West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants.Spread over 34,267 sq mi it is bordered by the countries of Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, and the Indian states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Sikkim, and Assam. The state capital is Kolkata . West Bengal encompasses two broad natural regions: the Gangetic Plain in the south and the sub-Himalayan and Himalayan area in the north.

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WEST BENGAL
BASIC INFORMATION
Location: Eastern India
Capital: Kolkata
Area: 88,752 sq. km
Climate: Tropical and humid
Best Months to Visit: October to
February
Languages spoken: Bengali,
Hindi & English
Airport: Netaji Subhash Chandra
Bose International Airport
Railway Stations: Howrah
Sealdah
Kolkata

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ADVENTURE
• Darjeeling
• Dooars
• Tajpur
MOUNTAINS
•Darjeeling
•Ghum
WILDLIFE
•Sunderbans
•Darjeeling
•Jalpaiguri
HERITAGE
•Kolkata
•Murshidabad
•Shantiniketan
SPIRITUALITY
•Kolkata
•Darjeeling
PLACES FAMOUS FOR

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HERITAGE

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KOLKATA- City of Joy
VICTORIA MEMORIAL
•Collection of paintings, sculptures and
manuscripts from British period.
•Open on all days except Mondays and second
Saturdays of the month
•Timings: 10 am to 4pm (Jan- Feb) & 10am – 5pm
(rest of the year)
•Entry fee: Rs. 10(Indians)
Rs. 150( Foreigners)
FORT WILLIAM
•Houses arms and armors, swords, muskets and
photographs of the Burma campaign and Bangladesh
Liberation War.
•Open all days, 10am to 5.30pm
WRITER’S BUILDING
•Built in1770, served as office to writers of British East
India Company.
•Currently, seat of the West Bengal Secretariat

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KOLKATA- City of Joy
ST. PAUL’S CATHEDRAL
•First Episcopal church in Eastern world
•Replica of Bell Harry Tower of Canterbury
Cathedral, Kent, UK.
•Pictures and representations of St. Paul
KALIGHAT KALI TEMPLE
•Dedicated to Goddess Kali, about 200 years old.
•One of the 51 Shaktipeeths of India
•Right toe of Dakshayani or Sati is said to have
fallen here.
PARESH NATH JAIN TEMPLE
•One of the rare Jain temples of India
•Consists of 4 temples of which the main one
is dedicated to the 10th Jain avatar Sri Satal
Nath ji.

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KOLKATA- City of Joy
INDIAN MUSEUM
•Anthropological, art, botany, geological and
zoological sections
•Entry fees: Rs.10(indian)
Rs.150 (Foreigners)
HOWRAH BRIDGE
•Open throughout
•Boat rides through the river Hoogly from
morning to evening.
GREAT BANAYAN TREE
•The largest Banyan Tree in India and perhaps Asia is
located in the Botanical Gardens of Kolkata.
•Widest tree in terms of its canopy
•About 200 to 250 years old!!

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MURSHIDABAD
HAZARDUARI- PALACE OF THOUSAND
DOORS
Built as a residence for Nawab Nazeem
Humanyun Jha, a magnificent marble
structure, having 900 doors!!
BADA IMAMBARA
Parallel to the north face of the Hazarduari
Palace, stands the Nizamat Imambara,
built by Nawab Nazim Mansoor Ali Khan,
the largest in Bengal and perhaps in India.
KATRA MOSQUE
Mosque and tomb of Nawab Murshid Quli
Khan, where he was buired under the steps
to the entrance of the mosque

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MURSHIDABAD
Kolkata to Murshidabad-236Kms.
Murshidabad can be reached from Kolkata by various
train services like Hazarduari Express and Bhagirathi
Express, from Kolkata to Murshidabad, which covers
the distance in 4 hours.
Another option is to hire a private taxi and it will
charge around Rs.4,200 inclusive of a return
journey.
SBSCT buses ply frequently from Kolkata to
Murshidabad.

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SHANTINIKETAN
CHHATIMTALA
•Meditation room of Maharishi Devendranath, father of
Rabindranath Tagore.
•Students of Vishwa Bharati University have their
convocation and prayers here.
UTTARAYAN
•Designed by poet ‘s son Rabindranath Tagore.
•5 abodes of Tagore’s- Udayana, Konarka, Shamali,
Punassha and Udichi.
•Some of the oldest sanctums where Rabindranath
used to meditate and leisure.
BICHITRA (RABINDRA BHAVAN)
•Research Centre and Museum exhibiting
belongings of Tagore- paintings, his literary works,
clothes and utensils used by him
•Timings: 7am-11am(summer)
10.30am-4.30pm(winter)
Wednesday closed

