Best Places to Visit in West Bengal

Darjeeling

Tea gardens climb the slopes, and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway — a UNESCO World Heritage site — still rattles up through them.

Kalighat

Calcutta took its name from this temple — Kali-kshetra, anglicised. Sati's right toe is said to have fallen here, making it a Shakti Peetha and still the most-visited Kali shrine in eastern India. South Kolkata, deep in the bazaar lanes.

Victoria Memorial

White marble spread across 64 acres of Maidan green. Lord Curzon's tribute to Queen Victoria, finished in 1921. Kolkata's most photographed dome.

Sundarbans

The world's largest mangrove delta. A UNESCO biosphere of 10,000 sq km shared with Bangladesh. Home to the last wild swimming tigers, saltwater crocodiles and over 250 bird species.

Tarapith

A Shakti Peetha 250 km north of Kolkata, marking the spot where Sati's third eye is said to have fallen. The 19th-century saint Bamakhepa lived, performed sadhana, and lies buried here — and the tantric tradition has never been broken.

Shrinkhala Devi (Pandua)

Third peetha in the Ashtadasa Shakti Peetha Stotram. Sati's stomach is said to have fallen at Pandua in Hooghly district, 50 km from Kolkata. The original temple is largely a ruin today. Local Devi tradition has shifted to the Hangseshwari temple nearby, and partly to the Bandel basilica that grew over a section of the medieval site.

Darjeeling: Tea, the Toy Train and the Himalayan Dawn

Sundarbans: Where Tigers Swim and the World's Largest Delta Breathes

The Bengali Shakta Trail: Kalighat, Tarapith and the Goddess of the East

Himalayan Monasteries: Whispers from the Roof of the World

The Tigers of Ranthambore: Tracking Jungle Kings in a Mughal Fort

Cherrapunji: The Wettest Place on Earth and Its Living Root Bridges