Indira Gandhi Sarani, formerly Red Road, is a road in Central

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

that runs from

Eden Gardens The Eden Gardens is a cricket ground in Kolkata, India. Established in 1864, it is the oldest and second-largest cricket stadium in India and third-largest in the world. The stadium currently has a capacity of 66,000. Eden Gardens is often re ...

(Rashmoni Avenue-Gostho Paul Sarani Junction) to Fort William West Gate (Dufferin Road-Outram Road Junction). South of Fort William West Gate, Red Road becomes Casuarina Road/Khiddirpore Road. The road, a wide boulevard, was built in 1820. It bisects the Kolkata

Maidan Maidan is an originally Persian word for a town square or public gathering place, adopted by various other languages: Urdu (''maidān''); Arabic (''maydān''); Turkish ; Bangla ময়দান, meaning field, and Crimean Tatar, from which ...

. The British authorities intended for the road to be able to host large parades. The name 'Red Road' was given due to its surfacing. CTS Cadets

During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the road, in the heart of Calcutta, served as a landing strip for

Fighter aircraft Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

. The annual

Kolkata Marathon The Kolkata Marathon (officially IDBI Federal Life Insurance Kolkata Full Marathon) is a marathon held annually in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. It was launched in 2008. The marathon is the largest in Eastern India and the only full marathon held ...

starts from the outside of the Rangers Club on Red Road. The name 'Indira Gandhi Sarani' was adopted in 1985.

References

{{reflist Roads in Kolkata Monuments and memorials to Indira Gandhi