Team-BHP > Travelogues > Route / Travel Queries


Reply
  Search this Thread
24,937 views
Old 17th July 2014, 11:22   #1
BHPian
 
gearhead_mait's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Kolkata
Posts: 509
Thanked: 2,661 Times
Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries

I am planning to visit the Ayodhya Hills in Purulia, West bengal and stay in the WBCADC guest houses (Niharika, Manasi, Malancha, Anamika, Balaka, Bibhabari, Upekhita etc.)

But, till recent past, this area was severely under Maoist red zone.
I don't know about the current situation, but still wouldn't risk a holiday pleasure for this.

I would like to have inputs regarding

1) the current situation there? Is it risky?

2) the best route to take from Kolkata.

Any inputs would be much appreciated.
gearhead_mait is offline  
Old 18th July 2014, 17:29   #2
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,340
Thanked: 298,752 Times
re: Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Route & Travel Queries Section.
GTO is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 18th July 2014, 20:03   #3
Distinguished - BHPian
 
Samba's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Kolkata
Posts: 2,172
Thanked: 25,444 Times
re: Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries

Quote:
Originally Posted by gearhead_mait View Post
I am planning to visit the Ayodhya Hills in Purulia, West bengal and stay in the WBCADC guest houses (Niharika, Manasi, Malancha, Anamika, Balaka, Bibhabari, Upekhita etc.)

But, till recent past, this area was severely under Maoist red zone.
I don't know about the current situation, but still wouldn't risk a holiday pleasure for this.

I would like to have inputs regarding

1) the current situation there? Is it risky?

2) the best route to take from Kolkata.

Any inputs would be much appreciated.

The road condition till April 2014 at Ayodhya Hills was really good. Cant exactly say the current condition's after the rain.

The road will be-
1) Dankuni - T.N- Mukherjee road-Arambagh- Kotulpur- Bishnupur- Hura- Purulia- Bolorampur-Bagmundi - take the relief road over the dam to go up to Ayodhya Hills. Should be around 300kms. Please check google maps for exact distance.

2)Dankuni - Purulia town- Sirkabad - Ayodhya hills. 35kms shorter but via Sirkabad road is not good.

Now the biggest question is how is TN Mukherjee road? Till October 2013 it was horrible, road work was under progress. So there is a possibility the road work is done by now. But cant guarantee you 100%.

3) Tried and tested and longest route. I will prefer this route any day- Kolkata- Durgapur-Bankura Dholdanga-Pua bagan engineering college - Purulia. In this route Dankuni to Purulia will be approximately 290-300kms. Dankuni- Durgapur- 150, Durgapur- Bankura via durgapur barrage- 60kms, Pua bagan to Purulia 80kms. Road through out is good. Add another 50kms from Purulia to Ayodhya hills via Bolorampur. So you can expect anything around 350kms with an approximately 6-7 hours drive.

As of now there is no problems of Maoist attacks. If still you want to be cautious for the night stay you can choose Bolorampur or Purulia town.

Last edited by Samba : 18th July 2014 at 20:11.
Samba is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 18th July 2014, 20:57   #4
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Calcutta
Posts: 4,668
Thanked: 6,213 Times
re: Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries

^^^
As of now, would prefer Ranigunj - Bankura to Durgapur - Bankura.

Regards
Sutripta
Sutripta is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 21st July 2014, 10:29   #5
BHPian
 
gearhead_mait's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Kolkata
Posts: 509
Thanked: 2,661 Times
re: Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries

Thanks! Samba and Sutripta da.
Going by the reply count in this forum, I guess not many people has been there recently.
Far off place, let's see how it turns out.
gearhead_mait is offline  
Old 21st July 2014, 21:44   #6
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Calcutta
Posts: 4,668
Thanked: 6,213 Times
re: Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries

^^^
See if you can throw in Purulia - Jhalida - Ranchi (well at least to Johna/ Gautamdhara) also. And report back.

Regards
Sutripta
Sutripta is offline  
Old 18th August 2014, 11:16   #7
BHPian
 
gearhead_mait's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Kolkata
Posts: 509
Thanked: 2,661 Times
re: Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries

Quote:
Originally Posted by gearhead_mait View Post
Thanks! Samba and Sutripta da.
Going by the reply count in this forum, I guess not many people has been there recently.
Far off place, let's see how it turns out.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sutripta View Post
^^^
See if you can throw in Purulia - Jhalida - Ranchi (well at least to Johna/ Gautamdhara) also. And report back.

Regards
Sutripta
This 3 days long weekend, covered:

Joypur Forest
Bishnupur
Susunia Hill (via Chatna)
Maithon Dam (via Raniganj)

Will compose the travelogue and post the route details.

Thanks,
Soumyajit.
gearhead_mait is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 2nd August 2016, 20:07   #8
BHPian
 
rahul4640's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Calcutta
Posts: 525
Thanked: 427 Times
re: Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries

Quote:
Originally Posted by Sutripta View Post
See if you can throw in Purulia - Jhalida - Ranchi (well at least to Johna/ Gautamdhara) also. And report back.
Dear Sutriptada,
Reviving this thread because Last weekend went to Ayodhya Pahar (in Purulia). Also covered all the places like Jonha, Jhalda and Purulia. The road is excellent all the way. Very decent in West Bengal and excellent in Jharkhand. Took the slightly longer Niyamatpur-Purulia route, which was also excellent throughout. Only problem was on NH-2 between Panagarh and Asansol, with lots of road development work going on. But I was satisfied to see that the Panagarh bypass route was fast coming up. So far I could see, much of the work was already complete.
Warm regards,
Rahul
rahul4640 is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 2nd August 2016, 22:22   #9
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Calcutta
Posts: 4,668
Thanked: 6,213 Times
re: Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries

^^^
Yes, I believe 40 cars went to Dalma to show the elephants who's boss!

