SUNDERBANS

Location: south of Kolkata

Highlights: famous tiger reserve

Sunderbans is a very famous wildlife
sanctuary of our country. It is the habitat of
the Royal Bengal Tiger and owing to this
fact; it is also referred to as Sunderbans tiger
reserve. In the Calcutta Sunderbans national
park, you can find the estuarine crocodile,
wild boar and several varieties of birds and
snakes.
It is located on the south of Kolkata,
India and stretches till Bangladesh.
Also, Sunderbans is the largest delta of
the world formed by the unification of
three rivers-the Ganga, Brahmaputra
and Meghna.
It is spread over an area of 2,585 square kms,

out of which the core area of 1,330 square kms is

formally declared as the world heritage site and
a national park. Apart from the Bengal tiger, it
also houses other wildlife animals like
monkeys, herons, spotted deer, kingfishers, wild
pigs and white-bellied eagles. Sundarbans
wildlife sanctuary in Kolkata is just an apt
destination for ornithologists and bird watchers.
 Shantiniketan

When it comes to excursions in Calcutta, the mention of

Shantiniketan is like a must. Shantiniketan in Calcutta,
is mainly known for Vishva-Bharati University that
provides a platform for the convergence of western and
eastern culture. Its foundation was laid by Nobel
laureate Rabindranath Tagore. The best part about this
international university is that it exhibits the Indian
tradition in the most modest manner, while
simultaneously incorporating the best of other cultures.
The best time to visit this soothing place is
between November to March. Set up in the
midst of green lushy fields and forested
land, it makes an excellent landscape.
Initially, Shantiniketan of Kolkata, India
was an ashram that was started by
Maharishi Devendranath Tagore in 1863.
Later in 1901, Shantiniketan underwent a
modification when Rabindranath Tagore
conducted experimental open-air classes to
promote education. His effort didn't go wasted and
he gradually kept widening the scope. An
interesting feature of Shantiniketan consists of the
awesome sculptures, mural paintings and frescoes
of Rabindranath, Nandlal Bose, Ramkinkar,
Bindobehari Mukhopadhyaya and others.
 Digha Calcutta

Location: 185 km south east of Calcutta

Digha is located about 185 kms away from the city

on the south east of Calcutta. In the list of must
visit Kolkata excursions, Digha beach is on the
top. It is a splendid beach resort consisting of a 6
km long beach.
Shankarpur is the twin beach of Digha, Calcutta
that is about 10 kms away. Digha, India is very
well connected with Kolkata by road. Infact, its
about five hours drive from there. Digha beach is
worth visiting, as its shallow water will help in
rejuvenating you. The whole atmosphere over
there is very soothing and serene.
 Belur Math

Location: western bank of Hooghly in

Howrah district

Founder: Swami Vivekananda

Calcutta Belur Math was founded in 1938
by Swami Vivekananda, the disciple of Sri
Ramakrishna Paramhansa, paying homage
to his guru. It is situated at a distance of
about 6.4 kms from Howrah Station on the
banks of the Hooghly River.
This place is very easy to reach, as it is
well connected by bus and train. Belur
math has an amazingly big prayer hall,
where you can find the awesome statue of
Ramakrishna. Belur Math of Kolkata, India
is a very important pilgrimage place.
Belur math houses a beautiful monastery,
several temples and also has the headquarters of
Ramakrishna mission. This international tourist
attraction place is based on the principle of
religious fraternity, as was advocated by
Ramakrishna Paramhansa. This is also reflected
in the architectural design of Math, which
exhibits a blend of temple, church and mosque
patterns.