Things to do in Kolkata (Calcutta) – A Deep Tour of The City of Joy

Few cities deliver a sensory experience quite like Kolkata. In this deep travel tour for One Planet Journey, travel writer Anthony Kingsley peels back the layers of India’s former capital, revealing the contradictions, complexities and colour that make it unforgettable. If you’re wondering what not to miss in the “City of Joy,” this journey through wrestling pits, riverside rituals, and the soul-stirring celebration of Durga Puja offers a fresh and deeply immersive look at the best things to do in Kolkata.

Calcutta, modern day Kolkata, has earned a number of nicknames, from Kipling’s City of Dreadful Night to Dominique Lapierre’s The City of Joy. Other titles include the City of Palaces, the cultural capital of India and the City of Revolutionaries. While on a guided tour, my guide described Kolkata as the City of Romantic Chaos. 

It is perhaps all of these, a city difficult to pin down, a place of stories and of contradictions. It’s given us the Black Hole and Mother Teresa. Its once grand buildings are falling into disrepair. They hint at tales of lost wealth and importance, but still retain a sense of grandeur, maybe even a dash of romantic chaos. 

Why do they call it KolKata (Calcutta)? 

Mystery and argument shroud its origins. Until 2003, the official version was that Job Charnock, an agent of the East India Company, founded the city. He purchased three villages on the East bank of the Ganges: Sutanuti, Gubindergur and Kalikata to create his new city.

Did the Hindu Goddess Kali lend the city her name? Or is it because it is next to a Khal, or canal? Perhaps you prefer the linguistic explanation. They manufactured shell lime here. Kali means lime and Kata burnt shell. 

Or the story that Charnock asked a local for the name of the place. The local misunderstood what he had asked, thinking Charnock referred to when he had harvested his field. He answered “Karl Kaata,” or I cut it yesterday. 

And then in 2003 the Calcutta High Court ruled Charnock had not founded the city, and that therefore the City has no official birthday.

From these humble beginnings, Calcutta grew to become the second city of the British Empire between 1722 and 1911, a City of Palaces. 

It became India’s most important trading port. Traders arrived from China and Armenia, France, Portugal and, of course, Great Britain, bringing foods and religions, culture and learning.

It’s a big, multi-faceted city, full of contradictions. It can be hard for the casual visitor to properly get to grips with it, let alone gain a meaningful understanding of what makes it tick. And so it is a city where it is important to take a guided tour with a local guide who is passionate about sharing his or her love for the city. Facts and figures are not enough for deep travellers looking for true, immersive things to do in Kolkata. 

Things to do in Kolkata: The Best Guided Walks 

Looking at some of the suggested itineraries of things to do in Kolkata, the tour companies give the visitor an idea of the size and different aspects of the city. 

The walk by Calcutta Walks, in the footsteps of the Raj, gives an insight into the colonial city of the British Empire. It covers the Victoria Memorial and Dalhousie Square, and the so-called White City. The company offers another one along Park Street, the “Capital Street” of the Capital City, the City that never sleeps. 

They celebrate the melting pot of cultures between Chinese, Armenians, Anglo Indians, Muslims, and various indigenous people. 

We walk through the Black City, the grubby side of the city, for a glimpse into traditional Bengali culture. 

They offer street food tours and tours of China Town. There is a River Cruise along the Hooghly River, as they call this part of the Ganges. 

Immersive Trails provide walks into some of the lesser visited areas of the City such as Little Lucknow. They take us through the Kalikut Chronicles, storytelling at its best.

Calcutta Walks 

I opted for a guided walk from Calcutta Walks, organised through my accommodation, the Calcutta Bungalow. This is a traditional building of 4 stories and not a bungalow at all. We are indeed in the City of Contradictions. 

I decided against the classic Walk through the Raj, perhaps through suppressed feelings of guilt over some of the failings of the Raj. I had eaten a lot of street food, so I opted, with some reluctance, not to choose a food walk – so often my first choice for a guided tour. 

From Flowers to Potters 

It was the Bringing the Goddess to Earth, from the Flower Market to Kumartuli which caught my eye, and which I booked. It would give me a deep insight into just one small part of a vast city. Perhaps a thorough immersion in a small pool is better than skimming over a large lake, as there are plenty of things to do in Kolkata.

The cost for a walk is usually about 2500 rupees, but there is a requirement for two persons, or a minimum cost of 5000 rupees. 

I met with my guide, Vedant Karia, and we immediately headed towards the Flower Market under the Hooghly Bridge. 

