A Weekend Sojourn to Purulia

 In late January last year, i did a short weekend trip to Baradi, Purulia with my school friend Tirthankar. We planned our trip a couple of months in advance, preferring to take the train from Howrah instead of a road trip. Purulia is about 320 Kms from Howrah station and is served by multiple trains. We decided to take the Howrah Chakdradharpur Express that leaves Howrah at around 12 AM and reaches Purulia junction at around 6:30 AM. We met in front of the famous station clock at Howrah around 11:20 PM and then waited for the train to arrive on the platform. I was amazed to see the sea of humanity even at that late hour. In a couple of minutes the train arrived and we slowly made our way to our 3rd AC coach. We both had lower berths, while a small group of baul/fusion musicians were travelling in the same coupe. Little did we know that we would hit it off so much once we got chatting with this young group of musicians who were travelling to Jharkhand to perform at a festival. The topics varied from baul to Indian classical and to western rock bands like Eagles and Dire Straits. The group were fascinated by our wide interest in different genres of music, with Tirthankar mentioning his wife was a classically trained singer. I made the group a trifle jealous by mentioning i had been to an Eagles concert in Dublin where i live and work. With the discussion free flowing we soon realised it was 3 AM and we needed to catch a few hours sleep as we had to get up early to disembark at Purulia at around 6:30 AM. Luckily the train was late, and we reached Purulia at almost have past seven the following morning.

Our booking was at Bon Polasi Eco Hut on Ayodha road in close proximity to the fabulous Murguma Dam and reservoir lake. The distance from Purulia junction to the resort is about 43 kms and takes about an hour and 15 minutes by taxi. As the check in time was around 12 noon, we had prebooked a taxi through the resort and planned to do some sight seeing as well as stop for breakfast on our way to Bon Polasi. Stepping out of Purulia station on a pleasant and chilly January morning, we found our cab waiting for us. We first stopped for a cup of tea after keeping our luggage in the cab. Refreshed from a cup of steaming chai, we were on our way. We stopped at multiple points on the way, the first stop was a rocky stream with a bridge (see images below).

Being winter, the water levels were quite low and we could walk down the bank and click photos. The cab driver a local boy told us and that we could walk to an old terracotta temple that was situated higher on the bank we had come down from. We enjoyed the view for a few moments and then headed uphill in search of the old temple. We soon found it and not much was mentioned around the age or origins of this rather impressive structure, now sadly in a state of decay with tree branches emerging from the upper reaches of the structure. (see images below)

After spending some time walking around the platform on which the temple stood through the passage of time, we clicked photos and then slowly headed back to our cab. It was now past 11 and we headed towards our resort. We stopped for breakfast of steaming puris and alur sabji in a busy bazar. Inviting the driver to have breakfast with us in a small eatery, we polished off the breakfast with cups of steaming milk tea in traditional earthen cups. It amazes me that today we talk of environment and sustainability, and in our culture we have so much of this already ingrained. 

Post breakfast we headed to Bon Polasi Eco Resort stopping on our way to admire the stunning views of Murguma lake and dam. We climbed to the highest point on the hill overlooking the lake and jungles nearby (see images below)

As i looked into the beautiful hilly landscape with the enchanting Murguma lake before me, i could not help but wonder if winter comes, can spring be far behind. As we resumed on our journey and started going downhill i got down to take snaps of the lake below and our cab on the hilly track. By noon we reached our destination, tired but feeling enriched by the soothing lap of nature that surrounded us. 

After a quick check in process, we were taken to our cottage room (see images below)

There were lovely wooden khatiyas set in the courtyard in front our rooms and we sat down to enjoy the view before us. We were told that the best time to visit Purulia is March when the red flowers are in full bloom and you are truly engulfed by red. We settled down, took our baths and then headed for a late lunch around 2 PM. The food was home cooked and sumptuous, cooked on traditional wooden fires. 

