Where to Travel in NORTH INDIA 

The intellectual capital of India, Calcutta (officially renamed Kolkata in 2001) can be both magical and shocking and is a vibrant hub of Bengali culture.  Founded in 1690 by Job Charnock on the banks of the Hoogly River, Calcutta was the capital of British India until 1911. A walking tour through the city’s ‘White Town’ will reveal some of the most impressive colonial architecture on the Indian subcontinent – most notably the Raj Bhavan, or Government House, built (1803) by Lord Richard Wellesley who famously said “India should be governed from a Palace, not a counting house”.  The former Writers Building (1776) on Dalhousie Square (renamed BBD Bagh) as well as the gothic St Paul’s Cathedral, and the striking white marble clad Victoria Memorial (known as the ‘Taj of the Raj’) are other beautiful colonial survivals. The story of Calcutta’s inhabitants is equally enthralling. A visit to South Park Cemetery will reveal the stories of some of the city’s colourful colonial residents, while just off Cornwallis Street, you will be able to browse through the dusty bookstalls and sample Calcutta’s intellectual side at the India Coffee House. Calcutta is also home to family house of Noble prize laureate Rabindranath Tagore and the fascinating Indian Museum (founded 1814) – regarded as the Jadu Ghar (House of Magic) by locals. A walk through Calcutta’s colourful morning flower market, or stroll along crowded Chowringhee Street will uncover yet more aspects of the city’s diversity and character, as will a tour of the potter’s colony of Kumartoli, or a visit to the eye-opening 19th century Marble Palace. Calcutta is also home to several fine synagogues and has a noted culinary scene. While no longer the ‘Jewel of the East’ Calcutta is a historic and cultural treasure trove that is not to be missed. Calcutta is also an excellent base to explore the almost forgotten towns of Serampore, Chinsura and Chandannagar (Chandernagore), which reveal West Bengal's often overlooked colonial history. Further north, lies Murshidabad, which was founded by Emperor Akbar and became renowned as one of Bengal’s most glamorous cities in the 18th century.