India Travel
From Calcutta to Bangladesh
Calcutta is the main gateway to Bangladesh from India; you can reach Bangladesh by air, train or road. The Bangladesh Consulate is at 9 Circus Ave; visas must be obtained in advance.
There are at least two flights daily from Calcutta to Dhaka and a return ticket costs around $100. Biman flies daily to Calcutta and twice weekly to Chittagong. Indian Airlines have five flights a week to Dhaka and two to Chittagong.
Although there is no direct line from Calcutta into Bangladesh, trains from Sealdah take you as far as Bongaon. From here you can take an auto-rickshaw to Haridaspur, 5km away, and then a rickshaw to Benapal on the border where you can find cheap accommodation. After a refreshing night’s sleep take a bus to Dhaka via Jessore which will take around eight hours. Buses run from Esplanade bus stand to Bongaon
Related Properties from Gurgaon
Dawki in the Northeast
Ninety-six kilometres south from Shillong, DAWKI is the most important of the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border crossings and has excellent views of the Khasi Hills and Bangladesh below. A regular Jeep service from Bara Bazaar serves Dawki. The equivalent border town in Bangladesh is Tamabil, just two and-a-half hours from Sylhet. There is no Bangladesh visa office in Meghalaya, so you will need to possess a valid visa before entering the state - Calcutta has a consulate. There is also a Bangladesh Embassy in Agartala, Tripura and a border crossing into Bangladesh from there. If you are arriving at Dawki from Bangladesh,
Consulates in Calcutta
Consulates Australia, 19 Netaji Subhas Rd; Bangladesh, 9 Circus; Indonesia, Mukti Chambers, Ground Floor, 4 Clive Row; Nepal, 1 National Library Ave, Alipore; Philippines. Industry House, 19th Floor, 10 Camac Street; Singapore, 7/1 Lord Sinha Rd: Sri Lanka, Nicco House, 2 Hare St; Thailand, 12B Mandeville Gardens; UK, 1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani: USA, 5/1 Ho Chi Minh Sarani.
Travel details in North Bengal
Trains Calcutta to: Agra (1 daily; 30hr); Ahmedabad (1 daily; 44hr); Bhubaneshwar (10 daily; 8-12 fir); Chennai (5 daily; 27-35hr); Delhi (7 daily; 18-34hr); Guwahati (3 daily; 20-25hr); Gwalior (2 weekly; 26hr); Haridwar (1 daily; 30hr); Jabalpur (1 daily; 21 hr); Jaipur (1 daily; 30hr); Jalgaon (3 daily; 28-34hr); Lucknow (3 daily; 18hr); Mumbai (3 daily; 33-42hr): Nagpur (4 daily; 19-25hr]; Patna (5 daily; 7-10hr); Puri (2 nightly; 11-12hr); Ranchi (1 daily; 10hr); Shantiniketan (6-7 daily; 2hr 30min-4hr); Siliguri NJP (6-7 daily; 12-14hr); Thiruvananthapuram (1 weekly; 49hr); Ujjain (2 weekly; 33hr 40min|; Varanasi (5-8 daily; 8hr 30min-20hr], Shantiniketan (Bolpur) to: Calcutta (6-7
About Calcutta and West Bengal
Unique among Indian stares in stretching all the way from the Himalayas to the sea, WEST BENGAL is nonetheless explored in depth by few travellers. That may have something to do with the exaggerated reputation of its capital, CALCUTTA, which is actually a sophisticated and friendly city that belies its popular image as poverty-stricken and chaotic. Certainly the rest of Bengal holds an extraordinary assortment of landscapes and cultures, ranging from the dramatic hill station of Darjeeling, within sight of some of the highest mountains in the world, to the vast mangrove swamps of the Sunderbans, prowled by man-eating Royal
Overland travel in Delhi
For journeys to neighbouring countries, there's always the alternative of overland travel, a long haul by train and/or bus. Crossings to Pakistan should be made from Amritsar, ten hours by train from Delhi, where buses cross, the border and head to Lahore (lifts with trucks are no longer easy to find). The twice-weekly direct Delhi-Lahore bus, inaugurated by Prime Minister Vajpayee in 1998, was short-lived, terminated by the Kargil War ot 1999; check with tourist information or the ISBT in Old Delhi. Those travelling overland to Nepal should make for Gorakhpur. to pick up a bus to the border, which
Around Calcutta in Calcutta
The River Hooghly served for centuries as a lifeline for foreign traders; north of Calcutta, its banks are dotted with the remains of tiny European settlements such as Serampore and Chandernagore. All these sites, together with the Hindu temples of Dakshineshwar. Belur Math and Kalna, and even the great Vaishnavite centres of Nabadip and Mayapur further north, can be taken in as day-trips on local trains from Calcutta's Sealdah and Howrah stations. Simple hotels are always available should you want to stay.
