Seven in the morning on the Ajodhya plateau, early January. The tea stall has its kettle on a wood fire, the mist is still lying in the valley below, and everyone at the bench is wearing a monkey cap except the man selling the tea.
By eleven the mist has burnt off, the sky is the hard blue you never see over Kolkata, and the red earth looks almost orange in the sun. This is the Purulia people come back for.
Purulia is the westernmost district of West Bengal, a rolling stretch of the Chota Nagpur plateau where the Gangetic flatlands finally give way to low hills, sal forest and red laterite soil. It was part of the old Manbhum district of Bihar until 1 November 1956, when the Bengali-speaking part was transferred to West Bengal. Santhal, Bhumij, Kurmi and other communities live here, and the district is the home of the Purulia Chhau, the masked dance UNESCO added to its list of the world’s intangible heritage in 2010.
Most of what people mean by a “Purulia trip” is the Ajodhya Hills in the south of the district, plus a handful of dams, waterfalls and ruins within a couple of hours’ drive. Below is what each place is, how to fit them together, and the honest version of when to go.
When to go: winter or spring?
Purulia has two seasons that sell it. Winter (December to February) is cool and dry: average night-time lows in the district are around 11–12 °C in December and January, and colder on the hilltop and in open country before dawn. Days are bright and pleasant for walking. Spring (late February to March) is when the palash trees flower and the hills turn flame-orange, the picture on every Purulia poster, but by March the afternoons are already hot.
If you want to walk, climb, and see the waterfalls with some water still in them, go in winter. If the palash is the point, go in early March and accept the heat. From April to June the district is one of the hottest parts of the state, and the monsoon (June to September) turns everything green but makes the hill roads slippery.
Getting there from Kolkata
| How | Route | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Train | Rupashi Bangla Express leaves Santragachi early in the morning and reaches Purulia Junction around midday. The return leaves Purulia mid-afternoon and reaches Howrah in the evening. Other trains run via Adra and Asansol. | About 5½–6 hours |
| Road | Via Durgapur and Bankura, or via Asansol. Purulia town is a little over 300 km from Kolkata by road. | 6–7 hours |
| From Purulia town to Ajodhya | Hire a car in Purulia town, or from Balarampur station. The hilltop is about 40 km from Balarampur via Matha. | 1½ hours |
There is little public transport between the sights themselves, so almost everyone hires a car and driver for the stay. Fix the route and the rate before you set off.
Ajodhya Hills and the plateau
Ajodhya hilltop
অযোধ্যা পাহাড়
A plateau rather than a peak: the Ajodhya range is a spur of the Dalma hills, and its highest points stand only around 700 m. The hilltop village is the base for most stays, with lodges, a market and views over forest in every direction. It is also where many Bengali climbers did their first rock-climbing course.
Local tradition links the name to the Ramayana: at Sita Kund, it is said, Rama shot an arrow into the ground so that Sita could drink. That is legend, not history, but the spring is real and still visited.
- Best for
- Sunrise, walks, base for everything else
- Nearest station
- Balarampur (about 40 km)
Mayur Pahar
ময়ূর পাহাড়
A short climb about 2 km from the hilltop with one of the best open views on the plateau. Go early or late; at noon the light is flat.
Upper Dam, Lower Dam and Marble Lake
আপার ড্যাম, লোয়ার ড্যাম, মার্বেল লেক
The two big lakes on the Ajodhya road belong to the Purulia Pumped Storage Project, a 900 MW hydro plant whose four units were commissioned in 2007–08. At night it pumps water up to the upper reservoir; at peak hours it lets it fall back through the turbines. It works like a giant battery for the state grid.
Marble Lake, the blue pool walled by pale rock that turns up in so many photos, is generally said to be a flooded excavation from the dam construction. The project has its critics too: local groups and the river network SANDRP have written about forest and livelihoods lost to it.
Bamni and Turga falls
বামনি ও তুর্গা ঝরনা
Bamni Falls is about 10 km from the hilltop, down a long flight of steps into a rocky gorge; the climb back up is the real exercise. Turga Falls, about 18 km away near Turga Dam, is easier to reach. In winter both are thinner than after the monsoon but clear, and the rocks are dry enough to walk on with care.
