Jhargram Raj Palace.

Today's post is completely not about Jhargram Raj Palace and it's history. That is something you can find easily on Google. But this is all about some rare pictures of the Rajbari at night. On 24th December Jhargram tourism arranged for a dance programme and bonfire. Some ethnic dance forms of West Bengal was performed. And luckily we got the entry in parts of the palace where on other days, entry is restricted. 

Next Extended Weekend You Can go Hiking

 In the extended weekend of Christmas four of us decided to pay a visit to Jhargram.  On 24th December we went to visit Belpahari. It is just an hour drive from Jhargram town. It's a green patch of land with multiple hillocks and rivers, canals in it. But here I will only mention about the Garddasini Hills and not the entire area. Garddasini is a hillock in the Belpahari. If you want to explore your trekking ability you can start from here. It's about half a km or slightly more vertical trekking.  At the top, there is a small temple. But what attracts most is the scenic beauty of the place. The whole valley is visible from the top. You can take rest half way( where there is another small temple). Just don't carry any heavy belongings. Grab a camera and bottle of water and climb up. The entire visit may take you an hour or so. But it will be a really nice experience and will not cost you the exhaustion.  So go for a trip next weekend and go hiking. Happy climbing.

The place of Palaces in light and sound- Orcha

Orcha through the eyes of womanhood

Today, I decided to write about something different. Not about travel, which I usually write about. I have traveled through many parts of India as well as some parts of the world. Except visiting,  the places of interest I tend to study the life of people, type of food, political and socio-cultural aspect of that place etc. What I also observe is the condition of women in that place. And Orcha surprised me in this regard. Having a guide with us is very necessary while going around in a historical place. While visiting the places in Orcha we also appointed a guide. In the European countries, lady guides are quite common, but in India, I have never met a woman guide before this. In Orcha I met Premlata Ray, the one and only lady guide of Orcha. She is a graduate and also trained for working as a guide. I was happy to see India changing. I was happy for her. Talking about women empowerment is rather easy for me, living in a city. But Premlata faces a lot of sexist remarks and hindrance in working alone. Her struggle does not belong to her alone, but to the women of India, who faces discrimination in their workplace. This is my humble request to you all if you happen to be in Orcha( in the palaces) look for Premlata as a guide. Praise her, encourage her and let womanhood win.

 P.s. Premlata Ray- 9981078197

A different Eatery in Shantiniketan

Well, Shantiniketan is a commonplace of interest of Bengalis. Extended weekends are the peak time of visit. Today I will nor write about the usual places of visit in Shantiniketan since they are well known and widely discussed in the net. This August we went for a trip there and decided to try out some new eatery. 12km from Shantiniketan there is an eatery called "BONOLAXMI'. We decided to have our lunch there. We started for the place in afternoon. On the way we came to know that, prior bookings had to be made in order to eat there. None of the google reviews even mentioned it.I tried calling up the numbers but which were unavailable. On reaching there we found a huge number of people awaiting lunch and we had no chance. We were hungry. Luckily next to banalaxmi we found, Barishaler Rannaghar. I went down there are requested if we can a meal and luckily they agreed. The food served was simply excellent. We had ilish and rui and both tasted yummy. The whole set up was of a mud house and they served delicious Bengali cuisne. The price also was moderate. This place is not in google map till now, but the next time you visit shantiniketan make sure you visit this eatery. I am adding the details. But try to make a prior appointment in peak seasons. 

The Travel Teller's Tales: A SECULAR WEEKEND

The Travel Teller's Tales: A SECULAR WEEKEND: On the chilly January, Saturday we decided to visit Bandel. It was the coldest day of this season. At around 10 a.m. we boarde...

A SECULAR WEEKEND

On the chilly January, Saturday we decided to visit Bandel. It was the coldest day of this season. At around 10 a.m. we boarded a train from Howrah station. Trains from Sealdah station are available as well. Traveling on local trains is fun on weekend.  We munched on different snacks like jhalmuri etc. as we traveled. At 11 a.m. we reached the Bandel station. From the station, you can take a rickshaw or an auto to Bandel Church. We first visited the Church. I don't think it's necessary to write the history of the church. It's a very old church, nicely maintained and functional. After Christmas, you can see the lawns are decorated. You can see locals selling candles so that you can offer. The church is on the bank of the river Ganges, from the top you can have a wonderful view of the river. The time we visited, was during service, and we witnessed it. It will take you around 45 minutes to go around the Church. Photography is not prohibited. There are a number of temporary stalls around the church selling various religious as well as fashion items. You can take souvenirs from there. The next destination was the Imambara. You can drive down the road to Imambara, but going by boat is a nice option. We choose to go by boat. It was an indigenous boat, with the boatman sailing it manually. We enjoyed the cool breeze of the Ganges as we rowed down to the Imambara. On reaching, we climbed up the stairs from the ghat and entered. The most interesting thing to me about Imambara is the sun clock or surya ghori. The clock is so designed that it tells you the right time by the aid of a shadow. The Imambara is also functional. There is a clock tower inside. You can take photos inside go around. We stayed there for half an hour. Again we rowed back near the church. It was lunch time. Now, you cannot expect beautiful restaurant there. But there are decent eateries. We had biriyani but other cuisines are also available. Then it was time to visit the temple. Hanseswari temple in bansberia was our next destination. The temple is not adjacent to the area. You can take a toto or an auto. We took a toto and drove down there. It was a chilly winter afternoon. We shivered as we walked into the temple. The temple is also a functional one. The uniqueness is its design and terracotta work. It takes around half an hour to go around. After the temple visit, it was time for us to return. Returning from there has some options. You can drive back to bandel station. But we preferred to come back through Bansberia station. Trains to Howrah as well as Sealdah are available but are less frequent. On that chilly winter evening, we sat on the platform, shivering and having tea ( Bhanr e cha). The sky was crystal clear and we watched the stars glitter and moonshine. We boarded the train at  6 p.m. We thoroughly enjoyed our secular trip on a chilly winter day.