Northern Suburbs

The Northern Suburbs (উত্তর শহরতলি Uttar Śahartali) of Kolkata consist of the large urbanised industrial area to the north of the city. It is home to the city's sole international airport, Dakshineswar Kali Temple, and several other temples and heritage sites. It is also an important food and leisure hub in West Bengal, having a lot of international fast-food chains and shopping malls.

Understand

The Northern Suburbs are divided into four areas: Baranagar, Cossipore-Belgachia, Dum Dum, Kamarhati, and Rajarhat Gopalpur (VIP Road area, not to be confused with New Town). Each area consists of numerous neighbourhoods like Baguiati, Belgachia, Birati, Chitpur, Cossipore, Dakshineswar, Dum Dum Park, Dunlop, Kaikhali, Kestopur, Nagerbazar, Sinthee and Teghoria.

Though the suburbs are considered "bedroom communities", they retain their own culture and even separate governance. Except Cossipore-Belgachia, which is a part of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), the rest of the area is covered by six urban local bodies.

History

In the 17th century, Dutch merchants set up a residence at Baranagar and made it a large business hub at that time, and the centre of the jute industry. SInce then, the Northern Suburbs became a major industrial centre for the manufacture of agricultural and industrial machinery, chemicals, castor oil, several jute products, matches, and numerous cotton-processing companies.

Other than industry, the suburbs also had a military history. The British Raj had a major arsenal at Dum Dum which manufactured, among other things, expanding bullets which are still sometimes called "dum-dum bullets". They were later banned in warfare by the Hague Convention as being "too inhumane".

Dum Dum, along with Barrackpore, was a major centre of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. It is rumoured that the paper cartridges provided to Indian soldiers were laced with pig lard or cow fat, resulting to the revolt of the soldiers in Dum Dum Cantonment. However, the importance of Dum Dum in military declined by the late 1920s when Dum Dum Cantonment was closed down and became a municipality.

After the partition of India in 1947, the suburban areas began teeming with millions of refugees from East Pakistan, and most of them were converted into planned townships.

Due to the rise of trade unionism in the 1970s and 80s, the industry of West Bengal, including the Northern Suburbs of Kolkata, faced decline.

Dakshineswar

Dakshineswar (দক্ষিণেশ্বর Dakṣiṇeśbar) is home to one of the most important religious shrines for Hindus and people from all over the world visit Dakshineswar Kali Temple every day in numbers. Along with the Kali temple, there are other important Hindu temples like the Adyapeath temple, Sarada Math and so on.

Dum Dum

Dum Dum (দমদম Damdam) is is home to Kolkata's only international airport.

With the growth of Dum Dum Airport (later Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport), the suburb transforms into a major transport hub of Greater Kolkata, alongside Howrah, Esplanade and Sealdah. The Kolkata Circular Railway has a terminus at Dum Dum Junction railway station, which is connected with metro and bus routes.

Get in

The Northern Suburbs have a well transport chain for travelling, especially near Dakshineswar, Dum Dum, and the VIP Road area.

By train

The Northern Suburbs are best visited by local trains. They have one of the most extensive suburban railway coverage compared to the inner parts of the city, where only  Circular  dominates. Local trains to North Suburban stations and beyond depart from Sealdah North and Main terminals. Sealdah–Ranaghat line is the main line of this district. A branch line runs from 1 Dum Dum  Chord Link  Eastern  to Bangaon. The Calcutta Chord Link Line  Chord Link  runs from Dum Dum to Dankuni, on Howrah–Bardhaman Chord line.

By metro

Line  1  runs along the CC Link Line, with stops at Dum Dum, Noapara, Baranagar, and Dakshineswar. Line  4  is under construction, and will connect Noapara to the airport.

By car

The Northern Suburbs have several highways that connect Kolkata to other parts of West Bengal. The main roads to enter the area from inner Kolkata include Barrackpore Trunk Road (BT Road, SH 1), Jessore Road, and VIP Road (Kazi Nazrul Islam Sarani). Belghoria Expressway connects the airport area to the rest of West Bengal.

