[apollo_1999]

Hello everyone,
This is my first travelogue on team-bhp.

It was December again and my hands were itching for a winter road trip. after quite a bit of discussion we decided to head to garpanchkot, the unforgettable land. it is located at the foothills of Panchet Hill in the district of Purulia, around 250km from Kolkata. Garpanchkot is covered with lush green hills as well as a few historical monuments.


Artemis getting filled up!

After a basic visual inspection of the car, we started our trip on a foggy winter morning at around 6 am.Using the Belghoria expressway, it took us around 50 mins to reach the NH 19 Dankuni toll plaza and we didn't encounter any major traffic. After crossing the toll plaza it was quite challenging to keep up a steady pace as the condition of the road starts to worsen combined with a substantial amount of goods carrying vehicles. There were numerous diversions and in some places, single lane traffic movement resulted in long snarling jams.


On Belghoria expressway towards Dakshineswar


Old Vivekananda Setu





we took our breakfast break at Hindusthan hotel and ordered some lip-smacking aloo paratha. All together it was around a 40mins break and with our tummies full we hit the road again.




locomotive on rubber wheels

The condition of the roads was quite good after Burdwan and subsequently, we were able to maintain a speed of around 85-90kmph easily till Asansol.







Near Bidhannagar, Durgapur towards Asansol


Nice artwork, I guess KGF 2 fever is still not over yet!


Even better one

In the meantime, we decided to complete our lunch, and what better way to relish our hunger than by having some authentic veg Bengali food.



We took a left turn from Dendua - Neamatpur Four Point crossing towards kultora leaving NH 19, this 24km stretch towards garpanchkot was filled with bumps and potholes and there was also congestion along certain places throughout the road.
We checked in at the WBFDC garpanchkot Nature Resort situated at the foothills of the Panchet hills, there is a natural charm all around this resort.


Entrance of the WBFDC garpanchkot Nature Resort




Mesmerising view


Artemis enjoying nature

After a brief conversation with the resort manager, it was time to hit the roads again toward the Garpanchkot Pancharatna Temple also known as the Ras mandir. The drive was around 10km through beautiful scenic roads with lush green forests all around. Surprisingly the condition of the road was very good.


View of panchet hill


Ras mandir




panaromic view around the temple

There is a trail along panchet hill that leads to the Raghunath Mandir. I must say it was quite a bit of a climb and we enjoyed every bit of it. I was spellbound by the view at the top. there was not much to view at the temple since restoration work was going on



Starting of the trail


some more distance to cover


Breathtaking view from the top!


Entrance of the Raghunath mandir


Restoration work of the mandir at full swing

[apollo_1999]

After coming down, we were greeted by some kids who happens to be there selling artifacts .It was quite interesting and after a lot of persuasion, I decided to buy one






Budding artist


Work of art

It was getting dark and we decided to head back to the resort.
As the night set in I decided to go for a walk around the property soaking in the beauty of nature and calming my brain.







dinner was served by 9 pm, and the tadka roti was quite tasty



The next morning woke up around 7 AM for a small walk .





We checked out by 8 AM and started for Panchet dam which is around a 5km drive from the resort. Panchet dam is around 6.7km in length, it was inaugurated in 1959 and is currently operated by Damodar valley corporation. The drive over the dam was quite scenic, the dam also serves as the border between west Bengal and Jharkhand. After visiting panchet dam we headed straight for maithon dam.


Panchet dam










Reservoir of Panchet dam. During winter, water levels are quite low.














Maithon dam is around 17km from panchet dam. Around 4.7km in length, it was inaugurated in 1957 and is also currently operated by Damodar valley corporation. The roads in Jharkhand were good and we didn't face any major traffic as well.


Towards maithon

[apollo_1999]

Upon reaching maithon we decided to take a small rock trail to catch a glimpse of the maithon dam. there are boating options available on the reservoir of maithon dam as well. after having some refreshments we started our return journey.


Maithon Dam


The rock trail we took











The roads after maithon are a bit narrow and congested, there are broken patches everywhere till Kalyaneswari Temple. Traveling a km down the road took a left on NH 19 towards Kolkata and as usual, the roads were excellent with minimal traffic, maintaining a steady pace of 85-90kmph was not at all difficult.


finally Open roads!


Much needed bio as well as a coffee break

we stopped in Durgapur for some lunch, tandoori roti and chicken bharta were scrumptious and not a single bit was left behind.




I decided to take a break at Saktigarh. (a place known for its Lyangcha, an indian sweet dish) and what better way to end this trip than by having some succulent Lyangcha at Lyangcha Bhawan.



