If anyone mentions Kolkata, the first place that comes to the mind is Howrah Bridge. Howrah Bridge is one of the most celebrated landmarks of Kolkata. Situated on River Hooghly, it serves as the lifeline of the city. The bridge plays the role of the gateway to Kolkata, as it connects the city to the Howrah Station, the most important railway station of Kolkata.

During our childhood, Howrah bridge used to be a matter of wonder, and expectation. When we used to visit Kolkata from Delhi by train, the sight of Howrah bridge from distance after crossing Liluah indicated the end of the over 24-hour train journey. It still carries a mystic memory and a bit of nostalgia.

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The bridge does not have nuts and bolts, but was formed by riveting the whole structure. The bridge weathers the storms of the Bay of Bengal region, carrying a daily traffic of approximately 100,000 vehicles and possibly more than 150,000 pedestrians, easily making it among the busiest cantilever bridges across the globe.

Howrah bridge is a cantilever bridge with a suspended span over the Hooghly River in West Bengal, India. The length of the bridge is 705 meter and width is 71 ft with two footpaths of 15 ft on either side. The third-longest cantilever bridge at the time of its construction, the Howrah Bridge is the sixth-longest bridge of its type in the world. The construction of bridge was started on 1936 and ended in 1942. It was opened for the public transport on February 3, 1943. The first vehicle to use the bridge was a solitary tram.

On June 14, 1965, the bridge was renamed Rabindra Setu after the great Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. However, it is still popularly known as Howrah Bridge.

While visiting Kolkata, Howrah Bridge tops the list of places to see in the city.