Kamarpukur:- the sacred birthplace of saint-philosopher Sri Sri Ramakrishna.

Kamarpukur is a holy place situated in the Arambagh  subdivision of the Hooghly District in West Bengal,  India. It is famous for being the birthplace of sri Ramakrishna dev. It is a block headquarters of the Goghat –II community development block.

Geography

Kamarpukur is located at 22.91°N  &  87.65°E.  A mile to the north of Kamarpukur, is situated a village of Bhursubo,  where a Zamindar person named Manik Raja lived. The renowned tanks of Hatisayer and Sukhasayer excavated by him and also the mango-grove now almost extinct in the nearby meadows.

On the western side of Kamarpukur, the canal named Bhutir-Khal flows in a zigzag course from the north to the south and joins the River Amodar  at a little distance.

Two cremation grounds called Budhui Moral lies on the north-east and Bhutir-Khal lies on the north-west of the village. Along the eastern side of the village a spacious road runs from Burdwan to Puri in Orissa(32 miles from Kamarpukur to burdwan).

To the south-east part are the ruins of Fort Mandaran and the ancient Saileswara Shiva temple, which bear witness to the prosperous days of the Pathan rulers.

About 30 miles to the eastern side, there is the famous temple of Tarakeswar Shiva,it is connected with Kamarpukur by a road running via Arambagh (or Jahanabad). Besides this, Ghatal (18 miles to the southern side) and Vishnupur (30 miles to the western part) are joined with Kamarpukur by another road that abuts on the aforestaid road to Puri, after passing through the villages via Kotulpur and Koalpara.

Six kilometres  to the west, is Jayrambati, the village in which the Holy Mother Sri sri Sarada Devi was born.

Kamarkupur gram panchayat (GP) is a constituent Gram Panchayat of Goghat–II community development block in Arambagh  subdivision of the Hooghly district. It is the block headquarters of the Goghat–II block.

History

The signs of ancient prosperity are still seen everywhere at Kamarpukur. A lot of ponds, tanks and old buildings and dilapidated temples still bear witness to its old glory. In ancient days Kamarpukur was surrounded by  fields, looked like an island, floating in a vast sea of green. Besides  agriculture, it was noted for cottage industries also. Sweets like jilapi and nabat, hookah pipes of ebony, yarns, towels, cloth, Achar, Juice, sauce, snacks, essence sticks etc., were prepared here and sent out for sale to Kolkata as well as to nearby markets. To this day, in the month of Chaitra (March to April), Kamarpukur reverberates with songs during the worship of Goddess Manasa and festival of Shiva, and in the following month, devotional choral songs of Hari are sung for 3 days at a stretch.  Now people belonging to the different strata of society live in peace in the tranquil atmosphere of the village.

Ramakrishna

It was at Kamarpukur which is adorned with the beauty of evergreens and nature, that Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa Dev  was born in 1836 to a poor brahman family. With his advent and on account of the frequent visits of his disciples and devotees, Thousands  of visitors visit it every year from the various parts of the world and get spiritually refreshed and elevated their mind.

The help of the devotees and the management, and of the monks of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, the beautiful temple of Bhagaban Sri Ramakrishna, with his marble statue installed in it. It was built in 1951 at Kamarpukur. With the construction of guest houses, a dispensary, a library, schools and the re-excavation of the tank called Haldar pukur, also with the development of the surroundings, the place has really become one of the beauty-views in the entire locality.

Vishalakshi Temple - Situated at Anur, around 2 k.m from Kamarpukur village, goddess Vishalakshi is a very popular deity. People pray  offerings to the goddess with the hope of  the goddess will fulfil their desire. Not very long  long ago the goddess resided under the open sky at the place, the present temple is located. Villagers were used to construct an ordinary leafy shed every year before the Makar Sankranti (Middle January) when a fair was organised. Tradition of the fair is being followed till today.

