In the fall of 1687, Job Charnock, an agent of the east India Company secured permission from the Mughals to find a base at Sutanati. In 1696, Old Fort William was established and this was the origin of the city Calcutta which is now named as Kolkata. The city was derived from Kalikata, one of the three villages whose lands became a part of the new settlement. In the three centuries of its history, Kolkata has grown from a mere fishing village into the largest city in India with a population of 10.8 million, and indeed, one of the largest cities in the world. It served as the capital of India until 1912 and it is not surprising that one sees predominantly Western architectural styles in its many buildings and monuments.

A visit to Kolkata can be the most memorable holiday you have. Perfect strangers strike up a conversation with the tourist in Calcutta about the previous day's match. Cab drivers ply the traveler on his first visit to Kolkata with innumerable tales. Shopkeepers dole out a rupee's worth of goods, and ten of advice. On buses, in trams, in the tea shop around the corner, complete strangers turn into comrades as they pore over the day's papers.

As the day grows old, tourists pour in to admire the vestiges of the first love of the British Raj. They hold hands outside the Victoria Memorial speak in hushed tones under the roof of the St Paul's Cathedral, stare wide-eyed at the wonders in the Indian Museum.

Kolkata has beautiful colonial buildings and heritage structures. Established in 1814, the Indian Museum is the oldest museum in Asia and houses vast collection of Indian natural history and Indian art. The Victoria Memorial, one of the major tourist attractions in Kolkata, has a museum documenting the city's history.

Agam Kuan (Unfathomable well): It is one of the most important early historic archaeological remains in Patna. It is situated just close to the Gulzarbagh Railway Station, which is proposed to be associated with the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka.It is the famous Ashokan remain, the Agam Kuan, which is believed to be a part of the legendary hall created by Ashoka. Once many motors were put to empty the well but even after days, the well could not be dried so it was presumed that the well has endless source of water.

BOTANICAL & ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN: It is situated on the famous Baily road, the botanical garden has numerous Birds and animals to be seen. It includes flora and fauna from various parts of India as well as other countries. This Zoo attracts children a lot. It has also got an artificial lake where boating can be enjoyed. A wooden house built on a tree attracts visitosrs too. The Garden is opened throughout the year.During the New Year's Day, and other holidays, the park is generally packed with people living in Patna as well as tourists from neighboring towns. Picnic and cookouts are all around with people dressed in colorful clothes to celebrate the occasion.

Gandhi Sangrahalaya: It is located on Ashok Rajpath at the north-western corner of Gandhi Maidan and contains pictorial and other records showing the association of Mahatma Gandhi with Bihar. Gandhiji has stayed at this house of the then education minister Dr. Syed Mahmud in 1947. Now this house is famous by the name of Gandhi Sangrahalaya.

Jalan museum or Qila House: It is situated at the old site of Sher Shah's fort.It has an excellent collection of jade, Chinese paintings, Mughal glass and silver filigree carvings. It contains an impressive private collection of antiques, including a dinner service that one belongs to Georgwe III.The museum has private collection so it can be visited only with prior permission.

Kumhrar: located in the city of Patna, is the site that consists of the archaeological excavations of Patliputra and marks the ancient capital of Ajatshatru, Chandragupta and Ashok. The remains of the ancient city of Patilputra have been uncovered in Kumhrar, south of Patna. It is six kms from the railway station, on the Kankarbagh Road. Excavations here have releaved relics of four continuous periods from 600 BC to 600 AD. An important find is the 80-pillared huge hall of the Mauryan dynasty dating back to 400 - 300 BC.

There lie the ruins of a huge assembly hall that stood on a few large pillars, dating back to Mauryan period, and the foundations of the brick Buddhist monastery known as Anand Bihar. There's a small display of some of the clay figures and wooden beams discovered here. The display of the clay figures is set in a pleasant park that remains open from 9AM to 5PM, on all days except Monday.

Mahavir temple: The sacred 'Kalas' of brass shines on its high roof. This temple was founded in a humble room with clay-tile roof, about sixty years ago, during the British Raj. It used to be lit by a single kerosene lamp in the evening. Nobody, however devout a worshipper of Mahavir, would dare enter the darkroom at night. This temple gained in popularity when some Punjabi Hindu refugees came to Patna after the partition in 1947. The temple was rebuilt as a concrete house at that time. Even this was broken down in 1987 and a huge marble palace has been built. The alter is as high as first floor and the idol of 'Sankat-Mochan' Hanuman stands on it. There is a Shiva-linga by its side which had not been there formely. Above this there are two other marble floors, all clean and polished. Many idols, including one of Jagaddhatri, have been put in the first floor, all imprisoned within glass cases. There is another Shiva-linga within a glass case in the second floor. The devotees grumble at not being able to pore water on the linga.

MARTYR'S MEMORIAL: It is a life-size statues east of the secretariat in memory of seven brave young men who sacrified their lives in the Quit India movement of August 1942, to hoist the national flag. It's foundation stone was laid by the first governer of Bihar, Shree Jairam Das Daulatram, on 15th of August, 1947. Later the well-known sculptor Shree Deviprasad Roychoudhry built the huge bronze status of the seven students advancing with the national flag held high. He had these statues cast in Italy and placed them here.

