Riverside

The Hooghly

The reason the city is here, and the thing it keeps its back to.

Known for
The river itself, ferries, ghats, hilsa
Best hour
Six in the morning, on a ferry, in December
Walk
55 min, 5 stops
A country boat on the Hooghly at sunset, Vidyasagar Setu behind

A western distributary of the Ganga that made the city, has been trying to silt itself shut for two centuries, and is dredged and flushed daily to prevent it.

01

Photographs

Photographs of the quarter. Open one to see it full size.

02

Must-see buildings

  • Howrah Bridge →

    1943, cantilever, riveted. 705 metres.

  • Vidyasagar Setu

    1992. Cable-stayed, 823 metres, and the second bridge.

  • Vivekananda Setu

    1932. The Bally bridge, road and rail, in the north.

  • Kolkata Port, Kidderpore Docks

    1780s onwards. Still working, though the big ships go to Haldia.

03

Where to eat

  • Jhalmuri on the ferry

    Any crossing

    Sold on board, in a paper cone.

  • Hilsa, June to September

    Any Bengali kitchen

    Shorshe ilish. Watch for bones.

  • Tea at the ghat

    Babughat, Bagbazar, Ahiritola

    Clay cup, before six.

04

Things to see

  1. 01

    The Howrah–Kolkata ferry at dawn

    Ten minutes, five rupees, and the best commute in India.

  2. 02

    Immersion on Dashami

    Babughat and Bagbazar Ghat. Thousands of idols, all night.

  3. 03

    Mullick Ghat Flower Market

    From four in the morning, under the bridge.

  4. 04

    A Gangetic dolphin

    Rare, and getting rarer. Look near Prinsep Ghat at dusk.

05

Stories

Where this sits

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27 quarters · pinch or use + / − to zoom

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