Digha - Brighton Of The East
Digha is West Bengal’s most popular seaside resort town and beach. Renowned for its beaches, Digha is visited by thousands of tourists every year, mostly Bengali’s for whom it’s the best and easiest weekend destination from the major metro, Kolkata! It is situated approximately 190 Kms away from Kolkata, towards southwest and in Purba Medinipur District of West Bengal. Digha has a flat hard sand beach extending upto 7 Kms in length. Digha, originally known as Beerkul during Warren Hastings time , was discovered in the late 18th Century by the British! The scenic beauty of this place is charming. There are Casurina Plantations all along the coast, enhancing its beauty. These trees also prevent soil erosion!
Train Services to Digha are available from Howrah Railway Station in Kolkata(about 4 Hours journey time). Kharagpur is an important junction on the way to Digha and incidentally it also has the longest Railway Platform in the world(1072.5 Mts).
Bus Services are available from Howrah Bus Terminus in Kolkata. Average Travel time is 5 hours from Kolkata and there is very good road connectivity also from Asansol,Durgapur,Bankura, Jamshedpur. Taxis and Private Cabs are available from Netaji Subhash International Airport , Kolkata.
One of the main reasons for Digha’s popularity is the fact that it is a year long destination and tourists flock round the year to see the golden sun rise and set on the Bay of Bengal shores.The sea though can be very rough during the rainy season so one must avoid swimming then. Otherwise Digha beach is quite safe!
Good Food and comfortable Accomodation is available as per everybody’s budget – from Star Category to Economy! In fact, Private Hotels, Government Tourist Lodge, Tourist Cottages, Holiday Homes are all available at Digha(Old Digha and New Digha Both). For the best hotel deals , please visit : http://tinyurl.com/3dem5zn
Shankarpur Beach : Shankarpur is a new beach, recently discovered. Shankarpur is near Digha and can be reached by taking any bus going to Digha. You need to get off the bus at Choddomile (14 miles in Bengali) between Contai (Kanthi) and Digha and just before Ramnagar. The sea beach is a 15 min ride by a car from Choddomile. You need to book a car to pick you up from Choddomile. Ask the hotel to do the car booking. Otherwise, you can go straight to the Digha Bus stand (a further 25-30 min ride) and then hire a cab from there. After you get on the beach, you will see an endless stretch of sea meeting beach. On the left side about about a 45 min walk, you will reach Mandar Mani- a small beach. But do not take your car on the beach because you may get trapped in the quicksand. At night the normally deserted beach is quite tranquil.
Junput : Yet another popular Beach resort about 40 Kms from Digha, Fish Cultivation and Research is done by the State Government Fisheries Department Junput. Leisurely walks on the beach and picnic in the fir tree plantations are the best pastimes here.
Shiva Temple Chandaneshwar : Is located around 6 Kms from New Digha Town and falls in Balasore District of Orissa. Definitely worth a visit if you are the religious type!
At Digha, Tourist can thrive on seaside snacks like soft boiled eggs and fried Soft Shell Crabs or Salt Water shrimps. There are Seafood banquets, authentic Bengali Cuisine, Chinese and Continental all available at Digha.Be sure to end every meal with the satiating coconut water, to wash it all down!
Local handicrafts, products from Cottage Industries which include Crunch Shell Pearls etc are available at the local markets.
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Digha has a laidback charm about it...It’s definitely not Goa or a Kosamui but it does have its own identity. The Beach, Surroundings, People food, the Bay of Bengal all combine together to make it unique and memorable!
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