As we approached the bridge, the heady aroma from the flowers assaulted my nostrils. Being relatively early in the morning meant that the Kolkata heat was still quite manageable. We descended the steps into a sea of orange marigolds, a mass of red and yellow, and yet more orange. The market sells some 10,000,000 flowers daily for religious ceremonies, funerals, temples, and even some for export. 

We took one of the side exits and approached the river with its fine view of the bridge and people washing beside it.

The mud wrestlers of Kolkata 

This is also where you find Kolkata’s sole remaining Akhara, where wrestlers, or Pehlawans, practice the ancient sport of Kushti. It is a square wrestling arena, but this is India, so it’s all loaded with symbolism and meaning. 

The Akhara is a holy place where wrestlers may not enter unless they are wearing the langot, an orange loincloth. When donning their langot, the wrestler makes a promise to treat every woman with respect, the same afforded to their mother or sister.  

The Akhara is a place of inclusivity, where anyone may participate, irrespective of caste or religion. It requires discipline and focus, almost a symbol for Kolkata itself. 

The mud on the floor is no ordinary mud. It comes from the Ganges to which they add neem, turmeric, ghee, mustard oil, and milk. It helps the wrestlers with grip and traction, but is also part of a holy place. 

We returned to the flower market, but then had to hurry across the bridge to catch the ferry along the river. Most of India seems to operate off a more relaxed “India time.” This ferry, however, always leaves on time and with quite a wait until the next one. We just hopped on board in time and headed up towards the Black City. 

The best chai in Kolkata 

We paused for breakfast at a roadside eatery where Vedant told me I would be able to taste the best chai in the whole of Kolkata. He was not wrong. I am not a great lover of chai, but this I found exceptional, well balanced and with a wonderful flavour. The vendor pours it from pan to pan to cool it down. She then serves the drink in small clay pots fashioned from the sacred clay of the Ganges banks. It surprised me to learn that I should put my empty pot into a bin. The vendor empties the bin back into the Ganges at the end of the day. The ultimate single use, recyclable containers. 

We wandered past some impressive houses, a mish mash of architectural styles, from Roman to Venetian with a little bit of local thrown in. Wealthy locals tried to ingratiate among themselves to their colonial rulers by copying some of their building styles. It is an odd mix, but somehow it works in this city of contradictions. 

One of these houses, glimpsed through the trees, has a reputation for being haunted. The story goes that a wealthy merchant installed his mistress in the house. He promised her that soon he would leave his wife and live with her. The years passed as he visited regularly. He would bring dolls for the children he fathered and more promises about leaving the wife. Now, as you pass at night, you might hear the children weeping and the dolls laughing. 

Next, to Kumartuli and the reason I had chosen this tour of things to do in Kolkata over the others. 

The Story of Durga Puja 

Durga Puja is one of the most important Hindu festivals in India, particularly in West Bengal and Kolkata. The festival celebrates the Goddess Durga and her victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasura. It represents the ultimate triumph of good over evil. She descends to earth every year for 5 days before returning from when she came.

It has developed from being a religious celebration organised by the wealthy Zamindars on their Rajbari, an ostentatious show of their wealth designed to impress, into something far more. It celebrates life, renewal, and artistic creation. UNESCO recognised the festival in 2021 on their list of Intangible Cultural Heritage. 

Durga Puja embodies female strength and courage as a destroyer of evil forces and the importance of self discipline (which ties in with the Pehlawans in the Akhara).

The potters of Kumartuli will fashion the idols used for the festival from mud from the Ganges, to which they add cow dung and other ingredients.

Kumartuli, The Essence of Kolkata?

Durga Puja is a festival for everyone, and it is this multi-inclusiveness that is key to understanding Kolkata.

The first day of the festival is the most important, in which the Goddess descends. This is when the most senior potters will paint in the eyes of the Goddess.  

Temporary installations, known as Pandals, will pop up, planned around different themes and messages. The Pandals really emphasise the creativity and culture that is associated with the festival.

The final day, Maha Dashani, is when the potters return their icons to the Ganges to float away. In so doing, they return the materials to the place from which they came, just as the Goddess returns.

Durga Puja is not just a religious festival, it represents a celebration of all that is good in life, creativity, family values, a time for renewal and for forgiving. Although it is a festival celebrated throughout India, it perhaps represents the Kolkata that this city wishes to be.

Have you been to this part of India? What things did you do when visiting Kolkata? Let us know in the comments. Subscribe to our newsletter and benefit from travel guides, sustainable tourism and luxury travel tips, insightful interviews, and inspirational places to visit. One Planet Journey – The World’s First Deep Travel Magazine.