The Serene, nature lover’s paradise - Purbasthali
The next time you visit Kolkata and want to get away from the hustle-bustle of the city - Purbasthali is the answer. This small village on the outskirt of the city enriches you with its earthiness and refreshes you to start the grind of life with a new zest. I came to know about the place, pretty much accidentally as Purbasthali is not a well-known tourist destination.
I heard about Purbasthali when I was probing a friend for a place which is near to the city and the trip could be done in a day and it shouldn’t be very congested and should have scenic beauty and clean.Well, that's a tall order for a short trip...Isn't it?Voila, she had the answer : Purbasthali!
The serenity surrounding the crystal clear lake
Purbasthali is one of the lesser known places around Kolkata and is surrounded by a lake which attracts lots of migratory birds in the winter season.You can either plan for a day, the way we did or can stay overnight. The birds are best seen in the early morning or evening. If you are planning for day’s trip, then you would like to start your day early because the travelling will take quite bit of time.So, here goes my experience of the place!
The connectivity with Purbasthali and Kolkata is good if not amazing. Several local trains run between Howrah to Kalna, also Sealdah to Kalna. It took almost 4 hrs. to reach Purbasthali. The best thing about the this rail journey is you could see the actual India! Grab a corner seat and you could see the hawkers pursuing you to buy various small big things, daily commuters discussing from weather to country and what’s not!
The Real India from the Train
120Kms from Kolkata, the road journey should also take more or less the same time as Train; however the time might vary depending on the traffic and the road condition. Though, if you are coming from Bandel the distance is less, approx. 73 Km.
The best time to visit Purbasthali is winter from Oct to Feb. The temperature varies from 14-20 degrees in winter and 30-35 degrees in summer. The main attraction of the place is the birds which could be best seen in the early morning (7 to 10 am) and in the evening (4 to 6pm).
The serene surroundings of the Purbasthali Village
Purbasthali is a village lies in Bardhaman district; it is located 120 km north from Kolkata. The village is also known as Chupi Char as it lies on the banks of a large *oxbow lake created by the Ganges river and is only a few km from the old and holy town of Nabadwip. The 2-3 km long lake attracts migrants and water birds.
Source : Wikipedia
As I had mentioned earlier Purbasthali is not one of the famous destination so the overnight staying option is limited. There is one guest house which has occupancy of 7-8 rooms, however considering the flow of the tourists, the facility seems enough.
Various Migratory Birds come here due to the abundance of fish
The main attraction of Purbasthali is the bird watching experience. Clusters of birds moving by your side are a mind boggling experience for a nature lover. To enrich your experience do take binoculars with you.
The boat ride at Purbastali
The Lake In all it's Glory
At the banks of the Lake
The boat ride is one of the other experiences which you could look forward to. Our three hour boat rowing was amazing, the water of the lake is so clear that you could actually see the fauna grown inside the lake, spooky but refreshing! The beautiful temple of Lord Krishna in Mayapur is also very near to Purbasthali. Also if you love gardening then this place could be your special interest! Because of this place’s rich soil, almost every house has a plant-nursery of their own, thus you can get couple of exotic plants too.
No dearth of Flora and Fauna at Purbasthali
The food lover will also get something from this place. Do try sweets from this place; the shopkeepers are friendly and more than willing to showcase their delicacies. The rasgullas and the nollen gurrer sandesh were my favorite.
This was one of my most budgeted trips. The boat trip took 350 bucks, the food took 60 per thali for homemade Bengali food. There are no fix prices in the place thus bargain is the keyword; however people are simple & noble so I couldn’t see much problem here.
Closure
To sum it up, I had an amazing day in Purbasthali. Come with an open heart and you will bring home loads of good experience.
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