Road Trip through Top Tourist Attractions of West Bengal

For the next couple of weeks I will be on a road trip through top tourist attractions of West Bengal, my native state. I will be visiting Kolkata after twelve years, very eager to see the changes and excited for the new experiences.

At the same time I have a small fear on my mind about the safety aspect. For the past three years I had been planning Europe vacations, never did once the ‘unsafe’ factor crop into my mind, but this time I slightly worried on this issue.

Statue of Vivekananda in Kolkata

Top Tourist Attractions of West Bengal

Hopefully things will move as per plan. I have scheduled some auto posts from my Europe 2012 experiences so that my blog doesn’t die down due to inactivity. I will be touring interiors of West Bengal, therefore internet connection may not be possible, and I will post comments on your lovely blogposts once I return from my trip. Thanks in advance!

Adding the updates of Road Trip as I journey through the top tourist attractions of West Bengal.

Bangalore to Kolkata, Day 1

In no time we reached Kolkata by Indigo flight from Bangalore. Was it excitement or was the distance too short that we didn’t realize the flow of time?

We met the driver at the departure gate – hard to say whether he was more happy to receive us because his next week’s job was sorted out or we were more happy that the plans for travel next week seemed to work.

I glanced out of the window of our speeding Inova to catch a glimpse of the smiling face of the chief minister of West Bengal, Mamta Banerjee. The hoarding screamed – Welcome to Kolkata! I was super thrilled to say the least.

The first night halt was planned in Kalyani, 50 km from Kolkata.

Kalyani to Nabadwip, Mayapur Day 2 and 3

This was a distance of 70 km. Along the way we halted at Guptipara and Kalna. I was keen to see the terracotta temples that were a rage during 16th and 19th centuries.

A little after noon we reached Mayapur Iskcon in Nabadwip which is often referred to as spiritual capital of world! The plan was to tour Mayapur ISKCON in leisure, visit some smaller temples but significant temples around and halt for 2 nights.

Nabadwip to Siuri Day 4

This distance of 209 km was completed with a 5 hours halt in Murshidabad. On the way we halted at Plassey, the stage for Battle of Plassey. Nothing significant is put up, it has a thick growth of trees. But for my daughters it was a overwhelming moment as they had read in their history lessons:

Here is where the British East India Company got its first victory and foothold in India! They defeated the Nawab of Bengal and his French allies on 23 June 1757.

We made 2 night’s halt in Siuri. During the day we made trips to several temples around Siuri.

Siuri to Bolpur Day 5 and Day 6

On day 5 we were road tripping from Siuri to Rajnagar for a terracotta mosque, then to Begunia Temple complex in Asansol. We then took a diversion for a cluster of Dewanji Temple and Chandrakantha Temple in Hetampur, then finally to Shantiniketan in Bolpur.

Bolpur to Bishnupur Day 7 and Day 8

This stretch too had a halt at Ilambazar, for its famed terracotta temples. We visited several temples in and around Bolpur and Shantiniketan too.

Bishnupur back to Kalyani Day 9

I think I saw maximum number of terracotta temples on this day. We toured the Depara, Duttapara of Joypur and feasted our eyes on the temples owned by once well to do families of these areas. In the end I was glad I included these temples in my map of road trip through top tourist attractions of West Bengal.

Temples of Bishnupur is the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage list. Such charming terracotta temples, if ever one visits Kolkata make sure to visit Bishnupur.

Kalyani to Kolkata Day 10

What is doing a road trip through West Bengal and not seeing a statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and Swami Vivekananda?! Bengalis all over the world feel proud of them. I had to adorn my blog with their pictures. These statues are most often made in traffic roundabouts, giving me ample time to capture them from my window seat.

Statue of Subash Chandra Bose in Kolkata

Kolkata to Sunderbans and back Day 11 and Day 12

West Bengal has 1 UNESCO World Heritage site, the Sunderbans National Park. It had to figure in my itinerary of West Bengal tour. The only disappointing part was we couldn’t spot any tiger.

Road Trip through Top Tourist Attractions of West Bengal – Google Map

Kolkata Day 13

Met up with old friends and relatives after 12 long years! We did walking tour of parts of Kolkata city, visited Tagore’s birth place. In the end I was regretting that I had just one day for Kolkata. Even a week would not be sufficient enough for this great city! Hopefully I will be back again.

The rough route plan of night halts was as below: Kolkata – Kalyani – Nabadwip – Siuri – Bolpur – Bishnupur (all in West Bengal), then a couple of days in Kolkata and Sunderbans.

For the road trip through West Bengal we hired a vehicle and they offered us Inova with a driver for extra charges on per day basis. We chose him more for moral support than for technical support.

 Meet him here: Faces of India 132, Driver from Kolkata

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