Kolkata Gate Entry Fee
- 100 per person
No entry fee for children below 3 years of age
Kolkata Gate Phone
084201 05555
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| 4/5 stars
Based on total 31 reviews
Kolkata Gate Address: Biswa Bangla Sarani, Major Arterial Road(South-East), Action Area I, Narkel Bagan, Newtown, West Bengal, 700156, India
Officially known as Biswa Bangla Gate, the Kolkata Gate is the newest addition to the beauty of the City of Joy in New Town, Kolkata. It is located over the third rotary traffic island on Biswa Bangla Sarani at the Narkelbagan crossing near Rabindra Tirtha theater hall. It is an arch-monument built by the Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO), adding it to the list of several wonders of Kolkata.
The monument houses a fine dine restaurant, a viewing gallery, and souvenir shops. The visitor’s gallery and the restaurant have glass walls for the visitors to enjoy the bird’s eye view of the city while also having a good time.
History of Kolkata Gate
The conception of building the monument that would represent Bengal and its significance was suggested by the Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (HIDCO) during the New Town beautification project in 2010 and received approval from the State Government in 2015. Initially, the idea included having a Biswa Bangla globe suspended in the middle of the ring; however, the concept was deferred when the globe crashed due to a pulley mechanism failure while being pulled up just to avoid such casualties in the future.
The construction of the gate and the hanging restaurant started on 6th March 2017. The gate was inaugurated by Ms. Mamata Banerjee, the Chief Minister of West Bengal on 31st January 2019 and the restaurant was inaugurated by Firhad Hakim, Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Minister, West Bengal on 2nd February 2019.
The cost of the entire project was around INR 25 crore.
Architecture of Kolkata Gate
Named as the doorway to Kolkata New Town, the Biswa Bangla Gate, or the Kolkata Gate as it is commonly known among the locals is made of steel and glass and materials that make the structure sturdy and good for holding up against any type of natural calamities. The construction committee was headed by architect Dulal Mukherjee and the design work was commissioned to Pune based architecture firm, Vector Designs headed by its founder Anita Dake.
The design was conceptualized to pay homage to Rabindranath Tagore and his composition “where the mind is without fear” and is a depiction of a city that represents ‘united in strength’, dynamic in progress’ and ‘liberal in outlook’ pertaining to its culture and heritage that respects creativity in all aspects.
The total height of the arches is 55 meters. These arches rise from 4 traffic islands that are located diagonally opposite and the circular viewing gallery or platform ring which has a diameter of 60 meters is placed approximately 25 meters above the ground with a total diameter of 220 meters. The parabolic arches that support the ring stand on concrete foundations and is a sturdy steel structure made from 70 tonnes of steel.
There are 3 lifts including a service lift and two sets of staircases that give access to the viewing platform. The platform itself is a lightweight complex steel structure which has a glazing on the outer periphery whereas the other 3 sides are wrapped with PVC coated polyester membrane. The viewing platform is an enclosed air-conditioned space which gives a 360-degree view of Kolkata New Town.
The iconic structure of the Biswa Bangla Gate has designed architectural illumination to add to its appearance during the night.
Tips for visiting Kolkata Gate
- Apart from the viewing gallery, there are souvenir shops where one can buy souvenirs for friends and loved ones.
- The restaurant has limited seats hence it is mandatory to book tables in advance.
- The toilet facilities and baggage area are only available on the ground floor ticketing area. There is no toilet facility on the top.
- Food, tobacco items cannot be carried to the viewing area and the entire gate is under CCTV surveillance.
Entry Fee and Timings of Kolkata Gate
Timings:
For Visitors - The observatory at the viewing gallery is open between 12:00 PM to 6:00 PM everyday except Mondays for maintenance. There are 3 visiting time slots available at 12:00 PM, 4:00 PM and 5:00 PM and each slot is for 45 minutes. Each slot accommodates 100 people at one time for safety reasons.
For Diners – The fine dine restaurant is open for guests between 7:00 PM and 10:00 PM with a seating capacity of 72 people at one time. Due to the restricted number of seats available, you need to make reservations early on.
Entry Fee: The entry fee is INR 100. Tickets need to be booked online via BookMyShow or HIDCO websites, as that is the only available mode for now. You may display your online ticket along with the confirmation number and get a printed copy of the ticket. A ticket once booked cannot be rescheduled.
There is no entry fee for children below 3 years.
How to reach Kolkata Gate
The location of Kolkata gate makes it easily accessible from all parts of the city.
By Bus: As Narkelbagan Rajarhat is a central location of New Town, almost all buses pass through the Kolkata gate; however, you may hop on to buses with bus routes S30, AC12, AC23A, S12E, S9C, S53, S14C.
By Train: The nearest railway station to reach Kolkata Gate is Howrah Junction Railway Station. You may book a prepaid taxi or hire a cab from the station to reach Kolkata Gate.
By Air: Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport is the nearest airport. You may book a cab from top car rental companies in Kolkata to reach Kolkata Gate or also hop on to any of the buses going towards EM Bypass and it will take you to Kolkata Gate.
By Metro: There is no metro station nearby Kolkata gate as of now but the Kolkata Metro Line 6 which is also known as Orange Line is going to be connected to Kolkata Gate and the metro station near Kolkata Gate would be the Biswa Bangla Convention Center Metro Station. It is under construction and will connect New Garia with Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport via Salt Lake and New Town.
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