Three hundred years ago, the city of Kolkata was born on the banks of the River Hoogly The gateway to the mystic east, the story of the city dates back to job Charnok and his chance mid-day halt near the quaint little village of Sutanuti, a sparkle of green on the horizon, which promised repose to a tired British sailor.
It was of course much later that the villages of Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata were united to form the city of Calcutta, a British trading post which was destined to shape centuries of Indian history Acity of Nawabs and palaces, of Zamindars and baijis, of muiras and mushairas, of artists and craftsmen, it was the repository of a rich artistic tradition. Over the years Kolkata thrived and became an important centre of the British Raj, a leading centre of commerce and a port of call for east bound vessels.
The exquisitely delicate Victoria Memorial shining in the afternoon sunlight, the majestic facade of the Calcutta Museum, the gracefully sloping temple roofs of the Dakshineshwar Kalibari and the delicacy of the style of the Bengal School of painting reveal the rich diversity of the Bengali artistic heritage. Patronised by the wealthy ahd cultured connoisseurs, Kolkata had become a social and cultural capital, a Paris of the East. Gateway to the orient, it is where any journey to the East begins.