Airlines, domestic air in Calcutta
Indian Airlines 39 Chittaranjan Ave (24hr with a tourist counter]: also at Hotel Hindustan International, 235/1 AJC Bose Rd and Great Eastern Hotel, 1 Old Court House St: airport office enquiries S, flight enquiries: general 141, recorded T' 140, arrival35142, departure. Jet Airways 180 Park St; airport enquiries: Sahara Indian Airlines 2A Shakespeare Sarani. Airlines International" international airlines with flights in and out of Calcutta. Airline/flight enquiries:; Aeroflot 58 Chowringhee Rd: Air Canada Chitrakoot Bldg. 230A AJC Bose Rd; Air France 41 Chowringhee Rd; Air India 50 Chowringhee Rd; Air Lanka East Anglia House, 3C Camac St; Alitalia 228 AJC Bose
Cultural centres in Calcutta
Cultural representatives of overseas countries in Calcutta, typically with reading rooms and facilities for performances and film shows, include: the British Council. 5 Shakespeare Sarani; the Russian Gorky Sadan, Gorky Terrace, near Minto Park: and ttie German Max Mueller 8havan, 8 Pramathesh Barua Saram Similar facilities can be found at the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture in Gol Park, and USIS, American Centre, 38A Ciiowringhee Rd. Hospitals Cheap, government-run hospitals (notoriously mismanaged) include Calcutta Hospital
Information about Calcutta
The efficient and friendly Government of India Tourist Office, Shakespeare Sarani (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-lpm, is your best bet for information on Calcutta,'West Bengal and destinations further afield, and can assist with itineraries and booking tours.The Government ofWest Bengal Tourist Bureau. 3/2 BBD Bagh East, arranges tours of Calcutta and package trips around West Bengal. They also issue permits and book tours and accommodation at the Sunderbans and Jaldapara wildlife parks. Tourist information counters at the airport and Howrah Station offer the same services. English-language newspapers such as the
Information on Calcutta
The efficient and friendly Government of India Tourist Office, 4 Shakespeare Sarani (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, Sat 9am-1 pm;) is your best bet for information on Calcutta, 'West Bengal and destinations further a field, and can assist with itineraries and booking tours. The Government of West Bengal Tourist Bureau, 3/2 BBD Bagh East (©033/248 8271), arranges tours of Calcutta and package trips around West Bengal. They also issue permits and book tours and accommodation at the Sunderbans and Jaldapara wildlife parks. Tourist information counters at the airport and Howrah Station offer the same
Music and dance in Calcutta
Calcutta music audiences have a reputation as the most discerning in the country. The main concert season is winter and spring, with the huge week-long Dover Lane Music Festival, held under a marquee in south Calcutta around the end of January and early February, attracting many of India's best musicians. Other popular venues for single- and multi-day festivals include Rabindra Sadan on the junction of AJC Bose Road and Cathedral Road and Kala Bhavan on Theatre Road. Sangeet Research Academy. Near Tollygunge Metro Station, one of India's leading north Indian classical music research institutes, offers long-term courses in various music
As well as the agents listed below, check out the travel supplements of national papers, regional listings magazines and the Evening Standard in London and free giveaways like TNT. Aeroflot 9 020/7355 2233, Some of the cheapest fares around but you will have to change at Moscow for flights to Delhi, which are nearly always full, and Calcutta. Air France S 0845/0845 111, Fly to Pans and change for flights to Delhi and Mumbai. Competitively priced efficiency if you shop around. Air India % 020/8560 9996 or 8745 1000, Nonstop flights to Delhi and Vlumbai and a ieeder network to Chennai,Bangalore and
Travel details of Southern Orissa
Trains Bhubaneswar to: Agra (1-2 daily; 29-37hr 30min); Balasore (10 daily; 4hr); Bangalore (2 weekly; 31lir); Berliampur (7 daily; 2hr 30min-3hr); Calcutta (6-3 daily; 8-13hr); Chennai (2-4 daily; 20hr 45min-26hr); Cochin (4 weekly: 36-38hr); Cuttack (11 daily; 30-55min); Delhi (3-4 daily; 25-43hr); Hyderabad (3 daily; 20-24hr): Mumbai (1 daily; 38hr); Puri (7 daily; 2-3hr); Varartasi (3 weekly; 23hr). Puri to: Agra (1 daily; 38hr 40min}; Balasore (5-6 daily; 4hr 30min-6rir); Bhubaneswar (5-6 daily; 1 hr 3Qmin-2hr); Calcutta (2 daily: 11hr 30min); Delhi (3 daily; 32-44hr); Varanasi (3 weekly; 22hr). Balasore to: Bhubaneswar (7-9 daily; 3hr 45min-6hr); Calcutta (6-8 daily; 4-Shr); Puri
