Darjeeling: The Best Hill Station of West Bengal, India

One of most beautiful hill station in eastern India that is situated in the state of West Bengal is Darjeeling which is located in the foothills of the Himalaya at an elevation of 6,700 ft (2042m) .This is a district town situated northernmost part of the state of west Bengal in India.The place is famous  as the Queen of Hills for its natural beauty and Darjeeling tea.The town Darjeeling is district head quarters and has three  subdivisional quarters Siliguri,Kalimpang and Karseong.Here another town has been developed as a lake resort the name is Mirick.The place has been certified as world heritage site by UNSCO for spectacular view of world’s third highest mountain Kanchenjunga, Darjeeling Himalaya Railwaya ,Tea garden. Himalaya Railway connects the town with plain which is being still served by traditional steam locomotives. Because of geographical advantages tea growers developed technique new technique of fermentation for procuring black tea, which was initiated from the British administrator in the mid of the19th century.For this reason the quality and flavor of Darjeeling tea have been recognized as most popular brand of black tea. There are still have some British style public schools in Darjeeling which attract pupils from all over the country and neighboring countries. The third highest peak Kanchenjunga (28209 ft high) is the most prominent visible and highest peak, Mount Everest (29035 ft) can be visible in days clear clouds.

Best time for Visitors: The place is getting enough tourists all over the year, even during heavy monsoon months from June to September.Best time can be March to mid-June that is spring and summer season.  Another time is September to November that is autumn.During these seasons,  temperature varies from 8 to 25 degree centigrade. The district Darjeeling experiences heavy rain from mid June to mid September due to rainy season and the temperature goes below freezing point at winter season that is December to February.

The Places of Attractions:

TIGER HILL :The place situated at an elevation of 8482 ft is famous for sunrise.If you want to enjoy the romantic view of Himalaya you need to reach here before sunrise.All major peaks of Himalayas is visible on clear cloud. A lovely picnic spot Senchal Lake is situated nearby.

BATASIA LOOP: The view of the loop is spectacular and it will enrich your feelings if you journey through toy train (Himalayan railway)

LLOYD BOTANICAL GARDEN: The land of the  garden provided by William Lloyd established in 1978 with wide area of 40 acres.  Here you will huge get collection of local forest native plants,Orchids from Singalila range.

AVA ART GALLERY:  This art gallery was jointly established by late Avadevi in 1965 and Bhopal Rao Sett where you will get many traditional paintings in the gallery, hand made embroidery and silk applique.

ROCK GARDEN AND GANDA MALAYA PARK: Rock garden situated 10Km down and Ganga Malaya is further 3Km from the town.Rock garden has been created by cutting rocks and there have some  wonderful waterfalls. Malaya park has a special attraction of beautiful flower garden and trees.

RANGEETT VALLEY PASSENGER CABLE CAR; This oldest passenger ropeway provides wonderful panoramic trip to Singla bazaar.You will get a spectacular view of the valley of tea gardens and little river Rangeet.In The ropeway journey will take about 45 minutes you will experience from the beauty from altitude 7000ft to 800ft where the last station Sigla Bazar.

PADNAJA NAIDU HIMALYAN ZOO;OGICAL PARK; It is one of the Indian best zoo founded in 1958 for the purpose of Himalayan fauna conservation. The zoo has been enriched by some species such as Himalayan Bears,  red pandas,Tibetan Wolves, snow leopards

DHIRDHAM TEMPLE; This is a beautiful Nepali Hindu temple of lord shiva which was built by Purna Bahadur Pardhan (known as Rai Saheb) in 1939. You will find the architecture of Pasupatinath Temple of Katmandu, Nepal.The entire premise is adorned with trees and shrubbery which is really nice and attractive.

MONATERIES;

YIGA CHOELING MONASTERY: This is located at Ghoom at an elevation of 8000ft about 8 Km from the town.The main attraction of the Monasteries is the Gelukepa or Yellow Hat sect which was constructed in 1850 by the famous Mongolian monk and astrologer, Sokpo Sherab Gyatso. Collections of some handwritten Buddhist manuscripts can be found here.

