COCHIN

Cochin
Cochin is rightly known as the ‘Queen of the Arabian Sea’. This vibrant city is truly gifted by nature and this beauty of the city has been mesmerizing travelers for centuries now. Cochin is one of the most important cities of Kerala, also known as the ‘God’s Own Country’. The port of Cochin, the beautiful sea beaches and the backwaters close to the city makes the city mesmerizing. Cochin apart from being one of the major tourist spot in India is also significant economically. It is a modern cosmopolitan city in the most incredible locations on earth. This city is also the door to the state of Kerala.

History
The history of Cochin is equally fascinating like its natural beauty. This city was visited by Greeks, Romans, Jews, Arabs and Chinese. The culture and traditions of this region was significantly influenced by all these civilizations. Since the medieval ages the Europeans have settled in this city. The Portuguese and Dutch not only came here for economic came here for the economic reasons but it also influenced the politics and culture of the region. Cochin was not only famous for its natural beauty. Centuries after centuries, explorers from foreign land came here to get control over the huge amount of spices produced in the region. Among the spices, the most common is pepper or black gold. The Chinese fishing nets which are very unique to Cochin were brought here from China. These nets can be seen only in this region of the world.

Location
The city of Cochin is located on the western coat of India. The geographic coordinates of this city is 9 degree North and seventy six degree each approximately. The twin city of Cochin is Ernakulam. Very close to the city are the Vembanad Lake and the group of islets. The city is on the northern part of the state of Kerala and is quite far from Tirvandrum the state capital. Alleppy, famous for its gorgeous backwaters is just an hour’s distance from Cochin.

Weather
The city of Cochin lies very near to the equator. Like most parts of South India, this city also has a very warm climate. However, as it is a coastal city the temperature hardly becomes extremely hot. The summer temperatures and the winter temperatures are more or less similar. The annual average temperature range of Cochin is from 20 to 35 degree Celsius. The southwest monsoon winds considerable amount of rainfall from June to September. Even during the winter season, there is light rain in the city. In Cochin, you can experience about 132 days of rain in a year.

Religion
Cochin is a cosmopolitan city and as it is a major commercial center people from many religions and ethnicities come here to work. Cochin was deeply influenced by the arabs and Europeans in the medieval ages thus one can find a huge population of Muslims and Christians in this area. There are mosques, synagogues, temples and churches in the region. Some of the most significant ecclesiastical building in Cochin however, is the Jewish synagogue, Saint Francis Church and Santa Cruz Basilica.

Connectivity
Cochin is well connected by water, road and air. The port of Cochin is one of the biggest in India. There are regular ferry services from the port and passenger ships also go to Lakshwadeep and Colombo from here. Cochin also has its very own international airport, which is just 25 kilometers from the city. it is one of the largest airports of Kerala and India. Another most common mode of reaching Cochin is by train. It is well connected by Southern Railways intra city transport system. There are two railway stations of Cochin Ernakulam Junction and Ernakulam Town.

Kolkata

Kolkata
Kolkata formerly Calcutta Once the greatest colonial city in the Orient, today’s commercial and industrial hub of eastern India. A major port, Kolkata is situated on the right bank of the river Hooghly and it is one of the largest cities in the world and the capital city of the Indian state of West Bengal.

History of the city
Job Charnock, agent of East India Company anchored on the east bank of the Ganga in August 1690 to found the city. Calcutta is situated in eastern India on the east bank of the River Hooghly. There were three large villages along the east bank of the river Ganges, named, Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata that were bought by the British and the Mughal emperor permitted the East India Company to trade in return for an annual payment of Rs. 3,000/-.

The documented history of Kolkata, however, starts from the arrival of the British East India Company in 1690. After London, Kolkata was British Empire’s second city of pride. In 1772, the city was declared the capital of British India. Gradually Kolkata became the center of Indian Independence Movement. In 1905, the partition of Bengal resulted in widespread public protest and boycott of British goods. These activities, forced the British to move their capital to New Delhi in 1911.

In 2001, Calcutta was officially renamed Kolkata.

Kolkata is the “City Of Palaces” as it has been known since the 18th century. The city is a standing museum of 3000 years of architecture, with a great variety of styles.

This city has completed its three hundred years of its establishment.

