City: West Bengal
Top Things to do in West Bengal
Top Hotels in West Bengal
- 1. Sinclairs Darjeeling
- 2. Ibis Kolkata Rajarhat
- 3. The Oberoi Grand
- 4. ITC Royal Bengal, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Kolkata
- 5. Novotel Kolkata Hotel and Residences
- 6. Fairfield by Marriott Kolkata
- 7. Ramada by Wyndham Darjeeling Gandhi Road
- 8. Sinclairs Retreat Kalimpong
- 9. The Peerless Inn
- 10. Regenta Orko's Kolkata by Royal Orchid Hotels Ltd
10 Historic Sites in West Bengal That You Shouldn't Miss
West Bengal (/wɛst bɛŋˈɡɔːl/) is an Indian state, located in Eastern India on the Bay of Bengal. With over 91 million inhabitants (as of 2011), it is India's fourth-most populous state. It has an area of 88,752 km (34,267 sq mi). A part of the ethno-linguistic Bengal region, it borders Bangladesh in the east, and Nepal and Bhutan in the north. It also borders the Indian states of Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Sikkim, and Assam. The state capital is Kolkata (Calcutta), the seventh-largest city in India. As for geography, West Bengal includes the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region, the Ganges delta, the Rarh region, and the coastal Sundarbans. The main ethnic group are the Bengalis, with Bengali Hindus forming the demographic majority.
Restaurants in West Bengal
1. Nirmal Hirday (Pure Heart)
2. Krishna Chandra Mandir
3. Samsing
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 40 reviews
Samsing Suntaleykhola, located adjacent to Neora Valley National Park ( One of the pristine heritage forests of India), is one hot tourism destination that offers many adventurous experience to the travelers. Such adventures include Butterfly watching treks, Rhododendron forest treks, camp stay at forest for one night, river trekking at River Neora Valley National Park, etc. The destination has many homestays, and as rural tourism experts we also help the travelers to avail the rural essence of whole North Bengal with adding other destinations as well to make a complete travel plan for the travelers. So we welcome the nature lovers to enjoy the innovative plans with us hat starts from Samsing Suntalekhola.
Reviewed By Ashish6874 - Chandigarh, India
The place is beautiful with beautiful hill back drop. The road from chalsa is slightly narrow but condition is good. It has some beautiful tea garden. The guest house of Samsing tea garden has one of the best location and view with turbulent river flowing in rains. A good and pleasant getaway from siliguri.
4. Mahesh Jagannath Temple
5. Ruins of Gaur
6. Tinchuley Village
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 165 reviews
Reviewed By Meharbansingh00 - Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy
Italiano : Che vista meravigliosa . Questo posto si trova sul strada da gangtok a darjeeling. Questo posto ti offer dalla attezza vedere fiume che passa mezzo le montagne. Stati le per mezzo ora solo guarda la bellessa di natura. Ci sono anche bancarella per mangiare e bere. English:-What a Amazing View Point. This place is located on the road from gangtok to darjeeling. This place offers you from the height to see a river that passes through the mountains. Stay there for half an hour just look at the beautiful nature. There are also food and drink stalls.
7. Katra Masjid
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 116 reviews
Reviewed By 475vladimirm - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The ruins of a mosque, built in 1724, in excellent condition and around the territory is very well-groomed. This city was the capital of the Bengal Navabs, founded in 1704. The grave of the founder of the city, Nawab Murshid Kuli Khan, governor of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, is located under the steps of this mosque.
