Kolkata Maidan - India

By -
The word "Maidan" in Hindi language literally means "open field". There could be various types of tourist sites such as parks, wild life santuaries, gardens, amusement parks, temples, lakes, beach, hill stations, etc. Perhaps Kolkata (located in India) is the only major city having "maidan" as an important tourist site.

Maidan is located at the heart of Kolkata city. A lot of important Government buildings and tourist sites such as Victoria Memorial, St. Paul's Cathedral and Birla Planetarium are located around maidan. The historical importance of maidan and the location are the two important factors for maidan to become a popular tourist site.

Maidan
It is definitely a boon for the otherwise congested city. To get the status of tourist site, it also has historical significance. In 1758 CE, after the victory at battle of Plassey, the British started constructing the Fort William to avoid the invasion from the enemies. After building the fort in 1773 CE, the British cleared the area surrounding the fort. The cleared area is now called as maidan. This huge open ground has also witnessed a lot of historically important political rallies after independence.

Happy travelling.




Fast Facts:
Site Name: Maidan
Site Type: Ground
Location:  Kolkata city, West Bengal state, India 
Highlights: One of the most important tourist sites in Kolkata
Nearest Railway Station: Kolkata - well connected from the cities/towns all over India
Nearest Airport: Kolkata has both national and international airports
How to reach: Easily reachable from Kolkata
Hotel: Many star hotels, luxury hotels/resorts, and budget hotels are available in Kolkata
Restaurants: All options - vegetarian, non-vegetarian, Chinese, South Indian, Gujarati, North Indian, Punjabi,....- you can find everything in Kolkata city


View Larger Map

Comments

  1. Amanda KendleSaturday, July 09, 2011

    Always like tips on finding green places in cities - I do love cities but I need a bit of time out sometimes.
    And I love the name of your blog!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Indian ColumbusSaturday, July 09, 2011

    Thanks Amanda.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Tallest Murugan of Chennai

By -
Image
Consecrated in March 2021, the 40 feet high Bala Murugan icon at Saveetha Medical College campus is the tallest image of Murugan in Chennai. Malaysia has 140 feet tall Murugan. In April 2022, the 146 feet tall image of Murugan was consecrated near Salem in Tamil Nadu. However, they are all stucco images. But, the one that we find on the college campus is a monolithic granite icon. Thus, it is the tallest stone icon of Murugan in the entire world. A stone weighing 320 tonnes was brought from Siruvambur near Wallajah, and it was carved to 140 tonnes to get this beautiful and gigantic sculpture. The entire temple complex is designed in the shape of the Devanagiri letter "Om", which can be appreciated in the aerial view.  The west-facing gigantic sculpture is located atop the star-shaped pedestal. It dominates the entire landscape. A large meditation hall is situated below the pedestal. On the open corridor in front of the presiding deity, smaller shrines are found. They enshrine...
Read more

Little known Nimishamba Temple of Chennai

By -
Image
Site Name:  Nimishamba Temple Site Type:  Hindu Temple Location:   Kasi Chetty Street, Sowcarpet, Chennai city, Tamil Nadu state, India Highlights:   A rare temple of Nimishamba in Chennai city Nearest Railway Station:   Chennai - well connected from the cities/towns all over India Nearest Airport:   Chennai has both national and international airports How to reach:   Easily reachable by road as this is centrally located in the city Hotel:  Many star hotels, luxury hotels/resorts, and budget hotels are available in Chennai Restaurants:  All options - vegetarian, non-vegetarian, Chinese, South Indian, Gujarati, North Indian, Punjabi,....- you can find everything in Chennai city Chennai is considered as the gateway to South India. The capital city of Tamil Nadu state of India has hundreds of tourist sites which include museum, British period monuments, temples, beach, etc. Let us explore a little known temple called Nimisham...
Read more

Hastinapuram Navapashanam Murugan Temple

By -
Image
Navapashanam is an amalgam of nine poisonous herbs. It is said to act as a remedy for all types of diseases. It is believed that the Siddhas knew the secret formula to prepare this medicinal potion.  The sculpture of Murugan from the famous Palani is claimed to be made of Navapashanam. Similarly, there is a lesser-known temple near Chennai, which has a Navapashanam Murugan. In Hastinapuram near Chrompet in the southern outskirts of Chennai, in a congested lane called Masjid Street, this tiny temple of Bala Murugan is situated. Murugan, made of Navapashanam, is the presiding deity.  Jalakandeeswara Linga, Meenakshi, and the Siddha who found this temple are the other Murtis found in the temple. Happy travelling.
Read more