Bishnupur: The Land of Heritage

The heritage of Bakura, Bishnupur have always attracted me and I had a strong desire to visit the place. The chance of visiting Bakura came quite unexpectedly when Gopal invited us to visit his maternal uncle's village in Bakura. Initially, we were a bit hesitant considering the time that he had chosen was in the month of June when the temperature in Bakura remains soaring hot in high forties. But then no challenge is enough challenge for us when it comes to the question of travelling.So in-spite of the temperature issue we planned to visit Bakura on 14th June, 2019. In the meanwhile Gopal made all the necessary arrangements and as per plan we set out on 14th June. Instead of train we went for AC bus which proved to be a wrong decision in the end as some of our team members had to suffer from journey related health hazards like vomitting. 

Ongoing bus journey....

First half of the Team to Bakura

Second half of the Bakura Team...

This time our team consisted of six members. Unfortunately, my younger brother missed the trip much against his wishes as he had some prior appointments to attend to. Anyways, we had to catch our bus to Bakura from Esplanade bus stop. We reached there at around 7 A.M. After a little layover we boarded the bus at around 8.15 A.M. Going by my watch it took us around five hours to reach Madhavpur which was our destination. Some of our team members vomited through out the journey and were in bad shape. The bus stopped at a place known as Aroiville, where Gopal's grandfather was waiting for us with his car. After stepping down from the bus first thing that I noticed was that the temperature was very humid and although I have previous experiences of tackling subzero temperatures but a temperature this high was something new to me. We reached Gopal's maternal uncle's house at around 2 P.M. 

The warm welcome that awaited us along with the lovely gestures made us forget all our difficulties related to temperature and journey. At this time of the day the temperature remained unbearable and after taking a quick bath we settled inside the house for the next couple of hours. It was only late evening when we could set our foot outside. As we had only three days to explore we didn't have the privilege of wasting time. We decided to go round the village in order to explore. Madhavpur is a very small village I would say for that reason everyone knew Gopal and everywhere we went we received warm welcome.

Nature's beauty is a gift that cultivates appreciation and gratitude...

I had a cozy time sitting near one of the abandoned hut...

The village being in close proximity to Bakura forest range was not safe to remain outside after darkness. The reason was elephants which frequently visit the village in search of a quick snack. That night we sat on the terrace and chatted for long hours. One thing I have to say that the simplicity of the village people touched my heart. I have been to many places, met different people but the purity of the heart that village people have stands above all, say it in the mountains or in East Medinipur (where I had visited earlier) or in Bakura.
Soon the dinner was served, I must say that I had a sumptuous dinner that night. After having our dinner we retired for the day as we planned to wake up early the next morning.

I love those connections that make this big old world feel like a little village...

If somebody ever visits a village my suggestion to him or her will always be to try to enjoy the serenity of the morning calmness that a village has to offer and we did exactly the same. Next morning i,e on 15th June, 2019 we woke up early and without wasting any time went for a stroll. We were told that there is a beautiful temple near the forest known as Bakashini Temple named after the forest nearby. Bakashini Forest is known for its elephant population. Bakashini was a long walk from the hamlet where we were stationed.

Bakashini Temple adjacent to the forest...

Bakashini Forest Range...

When you are sitting in such a remote place away from the hustle and bustle of the city life time has little value and it flies. Soon we had to hurry back as we had to go for a Bishnupur city tour which was scheduled in the latter half of the day.

Few snaps taken on our way back from Bakashini...

A village is a hive of glass, where nothing unobserved can pass...

After reaching our village we quickly took a bathe and had our breakfast. Finally, we set ourselves to explore Bishnupur at around 9.30 A.M. The places that we visited in the latter part of the day were Rash Mancha, Ghum Ghar, Madan Mohan Temple, Chinomasta Temple, Lego, Rokha Kali Temple and Rajogram. We took several picture while visiting these places. Few are as follows...

Madan Mohan Temple...

 

Inside Madam Mohan Temple with one of my best buddies...

In the meanwhile I must mention one thing that the temperature was 42 degree Celsius. The temperature was so hot and humid that sitting inside the car we booked felt like sitting inside a microwave - oven.

Every member of our group enjoyed the trip thoroughly....

We ate our lunch in one of the renowned restaurants of the place named Monalisa. After a filling lunch we set out for Banalata Tourist Lodge. It is a very well maintained private lodge where many tourist from different parts of West Bengal and other states come for a quick visit.

Banalata Tourist Lodge..

Time flew by and soon we were in the last part of our tour i,e Ghum Ghar.

Ghum Ghar built by the then ruler of Bishnupur...

Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design

Atlast when we were on our way back to Madhavpur it was around five in the evening. That was our last night in Madhavpur so we chatted for long hours in the terrace not to say that paranormal stories occupied major part of our discussion. Throughout the trip we had missed two of our members who were initially the part of the team but finally could not make it to Bakura because of few prior appointments Sandipan Mandal and Piangshuk Mukherjee. That night Gopal's maternal uncle brought for us special samosa's from Magro. They were very delicious indeed.

Madhavpur Hamlet...

Houses made from mud are prominent feature of the village...

One thing that touched my heart through out this entire trip was the warmth and overwhelming hospitality that we got from Gopal's maternal uncle's family. We were complete stranger to them before visiting the place but we left the place with a feeling that we had known them for ages, that's the magic of village life. Everything was so real and pure that it creates an eternal connection with each and everyone that you had come across in the village.

Gopal's maternal uncle's house....

Unfortunately, we forgot to take any picture of Gopal's maternal uncle and aunt (including his grandparents) but I can surely bow for it that their picture is painted in our heart with the colour of love and will be with us for ever. Since reaching Madhavpur we were accompanied by two of Gopal's cousins Soumen and Tantu. They were very charming little lads and their company assured that we never felt left out. 

Happy us...

While returning we had our train from Goghat and the journey was much pleasant unlike the ongoing journey. We reached home enriched.

Until next time....

"It's only after you've stepped outside your comfort zone that you begin to change, grow and transform."

(Picture Courtesy: Priyanka Sardar and Avijit Sardar)

Weekend Getaway: Bakkhali

Somewhere in Bakkhali...

Bakkhali is a household name for the people living in West Bengal. I have been there numerous times but never got time to write about it in my blog. So, finally I decided to visit the place in order to share my experience about it. As per plan we visited Bakkhali on 13th March, 2019. This time we had a big team as we were accompanied by our parents as they too wanted to go out for a change.

Our team to Bakkhali...

First of all let me tell you something about Bakkhali. Bakkhali is a small village under Namkhana police station in Kakdwip subdivision of South Twenty Four Parganas. Sir Andrew Fraser, Lieutenant Governor of Bengal in the early twentieth century, is credited with the "discovery" of this place. In recognition of his effort a part of the town is named Frasergunj. There is a dilapidated house near the beach, according to the locals is the one in which Fraser used to stay.

In Frasergunj...

According to our plan we boarded  the Namkhana Local train from Garia railway station at 6.15 A.M. It took us little more than two hours to reach our destination, Namkhana station. At the station we had our breakfast  which set us forth for the upcoming journey. As we came out of the station we were greeted by rickshaw pullers for taking us to the banks of the river Hataniya Duyania.

Outside Namkhana Railway Station...

After reaching the river bank we booked a small steamer which took us to the other side of the river. From there we boarded a bus which took around one hour fifteen minutes to reach our hotel Dolfin at Bakkhali. The entire journey was very tiring to say the least so immediately after reaching the hotel we took a proper shower and took an hour nap. After recovering from the exhaustion lunch was served. The lunch was very pleasing indeed.

Caution board for the tourists....

 In the evening we went out to the beach and enjoyed the cool breeze with some sea food delicacies. At that time there was a low tide but the atmosphere was so pleasant that one could hardly complain.

Cold breeze filled our soul...

We returned from the beach at around 8 P.M to be greeted with hot chicken pakoras and tea at our hotel. One thing I must mention that all the staffs of Dolfin group were very cordial. Next day in the morning we booked two Totos - type of e-rickshaw and went for local places of interest like Frazergunj, Henry Island, Mangrove forest, etc.

At Frazergunj sea beach....

All of us enjoyed each others' company and the trip. Soon to realise that the trip was coming to an end and it was time to come back home. It was just a weekend trip so we did not have much time for us. It was just a two day trip.

Mangrove forest...

We left Bakkhali enriched and once again realised the fact that to find one's soul, we don't need to go far and wide instead we can get it at our backyard. 

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes memory...

I personally after completing another successful trip have become enriched, experienced and accomplished only to prepare for the next one.

Fill your life with experiences, Not things. Have stories to tell, Not stuff to show...

(Picture Courtesy: Piangshuk Mukherjee, Joydeep Ghosh, Avijit Sardar and Priyanka Sardar.)

Short visit to Chintamoni Kar Bird Sanctuary

Entrance....

Whenever I get tired of the daily hectic schedule, I love to take a break. In my case taking a break means travelling and exploring new places. So this year on the month of April, along with my younger brother, Avijit and his wife Priyanka , I visited Chintamoni Kar Bird Sanctuary at Narendrapur, South 24 Parganas. 