An interesting incident is associated with goddess Vishalakshi. Gadadhar ( named of Sri Ramakrishna in his childhood) was singing the glory of Maa vishalakhshi,  suddenly his body became stiff and tears flowed down  through his cheeks. He was accompanying a group of ladies in their way to offer worship to goddess Vishalakshi. Seeing this ladies realised that it might be due to the mystic influence of the goddess on the simple hearted boy. They immediately started praying to Maa Vishalakshi to save Gadadhar. Wonder! Then  Gadai  woke up with a brightened face.

Goddess Vishalakshi at anur

DIGHA:- A Romantic Holiday Beach

Digha is a seaside resort place in the state of West Bengal, India. It situated in East Midnapore district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal. It is a popular sea resort in the West Bengal.  Renowned for its beaches, Digha is visited by thousands of tourists in every year. It is the nearest and most popular sea resort of West Bengal. Digha is mostly famous as a weekend destination for kolkatans.

It is located 183 kilometer from Kolkata/Howrah via Mecheda and 234 kilometer via Kharagpur.

Originally, there was a place, called Beerkul, where Digha lies today. This name was referred in Hastings's letters as Brighton of the East.

An English tourist J F Smith started living here in 1923 and his writings provided a good exposure to this place. He convinced West Bengal Chief Minister Bidhan C Roy to develop this place to be a beach resort

There are mainly 3 seasons in Digha, namely Summer, Monsoon and Winter. Summer starts in April and end in June with an maximum temperature of 37°C. Although cold wind from sea sides keeps the weather pleasant in this time. Next comes monsoon in July and last the end of September. Digha generally experiences rainfall with high humidity in the monsoon season. Winter sets in October to l February with a temperature range from 24-30°C. July to March is the best time to visit Digha as weather stays most pleasant in those times.

Bus Services

There are frequent bus services to Digha from Dharmatala bus stand of Kolkata and many other parts of West Bengal. It is about a 5 hour journey from Kolkata. Bus services are also available from towns across West Bengal such as Midnapore, Bardhaman, Bankura, Asansol,  Howrah, and, also from Orissa via Cuttack and Balasore. Please note this Digha to kolkata last bus service (day) 4.00pm. from old Digha. and 3.30 pm. from new digha.

Train Services

In 2004, train services have started for Digha railway station(DGHA). There is one DMU service from Santragachi station and there are three new trains from Howrah Station too.

Howrah - Digha Superfast Tamralipta Express  departs from Howrah at 06:40 hrs and arrives at Digha station at 10:00 hrs. Return train Digha station at 10:35 hrs to arrive Howrah at 13:50 hrs. Check current actual timings with railways

Howrah - Digha Kandari Express departs from Howrah at 14:10 hrs and arrives at Digha station at 17:50 hrs. Return train Digha station at 18:20 hrs to arrive Howrah at 21:50 hrs.

New Jalpaiguri - Digha Paharia Express departs from New Jalpaiguri station at 21:00 hrs and reaches at 12:00 hrs. The train runs from New Japlaiguri on Friday. Return train which runs on Saturday only starts from Digha station at 16:20 hrs & reaches New Jalpaiguri at 08:45 hrs.

Santragachhi - Digha Passenger departs from Santragachhi at 18:15 hrs and arrives at Digha at 22:15 hrs. Return train Digha at 5.30 hrs to arrive Santragachhi station (8 km from Howrah) at 9:45 hrs.

Howrah - Digha Duronto Express - An AC special train for tourists has been introduced. It departs from Howrah at 11:15 hrs and reaches Digha at 14:15 hrs without any stoppage in between.

Visakhapatnam - Digha Superfast Express was introduced on 17th Feb 2012. It departs Visakhapatnam Station at 17:30 hrs and reches Digha at 9:30 hrs with halts at Vizianagaram, Palasa, Brahmapur, Khurda Road Jn, Bhubaneswar, , Bhadrak, Balasore, Jaleswar, Cuttack, Jajpur-Keonjhar Road, Kharagpur Junction, Panskura Junction, Tamkuk and Kanthi.

