DIGHA

        Birkul was a coastal village in Bengal surrounded by dense forest. The British were fond of this hamlet where trees outnumbered human beings & sea talked louder. Governor General Warren Hastings was so much in love with Birkul that he called it 'Brighton of the East'.

       Birkul, or Hastings' Brighton underwent sea change keeping pace with time.It's renamed Digha. The forest-clad hamlet metamorphosed into a happening sea town of Bengal & became part of our life. It's picnic spot, family tour destination,honeymoon spot,location for film shoots, site for educational tours, fish trade centre , what not!

     Digha has come a long way from Birkul & the journey continues. The Government works nonstop for the  development  ensuring frequent makeovers of Digha. A huge gate in the beautiful combination of blue & white welcomes you to Digha. This is the latest addition to the illustrious CV of the beach town. The gate is shaped like a sailboat.

DIGHA GATE

    A new beach named Udaypur has been developed nearby. The beach is ideal for those who love to stay far from madding crowd. It's connected with Digha by marine drive road,the first of its kind in West Bengal. Work is on to extend the road up to Tajpur in the east.A walk down the road in the setting sun is therapeutic.

MARINE DRIVE ROAD

UDAYPUR

    In near future Digha is going to be connected with Gopalpur in southern part of Odisha by a seaside road ensuring us a memorable journey.

    What is most amazing about Digha is its dynamism. It didn't waste time basking in the glory of cashew nut farming  or a marine aquarium. It keeps changing itself & appears in new avatars. It  is now  going to the extent of introducing ropeway service from Digha to Shankarpur.

    The beach in Old Digha has been reduced to nothing by severe erosion. So people use the beach in New Digha. This is an amazing beach that can cater to everyone,from fish lovers to adventure lovers, from shopaholics to lovebirds. Fried prawns,cashews,gigantic coconuts,speed boats, handicrafts of seashells,cosy corners, everything is served on the beach.

DIGHA BEACH

   Unlike its Old counterpart, New Digha  is safe for bathing. Since Bengalis have a penchant for sun-bathing, they stream in to New Digha beach & merge with the Bay of Bengal.  They bathe,sip coconut water,click groupies & again get back to bathing.

BATHING GOES ON

    Digha is a 'super power'  in tourism industry of Bengal. Except Darjeeling there's nobody else in West Bengal who is richer,more famous & influential than Digha. It's chock-a-bloc round the year.People rush to Digha whenever they feel like,even at the time of calamity like cyclone!

 FULL-MOON 

   Digha caused a sea change in  the socioeconomic life of the coastal belt of East Midnapore district. It upgraded a number of adjoining coastal villages to  seaside resorts of repute.  Communication has improved remarkably. All the roads are in good shape. The area is connected to Kolkata & other parts of Bengal by Digha-Howrah railroad.

   Fish trade in the area has gained momentum. Shankarpur's claim to fame is now the wholesale fish market, not the tranquil beaches anymore .

   Banks, ATMs,hospitals,nursing homes,hotels,mobile towers,cars of various shapes & sizes changed the area completely.

   Digha supports Odisha as well. Places like  Talsari,Chandaneswar,Bichitrapur  in the neighbouring state have become popular tourist spots thanks to their proximity to Digha . Most of the tourists who floack to these places are neither  from Bhubaneswar nor Cuttack,but Digha.

   The scenic beauty of Goa,Vizag & Kovalam, pilgrim centres of Puri & Kanyakumari - Digha has none of these. Then what made it special? The answer is 'Passion'.  The Bengalis have a passion for Digha.
    This passion made the place  what it is now.
     Digha is a great success story of the Bengalis.

     

MAITHON

        Maithon has an exciting 'buy one get one free' offer. A visit to Maithon means visiting some breath-takingly beautiful spots of West Bengal as well as the neighbouring state of Jharkhand. This is because the Maithon project of DVC is housed by both West Bengal & Jharkhand.

        Damodar Valley Corporation came into existence in the month of July,1948. Now it's difficult to imagine what the emaciated Damodar was like in the past. It was the deadly Damodar devastating Bengal & southern parts of Bihar ( now what's called Jharkhand) every monsoon. In 1943 the flood situation was so serious that Kolkata was marooned & cut off from rest of the country.

       DVC was formed to manage Damodar & perform other functions like irrigation , power generation etc. It was India's first multi-purpose river project. Dr.Meghnad Saha played major role in it.


        Maithon dam was inaugurated  by Jawaharlal Nehru in 1957.It's different from other three DVC dams as it's constructed not on Damodar river but Barakar. The underground hydel power station, the first of its kind in south east Asia is situated in Burdwan district of Bengal & rest of the project in Dhanbad district of Jharkhand.


        Barakar river is captivated in a vast reservoir spreading over an area of 65 sq. km. This is the biggest DVC reservoir. It acts as the canvas on which Nature paints with beautiful colours. There are hills of various heights in the reservoir. Hills in green drapes standing in the midst of vast blue of water soothe the nerves.

MAITHON RESERVOIR

        There are some islands in the lake whose shapes are amazing.

SPOON ISLAND

TORTOISE ISLAND

         One can reach such an island named Swabuj Dwip (Green Island). There are small bridge,chairs & merry-go-round,all in the thick vegetation  on the small island. It's maintained by the West Bengal Govt.
         Boating is a must. Most of the tourists opt for speed boats. But I suggest that you ride a country boat in the setting sun. It's riot of colours in the sky, on the water, all around you. It's one hour of playing holi !

SUNSET

 

        BHANDAR PAHAR

        The first thing I want to say about Bhandar pahar is ' looks are deceptive'. The hill,nearly 2 km away from Maithon dam is 170 ft high, according to the locals. A flight of stony staircase welcomes & starts taking you to the top. 

