College Street Book Market

College Street Book Market, also known as Boi Para, is a renowned street book market along College Street in central Kolkata, West Bengal. Stretching nearly a kilometre, it is considered one of the largest second-hand book markets in India and the world. Lined with small stalls and shops selling new, used, and rare books in multiple languages, it serves students, scholars, and collectors near the University of Calcutta and Presidency University.

Visitors can expect a dense, kilometre-long stretch of footpath stalls and small shops on College Street lined with stacks of new, second-hand, and rare books in English, Bengali and other languages. The area is busy and crowded, with vendors displaying books on tables and pavements, nearby academic institutions, the iconic Indian Coffee House, and street food stalls. Visitors can browse, bargain, and explore lanes filled with textbooks, literature, and collectibles.

College Street developed around Hindu College established in 1817, later Presidency College, and the University of Calcutta founded in 1857. The book trade grew in the early 20th century to serve students and academics, evolving into a kilometre-long market of publishers, bookstalls and second-hand sellers that has operated for over a century.

Known locally as Boi Para (Colony of Books), the market is a cultural and intellectual centre of Kolkata, associated with literature, academia and the city's publishing tradition. It attracts students, writers, scholars and collectors and is closely linked with the historic Indian Coffee House and nearby universities.