Kolkata Travel Guide — Things to Do, Food & Hotels
capital city of West Bengal, India
About Kolkata
Kolkata (KOHL-kah-tah) is the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India. Spread along the eastern banks of the Hooghly River, Kolkata was once the administrative centre of theBritish Raj, governing a vast region that stretched fromPakistantoBurma(Myanmar) and the "second city of theBritish EmpireafterLondon". The name is derived from Kalikata, the name of one of the three villages in the area before the arrival of the British. There has been much debate regarding the origin of the name. Some say the name derives fromkālīkṣetra, meaning the "land of [the goddess] Kali". Another theory is that the place used to specialise in quicklime (kalicun) and coir rope (kātā). The name was officially changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001 by the then-left Government of West Bengal.
Kolkata Travel Guide Sections
Our comprehensive guide covers 18 sections including: