GarPanchkot: A Secluded Weekend Destination

I always have a passion of choosing the path which is less traversed and this grew an urge of hitting the offbeat destinations across the boundary of this country.  The best trips are always the unplanned weekend trip which makes you more alive in your busy schedule. Spending a couple of night in nature’s lap far away from the hue and cry of the city will be the best option to freshen up after a long topsy-turvy week. This time I will take you to another hidden gem of this country; a less revealed; a less touched weekend gateway from Kolkata- It’s Garpanchkot.

Garpanchkot, a forest cum hill station, is named after a ruined fort Panchkot in the Eastern part of the country, at the foothills of Panchet Hill in Purulia District of West Bengal.  The remains of the Panchkot Palace had been a silent witness of the past attacks by Maratha Rulers, often referred to as Bargi in Bengal.  The silence of the dense forest enriched with the view of cliffs all around, adds a special charm to this place. Staying in a forest cottage, in the woods with mesmerizing view of the mountains all around is really worthy.

Accommodation:

You will get a few choices to opt for your accommodation in Garpanchkot. There are some private resorts and a couple of Government owned bungalow-one is under WBTDC and the other under WBFDC.  I'll always recommend you to opt for WBFDC forest bungalow because of its prime location amidst dense forest and just in the foothill of the one of highest peak of Purulia. The bungalow is aesthetically decorated with various types of trees, well furnished AC cottages with an enthralling view of crags from your room. Rooms are available at affordable prices starting from Rs.1800* (*Info based on current price. Price might change in future) for a AC double bedded cottage, but due to huge rush during weekend and in the winters, prior booking is always recommended for this bungalow.  Personally I felt that the cottage named as Barakar, Panchet, and Damodar have the best exquisite view with dense forest all around. So if you are a nature lover and want to stay in Mowgli’s land for a day or two, don’t think just book this cottage. Imagine a night, sitting on a legacy wooden chair in the balcony of the cottage, with chorus from the crickets enriching the silence in the woods.

Season: Since Purulia is a very dry area, so to have a pleasant stay in the forest, I would like to suggest you to visit this place during the post monsoons and winter season.

Itinerary:

Since it is a weekend tour, we will start on Friday night and return within Sunday night. Garpanchkot can be reached from two main gateways- Asansol and Adra. If you are travelling by train, then follow this itinerary. If you are travelling by Car, follow the gateway which is nearer to you.

Day 0: Okay folks!I'd suggest you to board the Howrah Chakradharpur Passenger which departs from Howrah Railway Station at 11:05pm and reaches Adra at 05:15am next morning.

Day 1: You will reach Adra in early morning.  Book your cab from Garpanchkot Forest Bungalow (All contacts are given at the end).  Mr Amit is the main travel consultant over there who will guide you in all sorts of local sightseeing also.  Garpanchkot is at a distance of 36km from Adra and it takes around 45-50 minutes to reach there. Though the check in time of your room is 12 noon, still they try to arrange it within 9-9:30am based on availability. Therefore while you are en route to the bungalow, I'll point you out to visit Jay Chandi Temple.

Jay Chandi is a popular tourist attraction with a temple at the top of a hill. You need to climb around 480-500steps to reach the temple which have a majestic view all around from an elevation of 509feet above sea level.  After covering Jay Chandi hill, now your next destination will be Garpanchkot WBFDC Bungalow which is at a distance of 17km.

Book a cab for your sightseeing. The main spots that they cover are Panchet Dam, Baranti Lake, BihariNath Temple, and Panchkot Palace (only ruins are there) and a year old temple renovated by the West Bengal Government, is worth  seeing over there. Normally they charges Rs.1600-Rs.1700* (*Info based on current price. Price might change in future) for a non ac cab of 8-9persons.  It takes almost 4-5 hours to cover all the places.  So to return within evening, it is always advised to leave for your sightseeing within 1-1.30pm.