8. Jorasanko Thakur Bari
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 321 reviews
Reviewed By atulya_sinha - Kolkata (Calcutta), India
Jorasanko Thakurbari features prominently in the autobiographies of Rabindranath Tagore and his nephew Abanindranath. It was known as a centre of vocal and instrumental music, acting and stage décor, poetry and play readings, sketching and painting, and much else. Above all, it was the home of the illustrious Tagore family. The Thakurbari consists of three interconnected structures built in different centuries. Ram Bhavan, the earliest building at the site, was built by Nilmani Tagore (1729-91) when he shifted there from Pathurighata in 1784. The triple-storied main building, which forms the main façade that one sees while entering from Rabindra Sarani, is Maharshi Bhavan, named after Mahirshi Debendranath Tagore. Finally, the smaller building on the left is Vichitra Bhavan, constructed by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore in the 20th century. One enters the complex through a long passage starting from an arch on Rabindra Sarani. The Thakurbari, with its red and cream walls and green woodwork is a magnificent sight. You buy tickets near the gate – Rs 20 per head. In case you intend to use a camera or camera phone, you need to buy another ticket for Rs. 50 from the Museum office, but you are still not permitted to take any pictures inside the buildings. Incidentally, the tickets are aesthetically designed and worth preserving as souvenirs! You take off your shoes and pass the tiny reception/ sales counter, go up the main staircase and find yourself in the modest suite of rooms once occupied by Rabindranath, including the chamber where he breathed his last in 1941. You turn left at the end of the corridor, where you find two galleries of paintings: the first contains works of the Bengal school (mostly water colours), while the other has western style portraits of several generations of Tagores. A replica of the Nobel prize medal awarded to Rabindranath Tagore in 1913 is also on display. Next, you enter Ram Bhavan, the oldest structure. You see the room where Rabindranath and other family members were born. An alcove in the wall and some simple furniture from the original room has been carefully preserved. As you proceed further, you find four galleries which commemorate Tagore’s travels to America, China, Japan and Hungary respectively. These galleries have been sponsored by the governments or academic institutions of the respective countries and their displays seem quite ostentatious after the stark simplicity of the earlier galleries. You return to Maharshi Bhavan and reach Vichitra Bhavan through a small flight of stairs. It turns out that Vichitra Bhavan – true to its name – is a double-storey building which was constructed without a staircase! Later, a small wooden staircase was added, which can be seen in the reception chamber on the ground floor, but it is blocked off on the first floor. The upper floor of Vichitra Bhavan contains one large hall with a few smaller chambers, where pictures and other memorabilia associated with the Tagore family are on display. The lower floor contains the library and research centre, which are not open to public. Despite the grandeur of the buildings and the fabulous wealth of the Tagore family, one finds no trace of opulence in their lifestyle – just compare the simplicity of Jorasanko with the extreme flamboyance of Mullick Thakurbari (also known as the Marble Palace) in the same neighbourhood. It appears that Prince Dwarkanath Tagore (1794-1846), the poet’s grandfather, had rejected European culture in his home and organized a great sale of his household goods – including china, clocks, marble-topped tables, mahogany chairs and pianos – as far back as 1841! Later generations of the Tagore family were to become leaders of the Bengal Renaissance across diverse forms of art, including painting, drama, poetry and music. Highly educated individuals volunteer to work as guides in Jorasanko – we had the honour of being escorted by a young lady with two post-graduate degrees, including one from Rabindra Bharti University itself. Such learned guides combine deep scholarship with much adoration for the institution. They are fluent in multiple languages – including English, Hindi and Bangla. A visit to Jorasanko Thakurbari is highly recommended.
9. Ramakrishna Mission Swami Vivekananda's Ancestral House and Cultural Centre
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 87 reviews
Reviewed By traveliswhereyougeto - Mumbai, India
The house of Swami Vivekananda creates peace and awe in equal measure. Restored from a practically dilapidated structure this has been immaculately restored to what it may have been when Swamiji lived here. During the restoration process, the original map of the house was obtained from the archives of the Calcutta High Court. It was bulit in mid 1800 and stands strong till today! Visitors can see the room where he was born, the prayer room with shiva linga where his mother used to pray for a child, the room where she read out the Ramayana to him (the original document has been preserved in a glass case for over 150 years), the thakur dalan (where family pujas were held) which was the most difficult structure during the entire restoration process. One cannot miss the beatifully restored red floors so typical of bengali homes in yesteryears. Swamiji's pictures in San Francisco and Chicago have also been displayed. There are audio visuals as well for the interested visitor. Overall, a very fulfilling experience in the house of a thinker, a reformer and a preacher, whose influence extended to the global stage.
10. Char Bangla Temple
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