        After scaling a considerable height you'll go "OMG!!!!!" discovering the flight of staircase has come to an end & the only option is climbing or crawling over the rocks to reach the temple atop. 

        More than 50% of the distance is covered by trekking amid a pretty dense forest. You'll hardly find any people around you. The temple is named after Amarnath. The linga is white. Shivratri is observed with pomp,up there.

WAY TO BHANDAR PAHAR

AMARNATH SHIV MANDIR ATOP BHANDAR PAHAR

   

        KALYANESWARI TEMPLE

        Bengal is the abode of Goddesses. Each and every district has at least one temple of either  Goddess Durga or Goddess Kali which is the district's pride. Some of those temples are world-famous.

        Burdwan district is proud of Kalyaneswari temple. Ma Kali appeared as Kalyaneswari, the goddess of fulfillment. It's believed that the Goddess blesses the childless with child.The deity is different from that of Ma Kali. It is covered with a red cloth.

        Goddess Kalyaneswari was worshiped by King Harigupta in 3rd century AD.  The temple he built gave in to time and was reduced to ruins. Much later, in 16th century the King of Panchokot rebuilt the temple. The foundation is still there inside the fortress of Garh Panchokot.

FOUNDATION OF KALYANESWARI TEMPLE IN GARH PANCHOKOT

        

        Later the temple was relocated to where it is now. It is at a distance of only 4 km from Maithon dam. The temple premises is very neat and clean. The devotees stand in queue & offer puja peacefully. 

        It's a must-visit place in Maithon.

SANCTUM SANCTORUM OF KALYANESWARI TEMPLE

PART OF THE TEMPLE

       

PURULIA

        Purulia unveiled a new face of Bengal before me. I've been to the hilly parts of Bankura district. But Purulia is different. It's rough & enigmatic. And believe me, this harshness is the beauty of Purulia.
        There is a large forest cover. Still the area looks nude. There are rivers & falls. But the area is arid.

         We got off at Barabhum station from where  trekker takes approx.40 minutes to reach Baghmundi, the nearest town to Ayodhya hills. When we left the station area behind we entered a whole new world of undulating land, red soil, forest, rocks & hills.

    

       AYODHYA HILLS

          Ayodhya & other hills in the western parts of West Bengal are parts of the Eastern Ghats. Ayodhya,situated in Purulia district near the border with Jharkhand is under thick forest cover & houses many wild animals. In the parts where human activities are high, density of forest & animal species is low. Other parts or peaks are out of reach the tourists.

         In 2008 was inaugurated Purulia Pumped Storage Project, a hydroelectric power plant generating 900 MW of energy. When the water rushes down from the upper to  lower reservoir, its kinetic energy is converted into electrical energy.

         The upper & lower reservoirs, popularly known as  upper & lower dam are breathtakingly beautiful.  Large water bodies on the lap of the hills provide our body, soul & mind with much needed relief in this land of hard,solid rocks! Rigidity & fluidity here lie together & create beauty.

LOWER DAM

UPPER DAM

DAM TOP ROAD ( UPPER DAM)

        

            Mayur pahar (peacock hill) is a peak of Ayodhya hills. Getting to its top is no difficult job. Mayur pahar allows the panoramic view of  Ayodhya range. 

FROM TOP OF MAYUR PAHAR

PART OF THE PANORAMIC VIEW OF AYODHYA

       Bamni is a beautiful river flowing on the hills. Rocks of various shapes & sizes try to hinder har path. But Bamni is undomitable. She makes her way through the rocks & ultimately falls off the cliff making an enigmatic falls & a lake below. Adventurous souls climb down to catch a glimpse of the falls. 

      Though rattling sound of the water, huge rocks, thick foliage & solitude give an eerie sensation, Bamni falls is a must-visit place.

BAMNI FIGHTING WITH THE ROCKS

BAMNI

BAMNI

YOUNGSTERS BEFRIENDED BAMNI

BAMNI FALLS

        Matha buru ( 'buru' means hill) is the training ground for the rock climbers. The hill is quite high & almost nude. Hats off to the people who climb up this formidable mass of rock !

MATHA BURU

        Popro kocha was suggested by the locals. According to them, this is the best spot in Ayodhya. We drove past the tribal villages. Their houses are fine examples of artistry!
     
       The tribal people don't have any formal training in painting. But that doesn't deter them from embellishing their humble mud houses with beautiful designs. The sketch, colour combination, everything is impeccable.

A TRIBAL HOUSE

        When we reached Popro kocha, we all went  'WOW!'  In front of our eyes was a huge lake surrounded by hills. On the backdrop was a hill with two peaks standing like two bodyguards in 'alert' position. Near the lake was a plain field.  Maybe Nature was tired of making plateaus & hills & for a change crafted this small piece of plain land!

POPRO KOCHA

THE PLAIN  LAND

        CHORIDA

        Chorida is 3 km. away from Baghmundi. This can be called 'village of masks' because Chorida produces masks used by the chhau dancers. Also,the smaller masks used as showpiece are made here.

        People of all age groups in the village are engaged in the business. The village looks like a workshop. You'll find masks being dried out roadside, little boys preparing the headgears, seniors doing eyes,lips etc. of MAA DURGA. The masks are made without using mould.

       Chhau dance depends heavily on MAA DURGA. This power packed dance form depicts the tale of GODDESS DURGA killing the dreadful demon MAHISHASUR.  So, the masks of MAA DURGA, GANESHA, ASURA dominate the market.

       

         Bengalis love simplicity. They have the ability to create extraordinary with the help of ordinary. To believe this you have to see how the masks are made using paper mash, soil,plastic beads, iron wire etc.