We took a small walk around the resort and then headed back to our rooms for some afternoon siesta.  By the time we were up again, dusk had fallen the resort was bathed in light. Soon evening snack arrived in the form of onion pakoras, chicken. We had Old Monk along with Thumps Up and spent our evening reminiscing our previous trip to Santiniketan. We took a stroll clicking photos of the resort at night, while music played somewhere nearby disturbing the stillness of the evening. (see images below)

At around 9 PM we were called for dinner. Dinner was delicious with hot smoking rotis fresh of the tawa with salad, chicken. A quiet stroll after dinner and we were then back to our room. It had been a long day, so we called in for the night. We needed some sleep after our nocturnal train journey the previous night.

We were up quiet early the following morning and took a stroll around the resort. It was cold and the gentle rays of morning sun bathed the resort in a yellowish glow. Morning tea and biscuits were followed by breakfast. Post breakfast we clicked photos in the lawn and in front of our lovely cottage.

We also walked on the road in front of the resort that led to the Murguma lake and the forested hills beyond. Interestingly Ayodha Pahar (the famous peak in Purulia for rock climbers) is only an hour away from here. We clicked photos on this road and walked down to the lake flowing beside the road. (see images below)

As were were to checkout by noon, we packed our bags and then had an early lunch. Post lunch we loaded our bags into the same cab that had brought us here the previous day. Soon we were on our way back to Purulia junction to catch the afternoon train back to Kolkata, reaching Howrah after 9 PM.

Our memorable trip came to an end and we hope to be back to Purulia some other time, as it has a lot to offer in terms of amazing landscapes, waterbodies and fauna. It is truly a hidden gem of our state of Bengal. More adventures to come soon.

A roadtrip to Ranchi via Jamshedpur..on the Chota Nagpur Plateau

 I had the pleasure of doing a roadtrip with my dear friend Anindya in January last year, over an action packed three days. Starting from Jessore Road near the Kolkata airport on 19th January, we stopped for a cup of masala chai and maggi before hitting the road and crossing the Hooghly river near the Dakhisneshwar Mandir. With camera and mobiles charged and spirits soaring, Anindya stepped on the accelerator as we headed towards Kharagpur in his Mahindra SUV 500. Starting at around 11:30 AM, we crossed Kharagpur around 1:30 PM and headed towards Jhargram. Stopping at a roadside dhaba near Balibhasa for sumptuous lunch of roti and tadka dal followed by masala chai, we were off again hoping to cross Jhargram before 3 PM.

The drive past Jhargram involved a well forested stretch of sal trees adding to the character of the drive. We kept taking photos and recording videos while navigating our way though to Jamshedpur. The drive from Balibasha to Jamshedpur took about 2 hours, with the Subernarekha river running in parallel to the highway in most places. Before entering Jamshedpur, we stopped for litti chokha at a small shop on the highway. Entering Jamshedpur after 4 PM, we drove through the narrow streets reaching our hotel as the sunset and dusk began to fall. There was a bit of unwanted drama at the checkin counter as the hotel folks were trying to give us a cheaper room, finally after arguing for a good part of 15 minutes the matter was sorted as we got the room of our choice. 

After setting down and after a quick bath, we settled down for a round of drinks (Old Monk) with some pakora and kababs. Our moods were enriched by the spirits, as we reminisced of our travels to Bangladesh many moons ago. Before settling in for the night we chalked our plans for the next day which was going to be action packed. Starting a little after 8 AM the following morning, we headed out of Jamshedpur towards the Ranchi highway. Stopping for a quick breakfast of masala omelette, bread and chai at a cute breakfast place run by a young Bengali couple. 

