Kolkata

"Calcutta" redirects here. For other uses, see Calcutta (disambiguation) and Kolkata (disambiguation).

Kolkata
Calcutta
Megacity
Durga Puja in Kolkata
Park Street flyover with Kolkata CBD on left and Kolkata maidan on right
Vintage trams
Eden Gardens during a match
Nickname(s): 
City of Joy, City of Castles, Gateway of Eastern India, Cultural Capital of India[1]
Map
Interactive Map Outlining Kolkata
Kolkata is located in Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata
Location in Kolkata
Kolkata is located in West Bengal
Kolkata
Kolkata
Location in West Bengal
Kolkata is located in India
Kolkata
Kolkata
Location in India
Kolkata is located in Asia
Kolkata
Kolkata
Location in Asia
Kolkata is located in Earth
Kolkata
Kolkata
Location in Earth
Coordinates: 22°34′03″N 88°22′12″E / 22.56750°N 88.37000°E / 22.56750; 88.37000
CountryIndia
StateWest Bengal
DivisionPresidency
DistrictKolkata
Named forKalighat Kali Temple
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • BodyKolkata Municipal Corporation
 • MayorFirhad Hakim
 • Deputy MayorAtin Ghosh
 • SheriffMani Shankar Mukherjee
 • Police commissionerManoj Kumar Verma
Area
[2][3]
 • Megacity
206.08 km2 (79.151 sq mi)
 • Metro
1,886.67 km2 (728.45 sq mi)
Elevation
9 m (30 ft)
Population
[2][4][5]
 • Megacity
2,011 census:
Decrease 4,496,694
2,023 estimate:
Increase 6,200,000
 • Density30,000/km2 (80,000/sq mi)
 • Metro
[6][7][8]
2,011 census:
Increase 14,112,536 (metro)
Increase14,617,882 (Extended UA)
2,023 estimate:
Increase15,333,000 (metro)
 • City rank
7th in India
 • Metro rank
3rd in India;
2nd in Bengal Region;
13th in Asia;
16th in the world
DemonymsKolkatan
Calcuttan
Languages
 • OfficialBengali • English[9]
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
PIN
700 xxx
Telephone code+91 33
Vehicle registrationWB-01 to WB-10
UN/LOCODEIN CCU
Metro GDP (PPP)Increase $220 billion (2024)[10]
HDI (2004)0.780[11] (High)
International airportsNetaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU)
TransitRapid Transit: Kolkata Metro
Commuter rail: Kolkata Suburban Railway
Other(s):
Kolkata Tram
Metropolitan Planning AuthorityKolkata Metropolitan Development Authority
Other namesCalcutta, Kolikata, Tilottama
Websitekmcgov.in
Official nameDurga Puja in Kolkata
TypeCultural
Designated2021 [12] (16th Committee of UNESCO for safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage)
Reference no.[1]
RegionSouthern Asia
NotabilityFirst in Asia under "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" category

Kolkata,[a] also known as Calcutta[b] (its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, 80 km (50 mi) west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary financial and commercial centre of eastern and northeastern India.[16] Kolkata is the seventh most populous city in India with an estimated city proper population of 4.5 million (0.45 crore) while its metropolitan region Kolkata Metropolitan Area is third most populous metropolitan region of India with a metro population of over 15 million (1.5 crore).[17] Kolkata is regarded by many sources as the cultural capital of India and a historically and culturally significant city in the historic region of Bengal.[1][18][19]

The three villages that predated Calcutta were ruled by the Nawab of Bengal under Mughal suzerainty. After the Nawab granted the East India Company a trading licence in 1690,[20] the area was developed by the Company into Fort William. Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah occupied the fort in 1756 but was defeated at the Battle of Plassey in 1757, after his general Mir Jafar mutinied in support of the company, and was later made the Nawab for a brief time.[21] Under company and later crown rule, Calcutta served as the de facto capital of India until 1911. Calcutta was the second largest city in the British Empire, after London,[22] and was the centre of bureaucracy, politics, law, education, science and the arts in India. The city was associated with many of the figures and movements of the Bengali Renaissance. It was the hotbed of the Indian nationalist movement.[23]

The partition of Bengal in 1947 affected the fortunes of the city. Following independence in 1947, Kolkata, which was once the premier centre of Indian commerce, culture, and politics, suffered many decades of political violence and economic stagnation before it rebounded.[24] In the late 20th century, the city hosted the government-in-exile of Bangladesh during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.[25] It was also flooded with Hindu refugees from East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh) in the decades following the 1947 partition of India, transforming its landscape and shaping its politics.[26][27] The city was overtaken by Mumbai (formerly Bombay) as India's largest city.

A demographically diverse city, the culture of Kolkata features idiosyncrasies that include distinctively close-knit neighbourhoods (paras) and freestyle conversations (adda). Kolkata's architecture includes many imperial landmarks, including the Victoria Memorial, Howrah Bridge and the Grand Hotel. The city's heritage includes India's only Chinatown and remnants of Jewish, Armenian, Greek and Anglo-Indian communities. The city is closely linked with Bhadralok culture and the Zamindars of Bengal, including Bengali Hindu, Bengali Muslim and tribal aristocrats. The city is often regarded as India's cultural capital.