Areas

Junput beach is a quiet place  with fishermen going about their daily work unnoticed.

Digha's old beach is not as wide as it used to be due to heavy soil erosion. Big stones and concrete steps are used to hold tightly the beach. Another problem is the huge number of tidal waves that caused many of the smaller hotels and unplanned shacks to succumb to the sea. Since it is a popular beach in West Bengal, it gets gathered, especially during the cooler winter break.

A new beach has been developed named New Digha which is about two km from the old beach. This new beach is bigger than the old one, and it is considered a better one. It is clean and well-maintained &  is not surrounded by a congested locality like the older one. There are many hotels within a walking distance from the beach here. The locality itself seems to be better planned.

The entire Digha seaface from Old Digha to New Digha is filled with casuarina plantations, which looks very nice. Tourist comes here and bath in the sea, stroll by the beach along the casuarina trees and enjoy the sights and sceneries offered by this magnificent stretch of sea.

There is also another sea resort at Shankarpur which is situated 14 km from Digha along the coast. Another important spot near Digha is the Shiva temple at Chandaneshwar(odisha) which is about  6 km west of Digha. During the months of march -april, a popular annual fair is organised here.

Nearby places of interest:

Udaipur:-

This is a spectacular beach, 2 km west of Digha, in West Bengal & Odisha Border. One part of this beach is in West Bengal and the other in Odisha. One enters to this beach just walking or driving along Bengal-Odisha border.The vegetation, the great Casuarina atmosphere, typical of slopes in Eastern Ghats and, makes this beach, an excellent experience. The nearby delta, where the mighty Subarnarekha river merges into the Bay of Bengal. It is an additional attraction.

Marine Aquarium and Research Centre:-

MARC was established in 1989 during the 7^th  Five Year Plan. The major object of the Centre is to display the marine biodiversity of the region and impart its values to the common people and to carry out the research activities.
MARC is the largest inbuilt marine aquarium in the country and equipped with sea water circulation system. The aquarium has 24 big sized marine tanks and 8 fresh water tanks which are equipped with compressed air supply, light and regulated supply of inflow & outflow of water.
Hundreds of visitors make it a point to view the Aquarium every day. The aquarium is opened to public from 9.3 0 A.M. to 6 P. M  everyday.

Junput:-

JUNPUT is 40 km away from Digha; famous for fishing. It has a fine-looking sea coast. The place offer beautiful sea-view and casuarina trees. Sea water fish nurturing and examine are done here by the WB State Government Fisheries Department. Unlike Digha beach, during low-tide Junput becomes very wide and long. Sunrise in Junput is a treat to the eyes of visitors. There is lighthouse and a famous old temple of Kapalkundala.

Shankarpur:-

It is also known as virgin beach, only 14 km  east of Digha. It is a regular fishing harbour. This beach is almost empty except on weekends. The mornings are cool, when fishermen hauling their huge nets out of the sea. The morning sun reflecting on the sea waves in the east, and the local fish-boats on the sea offer excellent photographic opportunities.

Talsari:-

It is a small delta on Bay of Bengal, only 6 km away from Digha, located on Bengal-Odisha border. A quiet place, close to both sea and river subarnarekha.

Mandarmani:-

Mandarmani is a small beach on Bay of Bengal, a few km from Digha. It is a small fishing harbour and a fast developing tourist resort.

Chirulia:-

Chirulia  is a small village, 40km away from Digha ,where the ancient temple of Lord Ram, Laxman, Sita and Hanuman, temple of Sri Krishna, the Gouriya Math & Mission and the temple of lord Shiva known as Jora Mandi situated in this peaceful, green village.

Invitation for all of you & your family.

