[haisaikat]

Prologue
A celebration was due in the month of January and we decided to head out somewhere calm and quite away from the regular city hustle. Zeroed in on Ayodhya Hills, something we had left out during our previous trip (To the Spring time Wonderland of Garh Panchkot, Baranti and Maithon in an Innova Crysta) in and around this region.

Although a lot of people flock around March for witnessing the blooming Palash flowers, we were awestruck by the beauty even in the winter months when we actually got to see it.

Planning
We wanted to make this stay different so thought of giving the cottage tents offered by Eco Adventure Resort of Khairabera, Baghmundi a try. Otherwise Kushal Palli at the hill top also looked a viable option for stay apart from the numerous hotels and homestays across the region.

Uncertain conditions with pandemic made us reconsider the viability of this trip just prior to the visit around mid of January but hearing that resort is no longer allowing date change or cancellation we decided to move forward with previously booked date. This turned out later on to be a boon as 80% of the resort was empty and we enjoyed it to the fullest with no crowd around.

Day-1 : 15th Jan 2022 - Saturday : Kolkata to Khairabera
We took the following route: Kolkata -> Shaktigarh -> Durgapur (left turn from Muchipara Bus stand) -> Brajrajpur -> Balrampur -> Khairabera

Total distance covered: 362 KM
Time taken: ~ 9.5 hours including breaks
Road condition: Excellent

We started from our home by 6 am in the morning, with an aim to do lunch at our destination, winter morning was as usual dark and negligible street presence of people at the early hours of morning. Moreover there was night curfew till 5 am


Halted for 30 mins for quick Naan Puri breakfast at Langcha Station of Shaktigarh, and packed some of these for the road ahead although we had ample stock of packed food for us and kid to handle emergencies


Witnessed highway widening work going on around Durgapur Expressway


After taking left from Muchipara Bus Stand we headed towards Bankura, and after some time the scenery began to change as the roads started going through forest areas


Beautiful mustard fields along the side of the highway compelled us to make multiple halts






As we approached Puruliya town we saw huge people gathering along the roads which we found culminating at this place, may be some form of Sankranti celebration or public fair


This beautiful lake topped with pink Lotus was just in front of Pakhi Pahar


The trees along the highway even devoid of leaves during winter months continued to contribute to the beauty of the place




Around the final stretch, the road became narrow as we inched towards Khairabera and eventually with a little bit of help from locals and resort reception over phone we landed at our resort before 3-30 pm. A beautiful parking place facing the Khairabera Lake


Posing with its predecessor


The place is beautiful with the lake on one side with a deck having private kayaking options of the resort . . .


. . . while the other side is surrounded by hills




Finishing up our lunch sitting out under the canopy and watching the lake and hills around, we came back to our tent


After some rest we set out to stroll around the resort, wife and kid tried their hand at the basketball court, there is a badminton court at the opposite end of the lawn




The place leading to the anchor point had a wonderful appeal, we considered standing there for eternity staring at the serene lake and the hills as dusk descended








Dark evening was even more beautiful as the resort lit up amidst a surrounding that was pitch dark






The lighted up fish pits were silent






Snacks was served under the open canopy under starry night sky lit up by the moon as we battled resisting our taste buds wrapped in woolens amidst the cold

Eventually dinner was served by 10 pm in their restaurant and we crashed thereafter in our heated tent.

[haisaikat]

Day -2 : 16th Jan 2022 - Sunday : Puruliya local tour
In the right tone of a vacation, this day saw a late start when we finished our breakfast and were gearing up to go for a local tour. Was exchanging chit chat with the manager Amit when he offered to take their gardener Bishnu da along with us to act as our guide. We were more than happy and started by 12 noon. Over the next 4 hours we drove 44 Km while visiting a lot of the local tourist attractions except the temporarily closed Bamni Falls.

Thurga Falls


Steps leading down from the roads above to the Thurga Falls


After some more climbing . .


. . reached the Thurga Dam. The narrow floating pathway was broken that takes to the center of the reservoir


Next stop, the Upper Dam




After that we arrived at the Marble Lake, there is a brief walk though some food and souvenir stalls leading to the lake






Then we came down to the lower dam






Thereafter Bishnu da guided us through some notable villages of the region. We instantly fell in love of the beauty of this place, its far more attractive than the other places in this belt we have visited earlier
















It was getting late and we decided to head back to our resort, the approach road continued to show symbols of what village life stands for


Lunch (late) was ready when we arrived back at the resort and we sat down under the canopy enjoying cool breeze . .


