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North 24 parganas
North 24 Parganas is densely populated urban fringe of the metropolitan city of Kolkata
with already built up city of Salt Lake and the up-coming New City at Rajarhat on one side
and the remote riverine villages in the Sundarbans on the other has made the district rich
in all activities. Agriculture, Industry and pisciculture are all at their peak in the
district.
Major Places of Tourist Interests are Barackpore & Barasat.
South 24 Parganas
Sundarbans
 Sundarbans, formerly SUNDERBUNDS, vast tract of forest and saltwater
swamp forming the lower part of the Ganges Delta, extending about 160 miles (260 km) along
the Bay of Bengal from the Hooghly River Estuary (India) to the Meghna River Estuary in
Bangladesh. The name Sundarbans is perhaps derived from the term meaning "forest of
sundari," a reference to the large mangrove tree that provides valuable fuel. Along
the coast the forest passes into a mangrove swamp; the southern region, with numerous wild
animals and crocodile-infested estuaries, is virtually uninhabited. It is one of the last
preserves of the Bengal tiger and the site of a tiger preservation project.
Accomodation:
- Sajnekhali Tourist Lodge, Gosaba.
Diamond Harbour
 48 km. from Kolkata; a nice picnic spot. The light house
and the ruins of the ancient Portuguese fort are the special attractions. boating can be
arranged.
Accomodation:
- Sagarika Tourist Lodge, by WBTDC
- PWD Bungalow
- Hotel Ambi
Bakkhali
 130 km from Kolkata, 82 km from Diamond Harbor; another picnic spot
and the second beach resort of West Bengal. Natural scenic beauty and the solemn
atmosphere is very captivating.
Accomodation:
- Bakkhali Tourist Lodge, by WBTDC.
- Balaka Lodge
 Bankura
It lies just north of the Dhaleshwari (Dhalkisor) River. As a major Grand Trunk Road
and rail junction, Bankura is an agricultural distributing centre. The area long remained
a focus of Hindu culture based on the Mallabhum kingdom, with its capital at Bishnupur.
Burdwan, also called Bardhaman, or Barddhaman
 The city is a major communications centre lying astride the Banka
River just north of the Damodar River. Of historic interest are the Rajbari (the
maharaja's palace and gardens), several ancient Muslim tombs, and 108 Shiva linga, or
phallic, 18th-century temples.
Hooghly
 Hooghly-Chinsura The town lies just west of the Hooghly River and is
a major road and rail connection. Hooghly, also spelled Hugli, was founded by the
Portuguese in 1537 following the decline of Satgaon, the mercantile capital of lower
Bengal; it was also the first English settlement (1651) in lower Bengal until it was
abandoned in 1690 for Kolkata .
Chinsura was an important 17th-century settlement of the Dutch, who built a factory
(trading station) there in 1656. In 1825, Chinsura and other Dutch settlements were ceded
to the British in exchange for holdings in Sumatra. Important historical buildings include
a Muslim imam-barah ("meeting place"), a Portuguese (Bandel) church (1660), a
Sandeswar temple and a Hansweswari tample (Banshberia).
Howrah
 Howrah, also called HAORA Howrah lies along the west bank of the
Hooghly River directly opposite Kolkata. It is Kolkata's largest satellite city and is the
second largest city in West Bengal state. Howrah has major Grand Trunk Road connections
and is the eastern terminus of major rail lines traversing eastern, northern, and central
India. The city is connected to Kolkata across the Hooghly River by the massive and
heavily traveled Howrah (1943) and Hooghly (1987) bridges.
Malda
 Malda lies just east of the confluence of the Mahananda and Kalindri
rivers and is part of the English Bazar urban agglomeration. The town rose to prominence
as the river port of the Hindu capital of Pandua. During the 18th century it was the seat
of prosperous cotton and silk industries. Historical monuments include the mosque Jami'
Masjid (1566) and the landmark Nimasari tower across the river.
Midnapore
 Midnapore, also spelled MIDNAPUR, or MEDINIPUR, city. The city lies
just north of the Kasai River and is an agricultural-trade centre on the Grand Trunk Road
from Kolkata to Amritsar. Kharagpur (q.v.), across the river, provides major rail
connections.
Murshidabad
 Murshidabad The city, lying just east of the Bhagirathi River, is an
agricultural trade and silk-weaving centre. Originally called Makhsudabad, it was
reputedly founded by the Mughal emperor Akbar in the 16th century. In 1704 the nawab
Murshid Quli Khan (following Aurangzeb's orders) transferred the capital there from Dacca
(now Dhaka) and renamed the city Murshidabad. It continued to be the capital under the
British until 1790 and is still the seat of the prominent descendants of the nawabs of
Bengal. Of historic interest are Nizamat Kila (the palace of the nawabs), built in the
Italianate style in 1837; Pearl Lake (Moti Jhil) just to the south, with Muradbagh Palace;
and Khushbagh Cemetery, containing the tombs of 'Ali Vardi Khan, the last great nawab, and
Siraj-ud-Dawlah, his grandnephew, who was defeated by the British at the Battle of
Plassey.
Uttar Dinajpur
The District of Uttar Dinajpur lies between Bangladesh on the East,Bihar on the
West,Darjeeling & Jalpaiguri District on the North and Malda District on the South.
Uttar Dinajpur is well connected with the rest of the State through National Highways,
State Highways and Railways. NH-31 and NH-34 passes through the heart of the district.The
regional topography is generally flat with a gentle southerly slope towards which the main
rivers like Kulik, Nagar,Mahananda etc flow.
The Distict forms a part of the basin lying between Rajmahal hills on the East.Raiganj
on the bank of the River Kulik is the District Headquarter where "Raiganj Wildlife
Sanctuary", the second largest bird sanctuary in Asia situated.
Dakshin Dinajpur
Dakshin Dinajpur is a "Non Industry" district having no large scale or medium
scale industry. Transport and Communication facilities are not very satisfactory. The
district has no railway head and has only one State highway. Bengali is the principal
language of the district. The principal communities are Hindus & Muslims and they
constitute the major portion of the population.
The district is drained by a number of North-South flowing river like Atreyee,
Punarbhaba, Tangon and Brahmani. It is predominantly an agricultural district with large
area of land being under cultivation.
The ruins of Bangarh form a major tourist attraction for this heritage centre of
Bengal.
Purulia
 Purulia. Just north of the Kasai River, the town is a major road and
rail junction and the region's major agricultural distribution centre. A dam across the
Kasai near Purulia provides a reservoir, flood control, and irrigation for the area.
Nearby are several 7th-century Jaina temple ruins.
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