DRUK THUPTENSANGAG CHOLING MONASTRY: This is the most popular monastery locally known as Dali monastery or Dali Gomba. This is also the headquarters of the Drukpa Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. The monastery was inaugurated in 1993 by HH Dalia Lama and the door is open for all religion. The sole  objective of the monastery is to conserve culture and tradition of Tibetan.

How to reach:

There are is no broad gauge railway station or airport in Darjeeling town itself.Siliguri is the gateway of the town situated near about 88 Km.Railway junction station is NJP (New Jalpaiguri) and the nearest airport is Bagdorra situated at a distance of 94 Km.

Private taxi,share taxi is available from Baddogra airport but no bus service available and it will take 3 hours to reach Darjeeling town.From NJP railway station  station ample taxis,  share Jeeps are available and it will take 3.5 hours to reach Darjeeling town.You can even take toy train( known as Himalayan Railway ) through scenic mountain route but it will take near about 8 hours to reach Darjeeling

                               Tiger Hill

Sunrise At Tiger Hill

Kanckanjungha

               

Batasia Loop

Tea Garden

Rangeet Valley

                                                                  

PURI: Land Of Lord Jagannath

One of the original Chardhum pilgrimage sites for Hindu is Puri which is located in the state of Odisha in eastern India.It is a district city situated on the Bay of Bengal ,about 60 Km away from the state capital of Bhubanedwar.The place is famous for Jagnath Temple which was constructed on 12th century by king Anatavarman Chodaganga Deva (1077-1150).The costal city is also known as Jagnath Puri and famous for Hindu festival Ratha Yatra.The  historic city Puri is known by several name since ancient time such as a local name“srikhetra”and lord Jagnath temple known as “Badadula”.This is one of the histric heritage city elected under the scheme of  Indian government  “Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana”. This is a city of art and culture and apart from all festivals the Puri Beach Festival has got a point of attraction which held on in the beginning of November every year. This place is also famous for sand art created on sea beaches. An institute of golden sand art was established in 1995 by famous sand artists of Odisha Sudarshan Patnaik.
This is an international tourist spot the local economy dependent on tourism. The Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) is taking steps for more development and conducting tour program for various locations from Puri. The climate is tropical having Humidity is fairly high. In summer the maximum temperature touches 36°C and in winter minimum are about 17 °C.The average annual rainfall is 1330 mm.Season for the tourists is available for all over the year but has a special attraction for the festival especially like Ratha Yatra or Chariot Festival.

Attractions of Puri. 

SEA  BEACH OF PURI: The attraction of the golden beach of Puri is eternal for any sea beach lover either in India or all over the world. The beach offers colorful experience of sun rise and sun set. If you want to enjoy more and more of the nature you need to spend your time in the every morning and evening on this long sandy beach.you will get a lot of entertainments like a horse or camel ride on the beach..At the time of beach festivals you will enjoy various cultural programs and exhibitions.on the sea beach you find various products made up of different types of sea shell, handloom products and famous pipili appliqué products.

SHREE JAGANNATH PURI TEMPLE: This is the central attraction of Puri where a lot of ancient stories are associated with it.Because of this temple Puri is one dhum among four dhum which are the most sacred pilgrimage places of Hindu.the meaning Jagannath is the lord of the universe, a deity worshipped by Hindus and Buddhists.The most famous festival related to the god of this temple is Ratha Yatra or chariot festival. The starting point of this world famous festival held in July.

 GOBARDHAN MATH: This is one of the four cardinal math founded by Adi Shankaracharya in the 8th century CE.The math has historical connections  with  Jagannath temple. An Indian philosopher Padmapadacharya  the disciple of Adi Snakaracharcharya was the first head of this math in the 8th century CE. This is ofcouse one of the most important historical math situated in Puri.

SWARGARWAR:This holy place of Hindus is situated on a sandy beach towards the southwestern corner of the town.This is a cremation ground of Hindu where Goddess Smasana Kali is situated and it is believed that Goddess Kali is the proof for all heaven going soul.

