Places to visit in East India, within states of West Bengal, Odisha, Sikkim
Eastern part of India was a like a black box to us. While we had heard about and tasted Bengali food, seen news about communist strikes, celebrated Navaratri similar to Durga Pooja, we did not know much about the local life till we spent decent amount of time with the locals
Travel once in 4 years as a part of LTA (Leave Travel Allowance that public sector employees get) was a much awaited event for us. We had extensively covered West India while staying in Ahmedabad for 4 years, again thanks to transfer postings of my father who worked in public sector. After covering South of India and North of India on two separate journeys, we decided to head East this time
Odisha
We were able to cover the capital Bhubhaneshwar, Konark and Puri this time. We would love to be back to see Chilika lake for the birds and dolphins, Cuttack for the food, Gahirmatha for the turtles, and many more towns in future
Bhubhaneshwar
This capital city is one of the most pleasant cities in India. Unlike typical crowded metros, the roads were wide, clean and the city seemed to be able to cope up with the growth coming in
Lingaraj temple: Ancient 11th century temple with ornate architecture, reflecting the designs of this region. There is a lake called Bindu Sarovara near the temple- ensure you pay a visit
Udayagiri, Khandagiri: Cave chambers on two hills near each other. Some of the caves like Queens cave and Elephant cave have beautiful carvings inside
Dhaula Giri: Houses a nice white colored stupa, an icon of this place. The Shanti Stupa was built through Indo Japanese collaboration, and resembles the stupas in places like Leh, Anuradhapura on Sri Lanka. This was the region where the famous emperor Ashoka renounced war and turned to Buddhism
Nandankanan Zoo: Well maintained space, about 15 km from city centre, with a large area for animals to roam around. You can see white tigers here
Konark
About 2 hours from Bhubhaneshwar and an hour away from Puri the chariot temple of Konark is a UNESCO World Heritage site, featuring on INR 10 note. The temple is one of the best architectural masterpieces of ancient India, built by Raja Narasingha Deva I of the Ganga Dynasty
The temple is shaped like a chariot with 24 wheels. The wheels represent Dharmachakra, Wheel of Sun
Europeans in the past called it “Black Pagoda“ due to the black tower top. The used to be on seashore in the past, acting as a guiding post for travelers headed to Kolkata
Puri
The temple city gave us a feeling of small towns like Guruvayur, Udupi where the significant part of the economy is centred around spiritual activities
The famous temple of Lord Jagannath has three idols- Jagannath, Subhadra and Balabadra. It is one of the four temples of Char Dham Yatra. Every year in July, the annual temple festival is celebrated in the form of Rath Yatra or Chariot show
You can also see 56 dishes that are offered to the lord everyday- a combination of famous sweets of the region, rice, curry, vegetables. The food is cooked in earthen pots and offered at set times of the day
Puri is also famous for Jagannath bell or dong, having a strong sound, and used in relegious ceremonies
Puri beach nearby is famous for sand art by the famous artist Sudarshan Patnaik. You can spot some of his work if you are lucky
West Bengal
We covered Kolkata, Darjeeling, Mirik. We did not have time for Sunderbans this time and would love to go back
Kolkata
This city is bustling, but somewhat stuck in time. You can still see the old tramways on roads. Although the communist influence has been somewhat of an deterrent in its development, the historical aspects, the culture, the food are all something worth celebrating here
Victoria memorial: The white iconic building, housing a museum
Howrah Bridge: Another icon of the city. Go in the evening to see the bridge lit up in lights
Science city: Very informative, with some experiential rooms. There is a butterfly nursery, 3D space centre, multiple exhibition halls covering science, geology, maritime history and many more topics
Sunderbans: The largest mangrove forest, with a few tigers left. Many people stay here, but sightings have been really few
Santiniketan: A quaint university founded by the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore
Kolkata is famous for its sweets- from Rosogulla, Rasmalai to chaats like Jhal Muri (bhel puri), Pucchka (pani puri)
Darjeeling
Bagdogra is the nearest airport. You can visit the monasteries of Siliguri and Iskon temple if you have layover time
Darjeeling is a laid back hill station with tea estates all around. Don’t look for too many activities- while you can find some, the better way to spend time will be just to stroll around and absorb the natural scenery
Tiger Hill: Most people flock here at sunrise to see the elusive Kanchenjunga. We have been there multiple times without luck. On a clear day, the mountain is visible from the city too, but the orange rays are worth waking up for. Take a seat on the left side, if travelling by plane from Delhi to Bagdogra- I have had better sightings from the flight than on land
Himalayan zoo: A lot of cute red pandas endemic to the region reside here, in addition to famous Bengal tigers and Himalayan animals
Japanese pagoda: Very similar to Shanti Stupa of Leh and Dhaula Giri pagoda
Ghum monastery: One of the oldest monasteries in the region
Batasia Loop: Take the toy train for a joy ride to experience the region and its past
Kurseong
Visit to see tea estates, about an hour from Darjeeling. Taj Chia Kutir is a luxury property amidst the Makaibari tea estates if you can afford. The place is best for staycation- you can spend hours looking at the mountains, waterfalls and tea slopes
Mirik
About 2 hours from Darjeeling, this charming town has a nice lake surrounded by pine forests. You can take a stroll surrounding the lake and spend hours admiring the natural beauty. You can see orange and orchid plantations if you venture outside
Sikkim
The mountainous landscape and Tibetan influence in Sikkim is similar to vibes in Leh, Arunachal Pradesh and Bhutan. Sikkim was one of the last regions to integrate into India. The regions retains its own identity in a nice, unique way
With the opening of Pakyong Airport, there is direct connectivity to Delhi. You can also take a car from Bagdogra airport in case travelling from other cities. Nearest train station is New Jalpaiguri near Siliguri in West Bengal
Foreigners need Inner Line Permit- so carry copies of passport, visa and photos. The process is simple on arrival
Gangtok
You get a feel of European Christmas markets at Gangtok. There is some charm to this city not explainable by words. The natural landscapes with mountains and lakes are worth a visit
Rumtek monastery: A 12th century monastery with a nice prayer hall, paintings and colors
Flower show: Best season to visit is spring between mid March- May and autumn mid Oct- Nov. The hall has a very good collection of orchids
Nathu La Pass: You can experience snowy mountains here. Open only from Wed- Sun every week and outside winters. Permits are required a day in advance, so better go through a local travel agency
Tsongmo lake: A nice lake amidst the forests, about 40 km from the city. You can see yaks, ducks and migratory birds here. On the way, you can see Kanchenjunga mountain if you are lucky. The monasteries of Hanuman Tok and Ganesh Tok are also worth a visit