I heard about the sanctuary long ago but never got time to visit in person. So when we were searching for places to visit I proposed the idea of visiting Chintamoni Kar Bird Sanctuary. As per plan, on one cozy Sunday afternoon we kicked off our motorcycles at around 3 P.M. If I go by my watch it took us exactly twenty minutes from my place to reach the park. This park is not known to many as of now, so one can enjoy much needed solitude away from the buzz of the city life. The parking facilities for the two wheeler's are good. The entry fee to the park is fifty rupees which one have to pay at the entrance.

History behind CKBS....

Now before telling my experience, I would like to narrate the history behind Chintamoni Kar Bird Sanctuary in brief. This park was initially known as Kayaler Bagan after the name of its owner. This was the prime habitat for  many exotic bird species. Chintamoni Kar was a renowned sculpturer and activist. He felt the necessity of preserving the grandeur of the place, so he urged the forest department to take necessary steps. He feared the worst that some day the private owner might sell the property for construction and destroy the habitat as a whole. In 2005 the government responded to his appeal and bought the area from the private owner and gave it a status of Sanctuary.

Since then this area served as home to many exotic bird species and a hot spot for bird lovers. Some important species are Asian Koel, Brown Fish Owl, Black Drongo, Ashy Drongo, etc.

Selfie time...

Now coming back to my experience, when I entered the sanctuary the first thing that I noticed was that the place was very humid and the precipitation level was very high. I was soaked to my skin. Those who have been to any wildlife park know that spotting animals is really a tricky affair let along birds which requires a lot of perseverance and patience indeed. My fellow travellers started losing patience as they could not spot a single bird among the canopies. As a result the inevitable happened & just after ten minutes into the park my friend and his wife started complaining.

Standing infront of a local hut....

I tried to console them by saying that patience is the virtue to success. Chintamoni Kar Bird Sanctuary is only 64 square kilometre area wise and we tracked each and every corner of the place in order to catch a glimpse of the exotic birds but it seemed that luck was not on our side. I have a nature of speaking to the forest guards in person to learn about their experience inside the park. However to my utter surprise, I got to know from one the guards that there are not many birds but a large variety of reptiles, spiders and butterflies inside Chintamoni Kar. Some of the commonly seen are Monitor Lizard, Snakes of different varieties, Garden Spider , Wolf Spider, Grey Panzy Butterfly, Common Leopard Butterfly, etc.

List of Fauna....

 In terms of spotting birds the parks offered us with only disappointment, but being a jungle lover I know that it is only a part and parcel of the journey. We left the park with a sad face but the serenity, solitude and tranquillity of the park in-spite of being situated in the heart of the city touched my heart remarkably. I left the place only with a promise to visit again in future.

What are you waiting for....

(Picture Courtesy : Piangshuk Mukherjee and Priyanka Sardar)

Mesmerising Gorkhey

A hidden paradise....

In a few words our trip to Gorkhey can be explained as a "journey of uncertainties" and some times seeking pleasure in an uncertain lifestyle is just the order of the day. Later I will explain why the word "uncertainty" has played such a vital role in our journey to Gorkhey.
Like every other year we planned for a trip during the Puja vacations. This time our destination was Gorkhey. Planning is one thing and executing the same is much difficult. We had already delayed in planning our trip, moreover we had chosen a destination where getting train tickets during Puja vacation was very slim. We made a plan to start our journey started on 18th October,2018, but we were unable to get confirmed tickets. Determined to execute our plan we went to a local agent who promised us confirmed tickets at a much higher price and we agreed to pay the same. However we managed to get confirmed tickets for our return journey.

At New Jalpaiguri Station....

We were  pretty high on confidence to get confirmed tickets but the night before our journey the agent informed us that he was unable to confirm our tickets and would return the money instead. We were all quite puzzled to say the least but were the last group of people to cancel a trip for tickets. We immediately decided to book general class tickets and carry on with our journey. As a result we  boarded the Darjeeling Mail and the journey was more or less comfortable. We reached New Jalpaiguri at around 10 AM the next day(19th October,2018). We finished our breakfast and got ready for the onward journey towards Gorkhey via Jorthang in Sikkim.

Our so called pleasant train journey....

Our next halt was at Jorthang. It is the one of the popular market places and communication hubs of Sikkim. It took us almost three hours to reach there.

Taxi Stand (Sikkim)

Jorthang....

In Jorthang we had our lunch and started for Bhareng. It was a four hour journey from Jorthang. After reaching Bhareng at around 4.30 PM we were so tired that we could barely walk. At Bhareng we made a critical error which led us to uncertainty number 2. From Bhareng we had a trek of around 2.5 kms through dense jungle in order to reach Gorkhey, so our driver suggested us to take a guide which was quite logical but having numerous trekking experience we took it to our pride and declined the idea. What followed next was inevitable, 15 minutes into our trek we were lost in the dense jungle. With night approaching fast and totally exhausted from the day long journey some of our group members panicked. We were looking for a shelter here and there when a lone woodcutter came to our rescue and took us along with him. Unable to think any further we followed him like an obedient child.

