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

Millennium Park

Love is in the air and it’s still young! This is the feeling one gets when he visits the beautiful Millennium Park, Kolkata. The park was inaugurated on 1st January, 2000 justifying the nomenclature of the park, Millennium Park. The park is probably one of the latest additions to the increasing list of Kolkata’s parks and gardens. This park was developed by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) on the land of Kolkata Port Trust. This was an earnest endeavor by the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority to add up to the glamour of the ‘City of Joy’. The park, on the river front, is the ideal place to hang out or enjoy a romantic evening with the splendor of the River Hooghly presenting a majestic backdrop.

The Millennium Park, Kolkata is located strategically on the banks of River Hooghly and in the vicinity of BBD Bagh, probably the busiest location in the city. the park is brilliantly connected to almost all corners of the city by the traffic that flows through the Strand Road. The park is attended by thousands every year and has come up fast as a major tourist attraction of the city.

The park allures the visitors with the array benches on the riverside and enjoys the exquisite sight of the dark green river and the riot of the colors on it. The soothing breeze provides the healing touch to the rustic mind and the buzz of the crowd and the numerous birds creates magical environment in which one can easily lose his senses and submit himself in the hands of nature. The sunsets at the park are its special features with the golden hue of the setting sun creating your personal backdrop. The sight of the Howrah Bridge laying aside the park adds the glamour to the marvelous setting.

A walk along the concrete path of the park too will give you the experience of the romanticism the park beholds for you. This could be the most romantic walk of your life!

Millennium Park is quite different from other amusement parks in the city. This one is based on the fun derived from nature not the materials, which makes this one a truly special place to visit the city.

Fort William

The City of Joy Kolkata is well known for its personal magic which spellbound everyone who comes to visit here with its people, culture and undoubtedly with its enigmatic historical backdrop in its old architectural establishments. And Fort William, Kolkata is the most impressive edifice of British Colonialism in the East which has always been an emblem of British Colonialism in this cultural capital of India. Presently it serves as a citadel of the Indian Army in Eastern India, or better to say Eastern Command Head Quarter of Indian Army.

Historical Background:

There were actually two Fort Williams in British Calcutta, the old and the new. The old fort goes back to the early days of the East India Company. Sir Charles Eyre began the construction of the southeast bastion and the adjacent walls. His successor John Beard added the northeast bastion around 1701. On completion in 1706 he began the Factory or the Government House in 1702 midst of the Fort William, Kolkata. Fort William, Kolkata was named after King William III of England.
After the Battle of Plassey in 1756, the British decided there would be no repetition of the attack on the city and set out to replace the original Fort William, Kolkata. First they removed the inhabitants of the village of Govindpur and in 1758 laid the foundations of this castle which was completed in 1781 at an expense of 2 million British Pounds.

Attractions:

Fort William, Kolkata is able to accommodate a garrison of 10,000 men and has huge green expanse, stretching 3 km north to south and is over a km wide, gives lung space to the chocked city. For the tourist, there is a museum housing arms and armors, swords, muskets and machine-guns. Another section has photographs of the Burma campaign and of the Bangladesh Liberation War. The Arsenal inside is worth visiting with a prior permission required from the Commanding Officer of Fort William, Kolkata.

Architectural Beauty:

The Fort owns a brick-and-mortar structure built in the shape of an irregular octagon surrounding 5 square km of which five sides look landward and three on the river, surrounded by a fosse 9 meter deep and 15 meter broad which can be flooded in times of emergency. There are six gates of the Fort Chowringhee, Plassey Calcutta, Water gate St. Georges and Treasury Gate. A telephone office, recreation club, canteen, cinema hall, restaurant, swimming pool and wide moat surround it.

Getting to Fort William, Kolkata:

Fort William, Kolkata is located on the bank of River Ganga and just by the Vivekananda Setu (2nd Hoogly River Bridge). The place is marked for its tranquility, its lash green surroundings and the sight of River Ganga enriched it deliberately. An hour’s hang out there simply provides a perfect peace of mind to the visitors.
You can avail a taxi or a bus to reach out there from any part of Kolkata, the area is called Hastings. It will be fine for you if you can take a short trip to the Outram Ghat on the bank of River Ganga near the Fort as this place is also awesome in nature. So your Kolkata Tour can’t exclude this place as it is carrying a deep significance in Indian History along with its pleasant presence.

