Howrah is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River, opposite its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively Howrah lies within Howrah district and is the headquarters of the Howrah Sadar subdivision; it is also part of the Kolkata Metropolitan Area. Howrah is an important industrial and transportation hub, and is also a gateway to Kolkata via Howrah railway station and Howrah Bridge.