By ferry

• 2 Dakshineswar Ghat. You can enjoy a 20-30 minutes boating ride from Dakshineswar to Belur Math. Sunset on the Hooghly river behind Vivekananda Setu from the bank is superb. In winter you will enjoy the most with the set of dusk and chill wind blowing over your body. (updated Oct 2022)
• 3 Kuthi Ghat, Baranagar. A palace on the banks of river Hooghly, established by Dutch merchants in the 17th century, as Dutch Kuthi, one of the heritage sites of Kolkata. The place was named "Kuthi Ghat" after the palace. (updated Nov 2022)

See

• 1 Basri Shah Mosque. The oldest mosque in Kolkata, dating back to 1804. (updated Apr 2023)
• 2 Belgachia Villa (Paikpara Rajbari), 64B, Khudiram Bose Sarani, Belgachia. A large garden house. Prince Dwarkanath Tagore bought it from an Italian around 1823. In 1846, when he died in England it was discovered that he was heavily in debt due to his extravagant spending. To pay off his debts, his son Debendranath sold Belgachia Villa and other properties. (updated Dec 2022)
• 3 Clive's House, Rastraguru Ave, Nagerbazar. A rather mysterious building, it is considered the first pucca brick and cement building in the Northern Suburbs of Kolkata, possibly built by the Portuguese. What is known is that it was used by British soldiers when they first entered the country. Later, Robert Clive took the area over, renovated it, added a floor to the single-storey building, and made it his country house around 1757-60. The house is located on raised ground in otherwise flat surroundings. When Clive House was excavated, a variety of artefacts were recovered, including coins, terracotta figures, sculptures, pottery and intelligence on a Portuguese fort. The articles found could be of the Sena period or may alternatively have links with the ancient Chandraketugarh civilisation. (updated Sep 2022)

Ashrams

Baranagar Math

• 4 Alambazar Math. Second monastery of Ramakrishna Order. Swami Vivekananda first put up here after coming back from abroad.  
• 5 Baranagar Math. First monastery of Ramakrishna Order. After the death of Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda and some of his other disciples permanently started to live here. Here, they decided to establish Belur Math for the first time.  
• 6 Sri Sarada Math, ☏ +91 33 2564 5411. Daily ritual worships are performed here by the nuns. The birthdays of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda, and other personalities are celebrated here, besides the Hindu festivals. Religious discourse and lectures are also done regularly. (updated Jan 2023)
• 7 Udyan Bati (উদ্যানবাটী, Garden House), 90, Cossipore Rd. A monastery where Sri Ramakrishna lived from 1885 till his death in 1886. Kalpataru Utsav is celebrated every year at 1 January. (updated Nov 2022)

Temples

Kripamayee Kali Temple

• 8 Adyapeath Temple, ☏ +91 33 2564-6999. A three-pinnacled temple dedicated to goddess Adya, and the centre of a major religious controversy. It is said that Annada Thakur received a divine command that goddess Adya was buried under the Eden Gardens for thousands of years. He went there in 1928 and allegedly saw the statue of the goddess coming out from the ground. He consecrated the statue as the idol of this temple. But archaeologist Rakhaldas Bandyopadhyay found that the statue was sculpted recently and not thousands of years ago, as Annada Thakur claimed. Later, many people got enraged to Thakur's deception, and the devotees of the goddess decided to immerse the statue to the Ganges to prevent further fury. The sanctum of the temple remained void till the consecration of the present idol. (updated Nov 2024)
• 9 Kacher Mandir (Glass Temple), 1, Pran Krishna Saha Ln. 
• 10 Kripamayee Kali Temple (Joy Mitra Kalibari). A navaratna (nine-pinnacled) temple of Goddess Kali worshipped as Kripamayee (she who is merciful). There are twelve shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva. (updated Dec 2022)
• 11 Mahamilan Math, 7/7, PWD Road. The Annapurna Temple and the Omkarnath Temple are two attractions here. 
• 12 Parshwanath Jain Temple, 26, Khudiram Bose Sarani. Considered one of the most sacred Jain temples of worship in Kolkata. The temple also has a dharamshala equipped with modern facilities. (updated Oct 2022)
• 13 Pathbari Temple. A place where Chaitanya Mahaprabhu set his foot on his way to Puri in the early 16th century. 