Soon we were off to Ranchi, speeding along the highway with a range of low hills of the Dalma wildlife sanctuary running parallel to the road on our right flank. Our plan was to use the morning hours to explore the Dassam falls before entering Ranchi for check-in to the resort we had booked. Anindya zipped through the distance of 110 kms to Dassam falls in an hour and a half, as we entered the falls area around 11 AM. Dassam Falls is located on the Kanchi river near the village of Taimara in Jharkhand. It has numerous viewing points and one can walk through the to capture stunning images of the falls and the river flowing through the gorge. (see images below)

After spending a couple of hours exploring Dassam Falls, we headed towards Ranchi and checked in to the Treebo Trend Winsome Banquet and Resort around 2 PM. Famished from the mornings activities, we headed straight for lunch after checking in. Post lunch we took some rest and then headed out into Ranchi city in search of the Ranchi War Cemetery. Google Maps was misleading as it did not reflect the road works and led us into a one way road and after a bit of a struggle and asking bystanders we finally found the War Cemetery. Ranchi War Cemetery is managed by Commonwealth War Graves Commission and is a well maintained cemetery with over 300 Allied service men buried here from the 2nd World War (see images below) -

After spending an hour exploring the cemetery and signing the guest book, we headed back to our resort for a well deserved rest. After freshening up, an evening of candid nostalgia as well over a round of drinks, as well as plan for what was to be covered the following day. We decided to cover the Patratu Valley in the morning, have a light lunch on the road and cover the Hundru Falls in the afternoon. The following morning, as per plan we had a heavy breakfast at our resort that would help us going for most of the day. We then headed to Patratu Valley, which is about 56 kms away. To avoid the traffic, we took the Ring Road which bypasses the city of Ranchi. The roads were excellent and we zipped through in less than an hour and were soon climbing the hills adjoining the Patratu Valley. Our first stop was to see the Rahra Waterfall in the Patratu Valley. Google Maps was misleading again suggesting that a road leads close to the falls, however even after going off the highway into a side road we soon realised it was to narrow to offroad and had to leave the vehicle behind and trek on foot. As they say surprises often reveal the unexpected, as we trekked through beautiful country exploring the raw untapped beauty of the surrounding hills. We trekked through a small village through dirt tracks, crossing some beautiful landscapes recording videos and photos of our trek (see photos below). It was surprisingly warm for January at 27 degrees and we broke into a sweat by the time we reached Rahra. It was a bit disappointing as it was a small waterfall, though the trek was quite memorable. It brought me back so many memories of my earlier days as a geologist, when such treks were part of the job.

We headed backwards after spending an hour, reached the parked car and headed back towards the Patratu Valley viewing point. As expected there was a plethora of cars and tourists, so we parked the car on one of the slopes and looked for spots where we could get clear photos. Patratu was beautiful and we spent about half an hour taking photos and videos. (see photos below). 

Tracing our steps back to the car, we then headed for the Hundru Falls about 61 kms away. Again roads were excellent for the most part. We stopped for tea at a bazar and then reached the falls area. After crossing the bridge over the stream, we were told vehicles were not being allowed beyond a point and we would have to walk down to the falls over 800 steps. Asking the locals, we found there was another motorable road on the south bank. We crossed the bridge back to the south bank and took the downhill road to the Hundru Falls. The road was narrow and a bit tricky at places but Anindya was skilful behind the wheel and we soon reached the parking spot next to a small power station. Going up the staircase we then climbed downhill to reach the rocky stream bed from where we would have to trek to the base of the impressive Hundru Falls. (see photos below)

The trek to the falls took some time as the banks were stony with sandy banks. We stopped to take photos at numerous spots. It took us over two hours to explore the area. We headed back as the sun started to dip, stopping at a small shop near the car park for maggi and masala chai. We were tired but extremely happy with the adventures we had during the day. We started back as dusk fell and reached our resort an hour later. Later that evening was spent in reminiscing the day and going through the photos and videos we had captured. The following morning we were supposed to checkout after breakfast and head back to Kolkata. We decided to take a small detour and visit Dimna Lake and then drive through the Dalma Forests through elephant corridor before hitting the highway to Kolkata.

Dimna was scenically beautiful, but it was a misty day so photos did not do justice. Added to that, was the place is treated as a picnic spot and was quite dirty at places, so we had to steer clear of these places to get photos. The drive back was beautiful and we stopped for a late lunch at the dhaba. Finally reached Kolkata by around 6:30 PM. (see photos below)

It was a memorable road trip and brought back memories of Satyajit Ray's 'Aranyer Din Ratri' shot also in the nearby Palamau area. Till next time...