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Armenian Ghat

Location:Central Kolkata.

Time to Visit: Open 24 hours.

Preferred Timings: Early morning and late in the evening during sunset.

Admission Fee: Nil.

How to Reach:Local buses, mini buses and metered taxis are readily available from various parts of the city.

Photography / Video charges: Nil.

Nearest Railway Station: Howrah.

Nearest Metro Station: Esplanade

Nearest Functional Metro Station: Esplanade

Nearest International Airport: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Intrnational Airport.

Time required for sightseeing: Half an hour.

Since the Hooghly river meanders its way through the heart of Kolkata, it is but natural that both sides of the river are flanked with numerous embankments to facilitate trade and commerce and movement of goods and passengers. The embankments are popularly referred to as "Ghats" by the Bengalis of Kolkata.

The Armenians were among the earliest foreign immigrants to have setteled in Kolkata and by 1724 they had already constructed the Armenian Church. To facilitate shipment of goods from foreign shores, they constructed the Armenian Ghat. The person who took the responsibility of building this Ghat was an Armenian named Manvel Hazaar Maliyan.

The most appropriate time to visit the Armenian Ghat or for that matter any Indian riverside is early in the morning. A visit to Armenian Ghat early n the morning is a quintessential Indian riverside phenomenon with people taking bath, worshipping and conducting ceremonies of birth and death.

The centerpiece of attraction of course is the flower market. Hundreds of shops sell the blooms which come from different districts of West Bengal and elsewhere in India. Roses come from Panskura, Gladioli, Dahlias, Astors, Hibiscus and Chrysanthemums come from Midnapore. Some rare flowers like Lilies, Dutch rose etc. come from Bangalore, Orchids from Sikkim and Lotuses from Orissa.

In fact the entire Armenia Ghat becomes a colorful chaos where bargaining for the right price is de rigueur. The banks of the river are littered with detritus of the previous day. What is more, the river banks on either side of Armenian Ghat is converted into a virtual open air wrestling amphitheatre and thesight of emerging body builders exercising and flaunting their biceps can literally give goose bumps to the fainthearted folks.

If you have back ache, the traditional Indian riverside masseur is just around the corner. All you have to do is lie down over a piece of cloth right on the sandy river bank and leave the rest to your masseur. Applying herbal oil and using his fingers deftly over your shoulders and back, the Armenian Ghat massage therapist comes as a revelation and can put even a seasoned 5 star spa therapist to shame.