Rabindra Sarovar

Kolkata (Calcutta)


The lakes here prettily reflect hazy sunrises, while middle-class Kolkatans jog, row and meditate around the tree-shaded parkland that was once the site of an Allied Forces medical camp during WWII. Some form circles to do group yoga routines culminating in forced, raucous laugh-ins, engagingly described by Tony Hawks as Laughing Clubs in The Weekenders: Adventures in Calcutta. Young lovebirds match the park's avian residents in numbers, and street musicians enthral listeners with soulful tunes, mostly on weekends.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kolkata (Calcutta) attractions

1. Birla Academy of Art & Culture

0.08 MILES

This multistorey gallery displays frequently changing exhibitions from contemporary Indian and international artists. There's also an auditorium to the…

2. Experimenter

0.75 MILES

Experimenter is a relatively small contemporary art gallery, but its avant-garde exhibitions are about as cutting edge as anything you'll find in Kolkata…

3. Kalighat Temple

1 MILES

This ancient Kali temple is Kolkata’s holiest spot for Hindus, and possibly the source of the city’s name. Today’s version is the 1809 rebuild, with…

4. Shahnagar Burning Ghat

1.02 MILES

Overlooking the putrid Tolly's Nullah stream, this burning ghat hosts an impressive cluster of monuments to local celebrities who have been cremated here…

5. Nirmal Hriday

1.05 MILES

Mother (St) Teresa’s famous (if surprisingly small) home for the dying was originally based out of this Kalighat pilgrim hostel. Its roof corners are…

6. Kalighat Idol-makers

1.19 MILES

There's a fascinating group of idol-makers' workshops where Kalighat Rd curves north from Hazra Rd. Figurines sculpted here are much smaller than those in…

7. Birla Mandir

1.36 MILES

A graceful 20th-century structure built in cream-coloured sandstone, this temple is consecrated to the Hindu gods Narayan (Vishnu) and his wife Lakshmi…

8. CIMA

1.4 MILES

A cutting-edge contemporary-art gallery located on the 2nd floor of an upmarket South Kolkata building complex, CIMA is a great place to check out works…