Places of Interest Around Kolkata – Series 1

Travel is rejuvenation for me, I am sure it is the same for most of the people. I love traveling to different places to gain experience from the places. My travel experiences include the culture as well as food of that particular place. When I go for exploring a place I ensure that I grasp most of the essence of that place. Prior to this post I’ve curated posts longing for six series about various places of interests in Kolkata. A thought came to my mind why not curating a post about the places of interest around Kolkata. I will be featuring few of the nearby places of interest around Kolkata in this post.

Though there are plenty of places to see within the city – there are many interesting places outside the city that are worth your time. As of now I’m not completely sure as to in how many series I shall curate this post of places of interest around Kolkata. But it surely will be of more than one post. So without taking much of time let’s start our tour to outside the city of joy. To set up the expectation, this post about places of interest around Kolkata will be about places not very far away from Kolkata that are mostly regarded as weekend gateways.

ISKCON Temple, Mayapur: Mayapur ISKCON Temple is one of the highly popular weekend destination of the people of Kolkata. Located just about 130 km away from the city Mayapur offers you a relaxing weekend trip amidst serene natural beauty and religious ambiance. The place carries special significance to the Gaudiya Vaishnavism followers as it is the birthplace of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, who is regarded as a special incarnation of Lord Krishna. The ISKCON temple in Mayapur is visited by more than a million devotees annually.

Krishnanagar: Now that you have traveled to Mayapur, why not take a leap to explore Krishnanagar as well, which is just about 20 km away from Mayapur. It offers you art and cultural heritage of Bengal to cherish. Krishnanagar is located on the southern banks of Jalangi River in Nadia district in the state of West Bengal. The name of the place is kept under the name of its historical ruler Raja Krishna Chandra. The prime attraction of Krishnanagar is the Krishnanagar Rajbari (Palace) and the Roman Catholic Church. Krishnanagar is popular for the well-known clay idols.

Sajnekhali: Have you been to Sundarbans, the largest natural mangrove forest in the coastal area? If not then you should. Sajnekhali is a part of the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve. The main attraction here is the Sajnekhali Bird Sanctuary, which is located in the splash greenery of Sundarbans. This wildlife gateway is the paradise for the avid wildlife enthusiasts and bird watchers. This wildlife paradise is just about 108 km away from Kolkata. It  is one of the very popular weekend destinations for the city people.

Bolpur: This is one of the most popular weekend destination for all Bengali people. Bolpur is still untouched by the dissonance and clutter of the busy city life. The enchanting harmony of the folk and Baul songs blended with the sweetness of the chirping birds in the nature will mesmerize you for sure. You are very close to the world famous Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan and Sriniketan. The main attraction of Bolpur is Santiniketan, which remains in its colorful phase during Poush Mela or Basanta Utsav. Bolpur is just about 163 km drive from Kolkata.

Mukutmanipur: About 250 km away from Kolkata, Mukutmanipur is a place with serene natural beauty. This stunning place displays the beauty of azure waterbody that is surrounded by forests and hills. Mukutmanipur is nuzzled at the confluence of two rivers – Kangsabati and Kumari – seeks attention for the necklace-shaped dam. This travel destination in Bankura district in the state of West Bengal offers you boating and you can visit Bonpukuria Deer Park.

Here I come to an end of this post as I don’t want to make it lengthy to make you lose the interest of reading it. The purpose of the post will not be served then. Hence making it short with five places in this post. It will be back with the next post in the series with few more places of interest around Kolkata. Till then happy reading!!