Zoological Garden Kolkata

Zoological Garden Kolkata

The Zoological Garden, Kolkata houses itself in the horticultural garden on the Alipore Road. The Zoological Garden, Kolkata provides shelter to numerous animals in their best possible natural habitat. The zoo is among the biggest tourist attractions of the city and is visited by about a million people every year. The beauty of the place lies in its numerous varieties of animals and birds along with the exciting snake life.

The Zoological Garden, Kolkata lies on the southern part of the Maidan on a 16-hectare long land. The zoo was opened in the year 1875. This is the biggest zoo in the country in terms of number of animals and definitely one of the oldest one. Many animals enjoy a near natural environment whereas few are kept in a bit painful condition in small pits.

It was in 1873, when the then Governor Sir Richard Temple presented a proposal of establishing a zoo in the city and Sir C.L. Lendal supported the cause. Later the government allotted the land for the zoo and the Zoological Garden, Kolkata came into being. It was King Edward VII who inaugurated the royal zoo.

The brilliant blend of history with nature makes the Zoological Garden, Kolkata a pleasant sightseeing spot in the city. The grandeur of the zoo is often compared to the "Jardin de Plantes" of France and the famous "Zoological Society of London". Over the years the zoological garden has stood the test of time and competition from the local rulers of the city but all their efforts went in vain and it remained the only recognized zoo of the city.

The chief attractions of the zoo are its animals. The famous giant tortoise, which died just a few years back, used to attract the visitors in huge numbers. The tortoise was brought into the zoo way back in 1876 when it was more than 120 years old.

Today along with the variety of animals the zoo is also a shelter for numerous migratory birds which flies down from parts of Siberia and Northern Europe. It is also the first in the country which has successfully produced a cross breed of tiger and lion.

Victoria Memorial

Location 
The dramatic Victoria Memorial is situated at the southern end of Maidan(ground) near Jawaharlal Nehru Road, in Kolkata.

About Victoria Memorial
A splendid architectural structure in white marble, modelled on the Taj Mahal, was built in the early 20th Century in memory of Queen Victoria between 1906 and 1921 and was formally inaugurated by the Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VIII of England. Set in beautiful garden grounds, the Victoria Memorial houses a large bronze statue of the Queen Empress Topped with a moving angel this memorial faces the Calcutta Maidan. The statues of Motherhood, Prudence, Learning, Art, Justice, Architecture and Charity are brought from Italy. The magical lighting effect in the evening and a fairy tale 'Fountain of Joy' facing the memorial building create an atmosphere of unforgettable charm. It also has a 5 meter tall bronze winged figure of Victory, weighing 3 tons.

It was designed by Sir William Emerson. It also act as a museum, where people could see before them pictures and statues of men who played a prominent part in the history of India. Presently it is the finest and most prominent building and art museum of Calcutta, India, under the Department of Culture, Govt. of India.

In the evening, the light and sound programs is a major attraction for the tourists. Every day, crowds of people visit the premises from early morning to sunset. Being one of the most popular tourist spot in the city, it is one of the few well-maintained heritage buildings that exist in the city today.

St.John's Church

 

Location 
Located south to the B.B.D. Bag, St. John's Church is one of the oldest churches of Kolkata.

About the Church
St. John's Church was built by the grave of Job Charnock, the founder of Kolkata (Calcutta). It was constructed between 1884-1887, popularly known as the 'stone church'. 

This was constructed following the Greek architectural pattern at a cost of Rs. 2 lakhs. The floor of the church was made with stones obtained from Ganda. Stones were also obtained from Chunar. The stone tower is 174 ft. high. Job Charnock was buried here. His sculpture was made by his son-in-law Sir Charles Ayar around 1695. The sculpture is a unique specimen of art. There is a dome with a pitcher appended to it. There are also the tombs of the daughters of Charnock. Au reste, there are the sculptures of British Admiral Watson who subjugated Calcutta in 1757, Lord Brabourne, Lady Canning and several distinguished persons. 

