WordCamp Kolkata 2019 (#WCKolkata) is going to be the first ever Annual WordPress Conference in the city organized by Kolkata WordPress Community at Biswa Bangla Convension Center, on 3rd March, 2019 (Sunday).
It will be an exciting, WordPress related knowledge sharing and informative one-day event.
The WordPress Kolkata community is super excited to host it for all WordPress enthusiasts.
Popularly known as The City of Joy, Kolkata dedicates and themes its first WordCamp to the 75th anniversary of the iconic Howrah Bridge which strongly depicts the bonhomie of communities making the valiant contribution.
Beside welcoming you in the WordCamp we do care about your sweet Kolkata memories which you would proudly share with your loved once back home! Kolkata always remains as one of the distinguished places in the country with its rich history and culture since its establishment by the Britishers way back in 1690!!
Words like Oldest, Biggest, Largest, First go very well with the City of Joy, Kolkata. Let’s check out some defined places out of many which we encourage you to visit during your trip to Kolkata’s first ever WordCamp in 2019!
01. HOWRAH BRIDGE
The Howrah Bridge, the iconic landmark of Kolkata has always been a wonder of its kind. Joining twin cities Kolkata and Howrah over the Hooghly river, it looks like the crown on queen Kolkata’s head. On 14th June, 1965 it was renamed as “Rabindra Setu” after the name of great poet of Bengal Rabindranath Tagore.
WordCamp Kolkata 2019 is themed and dedicated to the wonder of the world, Howrah Bridge, and celebrates its 75th anniversary!
It is also considered as one of the busiest bridges in India that carries more than 1,00,000 vehicles and countless pedestrians daily.
If you want to enjoy its priceless beauty to its full, you must take an excellent ride in the night ferry services from Launch Ghat between Kolkata and Howrah.
02. VICTORIA MEMORIAL
The Victoria Memorial is proudly standing in the heart of the city as one of the most beautiful architectures of the country. Millions of visitors from across the world come to experience this wonderful monument every year.
It was built in-between 1906 and 1921 on the Kolkata Maidan by the bank of Hooghly River, near Chowringhee Road (Jawaharlal Nehru Road). This was primarily dedicated to Queen of Victoria.
03. FORT WILLIAM
The Fort William was built during the early years of Bengal Presidency of British India, in Calcutta (Kolkata)
This 70.9 hectares fort was built on the eastern banks of the Hooghly River, in 1696, in the name of King William III.
It was the first strong British military base in India.
04. BIRLA PLANETARIUM
The Birla Planetarium – the magnificent stone structure inaugurated on 2nd July, 1963 by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru at Kolkata.
The Birla Planetarium is globally recognized as the largest one of its kind in the world.
It is also commonly known as Birla Taramandal“, and regularly holds many astronomical programs in various languages including Hindi, English, Bengali and in other regional languages.
The Birla Planetarium provides the common people with a chance to observe more than 100 astronomical projects dealing with various facts of astronomy, astro-physics, Space Science along with the myths related to stars and planets.
05. INDIAN MUSEUM
The Indian Museum, also known as “Kolkata Jadughar”, was founded in British India in 1814 by the Asiatic Society of Bengal. This is the ninth oldest museum of the world and largest in India, located in Kolkata.
It has a massive collection of antiques, armour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings.
The new building of the current Indian Museum was designed and completed by Walter R Granville in 1875 for the cost of Rs 1,40,000 (approx.).
06. MARBLE PALACE MANSION
The Marble Palace Mansion, made of white marble, is one of the major attractions on North Kolkata. This was built by Raja Rajendra Mullick in nineteenth-century. He was a rich Bengali businessman with a strong artistic sense. It is famous for its Neoclassical architectural style with the plan of its open courtyards.
The three-story building has tall fluted Corinthian pillars and ornamented verandas with fretwork and sloping roofs, built in the style of a Chinese pavilion.
