesley.
This three-storied construction with a superb central area consists of huge halls has rounded corridors on every four walls glowing to separate wings, each make up a house in it.