College Street — Boi Para, Kolkata's book town

Short answer. College Street is a road about 900 metres long in central Kolkata, running from Bidhan Sarani to Bowbazar and maintained by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. It is also called Boi Para ("book neighbourhood"). Wikipedia describes it as the largest book market in India and in Asia, and as the largest second-hand book market in the world, which are claims about scale that this page reports as that article states them rather than as our own measurement.

Why it is here

The street grew around institutions. The article lists Presidency University (1817), the University of Calcutta (1857), Sanskrit College and University (1824), Medical College and Hospital (1835) and Hindu School (1817), among others.

What you find

Stalls and shops selling new and second-hand books in many subjects and Indian languages. The Indian Coffee House is a long-standing gathering place for the city's students and intellectuals.

Getting there

Metro: nearest stations are MG Road, Central and Sealdah.
Tram: Kolkata trams serve the street.

Sources

Compiled on 19 September 2026 from Wikipedia's article on College Street, Kolkata. Statements are attributed to it; where it gives one source's figure, this page says so. Back to Kolkata and its Durga Puja and festival life.