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Top 5 Places to visit in Bankura over the weekend

Bankura district is located in the Burdwan region of West Bengal. It is a very important district in terms of ancient history and culture. Since its ancient times it was popularly known as “Rarh” region falling under the Chottanagpur Plateau. This pre-colonial district is full of sculptures and relics from the past specially from the Malla Kingdom. There are plenty of places to visit in and around the region, but if you are planning a short weekend trip to this place we would suggest you the Top 5 Places to visit in Bankura

If you are planning to visit the district, the months from October – February are the best time to visit. If you are a nature lover like us, you can also explore the region during the monsoons when the place is covered in greenery amidst the red soil surrounding it. You can easily cover all the places in this Top 5 Places to visit in Bankura blog.

Do avoid the summer months as the temperature touches nearly 40 degrees, sometimes even more and its not an ideal time to explore the region.

Note we are not covering the offbeat places in this blog.

Bishnupur

Bishnupur is a little hamlet in the Bankura District and located at about 132 km from Kolkata. There are lot of trains which run from Howrah, Shalimar & Sealdah Junction to reach Bishnupur.

It takes approximately 3 to 4 hours by train to reach the heritage town.

Bishnupur was the capital of the historic Mallabhum kingdom, which was founded in the 8th century and was once the most important Hindu dynasty in Bengal. Thus the place offers a wide variety of temples, and other ancient architectural work of the kingdom.

Bishnupur is famous for the Terracotta work (a type of art work/architecture on red clay). The famous places to visit in Bishnupur are mentioned below. However if you want to know more about the place, read our separate blog on Bishnupur.

  • Rasmancha – One of the oldest temple architecture located right at the heart of the town. It was established in 1600 AD by King Hambhir the then ruler of the place. This temple was primarily used to display all the local idols in public during the Ras Festival back then. The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), is making sincere maintenance in this place currently. You need to get an entry ticket which will cost approximately Rs 50-70 which will not only cover Rasmancha, but also two other places as well which are Shyam Rai Temple and Jor Bangla Temple
  • Shyam Rai Temple – The Shyam Rai temple is quite renown for its Panch Ratna or five peaks of the temple. It was built by Maharaja Raghubir Singh in the 16the century. The most interesting part is that if you observe closely are the terracotta work which describes the stories of Mahabharata and Ramayana.
  • Jor Bangla Temple – The Jor Bangla Temple was built by King Raghunath Singha Dev II in the year 1655. The two arches resemble the traditional village huts of the region and thus the temple was built in that way. The terracotta architecture have detailed scenes from the Mahabharata, Ramayana and Krishna-Leela as well.
  • Radhe Shyam Temple – Just adjacent to Jor Bangla Temple is the famous Radhe Shyam temple. The artwork is quite brilliant. It is situated within a large courtyard surrounded by walls.
  • Nandalal Temple – Nandalal Temple is situated at Dalmadal area in Bishnupur town. It was created in 17th century. It is located in a compound with a beautiful garden around the temple. There is no deity inside the temple and visitors are not allowed to enter inside it.
  • Madan Mohan Temple – The temple was built in 1600s by King Durjana Singh Dev to honor his family deities. The terracotta artwork on the pillars showing various scenes of Ramayana and Lord Krishna’s life are brilliant examples of craftsmanship.
  • Jor Mandir
  • Radha Gobinda Temple
  • Bishnupur Aerodome – Piardoba Airfield is an abandoned airfield in Bishnupur and it was mainly used for landing of warship aircrafts. Hidden amidst the jungle and a short drive away from the main town this place is a hidden gem. This place was of utmost importance during the World War II. The airspace was officially closed on 26 September 1945. The run way stretches’ km after km, however currently half of the area is covered with trees and a part of dense forest . Do properly navigate through the forest as the roads can be quite confusing inside the jungle. There are wild animals as well inside, as we spotted two jackals on the way.
  • Lal Bandh Lake – This artificial lake was built by the great Malla King Raghunath Singh for his lover Lalabai, a famous classical dancer who was later killed by the Kings wife. This lake has been quite an attraction for local tourists to spend a nice and cozy evening witnessing the sunset in this lake.
  • Poramatir Haat – Pora Matir Haat is a small market for sale of burned clay products in Bishnupur. It is held every weekend at the adjacent field of Jor Mandir in Bishnupur.

