Digha
Encyclopedia
Digha is a seaside resort
town in the state of West Bengal
, India
. It lies in East Midnapore district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal
. It is the most popular sea resort in the West Bengal.
Renowned for its beaches, Digha is visited by thousands of tourists every year. Digha is the nearest and most popular sea resort of West Bengal. It is mostly famous as a weekend destination for Kolkatans.
It is located 183 km from Kolkata
/Howrah via Mecheda
and 234 km via Kharagpur
, this proximity has probably helped this small hamlet to emerge as a popular weekend getaway with number of good hotels and tourist lodges. Digha is connected to Kolkata
/Howrah by a highway and a rail-link via Tamluk
.
's letters as Brighton
of the East.
An English tourist John Frank Smith started living here in 1923 and his writings provided a good exposure to this place. He convinced West Bengal Chief Minister Bidhan Chandra Roy
to develop this place to be a beach resort.
Bus service is also available from towns across West Bengal
such as Midnapore
, Bankura
, Asansol
, Bardhaman
, Howrah, and, also from Orissa via Balasore
(Baleswar).
Type: SuperFast
Zone: SER/South Eastern
3h 25m
189 km
6 halts
56 km/hr
In 2004, train services have started for Digha (Station Code : DGHA). There is one DMU service from Santragachhi
railway station and there are three new trains from Howrah Station
too.
Howrah - Digha Superfast Tamralipta Express (12857 UP) departs from Howrah
at 06:40 hrs and arrives at Digha station at 10:05 hrs. Return train (12858 DN) Digha station at 10:25 hrs to arrive Howrah
at 13:50 hrs.
Train times have been changed
Howrah - Digha Kandari Express (18001 UP) departs from Howrah
at 14:10 hrs and arrives at Digha station at 17:50 hrs. Return train (18002 DN) Digha station at 18:10 hrs to arrive Howrah
at 21:45 hrs.
New Jalpaiguri
- Digha Paharia Express (15722 DN) departs from New Jalpaiguri station at 21:00 hrs and reaches at 12:00 hrs. The train runs from New Japlaiguri on Friday. Return train (15721 UP) which runs on Saturday only starts from Digha station at 16:20 hrs and reaches New Jalpaiguri at 08:45 hrs.
Santragachhi - Digha Passenger departs from Santragachhi at 18:15 hrs and arrives at Digha station at 22:15 hrs. Return train Digha station at 5.30 hrs to arrive Santragachhi station (about 8 km from Howrah) at 9:45 hrs.
Howrah - Duranto Express Train - An AC special train for tourists has been introduced. It departs from Howrah rly station at 11:30 hrs and reaches Digha at 14:00 hrs without any stoppage in between. The complete train consists of AC chair cars.
Digha's old beach isn't as wide as it used to be due to heavy soil erosion. Big stones and concrete steps are used to hold together the beach. Another problem is the record number of tidal waves that have caused many of the unplanned shacks and smaller hotels to succumb to the sea. Since it is one of very few popular beaches in West Bengal, it gets overcrowded, especially during the cooler winter break.
A new beach has been developed at New Digha which is about 2 km from the old beach. This new beach is not only bigger than the old one, but might be considered a better one. It is clean and well-maintained and is not surrounded by a congested locality like the older beach. There are hotels within a walking distance from the beach here. The locality itself seems to be better planned.
The entire stretch of the Digha seaface from Old Digha to New Digha is filled with casuarina
plantations, which looks beautiful. Tourists come here and bath in the sea, stroll by the beach along the casuarina trees and enjoy the sights and scenes offered by this magnificent stretch of sea.
There's also another upcoming sea resort at Shankarpur which is located 10 km from Digha along the coast. Another important spot near Digha is the Shiva
temple at Chandaneshwar which is 6 km west of Digha. During the Bengal
i month of Chaitra
, a popular annual fair is organised here.
Seaside resort
A seaside resort is a resort, or resort town, located on the coast. Where a beach is the primary focus for tourists, it may be called a beach resort.- Overview :...
town in the state of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It lies in East Midnapore district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
. It is the most popular sea resort in the West Bengal.
Renowned for its beaches, Digha is visited by thousands of tourists every year. Digha is the nearest and most popular sea resort of West Bengal. It is mostly famous as a weekend destination for Kolkatans.
Geography
It is located at 21.68°N 87.55°E. It has an average elevation of 6 metres (22 feet).It is located 183 km from Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
/Howrah via Mecheda
Mecheda
Mecheda is a town in the West Bengal, India. The town is the gate way of Purba Medinipur Dist. upon S.E.Rly. and in proximity to Haldia, Tamluk, Digha and Midnapore.-Education:...
and 234 km via Kharagpur
Kharagpur
Kharagpur is an industrial city in India. It is located in the Midnapore West district of the state of West Bengal.Kharagpur was chosen as the location of the first campus of the prestigious Indian Institutes of Technology . The IITs are the premier technical education institutes in India and...
, this proximity has probably helped this small hamlet to emerge as a popular weekend getaway with number of good hotels and tourist lodges. Digha is connected to Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
/Howrah by a highway and a rail-link via Tamluk
Tamluk
Tamluk is the district headquarters of Purba Medinipur district of West Bengal, India. Though there is some controversy, scholars have generally agreed that present day Tamluk is the site of the ancient city variously known as Tamralipta or Tamralipti...
.
- Mandarmani
- New Digha
- Tajpur
- OLD DIGHA
History
Originally, there was place called Beerkul, where Digha lies today. This name was referred in Warren HastingsWarren Hastings
Warren Hastings PC was the first Governor-General of India, from 1773 to 1785. He was famously accused of corruption in an impeachment in 1787, but was acquitted in 1795. He was made a Privy Councillor in 1814.-Early life:...