Kolkata is home to institutions of national importance, including the Academy of Fine Arts, the Asiatic Society, the Indian Museum and the National Library of India. The University of Calcutta, first modern university in south Asia and its affiliated colleges produced many leading figures of South Asia. It is the centre of the Indian Bengali film industry, which is known as Tollywood. Among scientific institutions, Kolkata hosts the Geological Survey of India, the Botanical Survey of India, the Calcutta Mathematical Society, the Indian Science Congress Association, the Zoological Survey of India, the Horticultural Society, the Institution of Engineers, the Anthropological Survey of India and the Indian Public Health Association. The Port of Kolkata is India's oldest operating port. Four Nobel laureates and two Nobel Memorial Prize winners are associated with the city.[28] Though home to major cricketing venues and franchises, Kolkata stands out in India for being the country's centre of association football. Kolkata is known for its grand celebrations of the Hindu festival of Durga Puja, which is recognized by UNESCO for its importance to world heritage.[29] Kolkata is also known as the 'City of Joy'.[30]

  1. ^ a b —Pielou, Adrianne (4 March 2011). "India: Calcutta, the capital of culture". Telegraph. Archived from the original on 2 January 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
    —"Kolkata remains cultural capital of India: Amitabh Bachchan". DNA India. 10 November 2012. Archived from the original on 25 June 2017. Retrieved 25 November 2016.
    —"Foundation of Kolkata Museum of Modern Art laid". Business Standard. Press Trust of India. 14 November 2013. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
    —Reeves, Philip (5 April 2007). "Calcutta: habitat of the Indian intellectual". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
    —Noble, Allen and Frank Costa; Ashok Dutt; Robert Kent (1990). Regional development and planning for the 21st century: new priorities, new philosophies. Ashgate Pub Ltd. pp. 282, 396. ISBN 978-1-84014-800-8.
  2. ^ a b "District Census Handbook – Kolkata" (PDF). Census of India. The Registrar General & Census Commissioner. p. 43. Archived (PDF) from the original on 18 October 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  3. ^ "Basic Statistics of Kolkata". Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Kolkata Municipal Corporation Demographics". Census of India. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2016.
  5. ^ "Kolkata City Population 2024 | Literacy and Hindu Muslim Population". Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference kolkatauapop2011 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ "INDIA STATS: Million plus cities in India as per Census 2011". Press Information Bureau, Mumbai. National Informatics Centre. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  8. ^ "Calcutta, India Metro Area Population 1950-2024 | MacroTrends". Archived from the original on 10 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  9. ^ —"Report of the Commissioner for linguistic minorities: 47th report (July 2008 to June 2010)" (PDF). Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities, Ministry of Minority Affairs, Government of India. pp. 122–126. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
    —Singh, Shiv Sahay (3 April 2012). "Official language status for Urdu in some West Bengal areas". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
    —"Multi-lingual Bengal". The Telegraph. 11 December 2012. Archived from the original on 25 March 2018. Retrieved 25 March 2018.
    —Roy, Anirban (27 May 2011). "West Bengal to have six more languages for official use". India Today. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  10. ^ "List of Metropolitan Cities In India 2024". 31 March 2023. Retrieved 13 September 2023.
  11. ^ "West Bengal Human Development Report 2004" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2018.
  12. ^ "Kolkata's Durga Puja gets World heritage tag". The Times of India. 16 December 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  13. ^ "Kolkata". Lexico. Archived from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  14. ^ a b Wells, John (3 April 2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Pearson Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
  15. ^ a b "Kolkata". Archived from the original on 8 December 2022. Retrieved 8 December 2022.
  16. ^ "Better Integrated Transport Modes will Help Reinvent Kolkata". World Bank. 20 April 2016. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2020.
  17. ^ "Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011; Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 May 2012. Retrieved 26 March 2012.
  18. ^ "World Urban Areas" (PDF). Demographia. 2018. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2019.
  19. ^ Pattanaik, Debashish; Anita Desai (2003). Calcutta: a cultural and literary history. Signal Books. p. xiv. ISBN 978-1-902669-59-5. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  20. ^ Dutta, K.; Desai, A. (April 2008). Calcutta: a cultural history. Northampton, Massachusetts, US: Interlink Books. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-1-56656-721-3.
  21. ^ "Victory for the British East India Company in the Battle of Plassey was the start of nearly two centuries of British rule in India."; Link: https://www.britannica.com/event/Battle-of-Plassey Archived 21 February 2018 at the Wayback Machine
  22. ^ Marshall, P. J. (2 August 2001). The Cambridge Illustrated History of the British Empire. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-00254-7. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  23. ^ "Kolkata and World War II: Tracing the sites of air raids that scarred the City of Joy". Archived from the original on 18 August 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference ianjack was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ "Explained: How Kolkata's 8 Theatre Road hosted the first Bangladesh government". 26 March 2021. Archived from the original on 28 March 2024. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
  26. ^ Talbot, Ian; Singh, Gurharpal (2009), The Partition of India, Cambridge University Press, pp. 115–117, ISBN 978-0-521-67256-6, archived from the original on 11 March 2023, retrieved 15 April 2023
  27. ^ Tan, Tai Yong; Kudaisya, Gyanesh (2002) [2000], The Aftermath of Partition in South Asia, Taylor & Francis, pp. 172–175, ISBN 978-0-203-45060-4
  28. ^ —"A Nobel habit: How Kolkata keeps producing winners". the hindu business line. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
    —"The Nobel Prize Winners from Kolkata". pressenza. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
    —"checkout the list of Nobel Prize winners from Kolkata". the business insider. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
    —"Economist Abhijit Banerjee is the sixth Nobel winner with a Kolkata connection". the print. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
    —"Abhijit Banerjee is not the first Nobel laureate with a Kolkata connection – here are the others". timesnow. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  29. ^ "Kolkata's Durga Puja gets world heritage tag". The Times of India. 16 December 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
  30. ^ "Kolkata city of joy". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 January 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.


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