Purbasthali for a day trip out of Kolkata Purbasthali is a non-descript small town in Burdwan district between Nabadwip and Katwa. Its claim to fame is a small oxbow lake by the river Ganga where a lot of migratory birds arrive every winter. More than enthusiastic bird lovers come here for birding trips in winter. You have to be more than enthusiastic because the town is obscure and reaching Purbasthali is not easy. It also does not have any tourism infrastructure whatsoever, except for a small guest house with basic amenities run by the local Panchayat Samiti.
I am not really a birder but I thought I would enjoy the boat ride in the crystal clear water of the lake. The water is so clear and transparent that you can see the underwater vegetation for mile after mile. It’s quite unique in that sense.
On my way back from my in-laws’ place in Katwa I went to Purbasthali last Sunday and really enjoyed the boat ride for more than two hours. We started our journey on Ganga (where there is a real flow) and then went round an island to finally enter the oxbow lake. It’s all hand operated boat with real oarsmen and not the noisy mechanized country boats that we are otherwise used to.
It’s quite a unique experience for me and I intend to go there next winter again, better armed with knowledge about birds and a pair of binoculars (I forgot to take them this time !!).
Let me post some pictures. I am not much of a birder and therefore I didn’t try to write anything about the bird population there. But it does have lots of birds. Taking bird photographs from a boat without tele is yet another impossibility and therefore I have refrained from any such silly effort. The boatman pulled the oar almost non-stop for more than two hours and charged Rs 250 for the service. The sun rays made the splash of the water very special. The road to Purbasthali after you come off the state highway near Parulia Some black cormorants Purbasthali looks like an impoverished little town. But the villages around are literally littered with such old Zamindar palaces.
Last edited by Sudipto-S-Team : 9th February 2009 at 20:49.
|