Some more places to visit in Kolkata:
Jorasanko Thakurbari
This is the famous Indian thakurbari where famous poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore was born. It is located in Dwarakanath Tagore lane off chitpur road. If you want to find out about the great poet and his work, there couldn’t be a better place than RabindraBharati museum located inside the Thakurbari except for Shantiniketan (built by Kabi Guru himself) at Birbhum district in West Bengal. The museum has three galleries – one solely dedicated to Tagore and his extraordinary range of work, while the other two focuses on Tagore family and the stalwarts of Bengal Renaissance. Best time to visit Thakurbari is on May 7th when the place gets all decked up every year to celebrate the poet’s birthday.
St Paul’s Cathedral
Saint Paul’s cathedral is the first Episcopal church of Asia and situated at the southern tip of the Maidan adjacent to Victoria Memorial on the cathedral road. St. Paul’s Cathedral stands witness to a time full of European artistic splendor and supremacy. The St. Paul’s Cathedral is perhaps one of the finest examples of Indo-Gothic architecture in India, with its large stained-glass windows, pointed arches and two Florentine frescoes. Set on a vast tract of land and surrounded by well-manicured lawns and ancient trees, the largest cathedral in Kolkata is an oasis of peace in this otherwise busy world. The inside is just as awesome with some exquisite mural paintings based on the life and work of the great Saint. It bathes in holy glow as thousands attend to the midnight mass every year before the Christmas and the New Year.
Marble palace
It is truly extraordinary of Raja RajendralalMullick, a zamindar in Bengal, to build such a jaw-dropping marble architecture way back in 1840 and, that too, dedicate it to arts! Located at MuktaramBabu Street on C.R. Avenue, Marble Palace is believed to preserve some original works of world renowned painters like Peter Paul Rubens and Sir Joshua Reynolds. But the biggest USP is its fluted columns and sculptures of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, the Buddha and Hindu Gods all in one places.
Kalighat Temple
The age-old Kalighat temple might have been in Kolkata since the Gupta period, though there is nothing to substantiate it. But the fact that it is one of the 51stPeeths of the Goddess Kali makes it one of the holiest places and evokes the deepest devotion from pilgrims across India. For those who want to make a special offering to the mother Goddess, Thursdays and Saturdays are the days to visit. Otherwise the temple is open on all days.
Nandan
Awefully located behind RabindraSadan (prominent Bengali cultural center and auditorium), is the state-of-the art cine complex where movie lovers in Eastern India celebrate the biggest movie festival – the Kolkata Film Festival. What you may not know is, Nandan is also a popular hang-out zone for budding artists, intellectuals, lovers or just anyone who has an opinion about something! For students of film and media studies, checking out the Satyajit Ray Film Archive or browsing through the well-stocked library at the Ritwik Memorial Library (for cinematic research) could be very rewarding.
Kolkata Race Course
Since 1819, Kolkata Race Course at Hastings has been one of the largest and prime destinations for horse racing in India. Maintained by the Royal Turf Club, it includes five racing tracks, polo grounds, a golf course and a lake. During racing season, the atmosphere in the 30,000 capacity galleries crackles with excitement as members and non-members from all walks of life (from dressed-up celebrities and industrialists to college students in their jeans and tees) rub shoulders with each other and bet on their favorite horses. Though it’s open on all days, visiting on any racing day is all that more fun. Undoubtedly, December is considered as the best time to visit the race course, not just for the cool climate but also for the sheer number of racing events geared up for the season.
Belur Math
Belur Math is one of the finest examples of modern temples architecture, a perfect blend of mosque, church and temple in India. It was founded by Swami Vivekananda in the memory of Ramakrishna Paramahansa. It’s inspired on Swamiji’s philosophy of universal brotherhood. The place has great historical significance – Vivekananda spent his last years over here. Add to this, the tranquility of its surroundings with the view of the river Ganges gently caressing the temple garden in the early morning sun. One can easily imagine Vivekananda in deep meditation under one of the ancient trees in the beautiful monastery. Open on all days: 6:30 am-11 am and then 3:30 am-7:00 pm; Photography is prohibited here.
Indian Museum (Jadu Ghar)
The Indian Museum is the largest museum in Asia and the oldest in the Asia - Pacific region (est. 1814 at the location of the Asiatic Society). The Museum shifted to its present sprawling residence in 1875. Situated on Chowringhee Avenue (now J.L. Nehru Road), it houses perhaps the greatest collection of Indian natural history and an Indian Art collection to rival the Smithsonian Institution and the British Museum. Of specific note are the meteorite hall and dinosaur hall in the Natural History and Geology section, the numismatics section and the collections of Gandhara Art, Burmese woodwork, Mughal miniatures and Tibetan banner sections in the Indian Art section. The Anthropological Survey of India headquarters and the Government College of Art and Craft are housed in the same building. The Geological Survey of India headquarters moved from the museum to Bidhan Nagar recently. The Indian Museum has a library of excellent historical value, with a special focus on the Raj and Kolkata.
Kolkata also has some other small museums like the Maritime Museum, Gurusaday Museum, Birla Industrial & Technological Museum, and the Police Museum.
National Library of India
National Library of India located in Alipore is India's leading library and a public library. It was inaugurated in 1836 by the Governor General Lord Metcalfe by transferring 4675 books from the College of Fort William. Public donations were the main source of books for the library, and by donations of Rupees 300 from proprietors. Dwarakanath Tagore was the first proprietor of the library. The library was initially only partially public, as poor students could use the library for a limited period of time. The Imperial Library was founded in 1891 by merging several libraries like those of the East India College and East India Board. Governor General Lord Curzon initiated the merger of these two libraries into a single Imperial Library in 1903 at the Metcalfe Hall. The goals of the library were to collect every book written about India at any time. The Assistant Librarian of the British Museum John Macfarlane was the first librarian and was succeeded by the first Indian librarian Harinath De. The library was moved to its present quarters in Belvedere Estate, Alipore and renamed the National Library. It is a fully public library which co-ordinates the activities of all other Indian public libraries. True to its goal, any book published in India today has to send one copy to the National library in the spirit of the Library of Congress, United States.
The other popular Kolkata libraries include the Ramakrishna Mission Library, maintained by the Ramakrishna Mission, Kolkata which has a special children's section, as well as the large consulate-based libraries of British Council, Kolkata and of the United States Information Service, Kolkata. The Calcutta Club library has a historically significant collection, including the fully furnished and book-stocked reading room of Nirad C. Chaudhuri. The other historically significant libraries are those of Asiatic Society, Indian Museum, Presidency College, Scottish Church College, and St. Xavier's College, Calcutta.