My Town

Howrah is Kolkata’s twin city. With a population of 1,008,704 (2001 census) it is the second largest city of West Bengal and functions as the headquarters of the Howrah district. The city is an important industrial and trading center. Howrah serves as a major rail and road transportation hub for the Kolkata metropolitan region. Like Kolkata, Howrah has developed in a north south axis along the G.T. Road and the Andul Road.

Two important National Highways - NH-2 and NH-6 link Howrah (and Kolkata) to the rest of the country. The busy Rabindra Setu or Howrah Bridge connects the city to Kolkata’s Burrabazar. A second bridge - the Vidyasagar Setu connects south Howrah to the Kolkata Maidan. The Kona Expressway links Vidyasagar Setu to NH-2 and NH-6.

The Howrah Railway Station is one of the largest in the world with rail connections to all major Indian cities and towns. Howrah Station also serves as an important terminus for the suburban railway services of the Eastern and the South Eastern Railway.

One of the main tourist attractions of the city is the Indian Botanical Gardens, in south Howrah. The banyan tree here has one of the largest canopies in the world. Adjacent to the B. Garden is the Bengal Engineering College which is the country’s second oldest technical institute and is a deemed university.

The Belur Math, founded by Swami Vivekananda , the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Mission, is situated in Belur, north Howrah. The complex has a several educational institutes and the famous Ramakrishna temple. Central Howrah has an open area known as the Howrah Maidan. It is the site of a small stadium, a swimming complex and a modern auditorium - Sarat Sadan. Howrah Maidan is also the site of the Asia’s largest weekly textile market known as the Mangla Haat.

The Howrah district is not just accessible by air, rail and road but by water transport also.

BY AIR - Kolkata happens to be the nearest airport to Howrah. The airport caters to the travel needs of the domestic as well as the foreign tourists.

BY RAIL - In terms of rail transport the Howrah Railway Station - one of the largest railway terminals in the world, connects several major towns and cities of India to Howrah.

BY ROAD - The excellent road network links Howrah with the other major destinations. The National Highways number 2 and 6 connect Howrah with the rest of the country. For the transportation across the Hoogly River there are the Howrah Bridge and the Vidyasagar Setu. The Vidyasagr Setu is often referred to as the Second Hoogly Bridge.

BY WATER - Besides these means of transportation the regular ferry services between the east and the west banks of the Hoogly River navigate the commuters.