An evening by the Prinsep Ghat in Kolkata, India

After exploring all the major tourist locations some of which I have visited during my college and school days with my parents, this time I wanted to see something new. I searched the Instagram which is quite helpful these days in terms of exploring a city. You get all sorts of ideas about which place to visit, instagrammable locations, places to shop and eat, which is the best pub and all about the nightlife. From there I came to know about the beautiful Princep Ghat.

It was a Sunday and I and my husband went out for a city tour, we visited college street, then Victoria Memorial and waited for the evening to spend by the banks of the Hooghly River in the Prinsep Ghat.

The Prinsep Ghat was built in the year 1841 along the bank of Hoogly river in Kolkata, during the British rule in India, in memory of Anglo-Indian scholar James Prinsep. It is one of the most popular places in Kolkata which is often seen in movies too. There is also a railway station in the same name.

How to reach Prinsep Ghat

It is very easy to reach as the place is well connected both by roadways and waterways. You can take a ferry to Babu ghat and then walk towards Prinsep Ghat.
It is also near to the Howrah station, so from there you can hire a cab/Ola/Uber. If you are planning to explore the City of Joy then this is my most recommended place to visit.

If you are planning to visit Victoria Memorial during the day then you can visit the Prinsep Ghat in the evening, you can book a yellow taxi right from the gate of Victoria Memorial and he will charge not more than Rs. 130.

There are no entry fees and the place remains open throughout the whole week. The place is visited mostly by young couples, and why not the place is indeed romantic. On reaching there you can go for those short river cruises on wooden boats, the traditional ones that we can see in movies.

There are a lot of boats and you need to wait for your turn. The boat charges around Rs.300, but make sure you ask him to take you all around and keep boating for a little longer than 30-40 minutes which is the general cruising time.

Best Time to visit The Prinsep Ghat

The best time to watch a river flows is when the sun sets giving painting the whole sky with its golden rays. The river, the Vidyasagar Setu above and the whole atmosphere seems to cast a spell upon you. But pray the day is not marred by dark clouds hovering all above. But that is Nature, unpredictable.

When I reached the Ghat I saw a huge number of boats all parked neatly and there was a man standing calling out names of the boatman when their turn came and the tourists were asked to board the boat on a serial order. So everything was very systematic. I was really excited about the ride. And why wouldn’t I as I had seen this place so many time on movies both Hindi and Bengali!

Our short cruise lasted for about an hour. Just ask your boatman to show you all around and tell him you are a tourist. From your boat, you can view the majestic Howrah Bridge at a distance and the Vidyasagar Setu stands tall and high above you. The ripple created in the river water drifted me to a land I would never come back from. It was a beautiful experience. I took as many photographs I can. Make sure you keep on wearing your life-jacket.

The road leads you to the ghats is also turned into a garden with beautiful plants and trees. The place blessed with Nature’s bounty. Also, the memorial that stands at the entrance with the Bridge seen at the background is any photographer’s delight. It is a good place to take some nice shots with your camera. Photographer’s looking for a perfect shooting location, The Prinsep Ghat is exactly the right place you should see. When you put the hashtag #prinsepghat on Instagram you can see the number of pictures that are clicked at this exact location.

Also, the puchkas / panipuris and bhel muri and other street food that are sold outside the gate are to die for. You can try the panipuri, they are very tasty. I can say Prinsep Ghat is a perfect place for any family outing or a small weekend getaway from the daily hustle bustle of life.

Also centred around The Prinsep ghat there are other popular places to be visited in Kolkata like The Victoria Memorial, Rabindra Sadan, Nandan, St. Paul’s Cathedral Church and Birla Planetarium.

Few Interesting Facts about The Prinsep Ghat

•   The Princep Ghat is perfect for photography. People who love photography keep visiting this place every now and then.
• There is a jetty near the ghat known as the Man-O-War jetty, which commemorates the role that the jetty played in the Second World War.
• A popular song from the Hindi movie “Parineeta” caught my attention. The place is indeed picturesque and there are lots of movies, songs, etc shot in The Prinsep Ghat.
• There is also a railway station named after the same Prinsep Ghat which is maintained by the Eastern railway.

That was it let me know in the comment section how did you like my experience and also share your views if you have visited The Prinsep Ghat in Kolkata.

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