The iconic tram plying on Kolkata’s road. Image source: The Statesman
Trams have been operational in our city for almost two and a half centuries. No one can picture “The City Of Joy” without this one of its kind trams. Though they have reduced in numbers because of stiff competition faced by other modes of transport, they are far from extinct. A trip to Kolkata is incomplete without a tram ride across the city. Today it is the only surviving tram system in India, and possibly the only one in Asia. Although it was originally an important mode of transport, lately these trams have become very popular with tourists.
The routes of the trams run parallel to other vehicles on tracks laid out alongside the busy streets. In spite of ruckus and car honking and busy traffic, you can distinctly differentiate the rumbling sound of trams with ringing bells. Since its inception trams have been an integral part of our culture. These iconic trams have transformed from necessity in the 19th century to vintage in recent times. One ride in these trams can make you feel going back in time and reliving history.
The first attempt to run tramway service (2.4 mile) in Kolkata was done in 1873 between Sealdah and Armenian Ghat Street, but due to lack of patrons, the services remained discontinued for the next seven years. The second attempt was made using horse-drawn trams around 1880. But with the introduction of electricity, electrically driven trams have been in service to date. Initially, it was used for the transport of goods from the ports to the offices of the East India company. Though trams are considered iconic today, it was regarded as British imported goods in the colonial period.
You will be able to get the old world charm of our city vibe while taking a ride in a tram. As it slowly glides through congested lanes you can lean back and watch this historical city. Inside a tram, you will find wood and metal benches laid out in rows on either side. Wide windows are present on both sides with painted bars and noisy fans whirring above your head. When you are planning to get on or off from a tram, the conductor rings a bell, both to halt and to give a green signal to start again.
CTC (The Calcutta Tramways Company Limited), which was registered in 1880 as a private company in London. Today the tram service is run by the Government of West Bengal. With the advent of other modes of public transport, tram network services have visibly reduced. Many cities in India have closed tram services by the late 20th century, due to the reeling pressure of fast urbanization. But tram services in Kolkata have stood the test of time. Today CTC is evolving with time to keep up the pace with our generation. These trams have featured in numerous movies, books, and poems.
Iconic Yellow Taxi of Kolkata. Image source: canvs.in
As one truly said Kolkata is a city of heritage, love and good vibes. No matter how many changes occur, Kolkata never forgets its tradition and these yellow ambassador taxis will prove you just that. A shot of long rows of yellow ambassador taxis in front of Howrah station or Esplanade is considered iconic. Though Victoria Memorial, Shahid Minar or Howrah Bridge have represented Kolkata, still photographers like to have these quintessential shots of these yellow ambassadors. Still, these ambassadors are considered the very essence of this city. One cannot imagine our city’s road scape without these yellow taxis.
These yellow taxis fitted with 1.5-litre diesel engine are approximately 4.3 meters long and 1.6 meters wide and weighing more than just a ton. The metered-cabs are mostly of the brand “Ambassador” manufactured by Hindustan Motors (now out of production). The first iconic ambassador taxis were first produced in 1957. After almost 60 years of production, Hindustan Motors have stopped manufacturing all models of ambassadors. An era ended on May 24, 2014, when Hindustan Ambassador rolled off the last assembly line. However, there are still plenty of them on the streets of Kolkata.
So these metered yellow taxis are truly a thing of the past. Once in a while, one or two Maruti Omnis, and Tata Indigo CS can be seen painted in yellow. There are increasing numbers of white with blue border Tata Indigos and Swifts in the city which ply with the same meters as the yellow taxis under ‘No refusal’ tags. These yellow taxis in Kolkata can be booked through an app of cab-booking service, ola. According to the company,1000 of these tallow cabs have registered with ola. With changing times, the yellow ambassadors have learned to keep their above water.