Travel details in the Northeast
Trains Guwahati to: Calcutta (2-3 daily; 23-24hr); Chennai (6 weekly; 54hr); Delhi (4 daily; 28-41 hr); Dibrugarh (2 daily; 14-15r»rr); Dimapur (2 daily; 6hr); Jorhat (1 daily; 12hr); Mughalsarai (2-3 daily; 23-29 hrs); Mumbai (3 weekly; 43-46 hr). Jorhat to: Guwahati (1 dailly; 12 hours). Buses Agartala to; Guwahati (1 daily; 24hr); Neermahal (every 30min; 2hr); Shillorag (1 daily; 20tir); Silchar (2 daily; 11hr); Udaipur (every 15min; 2hr). Aizawl to: Silchar (2 daily:; 12hr). Guwahati to: Agartala (1 daily; 24hr); Imphal (1daily; 18hr); Itanagar (2 daily; 11 hr); Jorhat (12daily; 6-7hr); Kaziranga (12 daily; 4hr 30min);Kohima (1 daily; 12-14hr>; Shillong (12 daily;3-4hr); Silchar
Sports in Calcutta
Calcuttans are big sports fans. Football matches, especially those between the two leading clubs, Mohan Bagan and East Bengal, and cricket test matches draw huge crowds. There are two major stadium complexes, the Ranji Stadium at Eden Gardens and the new Salt Lake Stadium on the edge of the city. The Maidan, home to the Calcutta Bowling Club and the Ladies Golf Club, is a favourite venue for impromptu cricket and football matches, and the scene in winter and spring of regular race meetings. These are run by the Calcutta Turf Club, and bets can also be placed at their premises
History of Calcutta (Kolkata)
Although Bengal was part of the Mauryan empire during the third century BC. it first came to prominence in its own right under the Guptas, in the fourth century AD. So dependent was it on trade with the Mediterranean that the fall of Rome caused a sharp decline, only reversed with the rise of the Pala dynasty in the eighth century. After a short-lived period of rule by the highly cultured Senas, based at Gaur, Bengal was brought under Muslim rule at the end of the twelfth century by the first Sultan of Delhi, Qutb-ud-din-Aibak. Sher Shah Suri, who usurped power
The beach resorts in Coastal Bengal
The popular seaside resort of DIGHA. 175km southwest of Calcutta and almost halfway to Pun in Orissa, with its immense silted hard beach, was originally conceived as a health sanatorium. Direct buses run from the Esplanade terminus in Calcutta; trains from Howrah station run to Kharagpur from where you can take a bus. Alternatively you can get here on a WB tourist bureau bus. If anything, the casuarina-lined beach at BAKKHALI, 80km south of Diamond Harbour on the east side of the Hooghly, is even harder than the one at Digha. However, it's much less developed and far more attractive, and
Tripura of the northeast, Surrounded by Bangladesh in Northeast
Tucked away in a corner of the northeast, surrounded by Bangladesh on three sides, the lush green mountains and valleys of TRIPURA have attracted many different peoples over the centuries. It became part of the Indian Union in 1949; since then its fate has been entwined with that of Bengal. The Partition of" India and subsequent creation of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 194H, followed by war, famine and military regimes drove millions of Bangladeshis to flee into Tripura, where they now outnumber the indigenous people by four to one, leaving many of the original inhabitants feeling that their land
Serampore In Calcutta
In 1799, the Englishman William Carey set up a press in Danish SERAMPORE, 25km north of Calcutta, and began to produce Bengali and Sanskrit bibles. He also pioneered Indian-language dictionaries, and established the Serampore College in 1819, which later became Asia's first modern university. Built on a high bank overlooking the river, the large Neoclassical building houses a small museum dedicated to Carey's life and work. Books in the accompanying library date back to the eighteenth century.
Howrah and the River Hooghly
Although Howrah is technically a separate town, as the home of much of Calcutta's industry, as well as Howrah Station, it forms an integral part of the city. Until recently, antiquated Howrah Bridge was the only road link across the River Hooghly; since the opening of the tall and elegant Vidyasagar Setu, the second Hooghly bridge, a few years ago, the west bank of the river is changing rapidly. Vidyasagar Setu (also referred to as the New or Natun Bridge) provides easy access to Shibpur and the beautiful Botanical Gardens, and onwards southwest to the open highways towards Orissa. Across the