My trip to New Digha

It was very hot during summer time in Kolkata. So we decided to go to Digha to get some relief from the extreme temperature of Kolkata and enjoy the sea breeze. I booked a ticket from the railway passenger reservation centre.

New Digha Sea Beach

On the day of journey we boarded the Tamralipta Express from Howrah Station which departed at 6:40 am. The journey by train was especially beautiful when it crossed Mecheda and branched off the main line. There were lush green fields everywhere while the train was passing through Tamluk. The train reached Digha Flag Station at around 10 o' clock. The station was situated in between Old Digha and New Digha. We reserved a van rickshaw to search for hotels. It could carry 6 people at a time. In Kolkata I have seen hand-pulled rickshaw and cycle rickshaw. Both are able to carry  2 persons. So it was interesting as this was my first time ride on van rickshaw. There were many hotels and we booked a room in a hotel which was located near the sea. After entering the room I felt glad as cool sea breeze was blowing into the room. We went for a sea bath. After spending an hour there we came back to our hotel. We changed clothes and went to the restaurant and had lunch. Although there were many restaurants, the quality of the food served was not good. A variety of fishes are available in the restaurants of Digha such as hilsa, rohu, pabda, prawn and many others. In the evening we had a look at the shops in Kshanika market selling various items like cashew nuts, ornaments, items made from sea shell etc. We went to the sea shore. There we had some snacks when it suddenly started raining. In the evening the sky was clear so I had not brought the umbrella. So, we had no choice but rush to the hotel. The rain poured for about 45 minutes

Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary

Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary is situated at a distance of 90 km from Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur. This sanctuary covers an area of 245 sq. km. The animals found here include tiger, sambar deer, nilguy, Indian bison, fox, bear and chital deer. One can also see monkeys, peacocks, hyena and many types of birds. In this forest there are many teak, mahua and sal trees. The best time to visit is November-June. Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary remains closed from 1st July to 31st October.

Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary

I boarded the Howrah-Ahmedabad Express from Howrah station at 23:55 hrs and disembarked at Raipur at around 2 pm. From there I booked a car which took me to Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary. On the way to Barnawapara by the NH-6, I saw the historic place Sirpur. In the past, Sirpur was the capital of the Mahakosal kingdom. At that time, it's name was Sripur. The famous Chinese traveler, Hiuen Tsang visited this town in 639 AD. There I saw the Laxman Mandir. It is one of the best temples made of bricks in India.

My visit to Shankarpur

Shankarpur is a sea beach situated about 15 km away from Digha in West Bengal. One can spend the time just by looking at the sand dunes, conifer forests, fishing villages, fishing port and the life of the fishermen.

Shankarpur Sea Beach

I boarded the Tamralipta Express from Howrah Station at 6:40 am which reached Digha Flag Station at around 10:30 am half an hour late from its scheduled arrival time. From there we booked a private car and continued our trip towards Shankarpur. After reaching Shankarpur, we saw that there were lots of hotels and stayed in Hotel Nest which was very close to the sea. The seabeach was dotted with casuarina groves. I learnt from the local fishermen that although the sea is safe and ideal for swimming, there are patches of quicksand in some desolate areas. So, it is better not to go further beyond the area marked for tourists. The beach was splendid and perfect for having sunbaths. We went to see the auction of fish held near the market. After all it was a great time. Time to come back home, we boarded the Kandari Express from Digha in the evening and reached Kolkata at night.