The Maidan
The Maidan is one of the most picturesque areas of Kolkata and is a green
expanse which is all of 400 hectares. From the north to south, it stretches
3 Kms and is bound by the majestic Strand Road to the West and the famous
Chowringhee Road to the east. |
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From the North one can
view the majestic Raj
Bhawan (Governor's House). This awesome green
belt of Kolkata is referred to as the lung of Kolkata. For many, Maidan is a
place for rest and relaxation, particularly in the scorching summer months.
Kolkata is famous for political rallies and the vast expanse of the Maidan
is much preferred by the political parties. A novel way of experiencing the
soothing beauty of the Maidan and its surrounding tourist landmarks like
Victoria Memorial, Fort William and Birla Planetarium is by hiring a horse
driven carriage. The beautifully designed horse carriages are designed as
replicas of yesteryears royal chariots which were very popular with both
British as well as Indian royalty.
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Victoria Memorial and Fort
William
This is the most interesting building in the Maidan. Set against the
backdrop of extremely well manicured lawns, the Victoria memorial is built
with marble of the same source as the Taj Mahal. The structure is a memorial
for Queen Victoria who also carried the title of Empress of India. The
memorial also houses the Calcutta gallery, a collection of paintings that
depict the history of the city. |
The memorial was designed by Sir William Emerson in an architectural style
similar to Belfast City Hall. A black bronze Angel of Victory, holding a
bugle in her hand was placed at the apex of the dome above the Memorial. The
statues of Motherhood, Prudence, Learning, Art, Justice, Architecture and
Charity were brought from Italy.
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The writers building
This building, Imperial and gothic in appearance, has seen the rise of
colonizers and communists is now an acknowledged heritage site. One of the
key monuments in Kolkata, the building stands majestically on a sprawling 10
acres of land consisting of a total of thirteen four storeyed edifices.
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The Writers' Building was built
during the period between 1776 and 1780 to house junior officers of the East
India Company. It was one of the most imposing public buildings constructed
during that period. Today, the Writers' Building serves as the
administrative centre for the state of Bengal. The Chief Minister's office
is also located in this building.
This is a building with 999 windows, its believed that the architect
challenged anyone else to fit in the 1000 window in complete symmetry. No
one could do it.
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Eden Gardens
Eden Gardens is the oldest cricket ground in India and is also considered
one of the finest in the world. The present Eden Gardens Cricket Club came
in existence in the year 1864. It is also called the Lord's of Asia. |
The pitch at Eden Gardens has traditionally been on the slower side and good
for batting, assisting spin bowlers very early.
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Vidyasagar Setu
The modern cable stayed bridge known as Vidyasagar Setu lies across Hoogly
offering a panoramic view of the skyline of Calcutta. This impressive bridge
provides an alternative to the Howrah Bridge. Located 2 kms. to the south of
the Howrah Bridge, it was built to reduce vehicular pressure from the
latter. The Setu is Asia's longest and the world's third largest
cable-stayed bridge. |
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Supported by 121 wire cables, it is
457 m. long and 115 m. wide. This graceful structure stands on four pylons,
on a foundation that is 100 m. deep. This is a toll bridge and gives a fast
connection from downtown Calcutta to the Botanical Gardens.
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Botanical Gardens
Indian Botanical Gardens, originally found in 1786 along the west bank of
Hoogly, containing about 12,000 living plants and over two and half million
dried out plant specimens in the herbarium collected from all over the
world, is the largest of its kind in India. Originally founded by Colonel
Kyd, this was the place where the world-renowned varieties of Assam and
Darjeeling tea were first developed. |
The 200-year-old banyan tree is the
main attraction of this garden.
The gardens were developed for the
collection of plants, indigenous to the country and for the introduction and
acclimatization of plants from foreign parts. Trees of the rare kinds, from
Nepal, Brazil, Penang, Java and Sumatra can be found here.
There are towering mahogany trees, an avenue of Cuban Palms and an Orchid
House. Stately casuarinas abound with creepers clinging to their tall
trunks. They stretch for over a km along the riverfront and occupy 109
hectares. There is a huge lake, with a large variety of aquatic plants,
including the rare Victoria Amazonica.
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Dakshineswar Temple
On the banks of Ganges, north of Belur Math, is Dakshineswar Temple. The
temple, in conventional Nava-ratna style, measures 46 square feet and rises
over 100 feet high. It is one of the largest temples of Calcutta.
Built in 1847 by Rani Rasmoni the temple is a large elongated building
standing on a high platform with a flight of stairs. |
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The three-storeyed
south-facing temple has nine spires distributed in upper two storeys.
The roof of the spires is beautifully ridged resembling Pirhas. A narrow
covered verandah serves the purpose of an audience-chamber attached to the
sanctum
The presiding deity is Goddess Kali who is surrounded by 12 other temples
dedicated to Lord Siva. It is one of the famous places of pilgrimage. The
colossal kali temple at Calcutta was where Sri Ramakrishna Parahamsa lived
and offered his prayers. The main temple is called the Navaratna Temple.
Here there is a silver lotus with a thousand petals. On the flower is the
idol of Goddess Kali, standing on the prostrate body of Lord Shiva. A temple
dedicated to Rani Rasmoni has later been added near the entrance.
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Birla Planetarium
Birla planetarium is a single storied circular edifice designed in the
typical Indian style.
This is one of the largest planetarium in India, built like a Buddhist stupa
with an internal diameter of 82 feet. |
Its astronomy gallery maintains a huge collection of fine paintings &
celestial models of renowned astronomers. Ever since its inception way back
in the year 1963, this planetarium has been projecting the fascinating
celestial world of astronomy and space science to the discerning public. The
planetarium is equipped with state-of-the-art gadgets like the Celestron
C-14 Telescope, Solar Filters, the Cal Zeiss Universal Planetarium projector
and wide range of special effects projectors.
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