Sundarbans National Park

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Sundarbans National Park is a magnificent tangle of mangrove forests that's the only one of its kind in the world. It's spread over 54 islands and neighbouring Bangladesh. Part of the Sundarbans is home for a 2,586 sq kilometer (1,606 sq mile) Tiger Reserve, which includes a 1,331 sq kilo meter (826 sq mile) national park.

The Sundarbans has three wildlife sanctuaries, one is the national park at Sajnekhali, south of the park at Lothian Island & Haliday Island. The area is full of  tigers, birds, reptiles, and other animals such as monkeys, wild bear, and deer.

Location:-

At the mouth of the Ganges river, 131 kilometers (80 miles) south east of Kolkata in the West Bengal. The nearest railway station from here is in Canning, and Gosaba is the nearest town. The entrance to the Sundarbans national park, at Sajnekhali, and where entry fees are paid.

Sundarbans Permits:- 

Foreigner needs a permit to visit the national park. This can be get  free from the West Bengal Tourism office, 2/3 BBD Bagh East , Kolkata.

How to Get There by Organised Tour:-

The most hassle free way of seeing the Sundarbans is on a tour. The operations will take care of getting you there, providing the necessary permits & accommodations. Sunderbandeparts by boat from Kolkata. Cheaper options are offered from the Sunderban Tiger Camp and West Bengal Tourism.

If you want to a day to spare, Sundarban Chalo offers for popular small groups day tours to the Sundarbans from Kolkata, best suited to  budget travelers. Their two and three day tours are also very nice, and will give you the opportunity to visit villages as well as forest.

Want to go on a private tour? Then take a look at this 3 day Sundarbans tour offered by Viator. It can be conveniently booked easily online.

How to Get There Independently:-

•        By Road:- Travel from Kolkata to Gosaba (around three hours), then take a boat from Godkhali Port to Sajnekhali (2 hours).

•        By Trains:- From Sealdah station to Canning (around 2 hours) and take a boat to Sajnekhali from there (five hours), or travel by road to Gosaba and take a boat from Godkhali Port.

It's also possible to take a boat to  from Basantito Sajnekhali, on the way to Gosaba. It will take around 3 hours to Sajnekhali.

Boats and are available for excursions through the mangroves from Sajnekhali.

When to Visit:-

In the month of December to February, while the weather is cooler.

How Much Will it Cost:

Boats can be hired for around 600 rupees for half a day and 1000 rupees  for a full day. A guide costs around 300 rupees, and a boat permit 50 rupees. The entrance fee for the national park is 150 rupees, as well as 20 rupees (50 cents) for a camera and 300 rupees for a camera. Tour operators offer fully inclusive packages from 1400 rupees to over 5000 rupees per person, depending on the duration (1 or 2 nights) and standard of accommodations.

Where to Stay:

The Sajnekhali Tourist Lodge, the West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation (wbtdc) and located in the national park area, offers basic rooms costing between rupees 600-900 /night. Permission to visit Sundarbans is automatically granted for guests staying here. contact: (03218) 214960. More luxurious options are:- the Sunderban Tiger Camp , located across the river, the award winning eco-tourism Sunderbans Jungle Camp at Bali (Island). Alternatively take a package and stay on the boat.

visit in Darjeeling

So fancying a trip to Darjeeling. You must be lured by the snow peaks of Kanchenjunga that overlook the hill town, the beautiful tea gardens on the green hills, the waterfalls, orchids, pines and many other trees, may be all that. And you perhaps know that unlike most other hill towns, this place also offers a lots of fun and entertainment, great sight seeing, eateries, shopping,  activities and adventures,  all that coupled with a youthful vibe  that has both modern and colonial charm. 

Excited? But what you need is the right information from one who  has seen it all & experienced , and had gone deep into the roots of Darjeeling town. You might have already scanned a lot  of images & informations  by now and observed how similar & stale information is repeatedly  crafted into new forms  - old wine in a new bottle.