- Careful
- Wet rock is slippery; do not climb on the falls
Charida, the mask village
চড়িদা
A village in Baghmundi block where almost every house is a workshop making the masks for Chhau. The makers, from the Sutradhar community, build each face out of clay moulds, layers of paper and cloth, and paint, then crown the gods and demons with towering headdresses. The Purulia Chhau mask has a Geographical Indication tag, registered in 2018.
You can watch the work and buy direct. Masks range from palm-sized souvenirs to full-size dance masks.
Khairabera and Murguma
খয়রাবেড়া ও মুরগুমা
Two quieter reservoirs ringed by hills. Murguma has a West Bengal Tourism lodge and is a good place to spend a night away from the hilltop crowd; Khairabera is a stop on the way round the plateau.
North Purulia: ruins, a film set and a lake
Garh Panchakot
গড় পঞ্চকোট
The ruins of the Panchakot kings’ fort at the foot of Panchet Hill, about 60 km from Purulia town in Neturia block. The fort goes back to around 1600; local accounts say it was ruined in the Maratha (bargi) raids of the eighteenth century. What remains is a broken gateway, walls in the forest, and a ruined pancharatna temple with terracotta on its arches.
- Tip
- Leave the hill before dusk; it is lonely after dark
Baranti
বড়ন্তী
A reservoir (Muradih) with low hills on one side and a village on the other, about 15 km from Panchet Hill. Small homestays, very little to do, excellent sunsets. It pairs naturally with Garh Panchakot.
Joychandi Pahar
জয়চণ্ডী পাহাড়
A cluster of bare rock hills a couple of kilometres from Raghunathpur, with a Chandi temple on top and steps to reach it. Satyajit Ray shot much of Hirak Rajar Deshe (1980) here. It is a popular rock-climbing ground, and it has its own railway station, about 1.5 km away.
Deulghata
দেউলঘাটা
Old brick temples on the bank of the Kangsabati (Kansai), about 25 km from Purulia town, usually dated to around the ninth or tenth century. Only two of the three tall brick towers still stand. On Makar Sankranti the riverbank hosts a fair for the immersion of Tusu.
A three-day plan
Day 1: Kolkata to the hilltop
Morning train to Purulia, or drive. Lunch in town, then up to Ajodhya by mid-afternoon. Sunset from Mayur Pahar, night on the hilltop.
Day 2: Round the plateau
Sunrise, then Upper and Lower Dam, Marble Lake, Bamni Falls (go before the day warms up, it is a steep return), lunch, Turga Falls, Charida for the masks, and Khairabera on the way back. Night on the hilltop or at Murguma.
Day 3: North and home
Drive north to Garh Panchakot and Baranti, stop at Joychandi Pahar, and take an evening train from Adra or Asansol, or drive back via Durgapur. If you have a fourth day, add Deulghata and a night at Baranti.
What is on in winter
- Tusu parab runs through the Bengali month of Poush (mid-December to mid-January) and ends on Makar Sankranti around 14–15 January, when the Tusu images are taken to the river. Girls sing Tusu songs through the month; on the last day there are fairs along the rivers, Deulghata among them.
- Chhau is above all a spring dance, tied to the Chaitra festival in March and April. In winter you are more likely to see it staged at fairs and festivals than in a village, so ask locally.
- Jhumur, the region’s folk songs, turn up at almost every fair.
Questions people ask
What is the best time to visit Purulia?
December to February for cool, clear weather and comfortable walking. Early March for the palash flowers, though afternoons are hot by then. Avoid April to June, when Purulia is one of the hottest districts in the state.
How many days do I need for Purulia?
Two nights covers Ajodhya Hills and the plateau. Three nights lets you add Garh Panchakot, Baranti and Joychandi Pahar in the north of the district without rushing.
How do I get from Purulia to Ajodhya Pahar?
By hired car from Purulia town or Balarampur station. The hilltop is about 40 km from Balarampur via Matha, roughly an hour and a half. There is very little public transport up the hill.
Is Purulia cold in December?
Mornings and nights are cold, especially on the Ajodhya plateau; average lows in the district are around 11–12 °C and dawn can feel much colder in the open. Days are mild and sunny.
Can I see Chhau dance in winter?
Sometimes, at fairs and festivals. The traditional season is spring, around the Chaitra festival. In winter you can always visit Charida to see the masks being made.