Kolkata/Western Suburbs
The Western Suburbs of Kolkata are historically part of an industrial area surrounding the city. It consists of towns like Chanditala, Dankuni, Konnagar, Rishra and Uttarpara.
Understand
The Western Suburbs once boasted of sylvan peace, beautiful buildings, an epitome of great architectural works and were steeped in cultural heritage. Uttarpara was once a leading automobile manufacturing hub of India, producing some of the famous car models of all time. However, as the industry declined in West Bengal in the 1980s, so did the industrial suburbs of Kolkata. However, Dankuni remains an important manufacturing hubs of the state.
Get in
See
- đ Abanindranath Tagore's Baganbari. It was once the residence of Abanindranath Tagore, nephew of Rabindranath Tagore and one of the famous artists of Bengal.
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- đ Hind Motor. India's first car factory, and the manufacturing site of the iconic Hindustan Ambassador, once one of the most common car models plying on the city streets in India. However, the popularity of the Ambassador has declined with the rise of numerous automobile giants in the country. As the production of the Ambassador was scrapped, the Hind Motor plant was closed in 2014.
- đ Uttarpara Jaykrishna Public Library. The oldest library in India and Asia. It contains some old and rare volumes of periodicals in both Bengali and English, including Digdarshan.
Temples
- đ Baro Mandir Ghat (āĻŦāĻžāĻ°ā§ āĻŽāĻ¨ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻ° āĻāĻžāĻ BÄro Mandir GhÄáš), Konnagar. A row of 12 Shiva temples along the Hooghly River. It is one of the rare urban spaces in West Bengal where Charak Puja is still performed.
- Pancharatna Temple (āĻĒāĻā§āĻāĻ°āĻ¤ā§āĻ¨ āĻŽāĻ¨ā§āĻĻāĻŋāĻ° PaÃącaratna Mandir), Uttarpara. Possibly the only surviving terracotta temple in Uttarpara.
Do
Buy
The Western Suburbs have an extensive fruit and vegetable market, which is visited by people from the nearby areas. The market is famous for its affordable prices.