Kolkata

Why Kolkata is famous

• •Where to eat by para: North Kolkata - Burrabazar and Chitpur - for radhaballabi and telebhaja; College Street for phuchka and jhalmuri; Park Street and New Market for kathi rolls; Gariahat in the south for range; Tangra for Indian-Chinese.
• •Best season: October to March. October and November for Durga Puja and Kali Puja; December for Christmas on Park Street.

Kolkata at a glance

History at a glance

1. c. 1590 · MUGHAL
   A variant of the name, 'Kalkata', appears in Abul Fazl's Ain-i-Akbari.
2. 15th-17th century · PRE-COLONIAL
   The Kali temple at Kalighat is referenced in the 15th-century Mansar Bhasan and in Mukundaram's 17th-century Chandimangal. Gupta-era coins have been found at the site.
3. 24 August 1690 · COLONIAL
   Job Charnock lands at Sutanuti to establish the East India Company's Bengal headquarters. Traditionally credited as the founding of Calcutta - and disputed by Indian historians who argue the city grew around Kalighat and Kidderpore.
4. 1712 · COLONIAL
   Fort William is established.
5. 1772 · COLONIAL
   Calcutta becomes the capital of British India.
6. 1798-1805 · COLONIAL
   Lord Wellesley's development works substantially shape the city as it is now known.
7. Early 19th century · COLONIAL
   The present Kalighat temple structure is built, under the benefaction of the Sabarna Roy Chowdhury family of Barisha. Dates given include 1809.
8. 31 May 1855 · COLONIAL
   Rani Rashmoni completes the Dakshineswar Kali Temple in the Navaratna style, after a vision telling her not to travel to Kashi but to install the goddess on the Ganges.
9. 1856 · COLONIAL
   Wajid Ali Shah, the last Nawab of Awadh, is exiled from Lucknow to Matiaburj. His court, musicians and cooks come with him.
10. 1857 · COLONIAL
    The University of Calcutta is founded - the first modern Indian university.
11. 1876 · COLONIAL
    The College Street Coffee House is established.
12. 1911 · COLONIAL
    The transfer of the capital to Delhi is announced; it takes effect over the following year.
13. 1926 · MODERN
    The sarbojonin - for all people - form of community Durga Puja is dated from here in UNESCO's account.
14. 1927 · COLONIAL
    Flurys opens on Park Street, founded by the Swiss partners Joseph Flury and Quinto Cinzio Trinca. The partnership dissolves in 1939 and Trinca opens Trincas diagonally opposite.
15. 1932 · COLONIAL
    Nizam's opens on Hogg Street and is credited with inventing the kathi roll, originally mutton in a paratha made portable for hurried customers.
16. 2001 · MODERN
    Calcutta is officially renamed Kolkata.
17. December 2021 · MODERN
    UNESCO inscribes Durga Puja in Kolkata on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity at its 16th session. Reported as the first festival in Asia to receive the status.

Best time to visit

Kolkata's climate is generally hot and humid during the summer months, with temperatures often feeling oppressive, while the winters are mild and pleasant. The city experiences a distinct monsoon season from June to September, bringing heavy rainfall and a welcome respite from the heat.

Weather details and any festival without a stated lunar anchor above are AI-drafted from general knowledge, not independently verified — timing is approximate; double-check before planning around one.