Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) was the third destination on my India trip in 2024. I was intrigued to go, knowing that as recently as 1950 it remained the largest city in India, and since has grown more slowly than most Indian cities, and now barely holds on to third place. I suspected that it would have a great deal of the gracious old architecture that I appreciated in Mumbai. My first walkabout in Kolkata was overwhelming for the senses, clearly there is more poverty than in the other cities I visited, but also a lot of splendour. On the subsequent days, I grew to love this city in a strange way, it's overwhelming noise and activity and the vibrancy of its diminished landscapes impressed me.
I had a very hard time to decide how to organize these photos, and in the end drew a randomly-decided dividing line between North and South. Both galleries start at the centre of the city, but the first wanders north through intense commercial areas, the south includes museums, restaurants, monuments, parks and a market.
Photo List (Total 408 Photos)
Click bolded headers below to view, or click "just the best" for quick tour
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Central and North Kolkata (189 photos) - This gallery starts at my hotel on Waterloo Road, and includes two separate journeys north of my hotel. It includes many gracious old buildings that are just north of the Raj Bhavan Complex, and Millennium Park along the Hoogly River. It then embarks on a wandering journey through busy commercial streets. A second walk included visiting the University of Calcutta and the booksellers that dominated that area.
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Central and South Kolkata (219 photos) - This gallery includes two separate journeys south of my hotel. On the first, I see some of the official buildings around The Raj Bhavan, including the Town Hall and court buildings, visit the Eden Garden, walk through the Maidan, and then eat out at a rooftop restaurant in the New Market. On the second, I meander my way through fairly quiet streets in the early morning, end up at the Indian Museum, walk to the South Park Cemetery, and visit the amazing Victoria Memorial and the surrounding gardens.