SHREE LOKENATH TEMPLE: This is a historical temple situated around 205Km on the west from Jagannath Temple.The local people believe that the was founded by Lord Ramachandra and the reason for that it is very important from the religious point of view. The main  attraction of the temple is Shivalinga preserve at the innermost chamber of the temple.

SUMAR GOURANGA TEMPLE: This is a temple of Lord Gauranga situated at the northern end of the town,distance is bout 3 Km from Lord Jagannath Temple.

BEDI  HANUMAN TEMPLE: The temple is known as Daria Mahabir Temple.in local language Daria means the sea and Mahabir is lord Hanuman. This temple is very important from local cultural and religious point of view. It is believed that Daria Mahabir protects against the fury of the sea.

CHAKRATIRTHA TEMPLE: The temple situated on the northern side of the town and the distance is 3Km from the lord Jagnnath temple.The temple is dedicated to lord Nrusingha and locally famous as carious names like Chakra Narasima Temple,chakra Nrusingha Temple and chakra Narayana Temple.The temple has close association with the lord Jagnnath temple and the every year the Agnyamala from the lord Jagnnath comes to lord Nrusingha.the important religious festival is Narasimha Janma.

MAUSIMA TEMPLE:The temple situated almost the middle of the grand road,at Balagandi square.this small temple is dedicated to Goddess Mausima.The goddess Mausima also known as Ardhasini.this temple is directly associated with Jagnnath temple.

GUNDICHA TEMPLE:This temple is situated about 3 Km away from the lord Jagnnath temple and it is.govern  by the authority of Jagnnath Temple.The temple exemplifies the architecture of typical Kalinga where it is built by using light gray sandstone. The center of the temple has   beautiful garden,surrounded by compound walls.Ratha Yatra or car festival is also known as Sree Gundicha Yatra since the deities travel from Jagnnath temple to Sree Gundicha temple

How to reach Puri

 Puri By Air: The nearest airport from the heart of Puri city is Biju Patnaik airport in Bhubaneswar. It’s around 55 km away from the Puri coastal area. Cabs and buses are always available over there for transportation. The airport is connected to all major airports of India

Puri By Train: Puri is a one of the renowned terminus on the East Coast Railway having direct train links (both express and super fast) from New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Okha, Ahmedabad, Tirupati, Hyderabad etc. The Puri station is nearly one km away from the Puri sea beach. One can hire a cab or an auto rickshaw are available for local communication.

 Puri By Road: Puri city has been connected by NH-203 where distance is about 55Kms from Bhuvaneshwar. Orissa road transport corporation buses are the best way of transportation in Puri. They connect Puri to other cities and tourist places in Orissa. Frequent bus services are available from Bhuvaneshwar (56 km), Cuttack (32 km) and Konark. Orissa Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC) offers deluxe buses for sightseeing tours in Puri.

Sunset

Ratha Yatra

Anazing Sunrise

Lord Jagnnath Temple

sandbeach Art

Wonderful Sea-Bay Of  Bengal

DO YOU WANT TO GET  MORE INFORMATIONS? 

The OTDC tourist office, open from Monday-Saturday, 10am to 5pm, is on Station Road and there is a 24-hour tourist counter at the railway station. One can change money at the State Bank of India, open from Monday-Friday 10am to 2pm, Saturday 10am to noon, and Sunday 11.30am to 1.30 pm. Changing money here can take an hour or more.

DIGHA--ENJOY THE WEEKEND AT BEAUTIFUL SEA SIDE

Are you extremely tried at your monotonous daily life? Do you want to take a small trip with your family at a beautiful sea resort  within economic budget? Do you want to enjoy in a sea resort with your friends for a couple of days? Or do you enjoy honeymoon at  sea side with your partner? The  right choice is Digha where you will get everything within your budget!  The beach city Digha is a beautiful seaside resort of the  Bay of Bengal situated in East Midnapur district of the state West Bengal, India. The place is located 185 km from the capital city of West Bengal, Kolkata.  You can visit this place at any season even in summer where sea cold wind keeps the weather pleasant and cool. You will get all low, high or luxury any category of hotels  and lots of attractions along with your your short trip.

