Durga Puja as we all know is the biggest festival of the Bengalis. No matter which part of the world you are in if you are a Bengali you are bound to be moved emotionally during this time. Our surroundings gets filled with happiness and joy as everyone irrespective of their age start to celebrate. To me any celebration is incomplete without travelling. Fortunately, this year Durga Puja was scheduled in such a manner that even after puja we still got three days of holiday including a Sunday. We wanted to utilise this opportunity to the optimum and made planing for a trip to Purulia before hand. Initially our plan was to visit to Simlipal National Park in Orissa but later on we came to know that the park would remain close during that time, so we had to drop our plan.
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| Howrah Station |
Our journey was scheduled on 29th September, 2017. We reached Howrah Station at around 8.30 pm and our train was scheduled at 11.05 pm ( Chakradharpur Fast Passenger). After reaching Howrah we had our dinner at the newly formed food plaza in old Howrah railway complex. The food they served was very delicious at moderately cheap price. I would recommend everyone to have their food from IRCTC food plaza if they are travelling from Howrah Station.
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| Having dinner at IRCTC Food Plaza |
After having dinner we went to the new complex as our train would leave from platform number 19 or 20. Our train arrived 20 mins later than the scheduled time. For your information I would like to mention that Chakradharpur Fast Passenger is also known as Bokaro Fast Passenger. Finally the train started at 11.40 pm. Rest of the train journey was smooth without much fuss. We reached Purulia Junction at around 7.30 am the next day. We had our breakfast in one of the railway canteens and the only food that they offered was Alu Ka Paratha. Four of my friends including my younger brother decided to skip breakfast and have tea instead, but Suman (one of my friends) and I decided to taste the paratha.
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| At Purulia Junction |
Unfortunately, due to delay in having breakfast we missed the only Government bus that would take us to Ayadhya Pahar and to our hotel. There were a few private bus services but their services are not up to the mark. So we had to reserve one minivan and had to cover 59 kms which took nearly two hours. Finally we reached our previously booked hotel at 10.30 am.
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| Niharika Lodge of West Bengal Government |
Since there was no previous boarder in our room we were able to check in instantly. We were so tired that we retired to our respective beds almost instantly after having a cup of tea. We woke up at around 2.30 pm as it was already getting late for our lunch.
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| Waiting for the lunch to be served |
Food at Niharika Guest House was moderately cheap as it gets government subsidies. After having our lunch we went for local sightseeing. There was a huge ground just opposite to our hotel which was famous for cock fighting- one of the favourite pastime for the locals.
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| Ground famous for cock fighting |
I was fortunate enough to see cock fighting for the first time. It was an amazing experience all together. Then we went to visit Mayur Pahar, a famous tourist spot in the locality which was 5 kms from our hotel. It was a pleasant evening so we easily covered that distance on foot and reached there at around 4.30 pm. It is basically a small hill top which gives a panoramic view of the village below.
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| View from Mayur Pahar |
It was a quiet place and not many tourists visit there. We really liked the environment as cool breezes from the forest below was blowing constantly. It was just the kind of place I love to visit. We sat there enjoying the view for couple of hours and then we left for our hotel as it was getting very dark. It was nearly a full moon and when we were retracing our way back, the forest along with its villages appeared magical to me. I will definitely suggest one to visit Purulia during full moon nights only so that they can fully experience Purulia in its elements. That night we went to our hotel and chatted till late night.
Then we went to our respective beds and retired for the night.
Next morning we woke up early as we had to book a car for the local sight-seeing. According to our plan we borrowed a car after much negotiation and left for sight-seeing.
Our first spot was at the Upper Dam, but unfortunately the weather turned against us and we had to wait for long hours inside our car. Finally the rain got over and we managed to get out of the car. It was an amazing place.
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| On our way to the Upper Dam |
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| View for the Upper Dam |
As it was off season so not many tourist visited the place on that particular day. We were left with much needed serenity that we were looking for this long. After finishing our tea we left for our next spot that was Marble Lake.
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| Marble Lake |
Marble Lake is basically an isolated lake situated among the marbled rocks which in turn gave its name. It was a good place to find your inner self in this fast paced world. We spent quite a few time in that place as no one was in a mood to leave the place early, but soon the rain returned and we had to rush back to our car. Next we stopped at Bamni Falls, where we had to trace down a stiff mountain cliff to reach the raging falls.
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| Bamni Falls |
The descent to the falls was really stiff and only a few tourist can make it to the falls. But fortunately we made it to the falls and were gifted with an amazing experience.
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| On our way back from the Bamni Falls |
However, the rain was a constant menace and was bothering us throughout. On our way back from the Bamni Falls we saw the Durga Falls as well. We had to rush because one our team member (Mr. Sandipan Mandal) had to catch his train. We also saw the Turga dam.
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| Tunga Dam |
We wanted to bathe in that water but refrained ourselves from doing that as we didn't have necessary clothing. Sadly, our trip was over and we rushed back to the Ayodhya Pahar so that our friend could catch the evening bus to the Purulia Station. One thing I forgot to mention that in between we halted at the Charida Village and bought Chhou masks.(A type of Indian folk dance)
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| Mask making at Charida Village |
We reached our hotel just in time and our friend had enough time to catch the evening bus. After he left we thought of organising a chicken barbeque. But due to lack of amenities we had to settle for "chicken pakoras" only.
That night we chatted for long at our dinner table and reflected on the entire trip. Next day, our time at Purulia came to an end and we left our hotel at around 10AM for the station as our train was scheduled for departure at 2.40 PM.
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| Time to bid goodbye |
It was yet another journey that was coming to an end however it was just the beginning of many more to come. We all felt very sad but the reality was we all were heading back home.
If given chance I would definitely head back to Purulia once again. There is something magical about those mountains and forests that one can relieve again and again. Thus we ended our short trip to Purulia on a high note.
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| Until next time... |
Picture Courtesy: Piangshuk Mukherjee, Sandipan Mandal, Suman Karmakar & Arijit Ghosh.
