[Fordlover88]

Short Weekend Trip To Shantiniketan

So i happened to Visit Shantiniketan on the extended weekend of 23rd Dec to 25th December. We left kolkata on 23rd and took the usual route Kolkata- Dankuni- Burdwan - Guskara- Bhedia- Bolpur. We stopped for breakfast at Azad Hind Dhaba ,Gurap and had delicious puri sabji to fill up our tummies. Since it was an extended weekend and poush mela was scheduled to happen this year after a gap of few years, there was a mad rush of tourists towards shantiniketan and we felt the same on our way. We lost half n hour due to congestion at Shaktigarh and then proceeded towards our destination at Shantiniketan. Road conditions were mostly good except for few parts of NH2 which is filled with diversions. We reached our hotel in shantiniketan at about 2 p.m. Saturday's are quite chaotic in Shantiniketan owing to the famous Sonajhuri Haat. We decided to freshen up and head directly towards sonajhuri and have our lunch there. Upon reaching the haat, we saw a huge queue infront of all restaurants. With no other option left, we joined the queue and had our lunch after 1 hour approx. After that , we explored the haat and did some shopping. The sun was about to set and most to stalls were wrapping up when we decided to call it a day and head back towards our Hotel. We waited for a toto but there was a huge jam with standstill traffic and hardly a place to walk. Somehow we managed to negotiate the traffic and walked all the way to our hotel. After having chai and delicious pakora, we left our hotel again and started walking towards Viswabharati University campus. It was closed for visitors so we decided to go to poush mela ground. The mela had not started officially but most of the stalls were already setup & there was a decent crowd of shoppers. We roamed a bit, had our dinner of Mughlai Paratha and returned to our hotel.

[Fordlover88]

We woke up leisurely the next morning, had our breakfast of Puri Sabji and decided to visit Viswabharati Campus. Upon reaching there we came to know that it has been closed for visitor’s after covid which is thoroughly disheartening to us since this was the primary reason of our visiting shantiniketan. With a heavy heart we roamed around the campus for sometime doing casual photography. After that we visited Srijani Shilpagram which is short 10 mins toto ride from Viswabharati university. Srijani Shilpgramis the cultural village of Eastern Zonal Cultural Centre. The complex is spread over 26 bighas of land and comprises of nine museums in the shape of nine traditional huts of the member states of EZCC namely Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The huts incorporate traditional, architectural features and designs. We explored the huts and returned to hotel for lunch after that. At evening, we again went to Viswabharati ground for Poush Mela which beaming with tourists . Have heard a lot about poush mela and its charm and essence but honestly I found it like any other traditional mela which is held in Kolkata the only difference being it’s huge in size. We roamed about casually , had our dinner and returned to our hotel after that.

[Fordlover88]

Today was our final day in Shantiniketan and though it was a short trip we thoroughly enjoyed it. We tried our luck once again today for entering Viswa Bharati university but to no avail. With a heavy heart, we returned to hotel& had our breakfast. I had to refill my ecosport hence we checked out early and headed towards nearest BP Outlet which was 2 kms away from our hotel. That short ride turned out to be quite adventurous since all the roads were closed due to mela and I have to make my way through narrow alleys which just had enough space for one car to pass through. Those 2 kms took 30 mins to cover. After that we headed towards Amar Kutir, a famous art & handicraft store which is located in the outskirts of Shantiniketan. We did some shopping there and had our lunch at the famous Hansel Char which is just beside Amar Kutir and is renowned for Fish and Veg Thali. After sumptuous lunch, we headed towards Kolkata and thought of returning via ilambazar ,panagarh . The road till panagarh via ilambazar is vey good and we crossed it in a jiffy but NH2 after Panagarh is pathetic with diversions after every km. The return journey was uneventful but I regretted taking the longer route via panagarh. Sharing a few pictures of this trip.

[ultimatechamp]

How is the underpass at Bhedia ? There was a flyover being constructed at the site and the road condition wasn't very good the last time I went. Also did you have to wait long at the Guskara rail gate ? Usually there is a long queue at the rail gate and the local two wheelers and totos obstruct the road and create a jam there.
By the way, great weekend you had spent there and nice write up

[Fordlover88]

Originally Posted by ultimatechamp

How is the underpass at Bhedia ? There was a flyover being constructed at the site and the road condition wasn't very good the last time I went. Also did you have to wait long at the Guskara rail gate ? Usually there is a long queue at the rail gate and the local two wheelers and totos obstruct the road and create a jam there.
By the way, great weekend you had spent there and nice write up

Bhedia Underpass is decent. The road condition was same as you mentioned but the traffic was sparse hence it was quite manageable. Yes i had to wait for 15 20 mins at the rail gate just after burdwan 108 shiv mandir.

[ABHI_1512]

AMLASOLE

Drone shot courtesy BHPian dip27in


A sleepy hamlet near the Jharkhand- Bengal border and which was once in news for hunger deaths, is now the new hot bed of the homestay revolution. But in doing so, pristine forest places are in the danger of turning grey very soon. Already plastic menace has started to rear its ugly head and it’s anybody guess when this place will turn into another dump yard !!


Amlasole can be reached inside 5 hours from Calcutta and has now many homestays opened already. We friends stayed at Kurchi homestay and just beside another homestay named Dhitang. The homestays are basic and expecting fancy facilities will disappoint people. Usually food prices are bundled with lodging prices and they provide wholesome meals. Good place to spend a day or two on a lazy weekend. We spent the time lazing and walking around the forests. Some pictures :

[BlackBeard]

Nice write up & beautiful photographs to all gents who have contributed.

Has anybody visited the "Denmark Tavern" in Serampore? Its an old colonial trading house restored and converted to a hotel & restaurant. Run by Park hotels.

[Samba]

Originally Posted by BlackBeard

Nice write up & beautiful photographs to all gents who have contributed.

Has anybody visited the "Denmark Tavern" in Serampore? Its an old colonial trading house restored and converted to a hotel & restaurant. Run by Park hotels.

Thanks. I have been there.

https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...ml#post4373580 (West Bengal - A treasure for tourists)

It is just 9 km from my place. If you ask me about my current opinion then-

The food is average with less quantity and high price. Please do not expect the food quality and management of Park Hotel, Park Street.
For food, there are better places.
On the days when the footfall is higher, their crowd management is pretty poor.

For ambiance & history, you can give it a visit. That will be worth it.

[BlackBeard]

Originally Posted by Samba

The food is average with less quantity and high price. Please do not expect the food quality and management of Park Hotel, Park Street.
For food, there are better places.
On the days when the footfall is higher, their crowd management is pretty poor.
For ambiance & history, you can give it a visit. That will be worth it.

Thanks, we went there on a weekday, so the place was empty, literally.
As is the norm in India, the right "connections" in right places did give us a pleasant experience in terms of service....

Park hotel is doing what it does best, rip customers off...