The National Library of India occupies Belvedere House, a stately Alipore mansion that once housed British viceroys. It is India's largest library, with a collection of more than a million books, including rare works and historic material.
For most travellers the appeal is the setting as much as the reading rooms: the grounds and colonial-era building add a quieter stop to a day around Alipore and the southern side of central Kolkata.