We at India tours and travels take you on a tour to Kolkata, the city that has been the main center of British rule. The archaeological evidences which form a part of the history of Kolkata tell us that the city had a sophisticated civilization dating back 2000 years. In 1686 the British abandoned Hooghly and moved downriver to three small villages of Sutanati, Govindpur and Kalikata. The Kolkata city continued to grow steadily until 1756, when Siraj-ud-daula, the nawab of Murshidabad, attacked the town. Most of the British inhabitants escaped, but those captured were packed into an underground cellar where, known as `the black hole of Calcutta'. In 1757 the British recaptured the city and made peace with the nawab. After Fort William was built in Kolkata the town became British India's capital. Much of Kolkata's most enduring development took place between 1780 and 1820. In the 19th century, Bengal became an important center in the struggle for Indian independence. In 1911 the capital was transferred from Kolkata to Delhi. The city of Kolkata is over 310 years old. When the Britishers ruled the earlier capital of Kolkata, it was known as the 'Jewel Of The East'.