Kolkata Architecture

Sightseeing: Victoria Memorial

The Victoria Memorial, located in Kolkata, India is a memorial of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom who also carried the title of Empress of India. It currently serves as a museum and a tourist attraction. Built between 1906 and 1921, it is a majestic white marble building at the southern end of the Maidan and surrounded by a sprawling garden.

Kolkata Markets, Part II

Kolkata Streets, Part II

Sightseeing: Birla Mandir

Birla Mandir in Kolkata, India, is a Hindu temple on Asutosh Chowdhury Avenue, Ballygunge, built by the industrialist Birla family. The main temple houses statues of deities Krishna and Radha. The left side temple shikhar (dome) houses goddess Durga, the Hindu goddess of Shakti, the power. The right side dome of the temple houses Shiva in meditation mode. Spread on 44 kathas of land, this temple built of white marble bears resemblance to the renowned Lingaraj Temple of Bhubaneswar. Birla Mandir also showcases pictorial depiction of scriptures of Bhagavad Gita in its stone engravings and some intricate Rajasthani temple architecture.

Kolkata Markets

Street-side junk food vendors selling "panipura". These food items are available on almost every street. They have hot liquid poured into them when you buy them.



Handmade and carved crafts at the Kolkata Industrial 2009 Market:



And more crafts:



Clothing vendors on Gariahat Road:



Lots of hawkers on Gariahat Road. You can find almost anything you need: clothes, dishes, jewelry, toys, souvenirs, rugs, sheets, etc.

Streets of Kolkata

These are some shots I took while riding in the back of our car. They show Kolkata's street traffic: carts, rickshaws, cabs, buses, etc.: