National Library

Kiddepore Docks

South Kolkata (Calcutta) is mainly a residential area. Alipore is one of the nicer neighborhoods of Kolkata (Calcutta). Alipore is also the district headquarters of 24 Parganas (South). It’s a mixture of residential and commercial areas.

The Zoological Gardens popularly known as the Alipore Zoo is one of the main attractions of Alipore. It was inaugurated in 1876 by the Prince of Wales and is spread over an area of 41 acres. Next to the zoo is the Belvedere House, which was formerly the Viceroy’s (Lieutenant Governor of Bengal) residence. It now houses the National Library, India’s largest library. Nearby is the Agri Horticultural Society Gardens which was founded in 1820 by William Carey.

The Taj Bengal Hotel, a luxury hotel of the Tata group is just opposite the zoo. Though there are many bungalows housing the rich and the famous, expensive apartments have also mushroomed all around. Alipore also boasts of some of the top private hospitals of the city.
 

IIM, Joka
Kalighat Temple	Pat-Chitra

West of Alipore are localities like Kidderpore and Garden Reach. The Kiddepore docks form part of the Kolkata (Calcutta) port. Situated on the river Hooghly, the port is one of India’s major ports. South of Alipore is New Alipore and next to it is Taratolla. While New Alipore is primarily residential, Taratolla has several major industries. Further south there are areas like Behala, Sarsuna and Joka. Of late, rapid urbanization has taken place along both sides of the Diamond Harbour Road.

The Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata, is India’s premier management institute. It is located in the southern suburb of Joka.

The Kalighat Pat Paintings is a style of painting developed in Kalighat around the year 1820. The Kalighat Temple is one of the pithasthans of India. Hindus believe that the little toe of Sati (wife of Lord Shiva) fell in this place. Since then it has been an important pilgrimage site. The present Kali temple was built in 1809 by the Subarna Roychowdhury family on the site of an ancient temple. It is an important pilgrimage center.

Royal Calcutta Golf Club

TV Center

Jadavpur University

Dakshinapan

South of the Prince Anwar Shah Road is Tollygunge. Tollygunge is home to two golf courses. The Royal Calcutta Golf Club is the oldest golf club outside the UK. The nearby Tollygunge Club also has a golf course. The Metro Rail has its terminus in Tollygunge but there are plans to extend it further south upto Garia. The bengali film industry is also based in Tollygunge. Many film studios and houses of film personalities are located in and around the Tollygunge area.

Next to Prince Anwar Shah Road is another important locality of South Kolkata (Calcutta), the Golf Green. Golf Green, situated very next to Jadavpur, is mostly a residential area housing lots of apartment buildings. The Kolkata (Calcutta) Television Center, called Doordarshan Kolkata is also located here in the precints.

Jadavpur is one of the major southern suburbs of Kolkata (Calcutta). Several of the city’s institutes are located in Jadavpur around the Raja S C Mullick Road. The Jadavpur University, the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, the Indian Institute of Chemical Biology, the Regional Computer Centre are some of the establishments in Jadavpur. Dr CV Raman (1888-1970)discovered the Raman effect while working in the Indian Institute for the Cultivation of Science. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for physics in 1930.

South Kolkata (Calcutta) although essentially a residential area, houses a few corporate houses like Indian Oil which have taken up offices in commercial complexes like Dakhinapan, which is situated at Dhakuria. This complex also houses a shopping center and a theater called Madhusudan Mancha. Nearby, the Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture at Golpark is an important institution of the city.

Rabindra Sarobar
Birla Mandir	Mangal Madhav
Birla Mandir by night

Rabindra Sarobar or the Lakes as it is popularly named, is a large public park beside a lake in South Kolkata (Calcutta). It has several rowing clubs, a stadium a cultural complex, known as Nazrul Mancha, formerly known as Open Air Theater, and a children’s park. Dr Meghnad Saha Sarani formerly known as Southern Avenue forms the northern boundary of the park. Rows of apartment buildings overlooking the lake line this tree lined avenue. Not far away is the Bijon Setu which connects the eastern suburbs to Gariahat.

The Mangal Madhav (Lord Krishna) is probably the tallest statue in Kolkata (Calcutta). It is situated behind the Birla Academy of Arts and Culture, The Birla Academy of Arts and Culture on Dr Meghnad Saha Sarani, overlooks the lake. It is one of the best in the nation. The Birla Mandir on Ashutosh Chowdhury Avenue, is a beautiful orissan style temple situated in Ballygunge, South Kolkata (Calcutta). The Birla Industrial and Technological Museum, another important landmark, is located on Gurusaday Road, Ballygunge.