Kol·ka·ta 
(kōl-kätə) or Formerly Cal·cut·ta (kăl-kŭtə)
(kōl-kätə) or Formerly Cal·cut·ta (kăl-kŭtə) A city of eastern India and the capital of West Bengal, on the Hooghly River in the Ganges delta. Founded c. 1690 as a British East India Company trading post, it was the capital of British India from 1772-1912. The chief port and major industrial center of eastern India, Calcutta is one of the country's largest cities.