Calcutta

• Type: City
• Location: India
• Owner/Residents: Known to have a Gnome population.
• Key Features: Not described.

Calcutta is a major city located in India. Within the wizarding world, it is known to be a location where magical creatures, specifically Gnomes, conduct business. The nature and extent of the magical community in Calcutta, or in India as a whole, are not explored in detail in the original novels. Its only mention serves to illustrate the global reach of magical commerce and creature communities. In the non-magical world, Calcutta is the former official name of the city now known as Kolkata.

Calcutta is mentioned a single time in the entire Harry Potter series, during the events of the Quidditch World Cup in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. While being confronted by a group of Goblins about his gambling debts, Ludo Bagman attempts to reassure them that he will be able to pay them back soon. He mentions, “I've got a hot tip for the next match. Been offered a sure thing… I'm having a little flutter. A Gnome from Calcutta, you know…” Bagman implies that this Gnome has offered him a deal, likely related to a consignment of Leprechaun gold, which he hopes will resolve his financial troubles. This brief reference serves to expand the reader's understanding of the wizarding world as a global community and highlights Ludo Bagman's deep financial desperation and reckless behavior.

No specific magical districts, buildings, or areas within Calcutta are ever mentioned.

The mention of a Gnome from Calcutta is a rare reference to the wizarding world's presence on the Indian subcontinent in the original seven books. Later material from Pottermore has expanded on the existence of different magical schools around the world, but the novels themselves offer very few details about magical communities outside of Europe.