IWAD and 14th RD51 Collaboration Meeting, Kolkata, India

27-31 October 2014

For participation in IWAD please contact rd51india[at]vecc.gov.in by 10th October 2014.

Places of Interest in Kolkata

The Victoria Memorial Hall is a memorial building dedicated to Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India, which is located in Kolkata, India – the cultural capital India. This grandiloquent structure presently houses a museum of British India memorabilia. In the evening, special Son et Lumière shows on the historical themes are held in the park. Being one of the most popular tourist spot in the city, it is one of the few well-maintained heritage buildings that exist in the city today.

http://www.victoriamemorial-cal.org/

The Indian museum, founded in 1814, is one of the largest and oldest museums of Asia - Pacific region in terms of its comprehensive coverage of art, archeology and natural sciences. It houses perhaps the greatest collection of Indian natural history and an Indian Art collection to rival the Smithsonian Institution and the British Museum. Indian museum is more commonly known as 'Jadughar' as in house of magic, where you can also enjoy the Gandhara Art, Burmese woodwork, Mughal miniatures and Tibetan banner, Antiques of Mohenjodaro and Harappa Fossils, Coins, Stones etc. The Indian Museum has a library of excellent historical value. The Indian museum reveals the life history and culture of Indians from ancient times till date in the most beautiful manner.

http://www.indianmuseumkolkata.org/

Marble palace of Kolkata, India is a must visit tourist attraction spot. Built in the year 1835, it is an exquisite art gallery. Marble palace houses the marvelous objects of art, sculptures, pictures & oil paintings. Its major highlight includes the Reuben's masterpieces. You can also find the original paintings of Rembrandt, Reynolds and Van Goyen etc. Calcutta marble palace is the one of its kinds and consists of exquisite pieces of art. It also has a zoo, where you can find different kinds of birds and animals. In fact, it has a rare collection of birds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marble_Palace_(Kolkata)

The majestic Dakshineswar Kali Temple is dedicated to mother Goddess Kali and this temple is a pilgrimage mecca for not only Hindus but of other religious sects as well. The very name of the temple of Dakshineswar conjures the image of the spiritual giant Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa who attained nirvana at this holy temple on the banks of the Ganges.

Dakshineshwar Kali Temple built in the traditional 'Nava-ratna' or nine spires style of Bengal architecture, the three-storeyed south-facing temple has nine spires distributed in upper two storeys, and stands on a high platform with a flight of stairs, over all it measures 46 feet (14 m) square and rises over 100 feet (30 m) high. The temple was built in 1855. Close to the main temple is the row of twelve identical Shiva temples built facing the east in the typical ‘Aat Chala’ Bengal architecture, they are built on either side of the ghat on the Hoogly river.

http://www.dakshineswarkalitemple.org/index.html

Architecturally, Belur Mutt temple has an important place among the modern temples of India. It incorporates the motifs of various religions, thus symbolizing the harmony of religions taught by Sri Ramakrishna. The temple is notable for its architecture that fuses Hindu, Christian and Islamic motifs as a symbol of unity of all religions. Belur Math Temple originally conceived by Swami Vivekananda, this temple (16 Km from Kolkata) enshrines the sacred relics of Sri Ramakrishna. Belur Math serves as the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission.

http://www.belurmath.org/

Parshwanath Jain Temple is a mind-blowing place of worship, the beauty of which is enhanced by mirrors and colored stones. This temple is a very famous temple of Kolkata that was built by an art connoisseur named Ray Badridas Bahadur in 1867. It houses four different temples, out of which the main temple is established in the honor of the 10th Jain Avtaar, Sri Sital Nath Ji. There is a small stream over there, which is covered by gorgeous flowers on all sides. Pareshnath Jain temple of Kolkata also contains a cozy greeting room and a museum. It is a splendid edifice that consists of mirror inlaid pillars and its windows are made from stained glass. Floral designs further adorn the marble flooring.

Nakhoda Mosque is the largest mosque within the city. It can capacitate about 10,000 persons. Located in Jacquaria Street, near the junction of Chitpore Road and Mahatma Gandhi Road, its foundation was laid by Abdar Rahim Osman, a resident of Cutch, Gujarat, in the year 1926.

During the Muslim festivities, it is decorated beautifully. Its architecture represents the Indo-Saracenic designing. This magnificent mosque contains a spacious prayer hall, a dome and two minarets. Inside the mosque, an exhibition takes place, which displays extraordinary artistic extravaganza & ornamentation.

Tipu Sultan's Mosque was constructed by Mohammed, the son of Tipu Sultan in 1842. But there are other factions who credit its construction to Ghulam Mohammed, who built a mosque at Tollygunge, which incidentally bears an uncanny resemblance to the former.

The Mosque is double-aisled, with multiple domes and tall corner towers. The rounded arches and meticulous details drawn from classical architecture lend it a subtle European air.

St. Paul's Cathedral is the first Episcopal Church of the Orient. Bishop Wilson patronized the construction of this beautiful church in 1839. The credit for the awesome designing of this Indo-Gothic architecture goes to Major W.N. Forbes. The work of establishing the St. Paul Cathedral of Kolkata got completed in 1847.

The church got destroyed due to the earthquake of 1897 and then it was renovated. But, the earthquake of 1934 led to the collapse of the tower and eventually it was rebuilt on the lines of the Bell Harry Tower of Canterbury Cathedral. It is 247 ft. in length and 81 ft. in width. The architecture and the interim of the Saint Paul Cathedral is truly a feast for eyes.

St. John's Church is located on the Council House Street beside B.B.D. Bagh. Built by architect James Agg the St John’s church is built with a combination of brick and stone and was commonly known as the “Pathure Girja” (Stone Church). Stone was a rare material in the late 18th century Kolkata. The stones came from the medieval ruins of Gour, an ancient city and were shipped down the Hooghly River. Its architecture represents Greek designing. There is a lot to explore in the St. John church of Kolkata, India. For example, the church contains the sculpture of Job Charnock, which is highly artistic. Other attractions of Saint John’s church include the mind-blowing sculptures of British Admiral Watson, Lord Brabourne, Lady Canning and other eminent personalities.

Nicco Park is more popularly known as Jheel Meel. It is the ultimate fun and entertainment destination for kids as well as adults. It draws huge crowds on the weekends, as it serves as the perfect place for relaxing mind, body and soul. It takes you into the world of fantasy and imagination. It provides wide choices of fun rides to choose from. To name a few, we have the Toy Train, Cable Car, Tilt-a-Whirl, Water Chute, Water Coaster, Flying Saucer, Pirate Ship and Moonraker.
For nature lovers, it is truly a feast for eyes. Its main highlights include the beautiful rose garden and the food park, where you can enjoy the mouthwatering yummy dishes. Popular cuisines include North Indian, Bengali, South Indian and Chinese fast food. Today, Nicco Park enjoys the status of being the first amusement park of the world that has obtained ISO 9002 certification from a famous European Certifying Authority.

http://www.niccoparks.com/

Howrah Bridge, located over the Hoogli River in West Bengal, is said to be the busiest bridge of the world. Hawrah Bridge in Kolkata, India, also known by the name 'Rabindra Setu', was set up in 1874. It stands on two 270 feet high pillars. Calcutta Howrah Bridge is a cantilever truss bridge that was constructed without using any nuts and bolts. Though, earlier it had a tram route, but presently, it is serving mainly as a Road Bridge. Howrah bridge has got two sister bridges also, namely, Vidyasagar Setu and the Vivekananda Setu that are situated at different points over the Hoogly River. This bridge acts as an important symbol of Kolkata.

http://howrahbridgekolkata.nic.in/