The Top 5 Wonderful Places To Visit In West Bengal, India

The Top 5 Wonderful Places To Visit In West Bengal, India

The article was originally submitted by Rohit Agarwal, an architecture who loves exploring new places.

1. Dakshineswar & Kali Ghat

Photo by shankar s., CC BY 2.0

Dakshineswar is one of the most popular pilgrimage centres for Hindus. The town is located in the proximity to the city of Kolkata. Here you can find Kali temple, one of the many temples in the compound situated on the banks of the Hooghly river. There is also Kali Ghat in the temple which are the steps leading to the river. In the same complex, there are 12 Shiva Shrines, Radha Gobinda temple and the place where Ramakrishna Paramahamsa stayed for several years. Nature and bird lovers can arrive in the morning hours to see thousands of Pigeons being fed by bird feeders. After that, if they plan to visit Belur Math (another close-by place), they can take a boat ride from Dakshineswar.

2. Digha

Photo by Rajarshi MITRA, CC BY 2.0

Digha is nearest beach resort to the east and a favourite weekend getaway for Kolkatans. The beach has shallow sand and low tidal waves. Tourists can enjoy walking-along-the-beach while gazing at the beautiful casuarinas plantations along the stretch. The latest addition is a science centre that provides various mechanisms to make learning experience of science and fun. There are few other places of interest like Udaipur beach on the Bengal Orissa border, Marine aquarium and research centre (MARC), 100 years old Chandaneswar temple (nearly half a million pilgrims visit the place), new Shankarpur beach (or Virgin beach) and Subarnarekha river.

3. Sunderbans National Park

Photo by Kingshuk Mondal, CC BY-ND 2.0

Sunderbans, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in the Ganges region and covers 10000 sq.km of an area that partially belongs to India (40%) and to Bangladesh (60%). The name is said to have derived from the Sundari trees referred to as Heritiera formed species. Here one can see various kinds of mangrove. The forest has the largest Royal Bengal Tiger population. Tigers in this area have adapted well to the environment and are very good swimmers. Other animals found here are estuarine crocodiles lying on the banks, chital deer, rhesus monkey, salvatore lizard (water monitor), endangered river terrapin, sea turtles like green and hawksbill and olive ridley. If you are lucky, you can catch the sight of fishing cats, the rarest of the lesser cats. The aqua fauna of Sunderban has a variety of red fiddler and hermit crabs.

4. Botanical Garden, Shibpur

Photo by Abhijit Kar Gupta, CC BY 2.0

The Acharya Jagadish Chandra Bose Indian Botanic Garden or simply, the Shibpur Botanical Garden, lies on the western shores of the famous Ganges River. The garden is managed by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and is in line with Kew Gardens, London. It has 12000 types of perennial plants, but the main attraction is the 250 years old “Banyan Tree”, which also has second largest canopy cover in the world. The garden also contains a collection of several species of bamboo trees, coconut trees, orchids, palm trees, bougain villeas, cactuses, legumes, jasmines, water lilies, and screw pines, etc. which were imported from Europe. There are 26 species of bamboos including popular species like “Buddha’s Bamboo” and around 140 varieties of bougainvilleas. Some of the trees found in the garden are Mad Tree (each leaf is of different shape and size), Bread Fruit Tree and Cannon Ball Tree (fruits are round shaped like cannon balls). Also, there are fruit bearing trees like Rasogulla and Mishri Pal whose fruits resemble the sweets of the same name. Apart from the plants and trees in the garden, there are a variety of bird species and animals like Jackal and Indian mongoose.

The garden, with is lush greenery, provides a perfect ambiance for researchers. The best time to visit is during the winter season in Kolkata from October to March. Tourists can get a visual treat of a variety of flowers away from the hectic city life.

5. Bunkulung

Bunkulung is a picturesque village on the banks of river Balasun surrounded by hills and rivers. Bunkulung is very close, only 4km away, to Dudhai in the Eastern Himalayas. This small village has a homestay where basic amenities are available. It is self-sufficient in nature and renowned for the growing paddy, organic vegetables and fruits without the use of chemical fertilisers. Adventurers can camp on the banks of the Balasun River. Outdoor fun activities like horse riding and games can be arranged by the homestay. One can visit the Phuguri Tea Garden and Gayabari Tea Estate to watch tea being processed in some of the finest tea estates of Darjeeling hills.

West Bengal is a place where tourists can choose destinations from a variety of options based on their interests. Some of the best choices are pilgrim centres, weekend getaways to gardens and beaches, rich flora and fauna and various species of birds and animals for nature lovers.

About Rohit Agarwal
Rohit is an architect by profession. He is passionate about exploring new places. He likes to capture photos with his camera during his travel and share travel stories on his blogs.