Esplanade, Kolkata 6.38

Esplanade is an area in central Kolkata, earlier known as Calcutta, in the Indian state of West Bengal. This is not a conventional esplanade in the sense that the place is not exactly situated alongside a waterbody. However, the river Ganga, also known as the Ganges or the Hooghly, flows nearby.HistoryThe Esplanade was the name given to the northern portion of jungle, which later formed the Maidan. In olden days, it stretched from Dhurmotollah (now Lenin Sarani) to Chandpal Ghat on the Hooghly River. In the days of Warren Hastings, it formed a favourite promenade for 'elegant walking parties'.The first pictures of the area is at the end of eighteenth century by Daniell and William Baillie. The old Government House and the Council House were conspicuous objects in each drawing. He slso presented an addition view in the shape of two elephants with a crowd of attendants.Bourne & Shepherd, photographic studio was established here in 1867 by British photographers, Samuel Bourne and Charles Shepherd, and still exist here.