The ongoing pandemic has taken its toll on everyone's life. Its never ending effect on human life has made it an intolerable proposition to deal with. Waves after waves of the pandemic are toiling with our lives like a ship in a stormy water. While many have succumbed under the pressure, others with their strong determination have given us a ray of hope. A brighter tomorrow awaits, only if one can survive this claustrophobic situation.
In this prevailing scenario travelling is indeed a luxury but as I have mentioned in my earlier blogs that travelling acts like a panacea to me and that I cannot live without. So, taking all necessary precautions we set forth to a lesser known destination in East Bardhaman this time, Valki Machan.
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| Valki Machan |
Initially, we planned to reach Valki Machan via car but when our mother expressed her desire to travel with us we quickly changed our plan and booked railway tickets instead. As per plan our trip commenced on 17th September, 2021. We boarded the Black Diamond Express from Howrah at around 6:15 AM and reached Mankar Station in East Bardhaman at 8:30 AM.
Our team to Valki Machan comprised of nine members.
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| Team Valki Machan at Mankar Station... |
After reaching Mankar we headed towards Aranya Sundari the only accommodation in the area via car which cost us Rs 500/-(Rupees Five hundred) only for a Bolero(Kesto: 8926623492). Here I would like to mention that if one wishes to stay near Valki Machan, Aranya Sundari(Bankim Ghosh: 9153420133) is the only destination. There is another place where people can stay but it is nearly ten kilometres away from Valki Machan i.e., Jamuna Dighi maintained by West Bengal Government State Fisheries Department.
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| Aranya Sundari, Valki Machan.... |
On reaching, we were served with a sumptuous breakfast comprising of Luchi, Potato Curry and Omlette. After breakfast we quickly freshened up and headed for site seen in our previously booked Bolero.
Places one can visit while staying at Valki Machan are Icchai Ghosher Deul, Shyamarupa Kali Temple, Medhas Ashram, Rahreswar Shiv Temple, Garh Jungle (Durgapur) and Kalikapur Rajbari. All these places can be completed within four hours depending upon the time one spends in each place. The car fare for visiting all these places is Rs. 2200(Rupees Two thousand two hundred) only which may vary depending upon the season and time of the visit.
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| Kalikapur Rajbari... |
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| Ichhai Ghosher Deul... |
While travelling to these places one thing that touched our heart is the mesmerising scenic beauty and pristine jungle surrounding the area. It's my earnest request to the State Government to properly promote these offbeat tourist destinations in West Bengal so that more and more nature lovers can explore these virgin destinations.
The district of East Bardhaman is not a popular tourist destination but a single visit to Valki Machan can have a remarkable impact on this thought process.
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| Travelling in the company of those we love is home in motion.... |
Among the aforesaid places, one which we liked the most was our drive through the dense forest of Garh Jungle amidst heavy rainfall on our way to Shyamarupa Kali Temple and Medhas Asharam. The path is so dense that in some places even sunlight fails to penetrate. The heavy rainfall added to the thrill of the journey.
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| There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes.... |
We had our lunch in a road side Dhaba. By the time we returned our lodge in Valki Machan we were so tired from the day long exhaustion that we could barely stay awake. After freshening up we were served with evening snacks along with tea which relaxed our quenching souls. That night we went for an evening stroll through the jungle to see the famous Machan of Valki in its element.
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| Travel creates memories that last a lifetime.... |
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| The goal is to die with memories, not dreams.... |
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| My wish is to stay always like this, living quietly in a corner of nature.... |
We spent the day in a lackadaisical manner exploring the beauty of the nature. We clicked numerous picture and laden our souls with numerous memories.
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| The love in our family flows strong and deep, leaving us memories to treasure and keep.... |
That afternoon after completing our lunch we checked out from Aranya Sundari and went to visit Dogra Artisans village and Jamuna Dighi. To our disappointment Dogra village market was closed due to a local festival but the scenic beauty of Jamuna Dighi left us spell bound.
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| The greatest legacy we can leave our children is happy memories.... |
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| At Dogra Village entrance.... |
Soon our time in Valki Machan came to an end and before we could realise our Bolero headed for the Mankar railway station. Every time a trip comes to an end my heart fills up with sadness realising that I might not return to this place ever again in my lifetime as life is too short to revisit a place again and again.
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| Life is only a reflection of what we allow ourselves to see.... |
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| I love you not because of who you are, but because of who I am when I am with you.... |
We boarded Black Diamond Express from Mankar at around 6:43 P.M. and reached Howrah by 9: 20 P.M. My advice to all who love to travel not just wait for the right time to travel but make travelling right for every time.
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| I love places that make you realise how tiny you and your problems are.... |
Until next time.....
(Picture Courtesy: Promita Mukherjee, Atreyee Chakraborty & Piangshuk Mukherjee)
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