Johna/ Gautamdhara one of the few places where I prefer watching from a railway coach to being in a car.
Did you go upto Ranchi?

Regards
Sutripta
Sutripta is offline  
Old 2nd August 2016, 22:48   #10
Distinguished - BHPian
 
saket77's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Ranchi
Posts: 4,343
Thanked: 11,747 Times
re: Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries

Visited Ayodhya hills during the peak last winter. Ranchi-muri-purulia route is a 2 lane highway which is very scenic with forests and twisty ghats. The surface is excellent and traffic is minimal. Just what the doctor ordered for a BHPian!

Ayodhya hill is a beautiful place, however I believe it is still under heavy Naxal influence. Better to plan for it on an extended weekend when it sees more tourists than regular days. Plan to stay in purulia which is a safer option. You can visit the saheb baandh in purulia which is a nice small park beside the dam.
En route to Ranchi, there is the Jonha fall and a little detour can take you to Hundru falls as well. Be prepared for stair climbing if you plan to visit these falls(600 plus stairs each side) ; however the beautiful waterfalls are more than worth it. Also, advise to avoid travelling on this highway after dark due to Naxal issues. No problems whatsoever during the day.
Attached Thumbnails
Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries-image.jpg  


Last edited by saket77 : 2nd August 2016 at 22:49.
saket77 is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 6th October 2016, 17:30   #11
Newbie
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Kolkata
Posts: 22
Thanked: 15 Times
Re: Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries

The road looks really inviting. Any good hotels on this route?
prk265 is offline  
Old 6th October 2016, 22:01   #12
Distinguished - BHPian
 
saket77's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Ranchi
Posts: 4,343
Thanked: 11,747 Times
Re: Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries

Quote:
Originally Posted by prk265 View Post
The road looks really inviting. Any good hotels on this route?
Ranchi to muri is about 60 kms and the route as I said is very scenic. But do not expect good hotels on the route as it mainly is through forests, ghats and small villages. But you shall get good hotels in Purulia. If you are planning to visit Ayodhya hills, then if required, you can mark your base in Purulia and visit Ayodhya hill as a day trip.
The road upto the foot of the hill is fairly good but it deteriorates as you go higher on the hill. By the time you are on the top of the plateau, it simply is non existent. You will be driving on rocks. There are numerous spots of interest on the plateau like Sita kund, bamni falls, beautiful views of dam, etc but I found the foot hill to be among the most beautiful spot.

Regards.
saket77 is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 6th October 2016, 22:47   #13
BHPian
 
rahul4640's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Calcutta
Posts: 525
Thanked: 427 Times
Re: Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries

Quote:
Originally Posted by prk265 View Post
The road looks really inviting. Any good hotels on this route?
Quote:
Originally Posted by saket77 View Post
Ranchi to muri is about 60 kms and the route as I said is very scenic. But do not expect good hotels on the route as it mainly is through forests, ghats and small villages. But you shall get good hotels in Purulia. If you are planning to visit Ayodhya hills, then if required, you can mark your base in Purulia and visit Ayodhya hill as a day trip.
The only option of staying at Ayodhya Pahar is to book the accommodation provided by the Department of CADP (I guess it stands for comprehensive area development project) of the West Bengal government. I stayed there twice in last couple of months. While the rooms as well as the foods are really inexpensive, have basic amenities and are fully secured, they can not be booked online. You have to physically reach their office at Wellington Square, either personally or through someone. Please let me know if you need further details.

But on the downside, they do not offer room service (except morning tea) and you have to reach their dining hall for all meals. The room ACs do not run on generators at daytime during power-cuts (which is frequent). And though the food is tasty and cheap, they offer a limited menu.
rahul4640 is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 7th October 2016, 09:28   #14
Distinguished - BHPian
 
saket77's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Ranchi
Posts: 4,343
Thanked: 11,747 Times
Re: Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries

Quote:
Originally Posted by rahul4640 View Post
The only option of staying at Ayodhya Pahar is to book the accommodation provided by the Department of CADP (I guess it stands for comprehensive area development project) of the West Bengal government. I stayed there twice in last couple of months.
I saw a few hotels run by WB tourism and a few privates lodges too on the plateau, but since it is a heavily naxal invested area, I was not sure how safe they are esp at night. Hence, was a little wary to advise for them.
Frequent travelers to the place may be in a better position to advise on the same.
Thanks for shedding some light over it.

Regards.
saket77 is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 7th October 2016, 10:04   #15
BHPian
 
rahul4640's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Calcutta
Posts: 525
Thanked: 427 Times
Re: Ayodhya Hills, Purulia : Route Queries

Quote:
Originally Posted by saket77 View Post
I saw a few hotels run by WB tourism and a few privates lodges too on the plateau, but since it is a heavily naxal invested area, I was not sure how safe they are esp at night. Hence, was a little wary to advise for them. Frequent travelers to the place may be in a better position to advise on the same.
I guess that the security environment has improved considerably in last few years. The accommodations offered by the West Bengal government, known as Malabika lodge, Niharika lodge, etc, are located in a very secured fully fenced compound, complete with a battalion of armed forces housed just behind it in the very same complex. And you are allowed to park your car inside in the designated parking area.
rahul4640 is offline   (2) Thanks
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks