General Post Office

Category: British Monument
Admission fee: Nil.
Nearest Railway Station: Howrah
Nearest Metro Station: Esplanade/ Chandni Chowk
Nearest International Airport: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.
Approximate time required for sight seeing: 1 hour
Parking: Hourly parking charges applicable.
Contact: Calcutta GPO, BBD Bagh, Kolkata – 700001. Telephone: +(91)-(33)-22105859,22105048,22437627


The Kolkata GPO is the central post office for the whole of Bengal, and is a striking piece of architecture in the city. It is built on the site of the old Fort William which was destroyed by the Nawab Siraj-ud-Daulah just before the Battle of Plassey, and it is believed that the famed Black Hole Tragedy occurred here. The present building was designed by the famous architect Sir Walter Granville, in the year 1864. The huge dome of the building is at a height of about 220 feet, and is surrounded by massive Ionic-Corrinthian pillars.


The GPO houses a Postal Museum, which has an impressive display of postal stamps, and other ancient artifacts from India’s postal services. The Philatelic Bureau at the southwestern end of the building also sells some more recent collectibles.