Murshidabad

Murshidabad, named after Nawab Murshid Quli Khan, the Dewan of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa under Emperor Aurangzeb, is related to events that ultimately changed the history of India, At Plassey near Murshidabad the histortc battle between Nawab Siraj-ud-Daula and Lord Clive had taken place. The relics strewn today speak of those times. But the history of this region date back perhaps further. The famous Chinese traveller Hiuen Tsiang, who made the long journey to India in 629-645 AD, in his world famous travelogue describes Karanasubarna near Murshidabad as the first capital of the ancient Bengal. Murshidabad was also the major trading town between inland India and the port of Kolkata, 221 km south. Today it's an insignificant town on the banks of the Bhagirathi River, a chance to see typical rural Bengali life.

The region is rich in textile and handicrafts. Baluchari sari, now a product of Vishnupur was originally woven at Jiaganj.

The main attraction is the Hazarduari, the classical-style Palace of a Thousand Doors built for the nawabs in 1837. In the recently renovated throne room a vast chandelier, a gift from Queen Victoria, is suspended above the nawab's silver's throne. There are portraits of British dignitaries, an ivory sofa, ivory palanquins and silver sedan chairs. In the armoury downstairs is a cannon used at Plassey.

Across the grass from the palace is the rapidly deteriorating Great Imambara. Murshid Quli Khan, who moved the capital here in 1705, is buried beside the impressive ruins of the Katra Mosque. Siraj-ud-daula was assassinated at the Nimak Haram Deohri. The Jain Parswanath Temple is at Kathgola, and south of the railway station there's the Moti Jhil, or Pearl Lake, a fine place to view the sunset. It's worth taking a boat across the river to visit Siraj's tomb at Khusbagh, the Garden of Happiness. There are a number of other interesting buildings and ruins.

Travel Information
Air: Nearest airport - Kolkata 223 km
Rail and Road: Easily accessible by rail (197 km ) and road. Several buses ply between Kolkata and Behrampore. Behrampore, the district headquarters, is about 12 km from Murshidabad.

Pandua

Gaur once alternated with Pandua as the seat of power. The main place of interest is the vast Adina Mosque, built by Sikander Shah in the 14th century. Built over a Hindu temple, traces of which are still evident, it was one of the largest mosques in India but is now in ruins. Nearby is the Eklakhi mausoleum, so called because it cost Rs 1 lakh to build. There are also several smaller mosques. The dusty deer park, 2.5km across the highway in the 'forest', is not worth going to.

Travel information

Pandua is on the main highway (NH34), 18km north of Malda, and there are mainly buses that can drop you here. The main sites are at Adina, two km north of the village of Pandua, and right by the highway.

Shantiniketan

The Visvabharti University is at Shantiniketan, three km from Bolpur. The brilliant and prolific poet, writer and nationalist Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) founded a school here in 1901. It later developed into a university with emphasis on humanity's relationship with nature-many classes are conducted in the open air. Tagore went on to win the Nobel Prize in 1913 and is credited with introducing India's historical and cultural greatness to the modern world. In 1915 Tagore was awarded a knighthood by the British but he surrendered it in 1919 as a protest against the Amritsar massacre.

There are colleges of science, teacher training, Hindi, Sino-Indian studies, arts and crafts, and music and dance. Tagore called the place 'the cargo of my life's best treasure', but in the late 1990s he'd probably be saddened by the way the university has become much like any other in India. Lectures are accused of nepotism, exam papers are leaked and graduates go for a job with multinationals rather than with rural regeneration programmes as Tagore intended. Rich Bengalis are now building holiday homes in the area. Although it's still a very peaceful place, there's little in visiting unless you have a specific interest in Tagore.

There's a museum and art gallery within the Uttarayan complex where Tagore lived. The university is open to visitors in the afternoons but closed on Wednesday, the day the university was founded.
Four km away is Sriniketan, started as a project to revitalise traditional crafts, such as kantha embroidery, weaving, batik and pottery.

Travel Information

Shantiniketan is 211 km from Kolkata and there are regular bus services available.
Trains are available from Howrah, Bolpur, Darjeeling.

Siliguri

This crowded, sprawling, noisy place is the departure point for visits to Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Sikkim and the North-East states. Siliguri is the major trade centre for the north-east and eastern Nepal; a real boom town, it's packed with trucks and buses and not a pleasant place to stay for a moment more than necessary. New Jalpaiguri (known as NJP), the main railway junction, is eight km south of Silliguri, though there's effectively no break in the urban sprawl between the two places.

Orientation & Information

The towns of Siliguri and New Jalpaiguri comprise essentially just one north-south main road - Tenzing Norgay Rd. It's about four km from New Jalpaiguri railway station to Siliguri Town railway station, and a further four km from there on to Siliguri Junction railway station, behind the Tenzing Norgay Central bus terminal. You can catch the toy train (if it's running ) from any of these railway stations. Bagdogra, 12km west of Siliguri is the airport serving this northern region.
The West Bengl Tourist Office is up a flight of stairs on Tenzing Norgay Rd, on the south side of the river. Here, it's possible to book accommodation in the Jaldhapara Wildlife Sanctuary. There are tourist counters at the airport and railway stations.

Travel Information
Air: Bagdogra airport is 12 km west of Siliguri. Jet Airways and Indian Airlines have five flights a week between Bagdogra and Kolkata or New Delhi, and four a week to Guwahati. Not all the flights to Delhi are direct, some backtrack to Guwahati first. Skyline NPEC also has three flights a week to Kolkata.
Train: Lots of train runs from different part of country. The Darjeeling mail is available from Sealdah(Kolkata). The North East Express is the latest train to Delhi.
To reach Bangladesh you can take a train from New Jalpaiguri to Haldibari.
Taxi and Jeep: The fastest and most comfortable way of getting around the hills is by share jeep. There are a number of taxi stands where you can get share jeeps to destinations in the WB hills, and to Sikkim, including one on Sevoke Rd, and one outside Tenzing Norgay Terminal.