These cabs are not luxurious but you can get the smell of Kolkata’s tradition in them. For decades these yellow taxis were the most common vehicle on Indian roads. To date, they are considered “The king of Indian roads”. These ambassadors have been virtually hailed as indestructible. These taxis are so robust that you can sit on them, stand on them without risking a dent. The best part of these ambassadors is their back seat. It’s almost like a sofa. As one 68-year-old cab driver said, “only these mighty ambassadors can tame Kolkata traffic with its potholes, new swanky cars can come and go”.
In the 1990s Bollywood or in Bengali film, numerous occasions you can find where these metered cabs were used. For instance, in the movie Nayak(1966) you can see Uttam Kumar riding one of the models of ambassador. These taxis serve an epic background for photos. So if you are visiting Kolkata don’t forget to have a ride in these yellow taxis.
West Bengal offers you almost all possible landscapes on earth. There are a number of places where you must visit to get the most out of this beautiful state. History and culture unfold themselves in respective places as you roam across the state. I am putting a few of those places below keeping the shortage of time in mind for every WordCamp travellers.
Belur Math (10 Km)
The first foundation stone of present Belur Math was laid by Swami Vivekananda on March 13, 1929. It is currently the headquarters of worldwide Ramakrishna Math & Ramakrishna Mission.
Located at the western bank of the River Ganges and not far away from the city of Kolkata, it is not only one of the most important pilgrimages of India but also the architecture of the temple itself has a great attraction as well.
The construction of this temple had been inspired by different architectures from England, Rajasthan, South India, Rural Bengal, and Buddhist. All these architectural ideas have been very carefully and beautifully amalgamated into each other. The large hall inside was inspired by Buddhist prayer halls and has an excellent resonance effect once you sit down and listen to the prayers. People searching for peace often come and listen to these prayers.
The lawn around the main temple is decorated with rare and beautiful flowers.
Dakshineswar Kali Temple (12 Km)
Dakshineswar Kali Temple is one of the major attractions of Kolkata. It was founded around the middle of the 19th century by Rani Rashmoni, the then Zamindar of Jaanbazar, Kolkata. The place where the temple is now standing is also donated by her.
This temple is not only an important pilgrimage but also a superior example of great architectural beauty. Thousands of visitors come to this Holy place to experience the divinity and peace of mind. This place is also connected very closely with Sri Ramakrishna. He was appointed as the main priest of this temple by Rani Rashmoni. You should sit for some time in the room where he used to live.
Dakhshineswar is located only 12 Km away from Kolkata’s main city at the eastern bank of the river Hooghly and can be accessed by train, bus or a cab. You can also try a nice and comfortable boat ride from here to Belur Math by crossing the Holy river of the Ganges.
The security has been tightened these days in order to prevent any unwanted activity. No camera or mobile phone is allowed inside the main temple area. You have to deposit those at the security check-point before entering.
Kamarpukur-Joyrambati (96 Km)
Located only 96 Km away from Kolkata, Kamarpukur and Joyrambati are two beautiful and attractive places in Hooghly and Bankura districts respectively. Kamarpukur is the birthplace of Sri Ramakrishna while her wife Sarada Devi was born at Joyrambati.
Kamarpukur holds the Ramakrishna Mission where you will see the age-old cottages where the family of Sri Ramakrishna used to live. You will also get astonished to see the mango tree planted by Ramakrishna in his childhood days. Surprisingly enough, this tree is still very much alive and gives a considerable amount of delicious mangoes each second year. There are many other places to visit in Kamarpukur which you should not miss. Nowadays this little village has become a busy town but the smell of those days of this place is still very much available.
On the other hand, Joyrambati still gives you the real feel of a village although some development has been done over time. The birthplace of Sarada Devi is still very well maintained. Every single cottage of her family members will bring you back to that era. Bankura is known as the place of red soil as it is an extended part of Chotonagpur Plateau. While walking through the village this red soil will give you a strange feeling, which you will definitely remember for life.
Kamarpukur can be accessed by train, bus, and cab. Joyrambati is only 7.5 Km from Kamarpukur, which takes around 30 minutes by cab. Buses are also available from Kamarpukur. If you start by a cab early from Kolkata you can complete the tour and get back to Kolkata by late evening easily.