ATTRACTIONS:

SEA BEACH:  The beach city Digha basically divided into two parts, one is old Digha and the other is New Digha. The sea beach of Old Digha has got narrow due to heavy soil erosion and another problem of the record number of tidal waves.New beach has been developed in the New Digha area about 2Km from Old Digha which is well maintained and wider and not congested like old beach.You will enjoy a wonderful experience of sunrise and sunset and if you are a lover of the sea the Bay of Bengal will disappoint you.

AMARAVATI LAKE: Do you want to take an experience of boating? Yes! A beautiful place situated near the snake firm and science center  you will get an amazing experience of boating within 30 minutes ride!

MARINE AQUARIUM & RECHARCH CENTRE (MARC): This is Asia’s largest marine aquarium and research center founded by the National Council of Science Museum in 1989.There are 24 large and 8 small tanks which are equipped with compressed air, light and regulated supply of water.

AROUND DIGHA

LORD SHIVA TEMPLE OF CHANDAHESWAR: The century old temple of Lord Shiva situated at the border of Bengal and Orissa about 8 Km away from Digha.The temple is famous for its architecture and a very popular  annual fair held at the Bengali month Chaitra (from 14th March to 14th April). A large number of pilgrims from all over the region, visit the temple during this time.

JAUPUT: This is very wide and beautiful beach, distance is about 40Km from Digha. Sunrise on the beach is spectacular.

UDAIPUR: It is very nice and lesser crowded breach situated 2 Km form New Digha. It is a perfect destination to watch the sunrise of Bay of Bengal.

SANKARPUR: This is a virgin beach town also regular fishing harbor located 14Km from Digha.If you are a photographer the Scenic beauty of the beach and local fishing board will give you an opportunity to take excellent photographs.

TALASARI: Tala means palm tree and the word Talasari means a row of palm trees.distance of the place is about 6Km from Dighaand is situated in border of West Bengal and Orissa. The beach has enriched with tall coconut and palm trees which is making a very nice site.

SUBARNAREKHA RIVER: The place is situated 12 Km from Digha at the border of Bengal and or issa where the river Subarnarekha merges with Bay of Bengal.

MANDARMANI: This largest and first developing seaside resort village almost 180 Km from Kolkata and near about 40Km from Digha. Special attraction is 13Km longest driveable (drive in) beach.

TAJPUR: This is a new destination on  the West Bengal Tourist map which is 17Km away from Digha.The beach is very clean and  about 1400 acres have been dedicated to pisciculture. There are lots of  bheris or fish ponds in this area which are an attraction to the tourists.

SHOPPING:

The place Digha is famous for local handicraft based on sea shell and jute products.You will get a range of local items like jute bags, floor mats, Kantha embroidery mats and a lot of products made of seashell.Ornaments made of seashell are available at cheap rate. The place is also famous for cashew nut sellers

HOW TO REACH DIGHA:

The place  is accessible from all corners of the country. The place is directly attached with Kolkata by road and railway.
Train Service:  Railway services have been started since 2004.There is one DMU service from the Santragachhi railway station and two Super fast Express trains  and VIP  train Duranto express  are available in regular basis from Howrah station. The journey is about maximum of four hours from Howrah.
Bus Service: There is frequent bus service available from Dharmatala bus stand of Kolkata starting from early morning. Lot of Private bus services in the route of Kolkata – Digha are available throughout the day. Government A/C or Non A/C bus services are available in order to make faster communication.
By Air: The nearest airport connecting Digha with other places is the NSC Bose International Airport of Kolkata.
Local Transport: Local transports within Digha are easily available. The popular modes of transport are un-metered taxis, auto rickshaws, and rickshaws. All local services are available from the New Digha railway station and bus stand.

                                                                                                                                                                                                     

Sunrise of  Digha Beach

Amarabati Lake - Digha

Chandaheswar Temple 

Sankarpur Beach

Mandarmoni Sea Beach

Tajpur- Fish ponds