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Bishnupur – Kamarpukur – Jairambati – Bengal or West Bengal is known for its rich tradition, literature , culture and especially for its festival and its food. One of the most culturally prosperous states of India, Bengal is filled with surprises. Apart from the famous Bengali Nobel prize winner Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore and the famous Victoria Memorial, Bengal is also famous for their Terracotta architecture, which is quite unique in its own way.

In this blog we will provide you with an unique travel itinerary which you can easily cover in 2 nights and 3 days including distinct places like Bishnupur, Kamarpukur and Jairambati. Now if you are a young traveller like us, you must be wondering ,” Ummm… what is in it for you visiting an historic and spiritual places ?”

Well that’s the catch. These places have a lot to offer than what we actually know of. The beautiful terracotta architecture, the lush green forests and how the commodities which Thakur Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramhansa ( and Sr sri Sarada devi (wife of Thakur Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa) used in their daily life has been preserved inside the beautiful premise of Jairambati & Kamarpukur is a must see for everyone.

How to reach :

Bishnupur is a town in the Bankura District of West Bengal and located at about 132 km from Kolkata. There are lot of trains which run from Howrah, Shalimar & Santragachi Junction to reach Bishnupur. It takes approximately 3 to 4 hours by train to reach the heritage town.

We took the Howrah Purulia Superfast express and reached during the evening.

Kolkata > Bishnupur

Bishnupur was the capital of the Hindu Mallabhum kingdom, which was founded in the 8th century and was once the most important Hindu dynasty in Bengal. It was constituted a municipality in 1863. Compared to other big towns of Bengal, Bishnupur is quite small compared to its population density.

We booked a double bed occupancy room for our 2 nights and 3 days in Hotel Laxmi Park . Situated in close proximity of the railway station, the hotel surprised us a lot in a first glimpse. We kept our evening for leisure as we were a bit tired. The room was clean and spacious. They also served us food inside our room which was quite appreciable.

Day 1 – Local Sightseeing

Reserve the entire day for the local sight seeing. You can hire car from the hotel itself, like we did. A full day cab charge will cost you from Rs 700-1000 depending on availability and season. Do not plan a trip during the summers as the temperature reaches around 40-45 degrees during that time. The ideal time to visit Bishnupur is during the winter.

If you have an eye for details take your camera along with you as you can capture some unique architecture in the region. Since 1997, the temples of Bishnupur is on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Tentative list.

Few notable places where you can visit in the region are :

Rasmancha

Radha Gobinda Temple

Madan Mohan Temple

Jor Bangla Temple

PachChura Shyam Rai Mandir

Gum Ghar

Nandalal Temple

Lalji Temple

Day 2 – Joypur Forest & Village walk

If you are a forest lover, you can opt for this tour. Located at a distance of around 15 km from the town of Bishnupur we have the Joypur Forest.  A lone walk, darkness and cool breeze is a life altering feeling for a while in here. The road which leads to the forest is an absolute treat to the eyes.

The driver informed us that often they encounter wild animals along the way and are not allowed to drive after 7 pm as herds of wild animals cross the road during this time.

There is a beautiful property in the forest which is quite popular amongst tourists near the forest which is known as Banalata. This resort serves you with the typical rural accommodation. They have their own farm which serves the vegetables and the meat which are ordered for food. This is perfect place to enjoy a holiday without any hustle and bustle of city life.

Tip : Instead of this day trip you can also choose to visit Mukutmanipur from Bishnupur which is a one and a half hour drive from the town.

Mukutmanipur, largest earthen dam of India The vast bluish tract of water surrounded by the green forests and the hillocks comprise a picturesque and you cannot resist but continue clicking tireless so long your android gadget gives you warning of shrinking storage.

Day 3 – Jairambati & Kamarpukur

Being the last day of your trip, plan an early check out because you will have lot to travel today.

Hire a car like we did and head straight towards Jairambati which is around 45 km from Bishnupur and it will take around 1.5 – 2 hour depending on road and traffic condition.

Jairambati is the place where Holy Mother Sri Sri Sarada Devi was born (wife of Thakur Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa). There is a beautiful temple which has been built exactly on the spot where the Holy Mother was born. Her marriage also took place in this very house and her parents lived there as well. On the opposite side of this house is a relatively new house where she stayed from 1916 to 1920. You can also be a member of the charitable trust and if you are a person who likes peace and tranquility you can also stay there for a day or two inside the premises. Booking information is in this link.

There is pin drop silence and also you are not allowed to shout or talk loudly inside the premises. Other sights in the vicinity are a water body called Mayer Ganga just opposite the bus-stand and Punni Pukur beside Mother’s new house.

Around 8 km from Jairambati is the Kamarpukur village (birth place of Thakur Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa also the religious Guru of Swami Vivekananda) . You can get into a local bus if you are travelling on a budget to the place like we did, or if you want to spend a little more you can hire a cab. The condition of the road was not up the mrk when we visited the last time.

To commemorate Ramakrishna’s life and time, Kamarpukur features his birth home, a small shrine and his birthplace temple. This also serves as an ashram where people come in every year to get spiritually refreshed. It houses all the material things which Sri Sri Thakur used in his mortal life. If you walk around, you can get to see the school where he studied, the kitchen, his clothes etc inside the area. They serve lunch for every visitor , so if you visit the place, do definitely try it out their Prasadam.

The nearest railway station is Arambagh which is around 15 km from Kamarpukur. We took a local bus from there and we got down to the Arambagh Railway station. The funny part was, we had our tickets booked from Bishnupur on the very same day in the evening. But as we had enough time and we are already in Arambagh which is near to Kolkata than Bishnupur we chose to book tickets in a local train and cancelled the train tickets ,which eventually took only around 2 hours to reach Howrah.

Note: If you are with your family, rather than travelling in the bus you can hire a cab, but make sure you negotiate with them as most of them are private operators and they can charge an exorbitant price as nothing is regulated.

Read our latest blog – Top 5 places to visit in Bankura.

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