Kali Temple at Kalighat

Kaali is regarded as one of the principal deities of Bengal. There are other temples to Kaali - Sahasrabhuja Kaali, Sarvamangala, Tarasundari and Simhavaahini. Kaali is regarded as the destroyer or liberator and is depicted in a fearful form. Despite the terrifying form, she is considered to deliver bliss to worshippers. The Kalighat temple attracts numerous devotees throughout the year.
Kalighat is regarded as one of the 52 Shakti Peethams of India, where the various parts of Sati's body are said to have fallen, in the course of Shiva's Rudra Tandava. Kalighat represents the site where the toes of the right foot of Shakti or Sati fell. (see Daksha Yagna).
The Temple: The Kalighat temple in its present form iis only about 200 years old, although it has been referred to in Mansar Bhasancomposed in the 15th century, and in Kavi Kankan Chandi of the 17th century.
Legend has it that a devotee discovered a luminant ray of light coming from the Bhagirathi river bed, and upon investigating its source came upon a piece of stone carved in the form of a human toe. He also found a Syayambhu Lingam of Nakuleshwar Bhairavnearby, and started worshipping Kaali in the midst of a thick jungle. This shrine grew to its present form over a period of time, thanks in particular to the Sabarna Roy Chowdhury family of Bengal.
This family is also said to have built the Chitreswari Kaali temple at Chitpur. It is believed that there was a pathway through the jungle between Chitpur and Kalighat, and this pathway is said to have become the Chitpur road of Calcutta.
Kalighat is also associated with the worship offered to Kaali by a Dasanami Monk by name Chowranga Giri, and the Chowringee area of Calcutta is said to have been named after him.
The Dakshineswar Kaali temple across from the river, near Belur Math, bears an image of Kaali worshipped by the spiritual leaderRamakrishna Paramahamsa, guru of Swami Vivekananda.

Eden Gardens

Boasting of a capacity of close to 100,000 - the biggest stadium in the world, that’s until the Melbourne Cricket Ground was renovated and could accommodate more - the Eden Gardens in Kolkata has been witness to many a memorable moments in International cricket. From Sachin Tendulkar’s controversial run out after running into Shoaib Akhtar in a Test match in 1999, to the epic India-Australia Test match in 2001, to Harbhajan Singh’s hat-trick against Australia, Eden Gardens has always been known to produce some very exciting cricket. Eden Gardens also has a special place in the heart of followers of South African cricket, for it was here that the South Africans made their re-entry into International cricket in 1991 – in front of a packed stadium. With a passionate following of the game among locals, Kolkata has had its dark moments as well – none more famous than the 1999 Test match against Pakistan, which was played to a finish in front of empty stands, after crowd trouble had earlier disrupted play and all spectators were evicted from the ground. The Eden Gardens is the home ground of Sourav Ganguly, and more recently the Kolkata Knight Riders – the IPL team owned by Shahrukh Khan, Juhi Chawla and Jai Mehta.

Dakshineshwar Kali Temple

In the year 1847, the wealthy widow Rani Rasmani prepared to make a pilgrimage to the sacred city of Banaras to express her devotions to the Divine Mother. In those days there were no railway lines between Calcutta and Banaras and it was more comfortable for rich persons to make the journey by boat rather than by road. The convoy of Rani Rasmani consisted of twenty-four boats carrying relatives, servants, and supplies. But the night before the pilgrimage began, the Divine Mother, in the form of the goddess Kali, intervened. Appearing to the Rani in a dream, she said, "There is not need to go to Banaras. Install my statue in a beautiful temple on the banks of the Ganges River and arrange for my worship there. Then I shall manifest myself in the image and accept worship at that place." Profoundly affected by the dream, the Rani immediately looked for and purchased land, and promptly began construction of the temple. The large temple complex, built between 1847 and 1855, had as its centerpiece a shrine of the goddess Kali, and there were also temples dedicated to the deities Shiva and Radha-Krishna. A scholarly, elderly sage was chosen as the head priest and the temple was consecrated in 1855. Within the year the priest died and his responsibilities passed to his younger brother, Ramakrishna, who over the next thirty years would bring great fame to the Dakshineswar temple.

Ramakrishna, however, did not serve for long as the temple's head priest. From the first days of his service in the shrine of the goddess Kali, he was filled with a rare form of the love of God known in Hinduism as maha-bhava. Worshipping in front of the statue of Kali, Ramakrishna would be overcome with such ecstatic love for the deity that he would fall to the ground immersed in spiritual trance and lose all consciousness of the external world. These experiences of God-intoxication became so frequent that he was relieved of his duties as temple priest but allowed to continue living within the temple compound. During the next twelve years Ramakrishna would journey ever deeper into this passionate and absolute love of the divine. His practice was to express such intense devotion to particular deities that they would physically manifest to him and then merge into his being. The various forms of god and goddess such as Shiva, Kali, Radha-Krishna, Sita-Rama and Christ appeared to him and his fame as an avatar, or divine incarnation, rapidly spread throughout India. Ramakrishna died in 1886 at the age of fifty yet his life, his intense spiritual practices, and the temple of Kali where many of his ecstatic trances occurred continued to attract pilgrims from all over India and the world. Even though Ramakrishna grew up and lived within the domain of Hinduism, his experience of the divine went far beyond the bounds of that, or any other, religion. Ramakrishna fully realized the infinite and all-inclusive nature of the divine. He was a conduit for divinity into the human world and the presence of that divinity may still be experienced at the Kali temple of Dakshineswar.

Birla Planetarium

Birla planetarium of Kolkata, India is one of the largest museums in Asia. It came into existence in the year 1962 and the credit for establishing this wonderful center of science, communication & environment goes to Birla Education Trust. It is situated at the Eastern metropolitan bypass of Calcutta.