Post meals start your sightseeing with Biharinath Hill,the highest pinnacle of Bankura District (1480 ft). The base of the hill is a famous tourist spot with abundant flora and fauna. The main attraction is the famous Shiva Temple over there.

Baranti, a beautiful lake surrounded by hills and hillocks all around will add an extra flavour to your trip.  The place is naturally decorated with forest on one side and tranquil dam on the other. The road to the dam traverses through the red laterite soil and green thick vegetation on two sides. 

We, the metropolitans are less aware of the monsoons. We are only habituated of seeing rain from mansion windows and cab windows.  Monsoon to us is like sitting on the balcony with a cup of coffee and enjoying the sounds of the rain. We have seen spring only in our rooftop garden or rather apartment garden. But we haven’t felt the smell of red mud during the monsoons, and we haven’t seen the road full of flowers during the spring. Neither we have felt the fresh green leaves of forests during monsoon, nor have we felt the beauty of various anonymous forest flowers during the spring. You will get that taste once you are here in this small village in ChotoNagpur Plateau. Baranti even has a WBTDC bungalow just beside the lake,contact of which is given at the end.

Once done with Baranti, you will visit the Panchkot Palace. The WBTDC bungalow is just beside this palace.  This place will show you remain of the historical Panchkot Palace which has been a silent testimony of the attack by the Maratha Rulers. The fort is situated just at the foothills of mountains all around, which adds on a special charm. After this we will move towards Panchet Dam. Here you will find the amazing Mohona (meeting point) of River Utla and Damodar. The serene of the landscape over here leaving the hassle of the city will take you to a world of ecstasy.

On returning to the bungalow after the sightseeing, freshen up and spend some time in the bungalow. Go up to the balcony for a scenic view of the surroundings, feel the warm welcome from the tree, the leaves, the winds blowing through you, and the chorus of the crickets. Switch off the light, feel the darkness, feel the silence. Try to have a moonlit walk along the forest,outside the bungalow campus. The chorus of the crickets will appear like an office conference. Feel like you are independent, far away from your office, no pressure of meetings; just hear the meeting of the insects, their roar, their chorus, and their speeches. They also have a community, and you are the Mowgli of their team. Have your dinner; sit in the bungalow garden amidst the darkness. The night is yours and you are there to make memories. Good night!!

Day 2: Good morning!! It’s almost 6 AM and you cannot afford to stay in bed. Wake up as we will go for a small trek now. Let’s make this trip a little bit more adventurous. This is a small trek of about 500m and a guide from the bungalow will take Rs.200 to show you around.. But I'd suggest you not to go by the distance, as it has three hikes through the rocks, which might be risky for aged people.  The trek takes you through dense forests, rocks, and steep hikes.  

There are three viewpoints, at the end of which you will come across a point withan enchanting view of entire Garpanchkot and Panchet Hills. The guide will apprise you various histories of the place, the hills, and the medicinal plants. For a while you'll be hypnotized by the beauty of nature.Return within 8 AM, and post breakfast leave for Maithon Dam and Kalyaneshwari temple with your entire luggage.  After visiting these two places, the cab will drop you at  Asansol Railway Station.     

Adieu Garpanchkot!   Now you must be gung-ho, buoyant, and refreshed for your daily schedule.

Details:

Place: Garpanchkot

Sightseeing: Baranti Lake, Panchet Dam, Biharinath Temple, Panchkot Palace.

Nearby destinations: Susunia Hill (45-50km).

Nearest Railway Station: Ramkanali.

Booking of Garpanchkot Bungalow:

WBFDC: https://www.wbfdc.com/

WBTDC: Aranye Dinratri (9647677070)

Booking of Baranti WBTDC Bungalow: 7407971456

Cab Contact:  Amit (9732184195)

Guide Contact: Swapan Mukherjee (9933965600)

Approx Expense: Rs.2500 per head.

For further query, refer to my email id below.

Anirban Chakraborty
*acanirban90@gmail.com