The obelisk commemorating the black hole was moved from near the GPO to a corner of this graveyard. It is the earliest example of British masonry in India. Near the west wall is a replica of the Holwell Monument - originally erected at the site of the Black Hole of Calcutta. Inside the church there are the famous paintings of The Last Supper by John Zoffany, a marvellous stained glass window and memorial tablets of prominent citizens through the ages. The Sunday service is held regularly at the church. 

Science City

Science city is truly a unique center of science, communication and environment. This institute was built in 21st century and till date it is the only one of its kinds within the country. Calcutta science city is located on Calcutta's Eastern Metropolitan Bypass. It can capacitate about 2215 persons. The science city of Kolkata, India consists of the main auditorium, 1 small size auditorium and about 8 fully air conditioned seminar halls. These seminar halls are well equipped with latest technology audiovisual systems. It is easy to reach Science city, as it easily accessible by buses and other means of transportation. The concept of science city is simply mind-blowing. Infact, it has given a new dimension to the field of science that teaches various scientific aspects through the process of discovery and that too in the outdoor settings.

Raj Bhavan

Since Government House was built by Lord Wellesley at the beginning of the 19th century until its final abandonment as the residence of the Viceroy in 1912, it was occupied by twenty-for Governors-General of India, or an average of a little more than four years each.

Some of them were among the foremost men of their time. Within its walls grave decisions were taken,momentous scenes enacted, important movements born. When the house was built, the British Empire in India was like a little patchwork of crimson spots on the map of the Indian continent. When it was abandoned, that colour had overspread and suffused the whole." Lord Curzon.

The Raj Bhavan was built as the Government House by the Marquis of Wellesley, then Earl of Mornington, Governor General of India, under the East India Company. He built it at the end of the 18th century. He started the work in 1799 and completed in 1803. The Court of Directors of East India Company, London, disapproved his venture which was to cost sicca rupees 5,06,326 or 63,291 pounds. In fact East India Company not only dismissed him but wanted to persuade the Parliament to impeach him, which did not happen.

The total area occupied by the Raj Bhavan is 27 acres. The Raj Bhavan building has 84,000 sq.ft of floor space. It is designed on the model of the Kedleston Hall in England which was the house of the great great grandfather of Lord Curzon who later lived here as the Viceroy and the Governor General exactly 100 years after Wellesley. The residential suites are in the four corners of the second floor and the Prince of Wales suite on the first floor North West. In the ground floor the central area is called the Marble Hall. The first floor central area consists of the Throne Room, Banquet Hall and theBreakfast Room. On the first floor, North East corner has the Council Chamber, in which major Government decisions were made during the British rule. Opposite to it on the North West corner, the Prince of Wales suite is located which till now was used as the VVIP suite. The second floor has the residential suites including the Governor’s private quarters and the Ball Room. There are quarters of the Raj Bhavan employees outside the North Gate.

After Mr. Viren J. Shah took charge, in December 1999, major improvements in and refurbishing of the Raj Bhavan have taken place. All the suites in the Raj Bhavan, viz., the Prince of Wales, the Wellesley, the Dufferin and the Anderson have been renovated and refurbished. The Prince of Wales suite is used as VVIP suite for the President, the Vice President, the Prime Minister, visiting heads of States or Governments, et al. The main kitchen, the Banquet Hall and other sitting rooms, as well as the Governor’s Study and the Secretariat Offices have also been refurbished. A major motivation and attitude training programme was conducted for five days over a period of 8 weeks for each employee which has borne fruit.

The National Library, Kolkata is located at the colossus Belvedere Estate in Kolkata’s Alipore. The National Library, Kolkata happens to be India's biggest public library with a collection of 22,70,954 books and a grand collection of manuscripts, periodicals, journals and newspapers that cater to not only the demands of Kolkata's intellectuals but beyond them also. The Belvedere Estate or now National Library, Kolkata is one of the Heritage Buildings of Kolkata and so is well maintained undoubtedly.

History:

The National Library, Kolkata happens to be the first public library of Eastern India. Being the capital of British era, Kolkata was a place of intense intellectual and scholarly activities. But still now it serves the knowledge acquiring people as Kolkata is believed to be the cultural capital of India.

