Located at the border of Orissa and West Bengal at the meeting point of the River Subarnarekha and the Bay of Bengal Talshari, Talsari or Talsharee, is an idyllic destination to spend sometimes in seclusion exploring yourself. The Chandaneshwar Temple and Udaipur Beach are the nearby spots from Talsharee. You can enjoy the kilometer long […]
Laxmipur is a hamlet in the hills in the wild western part of Odisha. It was unheard of by tourists even a decade back. The launch of the 160 km-plus Koraput-Rayagada line put it on the map of those willing to go off the beaten track. The new line branches off the Kirandul-Visakhapatnam route through […]
Debrigarh means “The abode of the goddess”. Located around 40km from Sambalpur in Orissa, it is home to a rich diversity of flora and fauna, thanks to the Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary amid the famous Barapahad hills. Asia’s longest earthen dam, the Hirakud, 24km in length across the Mahanadi, appears on your way to Debrigarh. As […]
The mighty river Mahanadi, miles of green paddy fields with hillocks on the horizon and a temple dating back to the 14th century greet us at Chandrapur, a picturesque village in the Champa district of Chhattisgarh. A perfect getaway for an extended weekend. Chandrapur is 31km from Raigarh and 588km from Howrah. The journey by […]
The twin hills of Kiriburu and Meghataburu is located in the West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. You have to get down at the Barbil station and hire a car that will take you to your destination via Barajamda. Truckloads of iron-ore coming down from Barajamda, Nuamundi, Barbil, Danguaposi mines trundle along the road. The car […]
Imagine sleeping inside a forest bungalow with wild animals moving around the compound in the dead of night. Strange sounds break the silence ever so often, adding to the eeriness. There’s a sudden flurry of movement over the fence — is it a herd of wild pigs or a leopard? This is Chilapata, a dense […]
Sukharia, a quaint village between Balagarh and Somra Bazar railway stations in Hooghly district, has the distinction of being the site of some of the finest temple architecture of Bengal. Sadly most haven’t withstood the vagaries of time. A few have been rebuilt but the modern structures lack the grace or beauty of their historic […]
Want to take a short break from Kolkata? If you are a wildlife enthusiast then set off for Kolakham. You have to reach New Jalpaiguri (NJP) station. Cars are available from there that will take you to Kolakham, a destination in north Bengal. You can stop at Sevoke which is few kilometers away from it for […]
Gahunbari is nestled in the Dooars in north Bengal, close to Sikkim and the Bhutan border. You can catch a glimpse of the majestic Kanchenjunga while making your way to the quaint resort from Siliguri by car. The serpentine road is flanked by lush green tea gardens on both sides and the foothills of the […]
Manalee Aranyak (Manalee Forest Resort), situated 15 km from Durgapur railway station, is an idyllic destination for the nature lover. First, it is not crowded — at least till now — because very few people have heard of it and even fewer go there. Secondly, it is easily accessible from Kolkata. One needs to board one […]
A village with many temples is common in any part of the country, but a village with many palaces is not. Such an unusual village is not far from home. Dhanyakuria is about 30km from Dum Dum. It takes two hours to reach Basirhat from Dum Dum and another 30 minutes to reach the village which […]
A Mughal-era temple with intricate terracotta work and a colonial garden complete with marble statues are the twin attractions in this speck on the edge of the Hooghly map. The history of Dasghara, located 12km north of the temple town of Tarakeswar, dates back to the early 18th century, when the Gopinath temple, the oldest […]
Sashati, in Howrah district, is a picturesque village just 70km from Kolkata. It is located on the bank of the Rupnarayan river. On the other side of the river is Midnapore district. The buses are available from Esplanade that will take you to Sashati bus stop. The bus stop is a beehive of activity. You […]
Lush, green Himalayan slopes after a drive through thick forests of evergreens. If that’s your idea of a perfect getaway, Kalijhora won’t disappoint you. Just 28km from Siliguri on the way to Teesta Bazaar along the NH 31A, the tiny hill retreat became famous after the films Barsat Ki Ek Raat and Anusandhan were shot there. A pleasant drive […]
If someone is dying for a break to relax in the midst of the greenery of rural Bengal, Dhanyakheri is one of the best options. Located at the confluence of the Rupnarayan, Mundeswari and the Damodar rivers, only 7km from Bakshi near Bagnan, this placid and quintessential Bengal village offers us the luxury of a […]
When you stand nine feet tall and weigh three tonnes, you make your own road that’s how you feel while sitting upon the stately pachyderm at Kaziranga National Park in Assam. The park is as much grassland as thick forest. From where the elephant safari started, all one could see are tall grasses, growing in […]
Boat rides through creeks, visits to the fishermen’s bay, mangroves, village tours, and — if we are lucky enough, a brush with the striped beast — that’s the Sunderbans for one. Hemnagar, on the border of the world’s largest mangrove forest, is a village on the banks of the Raimangal. One can take a motorized […]
The Archeological Survey of India (ASI) website describes it as the Palpara temple while the local people call it Math Mandir, Kali Mandir or Shiva Mandir. The 17th century temple, long abandoned, was recently restored by the ASI and declared a monument of national importance. The charchala structure (where the four sloped roofs form a pinnacle) made […]
Bansberia is ideal for spending a Sunday away from home but not too far away. The main attraction in this village is temples with intricate terracotta works that inspired Rabindranath Tagore. Moved by the art, the poet had asked Nandalal Bose to document the panels on the temple walls. Bansberia, 48km from Howrah, is an […]
To think that there is a sea barely a three-hour drive away from Kolkata! Fraserganj, in South 24-Parganas, is the perfect weekend getaway, especially if one enjoys getting behind the wheel. Swept by the Bay of Bengal, it offers peace and romance in its wind-swept rows of casuarina trees. Here red fiddler crabs dot the […]