There are certainly other places of interest in Bishnupur but these ten places should be the top 10 on your list while visiting.

Mukutmanipur

Mukutmanipur, is the largest earthen dam in India . The vast area of water surrounded by the green forests and the hills is surely a picturesque scene and this can be added to your travel list if you are visiting this region. It is located just adjacent to the dam on the Kangsabati River. The place is famous for its natural beauty and for its  green and terracotta color of the water.

Joypur Forest

Located at a distance of around 15 km from the town of Bishnupur we have the famous Joypur Forest. It definitely falls amongst the Top 5 Places to visit in Bankura. The road which leads to the forest is an absolute treat to the eyes. This is a dense forest of 120 square kilometers with a watch tower to catch a glimpse of the wild animals in the forest. We spotted a deer and two jackals on the way. Through out the road you will be able to see elephant crossing areas as well. If you are a jungle and nature lover, you can plan a picnic and can carry packed foods to spend a day trip to the place. Cooking is not allowed inside the forest. It is recommended not to go inside the forest without a forest guide.

There are two main accommodation facilities nearby Joypur forest, Banalata and Banphool Tree House. Although the prices are exorbitantly high in both the places you can definitely plan a day trip to roam around the huge complex and have lunch or snacks there.

If you are a budget traveler like us better opt for hotels in Bishnupur. You will have lot of flexibility and options to choose from.

Jairambati

Jairambati is the place where Holy Mother Sri Sri Sarada Devi was born (wife of Thakur Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa). It definitely falls in the list of Top 5 Places to visit in Bankura. Jairambati falls under the jurisdiction of Kotulpur police station in Bishnupur .There is a beautiful temple inside the premises and the temple remains open from 5:30-11:30am and again from 4pm – 8:30 pm.

Inside the premises you can see where the holy mother used to stay, her used items, the kitchen where she used to cook food and other notable places. On the opposite side of this house is a relatively new house where she stayed from 1916 to 1920 which you can find just right of the entrance. 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.

You have to maintain is pin drop silence and also you are not allowed to shout or talk loudly inside the premises nor can click pictures. Other sights in this area is a Ghaat called Mayer Ganga just opposite to the bus-stand.

Kamarpukur

Around 8 km from Jairambati is the Kamarpukur village (birth place of Thakur Sri Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa also the religious Guru of Swami Vivekananda) . Kamarpukur falls within the jurisdiction of Arambag in Hooghly district. But as this is very close to Bankura you can definitely consider it to pay a visit.

You can get into a local bus from Jairambati if you are travelling on a budget to the place or if you want to spend a little more you can hire a cab.

Kamarpukur features Thakur’s 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. The most amazing thing we witnessed was a hundred year old mango tree which Thakur had planted with his own hand.

The temple authorities serve Prasadam for every visitor , so if you visit the place, do definitely try it out their Prasadam. You need to collect coupons first from the office.

In this blog we have covered only the Top 5 Places to visit in Bankura, however it has lot of other places to visit as well all depending on the number of days you have in your hand.

If you have more than one day or if you want to plan a visit to a offbeat location in the area, following are few important places you can try out.

  • Susunia Hill
  • Biharinath Hill
  • Jhilimili
  • Simlapal

We will definitely visit these places and will give you reviews about them, so do check our blog in the future. Do like and subscribe to get the latest updates whenever we share any pictures or blogs.

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As our name suggests, we operate as brothers in arms when exploring our passion for traveling, designing, and writing. At NeonBrothers, we are looking to infect a larger audience with our passions.  Check our blogs to learn about the best ways of quenching your thirst for discovering new places.

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