View of the dense jungle where we got lost the night before...

He took us to his little hut deep inside the jungle where his wife gave us a warm welcome. The place was so remote that we were unable to locate whether we were in Sikkim or in West Bengal. As the old proverb says: "Beggars don't have much choice". We thanked Almighty for providing us with at least one shelter & bare minimum food for the night.
Thankfully, the woodcutter's wife knew Hindi and after knowing that we were hungry started preparing our dinner. That was one dinner I would remember for the rest of my life! Simple yet so satisfying! We were so tired that after having our dinner we retired for the day.

The woodcutter's house deep inside the jungle.....

The kitchen where our simple yet satisfying dinner was prepared...

A dinner to be remembered....

The next day i.e on 20th October, 2018 we woke up early to explore the local surroundings and after having our breakfast started our onward journey to Gorkhey. This time we were experienced enough to understand the value of a guide and took the woodcutter with us. The weather was beautiful that day & we took numerous pictures on our way to Gorkhey.

Once a year, go someplace you've never been before....

Travel makes one modest, you see what a tiny place you occupy in this world...

Jobs fill your pocket. Adventures fill your soul....

On reaching Gorkhey we were speechless looking at the serenity and tranquillity of the place. We had already booked our home stay from Kolkata so without much hassle we checked into our rooms, quickly unpacked our rucksacks and went to a nearby stream with an intent to bathe in its water.

Our home stay at Gorkhey...

After spending quality time on the banks of the unknown river, we came back to our hut for lunch. After having our lunch we went to bed without much fuss in order to recharge our batteries. When we woke up it was already dark, so we decided to arrange for a bonfire and chicken roast. Knowing our plan the owner of the hut Mr. Bal Chetri made all the necessary arrangements.

View from our hut....

Bonfire arranged by Mr. Bal Chettri...

We chatted for long hours that night retrospecting on all the trips that we had completed together and time flew by as blowing wind. It was a surreal feeling.
At night the temperature dropped sharply and after finishing our dinner we retired to our respective huts. Rest of the night went smoothly.
Next day (21st October, 2018) our plan was to trek towards Phalut in order to experience the 360 degree view of  Mt. Kanchenzonga.
I and one of our team member Subrata sharply declined the plan and decided to stay in Gorkhey instead. But other enthusiastic trekkers including my younger brother decided to give it a try. As per plan they set out at 8 AM from Gorkhey guided by a veteran guide. 

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all....

They trekked jauntily expecting to see the mesmerising view of the majestic Mt Kanchenzonga. Back in the camp I and Subrata decided to go for a small trek to a nearby hamlet at Samardin from where one can view the hamlet of Phalut if weather permits.

Way to Phalut....

Your body can do anything...it's your brain you have to convince

Trekking to Phalut proved to be huge gamble (uncertainty number 3) as they climbed for nearly thirty kilometres but could not witness the majestic view of Kanchenzonga. After enquiring from the locals they found out that the view can only be seen till 8 AM. Dejected and physically exhausted they returned to Gorkhey at around 4 PM where I and Subrata had the last laugh. Back in Gorkhey, I and Subrata went to a nearby village named Samardin, where we enjoyed a cosy evening.

On the way to Samardin

Our brave team members who conquered Phalut...

That night near the bonfire I heard their experience which I had already narrated above. The team that went to Phalut was so tired both physically and mentally that they could barely talk. Amidst all these we suddenly realised that our trek to Gorkhey was coming to an end. I must admit that each trip has got it's own up's and down and this is also true for life, honestly speaking which makes both trips and life so appealing indeed.

There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.... 

Phalut...

Next morning we started descending from Gorkhey to Bhareng at around 7 AM where our car to NJP was waiting. On reaching Bhareng we found out that we would not be able to reach Alipurduar from where our return train was to be board (Uncertainty number 4). We were worried as there was one intermediate station of New Coochbeehar and not finding us in our seats, the railway officials could easily cancel our confirm tickets stating no show. The inevitable happened to few of our seats but thankfully five seats were there and we happily adjusted in those remaining seats. A trip of uncertainty ended with ever lasting memories.

Hamlet of Gorkhey...

 

Travelling is the healthiest addiction...

Our team to Gorkhey...

Lastly, I would like to share the picture of the woodcutter and his family who rescued us from the jungle.

In rescuing I lost my mind but found my soul...

 Until next time......

(Picture Courtesy: Sandipan Mandol, Piangshuk Mukherjee and Animesh Pramanik)