Inside Kolkata

Kolkata (Calcutta) is the capital of the state of West Bengal and one of the largest and most interesting cities in the world. Situated on the eastern bank of the Hooghly, a major distributary of the river Ganga, Kolkata is the only metropolis on India's 'River of Life'. It is also the gateway to the entire east and northeast of India.

Three sleepy villages called Kalikata, Sutanuti and Gobindopur were combined together by the British East India Company to form a trade-post more than 300 years ago (1690). From then onwards started the city's journey till it became the 'Second City of the British Empire'. Colonial era relics and ambience still exist in this vast, populous city, which combines chaos and continuity, poverty and beauty, neglect and regeneration at one and the same time. Culture, clubs and cuisine are the same time. Culture, clubs and cuisine are the three 'C's' of Calcutta that impress and attract visitors.

Kolkata has stepped into the 21st century with great zest – chic malls, huge condominiums, info-tech parks, and a pulsating nightlife define the new face of the city.