. . and savoring the excellent dishes . . .


. . while watching the sun gradually setting down over the horizon




We finished up lunch and headed back to our tent for some rest as later in the evening we had requested for some interesting setup, a bonfire . .


. . clubbed with a grill . . .


. . for some smoking hot barbeque . .


. . as we sat out in the open surrounding the bonfire and defeating the biting cold outside . . .


. . while the moon casted a magical spell of dim white all around. It was a remarkable experience to remember as we enjoyed the grill while listening to interesting anecdotes from the staff regarding past occurrences of wild animals accidentally entering the resort and how such situations were dealt

An hour and half seemed to pass in no time. Some light dinner thereafter and we headed back to our tent since we will be checking out next day.

[haisaikat]

Day 3 : 17 Jan 2022 - Monday : Return to Kolkata from Khairabera

Route taken: Khairabera -> Baghmundi -> Hatirampur -> Joypur => Arambag -> Chamrail -> Kolkata
Distance covered : 308 Km
Time taken: ~ 9.5 hours (including breaks)
Road condition: Majority is good, except the Arambagh stretch which has loads of broken tarmac and potholes, the Tarakeshwar route can be used to bypass it

We finished packing in two phases before and after the breakfast and also strolled around one final time around the resort. We were told the center shade on the lake creates a wonderful ambience when one of the local tribal lad comes to play flute early morning

Abundance of cultivated garden make the place beautiful to behold






But the star attraction inside are the various types of pet birds who roam freely across the lawns in the morning, these two eager lads kept jumping up on the chairs of our breakfast table, we had to shoo them away a couple of times




This peacock had been going all over the place, we felt it was also sitting one night on top of our tent


The rabbits remained caged all the time, anxious about everyone visiting close to them


The turkeys were also living in peace




However this tall emu was the only one who scared my little one


By 12-30 pm we were ready to checkout, this fine Jeep carried all our luggage from the tent to the car parking, heard the fuel pump needs repairing


All the staff gathered around to bid us good bye as we started our return from this nicely spent weekend


We covered the beautiful village roads


but had to be cautious of not to accidentally run over them, who seem to always be in a hurry of crossing roads whenever a car is approaching


We crossed the Charida village, famous for mask art






Could not resist buying one of these fans for my son


Thereafter we skipped halting at Pakhi Pahar, the hill that has hand crafted figures of birds on it and continued towards Kolkata, objective was to halt for lunch at some place decent


Found a Jatra party (theatre group) on our way


After a lot of search finally arrived at Red Earth Restaurant near Joypur forest. where with great difficulty considering the late hours we found something decent to eat. But we realized late that Google Map had silently routed us towards Arambagh which we wanted to avoid but forgot to specify in navigation


Rest of the route was just following the maps, as we traversed the dreaded road tarmac of Arambagh. . .


. . as we tailed long queue of trucks.

Eventually we reached home by 10 pm, and with that a beautiful trip to Puruliya came to an end. Until next time take care and stay tuned !

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[Sushil Pingua]

Wonderful travelogue with beautiful pictures.
Ajodhya Hill and Forest is next on my radar. It is around 3 hours from my place.
Is Ajodhya drivable in monsoon and worth visiting during rains?
Thanks for giving me next weekend drive destination.

[ABHI_1512]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Snacks was served under the open canopy under starry night sky lit up by the moon as we battled resisting our taste buds wrapped in woolens amidst the cold.

The amount of planning in your trips always amazes me and this time was no different. For me, the quoted part above epitomises your winter rendezvous in Purulia. Khairabera camp looks like an interesting place for sure. Keep travelling and please don’t ever resist your taste buds

[Dibyendu Bose]

Wonderful photoessay. Many thanks for giving us a visual informative treat.

Regarding routes, was thinking whether the via Jamshedpur Kolkata route will be an easier route as in that case almost 300 km can be on a dual carriage way and even if you are late, you are not unsafe in the dark as you are on a 2 plus 2 road.

Also a dinner in Kolaghat before entering Cal can be an attraction. Wanted a guidance, how hot will it be in end March. While thresholds differ, was wondering, will it remain bearable?

[Neversaygbye]

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Eventually we reached home by 10 pm, and with that a beautiful trip to Puruliya came to an end. Until next time take care and stay tuned !

