Kolkata/Alipore

The land of bungalows, Alipore (আলিপুর Ālipur) is home to Kolkata's zoological park, the National Library, a prison-turned-museum, and several government offices.

Alipore is named after Mir Jafar Ali Khan, the next Nawab of Murshidabad after Siraj-ud-Daulah. After his abdication in 1760, the East India Company permitted Mir Jafar to live in the area now known as Alipore. It is also fondly called "Bungalow Para" (বাংলোপাড়া Bāṅlopāṛā) due to its abundance of bungalows.

Alipore is strongly associated with the Indian independence movement, with prisons like Alipore and Presidency Jails were being used to arrest revolutionaries. The Alipore Jail is converted to a museum dedicated to the arrested revolutionaries. The Alipore Sessions Court is known for holding the Alipore Bomb Case in 1908-1909, where Sri Aurobindo and others were tried.

Alipore used to be the headquarters of undivided 24 Parganas till 1986, when it became the headquarters of South 24 Parganas.

• 🌍 Agri Horticultural Garden, 1, Alipore Rd (south from National Library, 0.8 km (0.50 mi) from Remount Road railway station), ☏ +91 33 2479 1713. 7–11AM and 1:30–5:00PM, closed on W upto 11AM and Th. Founded by William Carey in 1820, it is a lush environ owned and managed by the Agri Horticultural Society of India. The venue for exotic plant and flower exhibitions, it is spread over 21 acres comprising main lawns and informal gardens and children park, and has many rare and tropical plants. (updated Oct 2022)
• 🌍 Alipore Jail Museum, 17, Judges Court Rd, Alipore. A museum dedicated to the Indian independence movement, with a special focus on Bengal. It was a prison during the British rule, and was used to arrest many freedom activists. The museum contains patriotic lyrics of Kazi Nazrul Islam on the wall, along with the individual cells of Jawaharlal Nehru, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Subhas Chandra Bose, Sri Aurobindo and others. There are exhibits within some of these cells that replicate the daily lives of the prisoners. The museum also has a somber site of the gallows where many activists were hanged. It also organises a sound and light show in the evenings in Bengali and Hindi. (updated Sep 2025)
• 🌍 Alipore Zoo (আলিপুর চিড়িয়াখানা Ālipur Ciṛiẏākhānā), 2, Alipore Rd, ☏ +91 33 2479 1150, director@kolkatazoo.in. F–W 9AM–5PM, aquarium 10:30AM–5PM. One of the most famous zoological gardens in Eastern India. It was once notorious for its cross-breeding experiments between lions and tigers to produce strains like tigons, ligers and litigons. It was home to Advaita, the longest-lived animal in the world, who died in March 2006. The other success story of the zoo was a live birth of the rare Sumatran rhinoceros in 1889. The lakes within are a favourite retreat for migratory Siberian birds. Zoo ₹20, aquarium ₹5, video photography ₹250 per hour. (updated Apr 2023)
• 🌍 BNR House. Once the residence of Indologist Sir William Jones, now the official residence of the General Manager (GM) of South Eastern Railway (SER). (updated Aug 2025)
• 🌍 Dhanadhanya Auditorium (ধনধান্য Dhanadhānya; variously spelt as Dhanadhanye or Dhonodhanno), Thackeray Rd (off Debendra Lal Khan Rd, opposite Presidency Jail). An auditorium shaped like a humongous conch-shell (শাঁখ śā̃kh), an example of mimetic or novelty architecture in India. Inaugurated on April 2023, the building has 6 floors containing guest house, restaurant, cafeteria, VIP lounge, media lounge and a convention centre. It hosts various cultural programmes and is also a venue for national and international trade fairs. (updated Dec 2024)
• 🌍 Hastings Chapel. A missionary church with eight Doric columns, founded in 1855 by the London Missionary Society. (updated Jul 2025)
• 🌍 Indenture Memorial, Kidderpore Dock. A memorial dedicated to the 1.6 million Indian workers who were transported to labour in European colonies. The indenture system was a substitute for slavery, which was abolished in many European countries by the 19th century. This resulted to the increasing presence of Indians abroad, especially in Africa, Southeast Asia, the Caribbean and the Pacific. (updated Nov 2024)
• 🌍 India Government Mint (Calcutta Mint), Taratala (south of Majerhat  3  Circular  Sealdah South ), ☏ +91 33 2401 4132. Though the mint dates back to 1757, the present building was built in the 1930s. (updated Dec 2024)
• 🌍 SER Headquarters. (updated Aug 2025)

• 🌍 Fancy Market, ~22, Karl Marx Sarani, Kidderpore. Consumer goods market - lots of foreign goods. Fancy items, fancy prices. Beware of fakes.  

• 🌍 Amrit National Hotel, 43 Diamond Harbour Rd (Mominpur Bus Stop), ☏ +91 33 66343401. Budget restaurant. Biryani and Mughlai food.  
• 🌍 Drop In, Ground Floor, Ideal Towers, 57, Block A, Diamond Harbour Rd, ☏ +91 9073309928, +91 9073309929. 7:30AM-11PM. Vegetarian restaurant. Indian and Chinese cuisine. Popular items: lassi, naan, paneer tikka masala, roti, thali. (updated Apr 2018)