The Patna Museum: Established in 1917, the oldest museum in Bihar is within walking distance from the Indira Gandhi Planetorium.Among its most famous pieces is a polished sandstone female attendant or yakshi, holding a flying-whisk, found at Didarganj and dating from the 3rd century. Some Jain images from the Kushana period, and a collection of Buddhist Bodhisattvas from the Gandhara region in the northwest istan, belong to the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D. Natural history exhibits feature several stuffed animals, including a few freaks and a gigantic fossilized tree thought to be 200 million years old 16 m long. The museum also houses Chinese art, and the second floor is devoted to some superb Tibetan ‘thangkas’ i.e., scroll paintings are stored, which desperately need to be restored. The Patna Museum houses a First World War cannon, metal and stone sculptures of the Mauryan and Gupta periods, Buddhist sculptures and quaint terracotta figures.

Padri Ki Haveli: this Church was constructed in 1772. The church is the oldest Christian shrine of Bihar. The foundation stone of this 70-feet- long,40-feet-wide and 50-feet-high monument was designed and completed by Venetian architect Tirreto from Calcutta. In the quarrel between the English traders in Patna and Nawab Mir Kasim, the ruler of Bengal, on June 25, 1763, the Haveli was pillaged by the Nawab's soldiers for its treasures. The ancient records were destroyed and burnt. The structure was also attacked during the first war of Independence, in 1857. Today, the monument stands as an architectural wonder with intricate details which can be seen in few other churches of India.

PATHAR KI MASJID: Stone Mosque or Pathar Ki Masjid was built in 1621 by Parvezshah, son Emperor Jahangir , when he was the Governor of Bihar. Adjacent to Har Mandir Sahib, this beautiful mosque was built by Parwez Shah when he was the governor of Bihar. It is situated on the bank of the Ganga, it is also called Saif Khan's mosque, Chimmi Ghat mosque and Sangi Masjid.

PLANETARIUM: One of the largest planetariums in Asia, the Patna Planetarium attracts a large number of domestic as well as foreign tourists. The planetarium has regular film shows on subjects related to astronomy. It also holds exhibitions, which attracts lots of visitors.

Sadakat Ashram: It is situated on the banks of river Ganga. It was founded by Mazaharul Haque as a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity. It is the headquarters of Bihar Vidyapeeth, which was the organisation that started the Independence movement in Bihar and a national university.The National University here was established in 1921. It was also the place from where struggle for independence was piloted in this State. India's first President Dr. Rajendra Prasad lived here after his retirement and there is a small museum here showcasing his personal belongings. In the memorial, are kept many things, which Rajendra Babu used or were gifted to him.

SRIKRISHNA SCIENCE CENTRE: This science centre is situated opposite the statue of Jaiprakash Narayan at the south-western corner of the Gandhi Maidan .It is dedicated in the memory of Srikrishna Sinha who was the chief minister of Bihar during Congress regime . This science centre is meant for school children intrested in science as well as for local public. There are many models here showing the workings of many different branches of science. All the models are electrially operated. There are arrangement of showing the functioning of T.V. etc. It also has a working model of dinosaurs and a mini-planetorium which is the main attraction among the children.

Sher Shah Suri Mosque: It is situated towards west of Dhawalpura, at the south-west corner of Purab Darwaza. It was built by Sher Shah in 1540-1545 to commemorate his reign. It is a tribute to Afghan architectural style, it is one of the impressive landmarks of Patna as it is the biggest mosque in Patna. The tomb inside the compound has an octogonal stone slab on top. This huge building of the time of Sur dynasty is built according to a special plan. There is a big dome in the centre of the roof with four smaller ones around it. The domes are so placed that only three of them can be seen at a time from whatever angle you look, you can see only three from outside, though there are five on the roof.

Harmandir Takht: It is regarded as one of the holiest of the five takhts, Standing in the Chowk area of old Patna. The place once known as Kucha Farrukh Khan is now known as Harmandir Gali.The Sikhs consider the city of Patna as particularly holy, as the tenth guru of the Sikhs was born here. It was here that Guru Gobind Singh was born in the year 1666 and spent his early years before moving to Anandpur. Besides being the birthplace of Guru Gobind Singh, Patna was also honoured by visits from Guru Nanak as well as Guru Tegh Bahadur.  Maharaja Ranjit Singh built a beautiful Gurudwara, which is also known as Patna Sahib. It is one of the main pilgrim places for the Sikhs. Salis Rai Johri, a great devotee of Guru Nanak was so much influenced by his teachings that he converted his opulent haveli into a dharamshala where Guru Tegh Bahadur also stayed. This is the place where the holy shrine of Harmandir Sahab is now located. Quite a few relics of the Guru Govind Sahab are also preserved in this shrine that include a ‘pangura’ (cradle) with four stands covered with golden plates, four iron arrows, sacred sword of the Master and a pair of his sandals. ‘Hukamnamas’, the written orders of Guru Gobind Singh and Guru Tegh Bahadur contained in a book are also kept in this holy Gurudwara.