Dakshineswar Temple Complex

Dakshineswar Kali Temple

12 Shiva temples

• 14 Dakshineswar Kali Temple, Rani Rashmoni Rd (matro: Dakshineswar  1 , suburban: Dakshineswar  Chord Link . Both stations are connected to the temple with about 330 m (1,080 ft) long skywalk, which provides a good view of the surroundings.), ☏ +91 33 2564-5222. 6:00AM-12:30PM and 3:00PM-8:30PM. A huge temple complex with the famous Hindu navaratna (nine-pinnacled) temple dedicated to Goddess Kali, who is worshipped here as Ma Bhavatarini. The temple complex was inaugurated by Rani Rashmoni in 1855. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa was the head and only priest of this temple from 1856 to 1886. He spent most of his life in the nahabat khānā (corruption of naubat xānā, meaning "drum house") chamber of the temple complex. After Ramakrishna's death, the temple complex had been taken over by the then-Government of Bengal, later the Government of West Bengal. It attracts thousands of worshipers around the year, especially on the day of Shyama Puja, Shiva Chaturdashi, Poyla Boishakh, Akshaya Tritiya, New Year's Day and Kalpataru Utsava. Beside the main temple, there are twelve shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva along the Hooghly River and a bathing ghat. Because of the temple's importance and the Hooghly River, a distributary of the Ganges, flowing by, it is also regarded as a twin of Varanasi by the locals. Free. (updated Jul 2022)
• 15 Panchavati (north of the Kali temple). A complex of trees consisting of banyan (vaṭa), peepal (ashvattha), neem (nimba), amla (āmlakī) and wood apple (bilva) trees. This is where Ramakrishna performed his advaitic sādhanā in 1865. (updated Feb 2024)
• 16 Rani Rashmoni Temple (next to the gate of the Kali temple). The shrine dedicated to Rani Rashmoni, the founder of the temple. (updated Feb 2024)

Bridges

• 17 Nivedita Setu and 18 Vivekananda Setu — Two bridges across the Hooghly River, 50 m (160 ft) apart. Vivekenanda Setu is a 880 m (2,890 ft) long rail-cum-road bridge, built in 1932 as Willingdon Bridge and later renamed after Swami Vivekananda. Nivedita Setu is a newer cable-stayed bridge, named after the female disciple of Swami Vivekananda.

Do

Baranagore Ramakrishna Mission

• 1 Baranagore Ramakrishna Mission (BRKM), 37, Gopal Lal Tagore Rd, Baranagar, ☏ +91-33-2556-3817, fax: +91-33-2556-3817, brkmreunion@gmail.com. Founded by Yogindranath Tagore (the disciple of Swami Brahmananda) in 1912. This institution celebrates many cultural programmes throughout the year. Many people come to watch those cultural events every year. (updated Oct 2022)
• 2 Narayani Cinema Hall, 15, Surya Sen Rd. 
• 3 Sonali Cinema Hall, 140, BT Rd. 

Events

Throughout the year many cultural festivals like Durga Puja and Kali Puja are well celebrated here. Baranagar is famous for Durga Puja in Greater Kolkata. Every winter, "Ajanta Circus" is held at Sinthee Circus Maidan.

Learn

Indian Statistical Institute

• 1 Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Baranagar. Founded by the statistician Prasanta Chandra Mahalanobis in 1932, the institute is often considered one of the foremost centres in the world for training and research in statistics. (updated Oct 2022)

Buy

• 1 Chandrani Pearls, 153/1, BT Rd (Baranagar  Chord Link ), ☏ +91 33 25789025. 10:30AM - 9PM. Ornaments of pearls. 
• 2 Diamond Plaza, 68, Jessore Rd, Satgachi. (updated Oct 2022)
• 3 Nagerbazar. (updated Oct 2022)
• 4 Saltee Plaza, 1, Jessore Rd. (updated Oct 2022)

Eat and drink

Major food chains include Wow Momo (140, BT Rd). Major cafe chains include Cafe Coffee Day (BT Rd). You also can get lassi in several sweets shops, in Anandamayee Sweets many kinds of lassi like mango, dahi etc. are available. In the Alambazar area, you could get lassi in a sweet shop. In the Dunlop area, near Baranagar railway station and Sonali cinema hall, several fruit juice shops are available. You can also visit "Dunlop Coffee House" for coffee.

