Central Park (Kolkata)

Central Park (Kolkata)
Type	Public
Status	open

Central Park situated in Bidhannagar is a public urban park. It is also known as Banabitan. It is the second largest open space in the city of Kolkata after the Maidan. It is a favorite hangout for lovers.^[1] This park is easily reachable from the Karunamoyee bus stand in Salt Lake – the Central Park Kolkata Metro station is projected to work in 2015. On the roads surrounding the park are the buildings where the West Bengal government has relocated many government departments.

View of the lake side

The park is built around an expansive water body. There is a bridge which connects on side of the lake to an island which has a pagoda. The lake serves as a haven for water birds like lesser whistling duck, common moorhen, egrets, cormorants and other species. There are also boating facilities in a cordoned off section of the lake near the rose garden.

The park has a very beautiful rose garden (near Gate No.1, opposite Bikash Bhawan). The rose garden is bordered by rows of hedges surrounding the rose plants. When in bloom, the rose flowers present a delightful sight.

The park's butterfly garden ^[2] has several species of butterflies. The butterfly garden consists of several plots where shrubs and trees on which butterflies and their larvae(caterpillar) feed, have been planted. Dedicated gardeners maintain these areas under the guidance of Nature Mates - Nature Club. The West Bengal Forest Dept. supports this initiative. The butterfly garden can be easily reached after entering the park from Gate No.1 and then taking a right from the main walking track.

Pictures of the park

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  A view of the lake
• 
  Main walking track
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  Path leading into the butterfly garden area
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  Boating area
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  Roses in bloom in the park's rose garden
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  Marigold flowers
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  Ripe jamun fruits
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  Cattle egrets
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  Lesser whistling ducks
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  Cormorants
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  Yellow-footed green pigeons
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  Black drongo
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  Common moorhen
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  Intermediate egret
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  Alexandrine parakeets
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  Pair of white-throated kingfishers
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  Plain tiger
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  Great eggfly
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  Blue tiger
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  Plains Cupid
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  Common jay

References

1. Ghosh, Bishwanath (27 January 2012). "Life in a metro: Where lovers park themselves". The Hindu. Retrieved 26 May 2012.
2. Lesley D Biswas, (Vol 5 Issue 39, Sep 26 - Oct 2, 2014) "Feel the pulse of the ecosystem from the flutter of butterflies". The Weekend Leader.