Lovely pictures and glad that all of you had a great time. Ajodhya hills are really unexplored compared to many other destinations in Bengal (and that's a good thing). I went to Khairaberia on my Ajodhya Pahar trip though we did not stay there - the access road (or rather, path) is really narrow but otherwise the place is very scenic indeed. I have heard about the Eco Adventure camp and it was great to finally see the pics. Looks like a great place to stay! I am planning to go back in March so maybe I will stay there this time. Btw, regarding your route, did you not take the Bankura-Purulia highway? That road is excellent.

Originally Posted by Dibyendu Bose

Regarding routes, was thinking whether the via Jamshedpur Kolkata route will be an easier route as in that case almost 300 km can be on a dual carriage way and even if you are late, you are not unsafe in the dark as you are on a 2 plus 2 road.

Also a dinner in Kolaghat before entering Cal can be an attraction.

While I will leave it to Saikat to give his perspective on your query, speaking from the experience of my own trip to Ajodhya Pahar (you can find the TL here: https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/trave...vista-d90.html (Weekend getaway to Ajodhya Hills, Purulia in a Tata Vista D90) ), the route through Durgapur - Beliatore-Bankura-Purulia is the easiest. This is mostly on NH2/NH19 and then again Bankura-Purulia NH is also mostly a 4 lane road. Road condition on this route is very good except for some short stretches. There are shorter routes too but they have humongous speed breakers and level crossings where you can get stuck. Via NH6/NH16 does not make much of a difference in terms of distance and also you will not gain much as you will still need to go through SHs once you leave the NH.

The only reason you might want to give NH2/NH19 a pass is if you start late from Ajodhya Pahar and want to avoid the rush of trucks at Dankuni that starts after 5 pm - they can hold you up for hours if you happen to be in the wrong lane.

[Risky4327]

Glad to read the travelogue, I had been there a couple of years ago.
This part of WB and adjacent parts of Jharkhand has many such hidden gems.
Do spend a night in forest guest house (Makula Kocha and Pindrabera) in Dalma Hills in your next visit. Believe me, deers roaming around in the lawn when you wake up in morning is something sort of a divine scene.
Few more places to explore: Mukutmanipur, Chandil, Jadugoda, etc.

[Samba]

Yet another nice to read travelogue from you, Saikat da.

Originally Posted by haisaikat

By 12-30 pm we were ready to checkout, this fine Jeep carried all our luggage from the tent to the car parking, heard the fuel pump needs repairing
Attachment 2269150

My Duster had a good time following this Jeep on a trail drive to an offbeat place near this resort to chase some Palash! My deal with the driver was, I will go, only if I can engage the 4wd and he obliged. Though I came back with a lot of scratches on my Duster's body from the bushes! A polish and everything was sorted!





A couple of years back, I was not at all satisfied by the service and staffs behavior of this resort! Hope it improved now! They were unprofessional to the core!

[abhisekbit]

We did the same trip in August 2021. But we went via Jhargram, Belpahari route and the roads were just bliss.

[Mile_Breaker]

Thanks Saikat for an inside view of the resort. And you are absolutely right about Puruliya. The place is immensely beautiful and your photos speak for the same. I want to go back again during palash season.

[turboNath]

It has been almost 3 years since I last visited Puruliya and your travelogue is a great reminder to revisit the rustic charm of that region real soon. The pictures are simply breathtaking. The mustard flowers, the long undulating smooth roads through the forests and the clear blue waters seem to speak volumes about the beauty of Puruliya. It’s difficult to choose a favourite picture but the one with the pink Lotus lake was simply magical. Thanks for this extremely detailed post haisaikat ! Keep up your indomitable spirit of adventure and exploration!

[sayakc]

Dear Saikat,

Your travelogue provides a nice wintry feel with the mustard fields and khejur gur and the misty landscape. You are a frequenter of Purulia and this blog upholds that observation yet again.

The places around Ajodhya Pahar: Muruguma, Khairabera, Jhalda, Matha hold a special place in my heart and there is nothing like idling a couple of days in the winter sun, with a cup of tea looking at the blue hillocks for me.

Thanks for sharing!

Best Regards,
Sayak

[Wason4699]

Originally Posted by Sushil Pingua

Wonderful travelogue with beautiful pictures.
Ajodhya Hill and Forest is next on my radar. It is around 3 hours from my place.
Is Ajodhya drivable in monsoon and worth visiting during rains?
Thanks for giving me next weekend drive destination.

Sushil if you want to enjoy ayodhya and its natural beauty then monsoon is the season to bet your money on. The roads are good .