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Gurusaday Museum

Gurusaday Museum showcases the rich folk art and crafts of Bengal. The brain behind this museum was a visionary art connoisseur Gurusaday Dutt who was mostly known for his interest and contributions to Bengal's folk art, folk dance and folk music. He started a number of organisations and societies aimed at preserving the elements of folk culture. Exquisite specimens personally collected between 1929 and 1939 by Shri Gurusaday Dutt, I. C. S. (1882-1941), while he was the District Collector in the remote parts of the then Bengal such as Kalighat paintings, patuas' scrolls, embroidered kanthas, terracotta panels, stone sculptures, wooden carvings, dolls and toys, moulds used for making patterns on sweets or mango-paste etc. Most of the several thousand specimens of folk art and craft he collected, along with other folk artefacts, are on display at the Gurusaday Museum in Thakurpur in the suburbs of Kolkata. Presently the museum has a rich collection of over 3300 exquisite exhibits of folk arts and crafts, which amply reflect the vitality of the rural life and present a vivid picture of art and social traditions, religious beliefs, practices and motifs and cultural influences in undivided Bengal as well as in India.

The collections made by Shri Gurusaday Dutt are priceless and unique. No duplicate can be found in any museums in the world. The collections you will find here are, Kalighat school of painting, the wonderful Dhokra crafts, the Patachitras, terracotta works and the sarees of Bengal - Jamdani and Tangails.

Distance: 15.3 Km (26 Min)

Indian Museum

One of the oldest museums in Asia, the Indian Museum was founded in 1814. One needs an entire day, or more, to fully enjoy the fossils, coins, stones, Gandhara art, meteors and much more that go to make up this museum. There is a 4,000-year-old mummy here as well. Also on display is an urn said to contain the Buddha's ashes. One just needs to ask anybody on the road for the way to the "Jadughar". The museum is closed on Monday.

Website: http://indianmuseumkolkata.org/

Distance: 9.6 Km (19 min)

National library

The National Library is the largest library in India. It is under the Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism & Culture, and Government of India. The library is designated to collect, disseminate and preserve the printed material produced in India. The Library is the largest in India, with a collection in excess of 2.2 million books. Before independence, it was the official residence of Lt. Governor of Bengal.

The rare books section comprises of books, manuscripts that date back to the pre 1860 era. This library not only has a remarkable stock of books and articles but also such a medium which is used as a link for correspondence with the past generation. It is one of the heritage buildings too. The library has separate Indian language division for Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu and Urdu Languages. Sanskrit language division also collects and process Pali and Prakrit books. English books published in India are also collected under D.B. Act.

Around 18 thousand readers daily gather here to accumulate knowledge on various subjects. The collection comprises about 20, 00,000 books and 5, 00,000 manuscripts. Its gigantic campus encompasses 130 acres of land. At present, the National Library is the 2nd largest public library in Asia for which several notable persons have donated their valuable collections at different times. Sadar-Ud-ddin, the Zaminder of Buhor, Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee, Surendra Nath Sen etc. are some famous donors. These have added to the value and content of books in this prestigious institution.

Website: http://www.nationallibrary.gov.in/

Distance: 8.6 Km (18 Min)

Nehru Children's Museum

The Nehru Children's Museum located at 94/1 Chowringhee Road is a marvellous gift to the children of Kolkata and India. The museum meant exclusively for children was conceived by a visionary statesman - Late Shri Jugal Srimal.

Website: http://www.nehrumuseum.org/

Distance: 7.7 Km (14 Min)

Heritage Buildings

Jorashanko Thakurbari

The rambling Thakurbari was built in the 18th century by Dwarkanath Tagore, the grandfather of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. This is also the place where Rabindranath was born and passed away. The Thakurbari has mostly been converted into a museum now. The Rabindra Bharati University is also situated inside this complex.

Distance : 10.6 Km ( 22 Min

Marble Palace

Situated in Chorbagan, in an artistically laid-out garden, the place is full of rare collection of antiques of immense artistic and historical value. Wonderful curios, China and a couple of paintings by Rubens are only a few to mention of the spectrum of attractions of the palace. This is a must see for all visitors. The house is basically Neoclassical in style, while the plan with its open courtyards is largely traditional Bengali. Adjacent to the court-yard, there is a thakur-dalan, or place of worship for members of the family. The three-storey building has tall fluted Corinthian pillars and ornamented verandas with fretwork and sloping roofs, built in the style of a Chinese pavilion. The premises also include a garden with lawns, a rock garden, a lake and a small zoo. The house contains large quantities of Western sculpture and Victorian furniture, paintings by European and Indian artists, and other objects d'art. Decorative objects include large chandeliers, clocks, floor to ceiling mirrors, urns, and busts of kings and queens. The house is said to contain two paintings by Rubens, The Marriage of St. Catherine and The Martyrdom of St. Sebastian. There are also said to be two paintings by Sir Joshua Reynolds, The Infant Hercules Strangling the Serpent and Venus and Cupid. Other artists said to figure in the collections include Titian, Murillo, and John Opie.

