Colonial grandeur, sweets and literary cafés
Kolkata was the capital of British India until 1911, and its grand colonial buildings, from the white marble Victoria Memorial to the Writers' Building, still anchor the centre. The Howrah Bridge spans the Hooghly, and at dawn the flower market beneath it overflows with marigolds. The city is proud of its poets, film-makers and booksellers along College Street, and its food is distinctive: kathi rolls, fish in mustard, and sweets such as rosogolla and mishti doi. Durga Puja in autumn transforms the streets.