Destination India

West Bengal (PART-VI)

South Dinajpur

 

 

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. Archeological excavations have revealed that a highly developed civilization flourished here in the past. 

Balurghat is the district headquarters of South 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.

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:

Bangarh

Historically probably the most important of all places in the entire district, Bangarh boasts of the largest share of archaeological ruins and icons to be found in Dakshin Dinajpur. It is situated at a distance of 45 km from Balurghat town and 65 km from Malda town. Bangarh was the capital of the Koti Barsha district. During the Gupta period, the whole of North Bengal was known as Pundra Vardhana Bhukti (Pradesh). It was again sub-divided into a number of Vishyaas (Districts). Koti Barsha was one of the districts. Its old name was Debkot/Debikot. Different ancient archaeological sites are located in a radius of 8km of this area.Khanpur. It is situated on the Patiram-Trimohini road about 18 km away (north-east) from Balurghat town. This place is very famous for the Tebhaga Movement. History tells us that in the year 1946, the share croppers of this area started a movement for acquiring \'be percentage share of the crops.

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

The village Bolla is situated 20 km away from Balurghat town on the Balurghat- Malda Highway. There is a famous Kali temple named after Bolla Ma Kali. The story behind the temple says that a Zamindar was arrested by the British as he could not pay the tax for his Zamindari. Goddess Kali came to his rescue and the Zamindar was freed the very next day. As a token of gratitude, he built a temple of Goddess Kali and started worshipping her.

Image Courtesy: https://www.google.co.in/search?q=balurghat+south+dinajpur 

Talk about India, from India with you

Good morning/Good afternoon/Good evening my friends, wherever you are! This 11:00pm. 11^th April, 2013, Thursday in India. Due to technological problem, I have not able to blog ‘Flavors of India’ and ‘Tips from an Indian Homemaker’ last week. Now the problems are almost solved and hope it will be alright in future. So, I have decided to blog two recipes and extra tips this week! Cheers!!

 

Friends, in India, the month April comes with lots of happiness, color and joy. You know, we have many New Years! Don’t you believe that? But, it’s true! In India, every one or two states have their own calendar and New Year and generally, they all are fallen in April! I explain:

 

 

 

1)Ugadi is celebrated as New Year's Day in Karnataka and Andhra pradesh and Gudi Padwa is celebrated as New Year's Day in Maharashtra on the same day which corresponds to end of March or beginning of April according to the Gregorian calendar. 2) Rongali Bihu or Bohag Bihu (mid-April), is celebrated as the Assamese New Year and the arrival of Spring around April 14-15. 3) Puthandu, also known as Varuda pirappu, is celebrated as New Year's Day in Tamil Nadu, is celebrated on the first day of the Tamil month Chithirai, which falls on 14 April. 4) Vishu is celebrated as New Year's Day in Kerala; is celebrated on the first day of the Malayalam month of Medam which is mid-April on the Gregorian calendar. 5) Cheiraoba is celebrated as New Year's Day in Manipur; falls on the same day as Ugadi or Gudi Padwa. 6) Navreh is the lunar New Year which is celebrated in Kashmir and also falls on the same day as Ugadi or Cheiraoba or Gudi Padwa. 7) Mahavishuva Sankranti is celebrated as the Oriya New Year and generally falls on 13 or 14 April. 8) Cheti Chand is celebrated as New Year's Day by Sindhis and falls a day after Ugadi and Gudi Padi. 9) The festivals of Chaitti and Basoa are celebrated as New Year festivals in the state of Himachal Pradesh and also are celebrated on the same day as Ugadi and Gudi Padwa. 10) Pohela Boishakh or Poila Boishakh is the first day of the Bengali calendar, celebrated in both Bangladesh and West Bengal and is celebrated on 14 or 15 April every year which is celebrated as New Year in West Bengal. 11) Chaitra Pratipada celebrated in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh with the beginning of the Hindu New Year; falls in April. 12) Juri Sheetal also known as Pahil Baisakh or Baisakhi or Maithili New Year is the celebration of the first day of the Maithili New Year and falls on 14 April on Gregorian calendar by the Maithils in Mithila region of India and Nepal.

 

 

Here is one more New Year which is not fallen in April. It is Bestu Varas, is the New Year's Day for Gujaratis and falls on the day next to Diwali; in the month of October or November. Beside that, I think there are more except my knowledge.

So friends, for Indian’s, April Rocksss!! I will share you all the customs and fun which we do in the events.

That’s all for today, friends! Ttake very care of your family and children! Have a good day/ afternoon/evening/night! Namaskar.

 

Image Courtesy: https://www.google.co.in/search?q=naba+barsha&hl=en&tbm 

Festivals of India in the month of April

 The month of April is all about fun and celebrations. It starts off with the April Fool’s Day and continues to celebrate the harvest festivals of India like Baisakhi , Gudi Padwa and Bihu . April marks the bloom of spring. It is that time of year, when the entire nation celebrates the harvesting of the crops.

The month also consists of some important days like the Jallianwala Bagh Day, Earth Day and the Tulip Day. Along with the spring comes the month of fun and fair. There are also a few cultural fairs and shows coming up this April, like the Kaila Devi fair and the Mewar Fair. Those who want to have a glimpse of rural India and its culture should attend these fairs. They are very colourful and display the fireworks, folk dance, traditional cuisines, etc.

Another important festival falling in this month is Ram Navmi, which is celebrated on a wide scale in the country. This festival is rejoiced every year as the birthday of lord Ram. A lot rituals and celebrations are followed on this day. Then falls the birthday of the founder of Jainism, Mahavir Jayanti It is marked as a very important day in the calendar and is celebrated on a mass level.

Kaila Devi Fair

 

Kaila Devi Temple

 

The shrine of Kaila Devi is famous for the fair held here every year. The temple is situated on the banks of the Kalisil River in Karauli district of Rajasthan on the Trikut hills, 2 km from Kaila village. The official name for Kaila Devi is Lahura. The erstwhile princely rulers of Karauli state used to believe that Kaila Devi protects their state from any kind of invasion.
The famous Kaila Devi fair is held during the Krishna Paksh of 'chaitra' and runs throughout the fortnight starting from 12th day of Chaitra Badi. According to Gregorian calendar the fair happens to be in March or April. This fair is held in honor of the deity Kaila Devi who is believed to be a form of Mahalakshmi, the goddess of wealth and Chamunda, the goddess of death. Animals are sacrificed outside the temple to propitiate the goddess.

It is one of the most acclaimed fairs of Rajasthan. Kaila goddess is worshiped as the guardian deity by the Yadavas, the Khinchis, and the princess of Karauli. There is a small temple of Bhairon and that of Lord ‘Hanuman’ called 'Languriya' facing the Kaila Devi's shrine in the courtyard of Kaila Devi temple. Thousands of devotees from all the communities visit the place throughout the year. The fair attracts a lot of pilgrims from Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi and Haryana too.

Kaila Devi fair

Approximately 2 lakh devotees gather during the fair. The ritual of Kanak-Dandotis is observed by staunch devotees. They cover a distance of 15 to 20 Kms to reach the temple, not on foot but by lying prostrate, making lines with their hands in that position, advancing up to the line drawn and repeating this procedure till they reach the temple.Some of the devotees take this harsh journey without eating food and taking rest. The dances and singing tribal men of Mina community makes the atmosphere lively.

This year Kaila Devi fair has celebrated on 7^th April.

 Image Courtesy: https://www.google.co.in/search?q=Kaila+Devi+Fair&hl=en&noj=1&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source