Distance: 10.2 Km (21 Min)

Shovabazar Rajbari

No visit to Calcutta is complete without experiencing the Durga Puja at the Shovabazar Rajbari. The Rajbari's tradition of publicly celebrating the festival goes back to 1757, to the time of Raja Nobokishan Deb. The first puja was held to celebrate the victory of Lord Robert Clive in the Battle of Plassey.

Distance: 12.9 Km (24 Min)

Town Hall

This historical hall had been the venue of public meetings and social gatherings. The construction of the hall was completed in 1814 in doric style of architecture at a cost of Rs. 7lakhs by means of public lotteries.Like many other heritage buildings, the Town Hall has recently been restored to its original form. Closely, the Kolkata Museum too has been ‘done up' with the addition of a library and an Archive.

Distance: 14 Km (20 Min)

Victoria Memorial

Built in Italian Renaissance cum Saracenic style, Victoria Memorial was planned by Lord Curzon and opened by the Prince of Wales in 1921. This British attempt at building a second Taj Mahal, is dedicated to Queen Victoria and houses a fantastic collection of rare memorabilia from Colonial days. A light and sound show recreates history every evening.

Distance: 8.3 Km (16 Min)

Writer's Building

It was first built in 1770 and served as the headquarters of the "writers" or junior servants of the East India Company. Today, the refurbished Writers' Building is the seat of the West Bengal government secretariat. It's situated in BBD Bag - a city square named after three martyrs of the freedom movement.

Distance: 11.5 Km (23 Min)

Maidan

The Maidan (literally open field) is the largest urban park in Kolkata. It is a vast stretch of field and home to numerous play grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadiums, and Kolkata Race Course. Maidan is dotted with several statues and pieces of architecture, most notable being the Victoria Memorial. It is home to the oldest golf club outside Great Britain - the Royal Calcutta Golf Club. Due to the freshness and greenery it provides to the metropolis, it has been referred to as the "lungs of Kolkata". Maidan is a property of the Indian Army, and hosts the Eastern zone high command of the Indian Army in Fort William. The Maidan stretches from as far north as the Raj Bhavan building in Esplanade and as far south as the National Library on Belvedere Rd. in Alipore. The wide field stretches from the Hoogly River on the west to the Victoria Memorial on the east. It is a historical and cultural center of Kolkata as well as a center of leisure and entertainment for the people of Kolkata. Maidan is a must visit for any tourist as it takes one in a roller coaster ride from the glorious past of Kolkata to the modern and trendy city.

Distance: 9.8 Km (18 Min)

Eden Gardens (stadium)

Eden Gardens is a famous cricket ground in Kolkata. It is the home of the Bengal cricket team and the Indian Premier League's Kolkata Knight Riders, as well as being a Test and One Day International ground. It is the largest cricket stadium in India by seating capacity. It is widely acknowledged to be the most iconic cricket stadium in the country and one of the most iconic stadiums in the world.

Today home to the best of cricket matches and witness to so many past grand matches, Eden garden has admirable achievements and tales of legends being made. This place was started in the year 1864, and has the capacity to hold more than 90,000 people. Eden Gardens has hosted 35 Test matches in India. There have been many renovations and the place has been made comfortable for the spectators. Today with the best of facilities, surroundings and conditions, Eden Gardens proudly occupies the position of the second biggest stadium in the whole world. Situated in a busy location called the Binoy Badal Dinesh Bag or simply known as the BBD Bagh area of Kolkata, the stadium finds its position between the majestic State Secretariat and the High court. The Eden Gardens complex is also home to the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Indoor stadium.

Distance: 11 Km (20 Min)

Alipore Zoo

Calcutta's zoo, the oldest in India and set up over a sprawling area, was the creation of Sir Richard Carnac Temple, the then Governor of Bengal from 1874 to 1877. It was opened on Jan 1st 1876, by the Prince of Wales. The 16 hectare ground houses a wide species of animals & birds including the rare white Bengal Tiger. There is a separate reptile house and a children's zoo. Migratory birds, even from Siberia, find a safe roosting place in the zoo every winter. The aquarium in front of the Zoological Gardens contains sea-fishes of exquisite varieties.

Distance: 8.6 Km (17 Min)