Birla planetarium provides a parlance where astronomical presentations take place. It provides useful piece of information about our solar system, galaxies, life span of stars, space, planets and other heavenly bodies in the most interactive manner via audio video aids. Usually the lectures are given in English, Hindi, and Bengali and occasionally in Oriya, Tamil & Gujarati.

Calcutta Birla planetarium is a single storied circular edifice designed in the typical Indian style. It is a must see place for those interested in astronomy. Its astronomy gallery maintains a huge collection of fine paintings & celestial models of renowned astronomers. It enables you to explore science outdoors.

Armenian Church

Kolkata, the erstwhile capital of the British Raj, is a dynamic city, with a vibrant and rich culture and heritage. A city that is composed of people belonging to many different classes and castes, following different religions, having varied faiths and belonging to diverse communities, Kolkata is secular in every sense of the term. Muslims, Hindus, Christians, Jains, Sikhs and people of many other religious callings can be found here, residing side by side. Each of these religious groups has its own specific place of worship in and around the city. Armenians, too, have their designated holy place in the city, in the form of the Armenian Church, Kolkata.

The Armenian Church, Kolkata, is located in the heart of Armenian Street, at the north-west corner of Barabazaar, near Howrah Bridge in Kolkata, was built in 1764. The oldest extant church in Kolkata, the Armenian Church, Kolkata, was built by Aga Mamed Hazaar Maliyar, on a piece of land donated by a pious Armenian named Kenanentekh Phanoosh. The architecture of the Armenian Church, Kolkata, owes to Katchik Arfiel, also of Armenian origin, who also built the residential abodes for the priests, and donated the belfry which doubles up as a clock tower.

The Armenian Church, Kolkata, profited greatly through the support of wealthy Armenians like Sir Catchik Paul Chater, which led to its interiors being decorated entirely in marble. Made of a combination of white and black marble, the Armenian Church, Kolkata, has an overhead gallery containing mural tablets commemorating departed Armenians.

The interior of the Armenian Church, Kolkata, has an altar with a cross, the gospels and 12 candlesticks symbolizing Christ and his Apostles. There is a staircase leading to an overhead gallery whose walls are full of mural tablets. Three oil paintings - 'The Holy Trinity', 'The Last Supper' and 'The Enshrouding of Our Lord' - by the English artist A E Harris also embellish the altar.

The Armenian Church, Kolkata, is the one place where the few remaining Armenians of Kolkata gather, and meet up with each other, especially at the assemblies held here. Assemblies here are, however, held only thrice a week.

Howrah Bridge

Popularly known as the Rabindra Setu, Howrah Bridge is an engineering marvel and is counted amongst the busiest cantilever bridge in the World. Observing a daily traffic of about 60,000 vehicles and innumerable pedestrians, Howrah bridge have equalled its position to Sydney Harbor Bridge. But the later can never dream of such a traffic. The bridge connects Kolkata and Howrah and is the lifeline of the city. The best way to enjoy its stately beauty is to view it from the middle of the river. History :  Constructed in 1939 and the bridge was opened to traffic in 1943 which cost as estimated Rs.333 crores, built from 26,500 tons of steel. It is a sort of 'Cantilever bridge'. In it cantilevers project from piers and are connected by girders. Erected during World War II to give Allied troops access to the Burmese front, replacing an earlier pontoon bridge that opened to let river traffic through. Essentially, it had two portions. For the convenient plying of man and traffic, the pool was connected as a whole. However, the bridge was unfastened everyday, particularly during night for steamers, boats and other aquatic vehicles to ply. From 19th August, 1879, the bridge was illuminated by fixing electric poles at the centre. This was done by using the electricity rendered from the dynamo at the Mallick Ghat Pumping Station. The Bridge was then 1528 ft. long and 62 ft. wide. On both sides were pavements 7 ft. wide for the sake of pedestrians. The 48 ft. road in between, was for plying of traffic. Today's Scenario :  The eight-lane bridge carries a steady flow of more than lakh vehicles and 2 million commuters every day. The best way to enjoy its stately beauty is to view it from the middle of the river where photography is strictly prohibited. The ferries running from below Howrah Station are a more convenient way to cross the river and give a good view of the bridge. Links :  The busy Rabindra Setu or Howrah Bridge connects the city to Kolkata's Burrabazar. A second bridge - the Vidyasagar Setu connects south Howrah to the Kolkata Maidan. Near Howrah Bridge : » Howrah Station The Howrah Railway Station is one of the largest in the world with rail connections to all major Indian cities and towns. Howrah Station also serves as an important terminus for the suburban railway services of the Eastern and the South Eastern Railway. Located on the west side of the Hooghly River, it is linked to Kolkata by the Howrah Bridge. Other nearby attraction of Howrah Bridge :  From Howrah Bridge, you can visit its nearby attractions such as Millenium Park, Eden Garden, Bara Bazar, BBD Bagh that will surely make your visit to Howarah Bridge more memorable.