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South Dinajpur
 GENERAL
INFORMATION
Altitude: 30 metres above sea level.
Temperature (deg C):
Summer- Max. 25, Min. 21
Winter- Max. 23, Min. 09
Rainfall: 155 cms
Clothings: Summer- Cottons, Tropical; Winter- Woollens.
Languages: Bengali, Hindi, English.
Best season: Throughout the year but preferably October to March.
Air: Nearest airport: Bagdogra (170Kms).
Rail: Malda Town (76 kms)
South Dinajpur came into existence after the division
of old West Dinajpur into North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur in April,
1992. Its history dates back to the Pal and Sen Dynasties of North Bengal
and shares a rich historical heritage. Archaeological excavations have
revealed that a highly developed civilization flourished here in the past.
The people of South Dinajpur or Dakshin Dinajpur are
largely dependent upon agriculture for their livelihood. The four rivers,
namely, Brahmani, Atreyee, Tangon and Punarbhaba flow through South Dinajpur
and sustain a large community of fishermen.
South Dinajpur has many interesting places to visit,
some of them are mentioned below:
 BALURGHAT
– It is the district headquarters of South/Dakshin Dinajpur. A small
town with lot of greenery and void of any form of pollution. The Raghunathpur
forest is located one kilometer away from Balurghat. Another small forest
called Dogachhi is located 6 km from the town; it also possesses a canal
where boating facility is available. A forest department bungalow is available
in Raghunathpur.
HILI – Hili is situated along
the Indo-Bangladesh international border. It is 25 km from Balurghat.
Here you can see hundreds of large trucks plying across the border for
the exchange of goods and commodities. Hili has one tourist bungalow owned
by the Public Works Department.
SARONGBARI – Sarongbari is an
attractive picnic spot within a small forest; a small hut and drinking
water facilities is available for the tourists.
COLLEGE MUSEUM – It is a small
museum in Balurghat that houses many valuable collections of antiques
like coins, sculptures, terracotta, inscriptions and ornamental stones
from ancient periods.
BOLLA KALI TEMPLE – Located 20
km from Balurghat is the Bolla Kali Temple alongside the Balurghat-Malda
highway. It is a famous temple that has a legend associated with it. A
story goes that a zamindar was arrested by the British for not paying
his taxes and Goddess Kali had rescued him. To show his gratitude he had
built a temple here known as the Bolla Kali Temple.
TAPAN – Tapan is located 35 km
from Balurghat town. It is famous for the lake called Tapan Dighi. This
lake has a mound on the northern side which dates back to times of Lord
Buddha. No excavation has yet taken place in this area.
BANGARH – Bangarh is historically
a very important place in South Dinajpur. Most of the ancient ruins in
the district were found here. It is located 45 km from Balurghat and 65
km from Malda. The history of this place dates back to the Gupta period.
Professor Kunia Gobinda Goswami led an excavation team
in 1938-1941 and found many historical objects and ruins here from the
Mauryan period to the time when North Bengal was under Muslim rule.
Some of the objects found in the excavation were: manuscript of King Naipala
(11th century AD), statue of Darpal, pillars of Lord Vishnu Temple, walls
of an ancient building, many statues and small relics, grave of the Turkish
warrior Bakhtiar Khilji. Also a road was found called the Usha Haran Road,
which is believed to be the road used by the grandson of Lord Krishna,
Anirudha, to kidnap his wife Usha. |