There are a garden with lawns, a rock garden, a lake and a small zoo in the building premises. This palace is still being used by Rajendra Mullik’s family.
07. MOTHER HOUSE
The Mother House or Missionaries of Charity is a religious parish that was set up by Mother Teresa in 1950.
The Mother House has about 4,500 in-house members, popularly known as Sisters who have selflessly devoted their lives to serve the needy people.
The members of the Mother House obey the vows of obedience, poverty, chastity and to selflessly and wholeheartedly help the poor.
08. SCIENCE CITY
The Science City, as its name says, is one of the best science museums in the world and is a major attraction for people visiting Kolkata. It provides a nice way to learn science while having fun. It was was inaugurated on 1st July 1997.
Currently, the Kolkata Science City is run and operated by Ministry of Culture, the Govt. of India.
The main motto of the Science City was the popularization of science.
After all, you are going to get a fantastic and remarkable experience while visiting the Science City with your friends and family.
09. EDEN GARDENS
The Eden Gardens, Kolkata is a beautiful, iconic cricket stadium located in Kolkata.
It was established in the year 1864 and was laid by Governor-General Auckland, who named them after his sisters Emily and Fanny Eden.
The Eden Gardens is the oldest cricket stadium in India.
It currently has a capacity of 68,000 and currently it is the largest cricket stadium in India and Asia, as well as being second largest cricket stadium in the world after the Melbourne Cricket Ground by capacity.
10. JORASANKO THAKUR BARI
The Jorasanko Thakur Bari is the ancestral home of the famous Tagore family in Kolkata.
The first non-European Nobel laureate, Rabindranath Tagore was born and spent the most of his childhood here.
It was built by Prince Dwarkanath Tagore (Rabindranath Tagore’s grandfather) on the land donated by the famous Sett family of Burrabazar in the 18th century.
The house currently serves as the Tagore Museum, Kolkata after restoring it to reflect the household looked when the Tagore family lived here.
It also depicts the details about the history of the Tagore family including its involvement with the Bengal Renaissance and the Brahmo Samaj.
This is an enjoyable and exciting place to visit, especially for the history and Bengali literature lovers.
11. BIRLA INDUSTRIAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL MUSEUM
The Birla Industrial & Technological Museum (BITM), is the first Scientific and Industrial Museum in India, was set up by the industrialist Ghanshyam Das Birla at Gurusaday Road, Kolkata, in 1959.
Currently, it is a unit under National Council of Science Museums (NCSM), Ministry of Culture, Government of India, is at Gurusaday Road, Kolkata.
This museum has become a famous tourist attraction of Kolkata to be visited for its beautiful galleries and 3D shows.
12. JAGANNATH GHAT – ASIA’S BIGGEST FLOWER MARKET
The biggest flower market of Asia, popularly known as Jagannath Ghat is unquestionably one of the major attractions of Kolkata’s twin city, Howrah. It is located just beneath the iconic Howrah Bridge, which WordCamp Kolkata 2019 is dedicated to!
You cannot claim to have completed your Kolkata trip without visiting this 130 year old market place dedicated to flower merchants. If you are a passionate photographer, then this is the place for you! This is always been a major attraction for many famous photographers across the world!
You will have an amazing sensory experience and can well be lost into fragrance and colors of thousands of known and unknown flowers around you.
13. COLLEGE STREET BOOK MARKET
College Street Book Market, popularly known as Boi Para is the biggest second hand book market in the world! This is the paradise of book lovers not only from Kolkata but people visiting the city. If you miss this place you miss a major flavour of the city. It is almost a taunting task to find a book not available in this market!
In 2007, College Street featured among the famous landmarks of India which have made it to Time Magazine’s “Best of Asia” list.
There are many famous age-old institutions located on College Street like Calcutta University (1817), Presidency College (now Presidency University) (1857), Hare School (1817) and Hindu School (1818).
This is such a big book market that you would get tired very soon. Indian Coffee House is also here for you to get some refreshment and start over!
