Since our last visit to North Sikkim and Kalimpong in March, our travels were confined to the daily commute to office and back home. This routine was building its pressure on us and that meant an exit from the city was very much required. Adding onto the situation was the prevailing summer vacation at school. We were initially looking for the pleasant climes of the Darjeeling hills. But stories of immense traffic jams put us off. Late May brought some rains to Calcutta and the vicinity and it brought with it the hope of lowering the temperatures of the fierce summer. So, we planned a trip to Shantiniketan.
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The Surul Rajbari
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We left our Calcutta home on a Friday morning and as we reached Dankuni, we realized that the 6 laning of the Calcutta-Delhi highway, which was under construction during our Mukutmanipur trip in September, 2025 were mostly complete. At the Hindusthan Hotel ,we stopped for breakfast and ordered Aloo Paratha and Puri Subzi. The food, as always, was served quickly and predictably delicious. As we resumed our journey towards Shantiniketan we discovered that except a couple of overpasses (including the Shaktigarh one), the 6 laning was complete. From Burdwan, we took the Guskara-Bhedia route and like many times previously, found ourselves amidst a long line of vehicles at the Talit Railway Crossing.  |
Puri Subzi breakfast at Hindusthan Hotel. Taste that still lingers.
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The Bhedia Overpass looked well-nigh complete and possibly during the next journey we should be able to avail it. We reached Creek around 1:30 PM and after a superb lunch of Dal, Aloo Posto, Katla Kalia we went to the Shonibarer Haat.  |
Lunch at Creek. Superbly cooked Fish Kalia remained the highlight
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Of all things that I love in Shantiniketan, the Haat is occupies the first position...of the tribal men and women swaying to the sounds of the Madol, of the mishti doi and rabri , of the numerous artifacts being sold and in general the festival like vibe that encapsulates the place!I leave with you a couple of collage of the Shonibarer haat.
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| A collage of the Shonibarer Haat, Shantiniketan |
In the evening we took a dip in the swimming pool and after a Chinese dinner it was time to go to bed.
Of course one can visit the Viswa Bharati Museum and tickets cost Rs 100 for adults and Rs 10 for children. The museum showcases several of the artifacts which Rabindranath had used, his photographs across the years and is a nice experience.
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| Viswa Bharati, Museum |
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| Surul Rajbari |
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| Twin Shiva Temples of Sarkarbari, Surul |
After lunch, we went to the Surul Rajbari and the Twin Shiva Temples and then headed towards Banalakshmi for lunch. We had booked our lunch of Postor Bora and mutton and like always the food was an experience in itself. We also purchased ghee, bori and a finer variety of Gobindobhog rice named 'Radhuni Pagol'.
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| Postor Bora and other delicacies at Bonolakshmi |
The next day we left around 12 PM and took the route via Choupahari Forest. At Choupahari we took a detour through the interior morram roads and got down from the car near a bamboo grove. The sun way playing hide and seek with the overhead canopy and we could hear the whistling of winds through the bamboo leaves. Later we came to know that the Ilam Bazaar Wood Fossil Park is nearby - and a possible item to visit in the future.  |
| Exploring Choupahari Forest |
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| Forests on the Panagarh - Moregram Highway |
After exiting the Choupahari Forest, we reconnected to the Ilam Bazaar road, from where we travelled to Darjeeling Mohr and finally joined the Delhi-Calcutta Highway. We paused again at Hindusthan Hotel, packed our dinner of Biryani and were back home just as the sun was about to set!