The roads after Saktigarh, were not in a good state due to the highway expansion project and diversions are there every now and then. Fortunately, we didn't face any major traffic and was back home by 6 PM.







I didn't face any issues with my car and it performed flawlessly as usual. Total distance covered for this trip was around 542 km and my car consumed around 25.55Lt of petrol, which results in a mileage of 21.21kmpl. The power delivery is very linear and the car is at its best if driven sedately.


Adios until next time!!

[Aditya]

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

[Samfromindia]

Congratulations on your first travelogue ! Brought back memories of Purulia trip which I did 7 yrs ago ! Unfortunately couldn't go up the hill due to time constraints, maybe next time ! Nicely detailed write up, perfect for anyone to follow and plan a Garpanchkot itinerary

[haisaikat]

Congratulations on your first TL Soumyodeep. Wish to see many more accounts from your travel diary in future with your Artemis. It seems to be returning some envious FE.

We took almost the same trip (To the Spring time Wonderland of Garh Panchkot, Baranti and Maithon in an Innova Crysta) back in 2020 March (to witness Palash bloom) just before the lockdown started and covered Baranti and Jaichandi as additional place.

Like you our return day lunch halt was in Durgapur too, we ended up liking Citi Residency Hotel so much that on subsequent visits it became one of our favorite places to dine. Also the buffet at ITC Fortune Park is excellent at much lesser price than Kolkata.

[swiftvxi06]

Congratulations Soumyadeep for such a detailed TL on Garpanchkot along with lovely photos. Wish you lots of happy miles with your beloved Baleno. Its returning amazing FE.

[scorched_earth]

Thanks for your post, I am glad you have had a good time with your family. I like the areas around Chota Nagpur plateau very much, in fact it's as much close to me as Malwa plateau. There are so many places to explore with Nature as ones company. It brought back my childhood memories of short vacations to Dhanbad area.

Langchas of Shaktigarh has a special place in my heart, though it's been more than two and a half decades I have had it. We used to get it in earthen pots (maatir handi), with the mouth of the handi covered with saal leaves and tied with jute twines.

Is the taste still good? I have heard that it's not what it used to be.

Now there's an explosion of langcha shops on NH 19 around Shaktigarh, when we went there were couple of them only.

Keep exploring friend.

[apollo_1999]

Originally Posted by Aditya

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

thanks Aditya.

Originally Posted by Samfromindia

Congratulations on your first travelogue ! Brought back memories of Purulia trip which I did 7 yrs ago ! Unfortunately couldn't go up the hill due to time constraints, maybe next time ! Nicely detailed write up, perfect for anyone to follow and plan a Garpanchkot itinerary

Thank you for your kind words!

Originally Posted by haisaikat

Congratulations on your first TL Soumyodeep. Wish to see many more accounts from your travel diary in future with your Artemis. It seems to be returning some envious FE.

We took almost the same trip (To the Spring time Wonderland of Garh Panchkot, Baranti and Maithon in an Innova Crysta) back in 2020 March (to witness Palash bloom) just before the lockdown started and covered Baranti and Jaichandi as additional place.

Like you our return day lunch halt was in Durgapur too, we ended up liking Citi Residency Hotel so much that on subsequent visits it became one of our favorite places to dine. Also the buffet at ITC Fortune Park is excellent at much lesser price than Kolkata.

Glad you liked it Saikat da!
Artemis returns some good Fuel economy when driven sedately.
Baranti and Jaichandi was also in our itinerary but had to give it a miss due to time constraints.

Originally Posted by swiftvxi06

Congratulations Soumyadeep for such a detailed TL on Garpanchkot along with lovely photos. Wish you lots of happy miles with your beloved Baleno. Its returning amazing FE.

Thank you for taking the time to read my TL Abhirup da. Your M2M-Magnite to Mayapur TL was fabulous.

Originally Posted by scorched_earth

Thanks for your post, I am glad you have had a good time with your family.

Keep exploring friend.

I'm grateful that you liked it!

Langchas of Shaktigarh has a special place in my heart, though it's been more than two and a half decades I have had it. We used to get it in earthen pots (maatir handi), with the mouth of the handi covered with saal leaves and tied with jute twines.

Is the taste still good? I have heard that it's not what it used to be.

Now there's an explosion of langcha shops on NH 19 around Shaktigarh, when we went there were couple of them only.

you are correct, numerous shops have emerged on NH 19 around Shaktigarh. I would like to thank Bhpian SAMBA for recommending this shop and their Lyangcha's were truly delicious...