14. INDIAN COFFEE HOUSE
The Indian Coffee House is a place in Kolkata where nostalgic moments fly around! It is located opposite of Presidency College (now Presidency University) in College Street. This place gave birth of many brilliant ideas discussed among top intellectuals of the city like Manna Dey, Satyajit Ray, Amartya Sen, Soumitro Chatterjee, Aparna Sen, Mrinal Sen and many more. It was a regular meeting place of city’s eminent and notable personalities.
Unlike today’s well decorated corporate styled cafes, it is still maintaining its old interior layout and waiter dress codes. As you enter the hall you will be able to hear a buzzing sound around. This place will certainly make you feel the nostalgia of old Kolkata.
The history of the Coffee House at College Street can be traced to Albert Hall, which was founded in April 1876. Later, the Coffee Board decided to start a coffee joint from the Albert Hall in 1942
15. BOTANICAL GARDENS (RECOMMENDED VISIT):
The Botanical Garden, Kolkata was founded by a British East India Company Army Officer Colonel Robert Kyd in the year of 1786, as Royal Botanical Garden, mainly for the research on new plants having higher commercial values.
It is now known as The Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden or, simply Kolkata Botanical Garden.
Now, the garden has a huge collection of more than 12,000 different plant specimens including some very rare ones spread over the 109 hectares of land.
Currently the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India maintains this garden.
16. ALIPORE ZOO (RECOMMENDED VISIT):
The Alipore Zoo, Kolkata is the oldest Zoological Park in India, spread over 46.5 acres, operating since 1876.
It is also known as “Kolkata Chiriyakhana” to local people.
The zoo was primarily inaugurated on 1 January 1876 by Edward VII, the then Prince of Wales.
The initial animal collection was consisted of the private menagerie of a German electrician named Carl Louis Schwendler (1838 – 1882).
The opening collection was consisted of the African buffalo, Zanzibar ram, domestic sheep, four-horned sheep, hybrid Kashmiri goat, Indian antelope, Indian gazelle, sambar deer, spotted deer and hog deer.
17. ECO-TOURISM PARK (RECOMMENDED VISIT):
The Eco-Tourism Park, Kolkata is the biggest park of India, till date and was set up in July, 2013 by Mamata Banerjee, the Hon’ble Chief Minister, West Bengal.
Basically, this massive 480 acres park is developed as a beautiful island surrounded by a giant 104 acres waterbody.
This park is also known as “Prakiti Tirtha“.
The park is divided into three main parts: Ecological Zones including Wetlands, Grasslands, and a small Urban forest, Multiple Theme Gardens and The Urban Recreational Spaces.
18. NICCO PARK (RECOMMENDED VISIT):
The Nicco Park, Kolkata is a top class Amusement Park in Kolkata and was developed jointly by Nicco Parks and Resorts Limited (NPRL) and the Govt. of West Bengal in the year of 1991.
This famous park is also popularly known as the “Disneyland of West Bengal.”
Currently, this 40 acre mega park is ready to welcome you with over 35 different attractions and joy rides everyday except the Holiday.
19. NATIONAL LIBRARY (RECOMMENDED VISIT):
The National Library, Kolkata was first established on 30th January, 1903 as the Imperial Library and it was renamed as “National Library of India” or, “Inidan National Library” on 1st February, 1953.
It is the largest library in India by volume, 14th in the list of largest libraries of the world, and India’s library of public record. The library has the collection of more than 2.2 millions books and published titles.
Currently, the National Library is under the Ministry of Culture, Government of India.
Before independence, it was the official residence of Lt. Governor of Bengal.
CONCLUSION:
In this post, we have compiled the hand-picked list of 19 defined places of Kolkata, the City of Joy out of many.
The WordPress Kolkata Community encourages you to put these places on the top of your Go-To List for Kolkata during the your First WordCamp Kolkata Trip in March, 2019.
Also, please share this post among your friends and family members who might be interested to Join WordCamp Kolkata and explore the City of Joy by themselves.