Das Gupta & Company Private Limited
College Street Boi Para
A kilometre and a half of books: the largest second-hand book market in Asia, and possibly the world, selling since the middle of the nineteenth century. Several thousand stalls and shops, backed by the publishers, printers and binderies in the lanes behind, and surrounded by Presidency College, Calcutta University, Sanskrit College and the Medical College.
The Indian Coffee House sits in the middle of it, upstairs on Bankim Chatterjee Street, and has since 1942.
12named shops and sections
5things to know
14markets on this site
2026snapshot year
Inside the market
The sections, the shops and what each one sells| Name | Where | What is there |
|---|---|---|
| The pavement stalls1850s | College Street | Second-hand and out-of-print books; the sellers know their stock, so ask. |
| Dasgupta & Co.1886 | College Street | One of the oldest bookshops on the street. |
| Ananda Publishers1957 | College Street area | A major Bengali publishing house. |
| Dey’s Publishing1960s | College Street | Bengali literature and reference. |
| Rupa & Co.1936 | College Street | Publisher and bookseller. |
| Indian Coffee House1942 | 15 Bankim Chatterjee Street | The adda institution at the centre of the book market. |
| Putiram1920s | College Street | Kochuri, radhaballavi and sweets. |
| Dilkhusha Cabin1918 | Mahatma Gandhi Road | Kabiraji cutlet and mutton chop; heritage-listed. |
| Favourite Cabin1918 | Surya Sen Street | Tea and toast, and a century of student adda. |
| Kalika Telebhaja1960s | Surya Sen Street | Fritters from a pavement pan. |
| Swadhin Bharat Hindu Hotel1912 | College Street | A surviving pice hotel; rice, dal and fish on a bench. |
| Nalin Chandra Das & Sons1841 | College Street area | Possibly the oldest sweet shop in the city. |
Worth knowing before you go
- Ask the stallholder. Browsing is slow; they can find things in minutes.
- Bargaining is normal on the pavement, less so in the shops.
- The Kolkata Book Fair in January is the other event in this trade.
- Eat while you are there — the cabins and the Coffee House are part of the street.
- Sunday is much quieter and many stalls are shut.
Named shops
Bookshops
Each name opens its own page on this site; Explore opens a Google search.
2shops
Chuckervertty Chatterjee & Co Ltd
College Street Boi Para
Bookshop
English classics, philosophy and art history above the Indian Coffee House.
Named shops
Publishers
Each name opens its own page on this site; Explore opens a Google search.
4shops
Dey's Publishing
College Street Boi Para
Mitra & Ghosh Publishers
College Street Boi Para
Ananda Publishers
College Street Boi Para
Patra Bharati
College Street Boi Para
The other markets
New MarketBurrabazarGariahat MarketHatibagan MarketKumartuliMullick Ghat Flower MarketBowbazarChandni ChowkLake MarketManiktala MarketDacres LaneTerritti BazarHowrah Market & the Engineering Belt
Read the city another way
Also known at College Street
Named here — tap a name for a live answer| Name | What | |
|---|---|---|
| Dey’s Publishing | Publisher | About ↗ Explore ↗ |
| Bengal Publishers | Publisher | About ↗ Explore ↗ |
| Bani Mandir | Bookshop | About ↗ Explore ↗ |
Listings are for identification and discovery; confirm details independently.
A note on this page. Restaurants, shops and markets open, move and close far more often than industries do. Everything here is a snapshot of Kolkata as of 2026, offered as a starting point rather than a live listing. Check the address and the hours before you travel.
Restaurant, shop and company names and trademarks belong to their respective owners. Inclusion is for independent discovery only, not endorsement, ranking or affiliation.