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SHANTINIKETAN
Kolkata to Shantiniketan- 212Kms.
Closest airport is the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Airport,
Kolkata
The nearest railhead is Bolpur, 2 km away. There are trains
connecting Bolpur with Howrah/Sealdah (Calcutta), Sealdah-
Mughalsarai Exp, Kanchenjunga Exp., Shantiniketan Exp.,
Danapur Fast Pgr. and Tarapith Passenger.
Good motorable roads connect Shantiniketan with Calcutta Tourist
cars and cabs are available from the Manager, Tourist Lodge. Fare
would be approx. Rs.3700( Non A/C) and Rs.5100 (A/C)
State owned buses connect nearest cities with Santiniketan. Many
tourist service providers arrange package tours by A/C deluxe buses
to Santiniketan from Kolkata. They charge about Rs 4 per km.

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MOUNTAINS

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DARJEELING- Queen of Hills
DARJEELING TOY TRAIN
•UNESCO world heritage site
•b/w Darjeeling and Ghum, to/from Jalpaiguri
and Jungle Safari
•Best Season: Sept to June
DARJEELING ROPEWAY
•Plies between Darjeeling & Singla
•Beautiful views of the hills & valleys
•Timings: 10am to 2pm
•Rates: Rs.120/- for adults
Rs.60/- (children 3-8yrs)
TEA GARDENS & CHOWRASTA
You can walk through the lush Tea gardens
of Darjeeling and the Chowrasta to get the
beautiful view of the valley and Tibetan
artifacts and handicrafts to buy.

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DARJEELING- Queen of Hills
DHIRDHAM TEMPLE
•Nepali style Hindu temple of Lord Shiva.
•Opens only in mornings and evenings for aarti.
ST. COLUMBA’S CHURCH
•Estd. In 1894
•Belongs to Eastern Himalayan Church
Council
•You can also visit:
•The Yiga Choeling Monastery or more famously known as
the Ghum Monastery, in Ghum, located at a distance of 8km
from Darjeeling.
•The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Gardens which
is home to the Siberian Tigers and the rare Red Panda.

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DARJEELING- Queen of Hills
Kolkata to Darjeeling - 634 Kms.
The closest airport to Darjeeling is Bagdogra near Siliguri
and is connected to Kolkata airport. From the airport taxis
are available for Darjeeling which charges around Rs.1,200
Siliguri Jn (SGUJ) and New Jalpaiguri are the nearest
railheads connecting to Kolkata. Trains are also available from
Siliguri and New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling.
A taxi can also be hired from Kolkata which costs
anywhere between Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 17,000 (for a
round trip).
Regular bus service connects Darjeeling and
Kolkata.

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WILDLIFE

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SUNDERBANS
Kolkata to Sunderbans- 112Kms
Canning Railway Station is the closest to Sunderbans
and is connected by regular trains from Kolkata and
Howrah.
Sunderbans is also well linked to all major cities by bus
services.
SUNDERBANS TIGER
RESERVE
•World’s largest delta
•UNESCO World Heritage site.
•Home to the largest concentration of tigers
•2585 sq-km range of semi submerged
mangroves
•Open to visitors in the month of October.

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ADVENTURE

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TAJPUR
Tajpur is the latest addition in
tourist map of Bengal. Tajpur offers
various adventure sports options like
para-gliding, rafting, rock-climbing
and other activities.
•The prime attraction of Tajpur
is its pristine sea beach fringed
with a dense forest of tamarisk
trees.
•The beach is infested with
infinite number of red crabs
which play hide and seek in the
sand.

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TAJPUR
Kolkata to Tajpur- 170Kms
All buses to Digha from Kolkata would also drop you
at Balusai More and from Balusai More you can
catch a local van to take you to Tajpur
If you are travelling by train, then you can get down
at Digha and hire a trekker to Tajpur.The trains
connecting Kolkata and Tajpur are Digha Express
and Howrah Digha Express(Only Sunday)
Closest airport to Tajpur is the Netaji Subhash
Chandra Bose Airport, Kolkata

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HANDICRAFTS
TERRACOTTA
POTTERIES AND
ARTIFACTS
Finest patterns of Terracotta
panels found in Murshidabad,
Bishnupur, Birbhaum,
Hooghly and Digha
DOKRA METAL
•Artifacts made by the
traditional metalsmiths of
Bengal- Dokra Damar tribe.
•Can be bought from the
districts of Burdwan, Bankura
and Midnapur.
SHOLA PITH
•Shola pith is a milky-
white sponge-wood which
is carved into delicate and
beautiful objects of art.
•Sold in Murshidabad

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TEXTILES
BALAUCHARI SAREE
•One of the most exquisite sarees in India, created by
craftsmen of this place. The silk strands are dyed separately
and then put into a loom.
•One saree may have an entire episode from the Mahabharata
woven into its border and pallu.
MURSHIDABAD SILK SAREES
•The Baluchari sarees are figured silk saree produced in the town
of Baluchar in Murshidabad district.
•These sarees have a silk base with silk brocaded designs with
respect to their colours.
KANTHA EMBRIODERY
•Type of embroidery and thread work popular in
west Bengal
•Specialty of Bolpur.

