Kolkata is the capital city of West Bengal state in India. The city which is the cultural capital of whole India and the commercial capital of Eastern India. The city was earlier known as Calcutta, being pronounced since the British rule and has changed to Kolkata officially in 2001, has derived the name from Kalikata, which is a village name in the area before the British arrival, means the land of Goddess “Kali”.
Kolkata is the second largest city of India. It is a cosmopolitan city where people, technology and ideas have blended together with the socio-political culture to give the city a new shape. The city is full of historical monuments and palaces and is therefore also called the “The City of Palaces”. Its glorious history dates back to 1690 when it was selected by the British for their trade settlements. The site was carefully chosen by the British as it was protected by the Hooghly River on the west, a creek on the north, and by salt lakes about two and a half miles to the east.
The British defeated Siraj-ud-daullah (Nawab of Bengal) on the battle field of Plassey and Calcutta became the capital of British India till 1911. Thereafter, the city continued to play a major role in the political affairs of India. Till 1947, the city was a venue for major political programmes and an important plain for social reformation. The former was meant to remove British troops from the Indian soil while the later was to create social consciousness among the people.
Kolkata provides enormous opportunities in economy, industry, education, culture, tourism and many more aspects that other cities may not.
Click here to discover more about Kolkata