The city now is a symbol of vibrance and creativity with all the modern amenities along with a leisurely life style and enduring charm.

Location
Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal, a metropolitan city is situated in eastern India at 22°33'N 88°20'E. The River Hooghly, a distributary of the River Ganga runs south through the state of West Bengal and flows into the Bay of Bengal.

Weather
The city of Kolkata is situated where the river Hooghly merges into the Bay of Bengal. Kolkata has a tropical climate and has four seasons – spring, summer, monsoon and winter.

Spring is short between mid- February to mid April with temperatures ranging between 30- 35°C. Summers from mid- April to mid- June, are hot and the humidity nears saturation with the maximum temperature exceeding 40 °C. This is the most unpleasant period of the year. The monsoons are timely and heavy with the rains lashing the city between June and September and temperatures drop to the range of 25 °C - 35°C. It rains virtually every day. Winters are the best time to visit Kolkata, starting late October to early January. The temperature around New Year’s Eve can drop to 8°C at night but never below 15°C in the daytime.

Religion
Kolkata or former Calcutta being the major hub for Business and foreign trade was the abode for people from different countries and religions which gave the city a cosmopolitan population in turn. Hindus being on the top, Muslims, Sikhs, Christians, Jains, and Parsis; Buddhists etc. make up the rest of the population. Here people of all religions reside together in harmony.

Connectivity
Kolkata enjoys a very good connectivity to the rest of the world. Reaching there is very easy as the city is well linked by Air, Rail and Road network.

The transport system of Kolkata is a mix of modern mass rapid transport and the old transport modalities like the rickshaws. The city is blessed with connections through the air, road, train and boat from almost every point of the country. Kolkata is well connected to the rest of India by the National Highways, the extensive network of the Indian Railways, and also by air. Most traffic to North-East India routes via Kolkata.

Air : The Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (IATA code: CCU) at Dum Dum (former Dum Dum airport) is the only airport in the city, operating both domestic and international flights. Most of the domestic airlines have direct services to and from Kolkata-Kolkata to other important cities of India such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Patna, Varanasi, Lucknow, Bangalore. International Airlines operating from the Airport include British Airways, KLM, Singapore Airlines, Thai, Biman, Royal Brunei Airlines and Royal Jordanian apart from Air India.
Rail : The Kolkata has a good number of express and inter-state trains connecting major cities and railway hubs in India. The Indian Railways (IR) has several divisions of which the Eastern Railway and the South Eastern Railway are headquartered in Kolkata. There are two major railway stations in Kolkata- Howrah and Sealdah. Another major terminal has been built at Chitpur. Recently another terminal at Shalimar near Howrah started operating. Some intercity express trains start from there too.
Road : Kolkata is very well linked and easily accessible by a large network of roads connecting every nook and corner of the country. Probably the most important road route of the country emerges from the city. The Grand Trunk road (G T Road) connects the city to the northern part of the country covering the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and many more. Kolkata is also a part of the renowned Golden Quadrilateral which provides seamless connectivity of the city to the other Metros of the country.
One can also avail of the other mode of conveyance such as auto rickshaw, taxi and ordinary or Deluxe or luxury coaches which are easily available and affordable too.
Ferries : The city is home to the Kolkata Port Trust which provides connectivity mainly to Port Blair. The efficient boat service of the city also connects to the important places on the other side of the river Ganges.

Local transport in Kolkata
Bus: Kolkata has an extensive network of government run and privately owned buses. One can also avail of private-owned buses which are of two types - The regular ones and the mini-buses.
Tram: Kolkata is the only city in India to have a tram network. Trams are operated by the Calcutta Tramways Company, a government of West Bengal Undertaking, popularly called CTC.
Taxi: In Kolkata pre-paid taxis are very easily available. In recent past only air-conditioned cabs that are known as "Blue-Arrow” introduced in the city.
Rickshaws and Auto-rickshaws: Rickshaws and auto rickshaws can be more commonly spotted in and around the city.
Metro: Kolkata’s pride, India’s as well as South Asia’s first metro (under ground railway) was introduced in 1984 that connects between southern and northern part of the city between Tollygunge and Dumdum. The track passes through the heart of the city. Some stations are well decorated with art works based on themes related to local area.