Well, I have been exploring Darjeeling hills since the past three years. It all started with a small vacation decades back. But the passion for the place only kept grown in gendlessly.  Darjeeling has now become part of our dream, life and like a second home. 

One day I realized that I have amassed a huge store of information

 along with pictures  that capture all my real findings  and experiences. This is an effort to share all that  with you so that you can design a perfect dream vacation and uncover a lot of treasures  in the hills of Darjeeling :) 

So, what have we discovered in  Darjeeling? 

While our main focus has been on  the tourism aspects, then over time we ourselves became part of Darjeeling, trying to uncover its life to be an insiders. So our findings  have evolved with time and includes not only  our wide experience of Darjeeling  but there also many stories, reviews, and finer aspects of the hill life, with tourist attractions, activities, guided & self guided tours , lodges and restaurants, my stories are  also about its people & culture, fascinating history and heritage, unique  flora and fauna, weather, Tea gardens and everything of a  hill town offers to the world. 

Visit to Lava

LAVA-LOLEGAON-RISHOP: These three places are situated at Darjeeling district in West Bengal. They are basically three distinct villages surrounded by ultimate dense forests stretching hills and silence. The villages are small and having very little number of tourists and villagers. I passed 6 full days there with my family enjoying full among ourselves. I never felt rush because there were nothing to do as such; even if no worth seeing tourist spots that were normally expected. I walked long and followed by ups & down hill roads and took pleasure in nature, full of different kinds of flowers, orchids, birds, clouds and nice pine trees. 

LAVA is the main centre of business & communication. In Rishop having higher altitude than LAVA. I observed there good cultivations are going on there in Rishop. The people over there are very well behaved and soft spoken. A 300˚ view of Mount Kanchanjangha with Nathula and other ranges are seen from there. Lolegaon is more remote located than LAVA. There are a lot of  flowers in Lolegaon, rhododendrons were blooming. A full view of Mount Kanchanjangha range consists of 12 picks is visible from that place. 

How to reach:

These three places can be reached either from NJP station or Silliguri station hiring private car and I say, it is the only good option because there are no such dependable public transports to these places. So moving fair is high as it is demanded. Even normal sharing journey is not a well thought-out. Still I observed two small buses, one was for Silliguri at 8AM and other for Kalimpong at 9AM, left from LAVA. Another important is the itinerary that should always start by Lolegaon and complete by LAVA. As I told before LAVA is the only good communicating place among these three places.

Best time to visit:

According to me the best season to visit there is post monsoon i.e. October and November when north-wind breze begins to flow.During this season it is expected to have a clear sky, bright sun light, vast greeneries and clear view of hills; but it is not   a season of flowers. 

Accommodation:

Forest is an attraction of these three places, so best idea is to spend leisure time booking accommodation provided by WBFDC. I booked a Log Cabin, Lovely Resort and Orchid in LAVA, Rishop and Lolegaon respectively. Those were good from all. Booking is also done by WBTDC. My suggestion: to book little bit high range accommodations because, I observed that, those were being maintained properly. There are several private hotels or lodges also; “Journeyy Mart” might be a good holiday planner for these places.

Getting around:

One enjoyable activity is the trekking that any tourist has to see sun rise & set from a particular top of hills. Other getting around are the following bellow:-

LAVA (2100 mt)-

Gumbadara - Tibetian Buddhist Monastery and a graceful statue of Lord Buddha, 6km by road and 1km by narrow up hill trek.

Neora – Valley National park

Chhangey falls; 

Lava is an ideal place to get a lot of medicinal plants.

Rishop (4310 mt):

Tiffindara – spectacular view of sunrise over Kanchenjunga range.

Lolegaon (1524 mt):

Canopy Walk - hanging wooden footbridge amidst the huge pines and oaks.

Jhandi Dara- sunrise or sunset from the nearby hilltop is an experience of the lifetime.