West Bengal

West Bengal forms a part of the great Gangetic plains, with the mighty Himalayas crowning it in the north and the vast Bay of Bengal in the south. It is a land of contrasts — in climate (north to south), in vegetation, scenery and landscape. In complete contrast to the tranquility of the sea is the hubbub of Calcutta and the quiet and amazing beauty of the hills in and around Darjeeling. West Bengal was the home of the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagoreand his Shantiniketan, which continues to be a beacon to the present day.

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The state also possesses some beautiful beaches such as Digha. Then there are the Sunderbans or the ‘beautiful forests’ at the juncture of the Ganga and the sea. A major attraction here is the diverse forms of wildlife including deer, wild boars, monkeys, snakes, crocodiles and, of course, the Royal Bengal Tiger. The Diamond Harbour, at the point where the Hooghly turns south and flows into the open sea, is also worth a visit.

Important tourist places in West Babgal:

Calcutta, Murshidabad, Shantiniketan, Darjeeling, Sunderbans, Digha, Jaldapara, Kalimpong, Siliguri

For further information, please contact: The Director of Tourism, Government of West Bengal, 2, Brabourne Road, 4th Floor, Calcutta 700001; or The Tourist Officer, West Bengal Tourist Bureau, A-2, State Emporia Building, Baba Kharak Singh Marg, New Delhi 110001.

COLOURFUL  DURGAPUJA

Coinciding with the Dussehra festival being celebrated all over India in September/October, West Bengal celebrates its Durga Puja.

The 4-day festival sees the whole state and Calcutta dressed up with beautiful lighting, pandals and loud music almost throughout the night.

Schools, colleges and courts are closed and government offices remain closed for ten days. The traditional clay image of the ten-armed Goddess Durga is set up in over a thousand pandals, each image a work of art. Aarti is performed at the auspicious hour, morning and evening, and the most spectacular one is the Sandhi Puja on the night of Mahashtami, commemorating the victory of the Goddess over the demon.

And finally, on the 4th day, the images are tearfully carried away to the river for the ceremonial immersion.

Aboard Darjeeling's Toy Train

One of the most unforgetable of India's toy trains is the one from New Jalpaiguri in the plains to the lovely hill station of Darjeeling in West Bengal. The 80 km ( seven and a half hour) long journey on a 2ft wide track up the mountains, offers stunning and breathtaking views of the Himalayas - of rolling tea plantations and wild orchids. While the Batasia Loop & the Tiger Hill are two interesting spots on the way the Observatory Hill offers a magnificent view of the Kanchenjunga ranges.

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Darjeeling, situated at an altitude of 2,127m is the @nd place in India to be declared a World Heritage Site. While special impetus has been given to the Darjeeling-Siliguri sector , the station building and the rolling stock have been restored, as far as possible, to the original facade.sightseeing in jaipur,jaipur holidays,jaipur history,tourism in jaipur,jaipur forts,jaipur palaces,jaipur architecture,hotels in jaipur,jaipur golden,jaipur package tours,golden triangle,jaipur,agra and delhi,jaipur handicrafts,jewellery and jaipur
New Jalpaiguri, the starting point of the hill train to Darjeeling, is well connected by rail to Calcutta, Delhi, Guwahati, Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and other places.

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