Calcutta Public Library was established in 1836 and was endowed with public donations. Considering the emergence of a library the then Governor General, Lord Metcalf transferred 4,675 volumes of book from the Library of the College of Fort William to the Calcutta Public Library. Prince Dwarkanath Tagore was the first proprietor of the Calcutta Public Library. Afterwards Lord Curzon decided to make an amalgamation of the Calcutta Public Library and the Imperial Library to establish a potential one. By this honest intention Lord Curzon virtually laid the foundation of National Library, Kolkata. John Macfarlane, the Asst. Librarian of the British Museum, London, was appointed as the first Librarian of the Imperial Library. But the library was then called Imperial Library and was formally opened to the public on 30th January 1903 at Metcalf Hall.

After the independence of India the Government of India changed the name of the Imperial Library and named it the National Library. On 1st February, 1953 the National Library, Kolkata was opened to the public, inaugurated by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad. Sri B.S. Kesavan was appointed as the first librarian of the National Library, Kolkata.

Library Detail:

The National Library, Kolkata owns a huge arena of 30 acres and has exclusive divisions of Indian and Foreign language books and publications.
In the Indian language division, there is a rich collection of books, periodicals and manuscripts of all the major Indian languages like Gujarati, Marathi, Punjabi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu etc. The Sanskrit language division has rare Pali and Prakrit manuscripts.
As far as the Foreign Language division is concerned, there are separate sections like East Asian Division, German Division, Roman Division, Slavonic Division, West Asia and African Division, all of which have exhaustive collection of books and manuscripts.

  -  Location: 1A, Belvedere Estate, Alipore, Kolkata.
  -  Time to Visit: 9 am to 8 pm on working days and 9.30 am to 6 pm on Saturdays, Sundays and other holidays.
  -  Admission Fee: Nil.
  -  How to Reach: You can avail bus service or taxi from any part of the city to reach National Library, Kolkata.
  -  Photography / Video charges: Photography is strictly prohibited.
  -  Nearest Railway Station: Howrah Railway Station.
  -  Nearest Metro Station: Esplanade
  -  Nearest Functional Metro Station: Esplanade

Your visit to the National Library, Kolkata will be incomplete without a visit to the Rare Books Section, which has books dating back to the pre 1860 era. The Rare Books Section also comprises monographs, manuscripts and microfilms.

Metro Railway

Kolkata metro railway system started in October, 1984 and the full stretch that was initially planned being operational by February, 1995. It is(well was  ) the pride of Bengal. A few months earlier Kolkata metro was dying but after Railway minister Mamta Banarjee proposed new East-West corridor for metro rail we can hope that it will raise it lost glory again. 

As per the proposed plan of East-West Metro, it will run 13 km from Salt lake sector V to Howrah rail station. It is set to be operational by 2012. Most of the lines will be over the head but between Mahakaran (BBD Bag) to Howrah stations, will be under the river Hooghly.

Here is the route map of Kolkata Metro railway both Operating and Proposed.

Currently Kolkata metro 17 functioning stations and 23 station are under construction.
Functioning stations are From north to south

1. Dumdum terminus
2. Belgachia
3. Shyambazar
4. Shovabazar
5. Girish Park
6. Mahatma Gandhi Road
7. Central Crossing
8. Chandni Chowk
9. Esplanade
10. Park Street
11. Moidan
12. Rabindra Sadan
13. Netaji Sadan
14. Jatin Das Park
15. Kali Ghat
16. Rabindra Sarobar
17. Tollygunge terminus

Under construction stations are

1. Chanditala
2. Khudghat
3. Bansdroni
4. Naktala
5. Garia Bazar
6. Pranab Nagar
7. New Garia terminus

As far the proposed East – West corridor plan there are 12 stations.
Those are from East to the West

1. Salt Lake sector V terminus
2. Korunamoyee
3. Central park
4. City Center
5. Bengal Chemical
6. Salt Lake Stadium
7. Phoolbagan
8. Sealdah
9. Bowbazar
10. Central Crossing
11. Mahakaran
12. Howrah Station terminus