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FAIRS AND FESTIVALS
Poush Mela is an annual fair and festival that
takes place in Shantiniketan to mark the
Harvest season. It lasts for 3 days and includes
live performances of Bengali folk music- Baul
music.
You can witness West Bengal at it’s best,
during Durga Puja time, when the city comes
alive with colour and joy!!
Book lovers can also visit the Kolkata Book Fair
that takes place in January. It is the third largest
annual conglomeration of books in the world!

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DANCES
The Chaau is a masked dance and is centered around the
Purulia region. It is a very vibrant dance form and is usually
performed with the accompaniment of drum beats or the
music of bamboo flutes. No song accompanies the dance, and
the dancer has to communicate the emotions and tensions of
the character he portrays only through body movements.
The Santhals are worshippers of nature, and to that end, the
community (mostly women) performs different kinds of vibrant
dances to the sound of sweet music.
Gaudiya Nritya is a classical Bengali dance. Originating in
Gaur, West Bengal, the ancient capital of the region, it is an all-
pervasive form which eventually gave rise to present
day Odissi, Manipuri and Kuchipudi and contributed to the
development of many classical dance forms.

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CUISINE
For those who of you
who have a sweet tooth,
West Bengal has quite a
wide variety of sweets to
offer on it’s plate!!
Titillate your taste buds
with Sandesh, Payesh,
Roshogollas, Cham
Cham, Mau, Patishapta
& Naru.
Fish and sweets are the two things,
Bengali food never misses. Do try out
out the Roshogollas, Sandesh and
Cham-Cham and street food like Aloor
Chop, Kathi Roll and Phuchka.
Rosgullas Patishapta
Cham Cham Sandesh

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MUST-DOs BEFORE YOU
LEAVE WEST BENGAL
Do visit the famous Indian Coffee
House, the once meeting place of
freedom fighters.
Do take time out to ride the
tram that runs through the city.
Kolkata is the only city in India
where trams still function!!
If you’re into adventure
activities, do go
trekking on Tiger Hill
in Darjeeling and water
skiing and parasailing
at Digha beach!!!

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TRAVEL TIPS
DON’Ts
•Do not attempt to travel without tickets in public transport.
•Avoid to commute in the peak office hours as the streets are often jammed with
traffic.
•Kolkatans are very particular about their culture. Do not make any kind of nuisance
regarding the popular culture.
DOs
•If you are planning for a visit to the city then winter season is the most appropriate time.
The summers are hot and humid and in monsoons there is lot of down pouring. October to
February is the best time to move into the place.
•Before starting the journey be sure to carry minimum of the luggage. Kolkata is a very
crowded place and to carry heavy luggage means lots of hassles.
•The public transport is very crowded and there are good chances of your pocket being
picked in buses and metro. So act wise and travel by taxi.

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Where To Stay
Darjeeling
Glenburn is a heavenly little plantation retreat that lies
on a hillock above the banks of the River Rungeet, high
in the Himalayas, overlooked by the mighty
Kanchenjunga mountain range.
Glenburn Tea Estate
Tumsong Chiabari Tea Retreat
Tumsong Chiabari Tea Retreat is a beautiful heritage tea
house, professionally managed by Chamong Group. This
is a family owned property, now in its 6th generation and
has been in the tea business for almost a century.
Snow Lion Homestay
Snow Lion Homestay is owned and managed by a
Tibetan family. The Snow Lion, a mythical creature
of Tibetan lore, is the national symbol of Tibet. Two
Snow Lions appear on the national flag of Tibet.

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Kolkata
Homestay Kolkata - Hasting 4BHK Apartment is a
luxury service apartment, situated right at the centre
of town surrounded by area full of greenery. The
property is closest to the most important & one of the
busy happening place in between Central and South
Kolkata.
Homestay Kolkata Hasting
Spandan is a beautiful 1 BHK apartment
located in Action Area III of Rajarhat, owned
and maintained by Shapoorji Paloonji & Co.
Ltd. An ideal place, economical, affordable
and yet with uncompromising comfort for the
person seeking rest from hectic city life.
Spandan Service Apartment

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The Other Home
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(Vacational Rental | Homestays | Outdoor Adventure)
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Email : info@theotherhome.com
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