Attractions of South Bengal
H
istory, religion,art ,architecture,spirituality,nature and of course the majestic Royal Bengal tiger are only some of the colours that form the rainbow of South Bengal. A place vibrant with culture,modern city life, rural hamlets,spirituality,art and endowed with natures limitless treasures South Bengal is a travelers dream destination. South Bengal is composed of the southern districts of West Bengal and includes in itself the districts of Howrah, Nadia, North 24 Parganas,South 24 Parganas,Purba nad Paschim Midnapur.Almost all major industrial towns of West bengal fall in South Bengal Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal ,Howrah,the port town of Haldia and the industrial township of Durgapur are some of the major towns of South Bengal.South Bengal offers something for everyone. If you are fond of the city life you can spend your time in Kolkata. Apart from being a metro with all the trappings of a mega city ,Kolkata is steeped in art,culture and heritage.Haldia is another important town in South Bengal which is home to the Hadia Petro chemical plant.Krishnanagar,Barasat,Tamluk are towns with historical importance with Tamluk being home to the famous freedom fighter Matangini Hazra.Krishnangar is famous for its sweets and clay dools. The clay dools and ststues of Krishnanagar are exquisitely hand crafted and are in demand the world over.Barasat which is near to Kolkata has recently developed into a major city on South bengal and sees a huge influx of people from West Bengal and other states who come here in search of work.
If you are in Bengal and are in search of spirituality then South Bengal will literally soak you in it. Belur Math ,which is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna mission and frequented by domestic and foreign tourists is a serene and calm place by the Hooghly which will always leave you coming back to it over and over again. Kamarpukur and Jayrambati, the birth places of Sri Ramakrishna and his divine partner Sri Ma Sarada Devi are important places of pilgrimage.The famous Dakshineshwar kali temple and Kalighat in Kolkata and Adyapeeth are important places of worship for people in India and are maor tourist attractions.Mayapur in South Bengal is also home to the headquartes of the world famous ISKCON. It is a magnificent place where you can come and know and understand all about Krishna consciousness and step into a new way of life.
South Bengal has been abundantly blessed by nature and is home to the Sunderbans which is the single largest littoral mangrove belt in the world. The forests of Sunderbans are not only mangrove swamps but include the last remnants of the mighty jungles of the Gangetic plain.It is a World heritage site as declared by UNESCO and is home to the majestic Royal Bengal Tiger.Digha,Bakkhali,Mandarmani and Shankarpur are some of the important beaches in South Bengal.If you happen to visit Sagardwip in January you can participate in the annual Gangasagar mela which begins fro January 14th every year and sees lakhs of devotees ,sadhus and foreign tourists who come here to take a holy dip in the Gangasagar.
The best time to visit South Bengal is between October and February when the weather is very pleasant. You can get flights and trains from all major cities to Kolkata and from there avail of numerous local trains and private taxis which can take you to the various places in South Bengal.
National Parks of India
India has more than 200 wildlife sanctuaries and about 100 of them are classified as National Parks. Here is a list of national parks of India. The names of the national parks are organized according to the state in which they belong to. Some of the national parks are speared over many states and only one state in listed in such cases. You can see the same list of national parks in India here arranged in the alphabetical order of their names.