Kolkata, also known as Calcutta, is a city that is steeped in history, culture, and politics. Located on the eastern coast of India, Kolkata was the capital of British India until 1911 and served as the center of the Indian independence movement. Today, it is the cultural capital of India, known for its literature, music, theater, and cuisine.The history of Kolkata dates back to the 17th century when it was a small village called Kalikata. It was under the rule of the Nawab of Bengal in the 18th century, before the British East India Company established a trading post in the city in 1690. The city grew rapidly as a center of trade and commerce and became the capital of British India in 1772. Kolkata was the birthplace of several important political movements, including the Indian National Congress and the Swadeshi movement, which advocated for Indian independence from British rule.Kolkata is also known for its literary heritage, with several notable writers, poets, and intellectuals hailing from the city. Rabindranath Tagore, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, is perhaps the most famous of these writers. Other notable writers from Kolkata include Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, and Sunil Gangopadhyay. Kolkata is also home to the Kolkata Book Fair, one of the largest book fairs in the world, which attracts authors and publishers from around the globe.