Kolkata - Bengal Tigers

KOLKATA CITY TOUR

Kolkata  is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, 80 km (50 mi) west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary financial and commercial center of eastern and northeastern India.Kolkata is the seventh most populous city of India with an estimated city proper population of 4.5 million (0.45 crore)It is the centre of the Kolkata Metropolitan Region, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world with a population of over 15 million (1.5 crore) residents. Kolkata is the de facto cultural capital of India and historically and culturally significant city in the historic region of Bengal.It is the second largest Bengali-speaking city in the world. It has the highest number of Nobel laureates among all cities in India.

The three villages that predated Calcutta were ruled by the Nawab of Bengal under Mughal suzerainty. After the Nawab granted the East India Company a trading licence in 1690, the area was developed by the Company into Fort William. Nawab Siraj ud-Daulah occupied the fort in 1756 but was defeated at the Battle of Plassey in 1757, after his general Mir Jafar mutinied in support of the Company, and was later made the Nawab for a brief time.Under company and later crown rule, Calcutta served as the de facto capital of India until 1911. Calcutta was the second largest city in the British Empire, after London, and was the center of bureaucracy, politics, law, education, science and the arts in India. The city was associated with many of the figures and movements of the Bengali Renaissance. It was the hotbed of the Indian nationalist movement. The University of Calcutta and its affiliated colleges produced many leading figures of South Asia.

Kolkata's architecture includes many imperial landmarks, including the Victoria Memorial, Howrah Bridge and the Grand Hotel. The city's heritage includes India's only Chinatown and remnants of Jewish, Armenian, Greek and Anglo-Indian communities. The city is closely linked with Bhadralok culture and the Zamindars of Bengal, including Bengali Hindu, Bengali Muslim and tribal aristocrats. The partition of Bengal affected the fortunes of the city. In the late 20th century, the city hosted the government-in-exile of Bangladesh during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971; it built India's first subway; and it was overtaken by Mumbai (formerly Bombay) as India's largest city. The Port of Kolkata is India's oldest operating port. The city is often regarded as India's cultural capital.

Following independence in 1947, Kolkata, which was once the premier centre of Indian commerce, culture, and politics, suffered many decades of political violence and economic stagnation before it rebounded. The city was also flooded with Hindu refugees from East Bengal (present-day Bangladesh) in the decades following the 1947 partition of India, transforming its landscape and shaping its politics.A demographically diverse city, the culture of Kolkata features idiosyncrasies that include distinctively close-knit neighbourhoods (paras) and freestyle conversations (adda). Kolkata is home to venerable institutions of national importance, including the Academy of Fine Arts, the Asiatic Society, the Indian Museum and the National Library of India. It is the center of the Indian Bengali film industry, which is known as Tollywood. Among scientific institutions, Kolkata hosts the Geological Survey of India, the Botanical Survey of India, the Calcutta Mathematical Society, the Indian Science Congress Association, the Zoological Survey of India, the Horticultural Society, the Institution of Engineers, the Anthropological Survey of India and the Indian Public Health Association. Four Nobel laureates and two Nobel Memorial Prize winners are associated with the city.Though home to major cricketing venues and franchises, Kolkata stands out in India for being the country's centre of association football. Kolkata is known for its grand celebrations of the Hindu festival of Durga Puja, which is recognized by UNESCO for its importance to world heritage.Hence, Kolkata is also known as the 'City of Joy'

SUNDERBAN NATIONAL PARK

 Sundarban National Park in West Bengal, the tiger makes his round with an unmatched stealth and grace. The air feels wet and damp, while the silence is interrupted by the melodious singing of birds and roar of motor boats. Inside these world’s largest mangrove forests, creeks and tributaries form an intricate system of networks. Sometimes, they meet each other, and at others, wander off elsewhere. Tourists out on a boat ride are given their money’s worth while crossing them. Even though you are unaware, the big cat and saltwater crocodile observe you at all times, watching every step you make. However, sometimes, look up, as there is action on the trees too. A variety of birds, from brahminy kite to whistling teals, call this their home, and declare that from time to time with a loud cry, song or chirp.

The Sunderban National Park is many things at once, a biosphere reserve, national park and tiger reserve, such is the richness of this mangrove ecosystem. What we commonly call Sunderbans is actually a large delta spread across 40,000 sq. km between India and Bangladesh! Just to give you an idea of how vast it really is, consider this. It stretches from River Hooghly in West Bengal, India, all the way to River Baleswar in Bangladesh. In this UNESCO World Heritage Site (it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987), the mangrove trees stand lazily on the mudflats, which are visible during low tides, and submerged in height tide. Its name means “beautiful forests” in the local language, and it is not hard to figure why. Another reasons are the Sundari trees, which are dominant in this mangrove area. Their uniqueness lies in their roots which shoot upwards for respiration, particularly during waterlogging during monsoons.

RIVER CRUISE

 Explore the mesmerizing Sundarbans cruising through its dense forest in web of rivers network and backwaters.  River cruise offers an exclusive cruise tour experience, which provides adventure with subtly included modern amenities. Catering to guests who wish to immerse themselves in the world’s largest mangrove forest, our Sundarban tour  ensure a memorable journey.

MANGROVE FOREST

Mangrove forests, also called mangrove swamps, mangrove thickets or mangals, are productive wetlands that occur in coastal intertidal zones. Mangrove forests grow mainly at tropical and subtropical latitudes because mangroves cannot withstand freezing temperatures. There are about 80 different species of mangroves, all of which grow in areas with low-oxygen soil, where slow-moving waters allow fine sediments to accumulate

Many mangrove forests can be recognised by their dense tangle of prop roots that make the trees appear to be standing on stilts above the water. This tangle of roots allows the trees to handle the daily rise and fall of tides, as most mangroves get flooded at least twice per day. The roots slow the movement of tidal waters, causing sediments to settle out of the water and build up the muddy bottom. Mangrove forests stabilise the coastline, reducing erosion from storm surges, currents, waves, and tides. The intricate root system of mangroves also makes these forests attractive to fish and other organisms seeking food and shelter from predators.

Mangrove forests live at the interface between the land, the ocean, and the atmosphere, and are centres for the flow of energy and matter between these systems. They have attracted much research interest because of the various ecological functions of the mangrove ecosystems, including runoff and flood prevention, storage and recycling of nutrients and wastes, cultivation and energy conversion.The forests are major blue carbon systems, storing considerable amounts of carbon in marine sediments, thus becoming important regulators of climate change. Marine microorganisms are key parts of these mangrove ecosystems. However, much remains to be discovered about how mangrove microbiomes contribute to high ecosystem productivity and efficient cycling of elements.