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| WEST BENGAL |
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Flanked by the Eastern Himalayan borderlands of Sikkim and Bhutan and the Darjeeling hills in the north, West Bengal lies along the eastern coastal belt of India by the rich deltalands of the River Ganga. Long renowned as the cultural hub of India, with Partition, the British severed the state of Bengal into two -there was East Bengal-a part of the new country of Pakistan (eventually breaking away to become the independent country of Bangladesh) and West Bengal which remained with India with Calcutta as its state capital. Dating to Mahabaharata times as Vanga, the region was part of the mighty Mauryan Empire in the 3rd century. By the 9th century its Pala rulers had additional sway over parts of Orissa and Bihar. The Delhi Sultanate brought the region under their rule by the end of the 12th century and by the time the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb died Bengal broke away to become an independent Muslim state. Siraj-ud-daullah the Nawab of Bengal lured by the fishing village of Calcutta prospering as a huge British trading post captured it in 1756 but was routed in the Battle of Plassey by Robert Clive . By 1764 the state fell into hands of the British. With its fortifications the township was established as British India's First City. By 1911 the British capital was shifted to Delhi, but Calcutta , which controlled British interests in the Asian subcontinent, still holds powerful nuances of its heyday as one of the most important capitals of Britain's colonizing history. West Bengal offers the holidaymaker a dazzling range of cultural, adventure and spiritual holiday destinations. It offers easy access to the Darjeeling hills, the state of Sikkim and Bhutan by road through the gateway town of Siliguri located in the fabulous Dooars region below the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas.
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| ACCESS |
Getting There And Around
Kolkata is a major airport . Bagdogra is the gateway airport for the Darjeeling hills, the Dooars region and Sikkim. Kolkata is a major railhead served by trains from around the country and New Jalpaiguri, near Siliguri is the nearest
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railhead for the Darajeeling Hills and the Doorars region. State transport buses offer linkages to various parts of the state.Commuting options include the Metro rail, taxis, buses, trams, cycle rickshaws, auto rickshaws, jeeps and ferries.
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| GRAND TOUR |
Kolkata (Calcutta)
The erstwhile capital of British India which rose from its humble beginnings as a tiny fishing village and a British Trading post become a major commercial hub and the sophisticated, cosmopolitan First City of British India in just 200 years offers visitors a feast of architectural delights of the colonial period and a rousing cavalcade of intellectual and entertainment activities. You can do a heritage tour of its landmark structures such as Victoria Memorial, Writers Building, Town hall, High Court, St Pauls Cathedral and the Raj Bhavan. Check out the famous Eden Gardens and the Maidan. There are some splendid museums with a galaxy of artifacts and mementoes of Calcutta's lively history. Slip into the bust Kali Temple, believed to be Calcutta's tutelary deity. There's also the famous Belur Math and the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple where Ramakrishna, the spiritual leader was once a priest.
Marvel at the pace of life on Howrah Bridge. Slip into Poet Luareate Rabindranath Tagore's birthplace. His home is now a major centre for Indian, dance, drama and other performing arts. Plunge into the maelstrom of city fun and frolic with theatre, music and dance, golf and polo, horse racing and riding, cinema, cuisine and shopping trips and the football and cricket on offer. The colonial tour is as exciting as the palace tour.
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Durga Puja celebrations are no longer just a religious ritual- it's a total experience of one of the country's most complex and riveting societies. From trendy stores and be bopping discos to services to the Mother Teresa's home for the poor, Calcutta offers visitors life in all its vibrant avatars.Take time off for the the Ganga River Heritage Cruise. At Bandel you'll discover remnants of its Portuguese past, Chandannagarhas nuances of its French past while Chinsurah and Srirampur are old Dutch settlements. Pencil in a visit to Shantiniktean the school established by Rabindranath Tagore.
Digha
A scenic five hour drive out of Kolkata you can enjoy a leisurely vacation at the beach here. Orissa's Goplapur-on-Sea can also be easily accessed from here as it's about 8-10km away. Shankarpur Beach fairly less visited is about 10 km east of Digha.
Sunderbans Wildlife Sanctuary
Sign up for a Sunderbans Cruise to explore the surreal environs of the largest mangrove forest in the world. Its will be an experience of a life time as you cruise down the mangrove infested delta lands of the Ganga River. This is the abode of the Royal Bengal Tiger and though it's not easy to see this elusive apex predator there is much else that will keep you riveted. The mangroves here are part of massive stretch of swamp that extend up to Bangladesh and is a UNESCO designated World Heritage Site.
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