Traditions and culture in Calcutta

Calcutta, or Kolkata to give it its correct name, offers a veritable mix of the noble and the decrepit, the cultured and the desolate - all of which takes place at a rapid pace as you walk the city's streets.

While some westerners may associate thoughts of poverty with Calcutta, this attitude frustrates the locals, who view it as the intellectual, architectural and cultural capital of India.

Indeed, a number of major figures in India's continued rise to prominence in the 19th and 20th centuries were from the city, including Nobel Prize-winning poet Rabindranath Tagore and film director guru-philosopher Ramakrishna.

Calcutta was arguably the birthplace of modern Indian literary and artistic thought, and the sense of community in each 'para' - or neighbourhood - is a major feature of life in the city.

Things to do in Calcutta

As you would expect from one of the largest cities in India, there is plenty of sights and activities for anyone taking a holiday in Calcutta.

There are huge numbers of venues which offer visitors the opportunity to see Bengali dancing, poetry, art, music, film and theatre at close quarters.

The city also displays its colonial past through an array of dramatic architecture, with a number of buildings having been semi-destroyed but well worth visiting nevertheless.

The locals are renowned for their friendly approach to anyone on holiday in Calcutta and there is an extensive choice of budget or grand accommodation, so finding a good value hotel should not prove to be a problem.

Sights include the Birla Mandir temple complex, the Botanical Gardens, the 700m Howrah Bridge, the Indian Museum, the Kali Temple and the world-famous Nirmal Hriday home for the dying.

Weather in Calcutta

Calcutta has a tropical wet-and-dry climate, which means that anyone planning to take a holiday in the city can expect to get drenched between May and September.

Summers tend to be hot and humid, with temperatures in the low 30s Celsius, while winters only last around two-and-a-half months, with the mercury slipping to between 9C and 11C.

Destination checklist for Calcutta

Calcutta has a population of 7,780,544.

The city is six hours ahead of GMT time.

The official currency is the rupee.

English and Bengali are the official languages spoken.

The city's international dialling code is +91 33.