• 1 Anandamayee Sweets, 209, BT Rd, ☏ +91 2577 0120. 7AM - 10PM. Traditional Bengal sweets, curd (in Bengali "doi"), ice cream, dhokla, lassi. 
• 2 The Cric World, 44/51, BT Rd, ☏ +91 09830415213. Noon - 11PM. Multicuisine restaurant. 
• 3 Dhaka Biryani House, 144, BT Rd (suburban: Baranagar  Chord Link ), ☏ +91 09903968610. 11AM–10:30PM. 
• 4 Food Plaza, Rani Rashmoni Rd (close to the Kali Temple). 7AM–8PM. Vegetarian meal, chole bhature. (updated Feb 2024)
• 5 Food Village, 144, BT Rd (suburban: Baranagar  Chord Link ), ☏ +91 09903943648. Noon - 10:45PM. 
• 6 Ganguram Sweets, 269/2, BT Rd (near Baranagar Police Station), ☏ +91 09831736332. 7AM - 10PM. 
• Haldiram's Confectioners, 140, BT Rd (near Baranagar Road railway station), ☏ +91 033 25780815. 9AM-2PM & 5-9PM. 
• 7 Maharaja Bar and Restaurant, ☏ +91 83350 55881. 11AM-11PM. (updated Dec 2022)
• 8 New Sher-e-Punjab Hotel, 131, BT Rd (near Indian Statistical Institute), ☏ +91 07890101313. 11:30AM - 10:45PM. 

Sleep

This guide uses the following price ranges for a standard double room:
Budget	Under ₹2,000
Mid-range	₹2,000 to ₹5,000
Splurge	Over ₹5,000

Budget

• 1 Debalay Guest House, 1, TN Mukherjee Rd, Dakshineswar, ☏ +91 70441 74570. Check-in: noon, check-out: 11AM. (updated Oct 2022)
• 2 FabHotel Shivangan, VIP Rd, Baguiati, ☏ +91 33 2576 2711. ₹1,900-2,800. 
• 3 The Fern Residency, 204, MAR, Rajarhat, ☏ +91 70444 77444. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: noon. ₹3,000-4,000. (updated Oct 2022)

Mid-range

• 4 Airport City, 259, Jessore Rd, ☏ +91 33 2513 3131. ₹3,000-3,700. (updated Nov 2022)
• 5 Ethnotel, 71, Jessore Rd, ☏ +91 33 7101 7000. (updated Sep 2022)
• 6 Holiday Inn Express, 28, Jessore Rd, ☏ +91 62899 01724. (updated Nov 2022)
• 7 Hotel Airways, Motilal Colony, Rajbari, ☏ +91 33 2513 2106. 
• 8 Hotel Gateway Continental, ☏ +91 33 2511 8324. 
• 9 O2 Hotel, VIP Rd, Kaikhali, ☏ +91 33 25250078, +91 33 25250113. 
• 10 Orbit Hotel, RB 29, VIP Rd, Raghunathpur, ☏ +91 85840 14256. Check-in: noon, check-out: 11AM. (updated Oct 2022)
• 11 Sher-e-Punjab, 151, Jessore Rd, ☏ +91 33 2567 2848, +91 90888 60003. Check-in: noon, check-out: noon. A hotel-cum-restaurant with quality Punjabi dhaba food. Chinese and Thai dishes are also available. AC or open-air seating. Drinks served. 

Stay safe

The Northern Suburbs are one of the most polluted areas of Kolkata. A lot of vehicles travel through Birati and Dunlop crossings; therefore the area is very polluted. Use a mask and a handkerchief for this area.

Cope

Fire stations

• 2 Baranagar Fire Station, 282, Deshpran Shasmal Ave, ☏ +91 33 25102102. 

Police stations

• 3 Airport Police Station, ☏ +91 33 253193000. 
• 4 Baranagar Police Station, 47, BT Rd, ☏ +91 33 25319300. (updated May 2023)
• 5 Chitpur Police Station, 19, Cossipore Rd, ☏ +91 33 25566141. 
• Dum Dum Police Station, ☏ +91 33 25514167. 

Post offices

• 6 Cossipore Head Post Office. (updated Nov 2022)