Bishnupur (138 Km)
Bishnupur is the origin and unquestionably the heart of the ancient Terracotta Art of Bengal!! Apart from that this place also has a long historical background.
This place is located in the district of Bankura and once the kingdom of the Mallas. The picture above is of the famous Rashmancha. You can see the architectural beauty of this structure. It is a perfect blend of Eastern, Western and Rural Bengal structures. There are a lot of structures like this throughout Bishnupur. The most interesting thing of these structures is the surfaces all are decorated with small tiles made of burnt clay (Terracotta) handicrafts telling you stories from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and the history of ancient Bengal.
Bankura is the place of red soil as it is a part of Chotonagpur Plateau, which is a beauty in itself. Winter is chilly here and receives heat waves in the summer.
If you are visiting Kamarpukur-Joyrambati it would be worth for you to visit this place as well. The road to Bishnupur is a real beauty, which passes through the dense Joypur forest full of big trees like Shaals, Arjuna and Seguns. Bankura is one of the largest providers of Shaal leaves in India.
You will get beautiful fresh food at Banalata Resort which is located just before the forest starts. It has its own big firm breeding live stocks and various vegetation. Nice staying options are also available if you book early.
It is recommended that you stay one night at Bishnupur if you are traveling from Joyrambati and enjoy the whole day starting the next morning. Many hotels and lodges are available in this place as it is a major tourist spot of West Bengal.
Mandarmani Sea Beach (179 Km)
Every corner of West Bengal is decorated with almost all possible landscapes. It offers you dense forest, world’s largest mangrove, high snow-clad mountains and at the bottom the beauty of seashore. The district of Midnapore in the southern part of the state offers a long coastline which enters in Orissa.
Mandarmoni is one of the growing attractions for those want to spend some relaxed hours in front of vast Bay-of-Bengal. It is only a few hours drive from Kolkata. If you start early, you are very much able to get back by late evening! However, staying at Mandarmoni is a great option. Enough accommodation options are available close to the sea.
If you are lucky enough, you would be able to see red crabs crawling around you on the beach. They usually come out in bright sunlight.
Digha (182 Km)
Located only 3 km away from Mandarmoni, Digha is one of the most popular weekend tourist destinations near Kolkata. Most tourists take Digha as their main destination and visit Mandarmoni and Tajpur from here. All these three places are adjacent to each other.
Digha is a beautiful place but weekends are heavily crowded. So it is recommended to visit this place in weekdays to enjoy the beauty in less crowd.
Unlike Mandarmoni and Tajpur, Digha offers you adventure sports like Snow Scooting and Seaboat Riding.
Many staying options are available near the coast. Spending at least one night at Digha is highly recommended.
Shantiniketan (194 Km)
Shantiniketan is unquestionably one of the most attractive destinations in West Bengal. Without visiting Shantinekan, your tour in West Bengal is incomplete. It is one of the must-visit places in West Bengal.
Located in the district of Birbhum, this extremely beautiful place was founded by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore in 1863 and later expanded by his son Rabindranath Tagore and eventually founded Viswa Bharati University.
Shantiniketan is the place of Bauls. Rabindranath was highly influenced by the genre of Baul Sangeet and implemented the same in many of his Rabindrasangeet.
Visiting Shatinikan is very easy. Direct trains are available from Howrah junction which take about 3 hours to reach Bolpur. It will take only 20 minutes from Bolpur station to Visva Bharati University by an auto-rickshaw.
The university campus is huge. You must visit Rabindranath’s house where he spent a golden period of his life. The university itself tells you thousands of stories about the lifestyles of the students. Vasanta-Utsav is a major event of Shantiniketan which is held every year during Dol Yatra (Holi). The festival of colour becomes more colourful by the addition of cultural programs held by the students of Viswa Bharati University.
Image source: Google images
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, please see here:
Cookie Policy
