Kolkata – Art, food, travel and culture
Kolkata is one of the most culturally fascinating and prosperous cities of West Bengal, It is filled with surprises. This is evident in its food, architecture, culture, and people.
There are so many things one can learn from this beautiful and peaceful city. Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal is probably the best place in the region to sample vegetarian and non-vegetarian treats as the number of restaurants here is as plentiful as the dishes they serve. When you are in Kolkata, be sure to try the local favorite, Mutton Biryani it is the most famous dish of Kolkata.
Street food and the bustling city just goes hand in hand and Kolkata is no less a bustling city than any other and as such has no shortage of roadside food kiosks, carts, stalls, and stands. If there is one non-veg thing Bengalis love to eat it has got to be fish. So many feasts and celebrations are enjoyed around good food and in Kolkata, there is no shortage of great restaurants to try some local delicacies like Bengali Doi Machi, Macher Jhal, Shorshe Mach, and many more.
With over a hundred cars running all over the city every day, the tram is one of the best and cheapest ways to get around or take a tour of Kolkata.
The Howrah Bridge, the largest of them all is a sight to behold; spanning over 1500 feet this suspension bridge has become a lifeline in Kolkata. Apart from Howrah, there are so many other famous bridges and all are worth visiting.
Kolkata is not just abundant with magnificent and ancient temples but has its fair share of other religious sites to visit too. The well-known and most popular religious places such as the Kalighat Kali Temple, Dakshineswar Temple, Magen David Synagogue, Saint John’s Church, Saint Paul’s Cathedral, Nakhoda Mosque, Belur Math, and Pareshnath Jain Temple. Bengali Sweets or Mishti as it is called locally, deserve a special mention. It is the most delicious sweet in Kolkata.
Bengal is credited to be the forerunner of modern contemporary art with famous artists like Abanindranath Tagore, Gaganendranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, Rabindranath Tagore being among the forefront to promote modernization of art in the country. Baul singing is perhaps the most famous of all the traditional singing of the yore. This involves singing a folk song about God, and one can see the powerful emotions that such type of singing evokes. The singer has his/ her eyes closed, completely lost in the moment- as if in a trance Traditional dance forms like Chau originated in the state of West Bengal, where people wear huge colorful masks and dance. Durga Puja is the favorite festival of the region, witnessing crowds from all over the world. It is the celebration of celebrating the victory of Goddess Durga over the demon Mahishasura. The roads are overcrowded till the nine days that the festivities are on.