's letters as Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
of the East.
An English tourist John Frank Smith started living here in 1923 and his writings provided a good exposure to this place. He convinced West Bengal Chief Minister Bidhan Chandra Roy
Bidhan Chandra Roy
Bidhan Chandra Roy, M.R.C.P., F.R.C.S. was the second Chief Minister of West Bengal in India. He remained in his post for 14 years as a Indian National Congress candidate, from 1948 until his death in 1962. He was a highly respected physician and a renowned freedom fighter...
to develop this place to be a beach resort.
Bus Service
There is frequent bus service to Digha from Dharmatala bus stand of Kolkata and many other parts of West Bengal. It is almost a 5 hour journey from Kolkata.Bus service is also available from towns across West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
such as Midnapore
Midnapore
Midnapore is the district headquarters of Paschim Medinipur district of West Bengal. It is situated on the banks of the Kangsabati River . This area had taken a pioneering role in India's freedom struggle...
, Bankura
Bankura
Bankura is a city and a municipality in Bankura District in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Bankura District.-Etymology:...
, Asansol
Asansol
Asansol is a coal mining and industrial metropolis and one of the busiest commercial centres in India. It is the second largest city and urban agglomeration in West Bengal after Kolkata and the 19th largest urban agglomeration in India. Asansol is located in the western part of the Burdwan...
, Bardhaman
Bardhaman
'Bardhaman or Burdwan , is a city of West Bengal state in eastern India. It is the headquarters of Bardhaman District....
, Howrah, and, also from Orissa via Balasore
Balasore
Balasore is a strategically located city in the state of Orissa, about north of the state capital Bhubaneswar, in eastern India. It is the administrative headquarters of Balasore district. It is best known for Chandipur beach. It is also the site of the Indian Ballistic Missile Defense...
(Baleswar).
Train Service
Howrah-Digha tamralipta express 6.40am.......Tamralipta Express/12858Type: SuperFast
Zone: SER/South Eastern
3h 25m
189 km
6 halts
56 km/hr
In 2004, train services have started for Digha (Station Code : DGHA). There is one DMU service from Santragachhi
Santragachhi
Santragachhi or Santragachi is a neighbourhood of Howrah city in West Bengal, India. It has a railway station which is a railway junction on the South Eastern Railway...
railway station and there are three new trains from Howrah Station
Howrah station
Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which...
too.
Howrah - Digha Superfast Tamralipta Express (12857 UP) departs from Howrah
Howrah station
Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which...
at 06:40 hrs and arrives at Digha station at 10:05 hrs. Return train (12858 DN) Digha station at 10:25 hrs to arrive Howrah
Howrah station
Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which...
at 13:50 hrs.
Train times have been changed
Howrah - Digha Kandari Express (18001 UP) departs from Howrah
Howrah station
Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which...
at 14:10 hrs and arrives at Digha station at 17:50 hrs. Return train (18002 DN) Digha station at 18:10 hrs to arrive Howrah
Howrah station
Howrah Station is one of the four intercity train stations serving Howrah and Kolkata, India; the others are Sealdah Station, Shalimar Station and Kolkata railway station in Kolkata. Howrah is situated on the West bank of the Hooghly River, linked to Kolkata by the magnificent Howrah Bridge which...
at 21:45 hrs.
New Jalpaiguri
New Jalpaiguri
New Jalpaiguri is a major railway station of the city of Siliguri in the Indian state of West Bengal. The station is popularly known by its acronym NJP...
- Digha Paharia Express (15722 DN) departs from New Jalpaiguri station at 21:00 hrs and reaches at 12:00 hrs. The train runs from New Japlaiguri on Friday. Return train (15721 UP) which runs on Saturday only starts from Digha station at 16:20 hrs and reaches New Jalpaiguri at 08:45 hrs.
Santragachhi - Digha Passenger departs from Santragachhi at 18:15 hrs and arrives at Digha station at 22:15 hrs. Return train Digha station at 5.30 hrs to arrive Santragachhi station (about 8 km from Howrah) at 9:45 hrs.
Howrah - Duranto Express Train - An AC special train for tourists has been introduced. It departs from Howrah rly station at 11:30 hrs and reaches Digha at 14:00 hrs without any stoppage in between. The complete train consists of AC chair cars.
Area
A new beach has been developed at New Digha which is about 2 km from the old beach. This new beach is not only bigger than the old one, but might be considered a better one. It is clean and well-maintained and is not surrounded by a congested locality like the older beach. There are hotels within a walking distance from the beach here. The locality itself seems to be better planned.
The entire stretch of the Digha seaface from Old Digha to New Digha is filled with casuarina
Casuarina
Casuarina is a genus of 17 species in the family Casuarinaceae, native to Australasia, southeast Asia, and islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It was once treated as the sole genus in the family, but has been split into three genera .They are evergreen shrubs and trees growing to 35 m tall...
plantations, which looks beautiful. Tourists come here and bath in the sea, stroll by the beach along the casuarina trees and enjoy the sights and scenes offered by this magnificent stretch of sea.
There's also another upcoming sea resort at Shankarpur which is located 10 km from Digha along the coast. Another important spot near Digha is the Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
temple at Chandaneshwar which is 6 km west of Digha. During the Bengal
Bengal
Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
i month of Chaitra
Chaitra
Chaitra is a month of the Hindu calendar....
, a popular annual fair is organised here.
Nearby places of interest
- Udaipur: This is a spectacular beach, almost virgin, 2 km west of Digha, in West Bengal Orissa Border. One part of this clandestine beach is in West Bengal and the other in Orissa. One enters this beach just walking or driving along Bengal-Orissa border. This beach has not been explored so far. The beach has some USPs which have to be experienced to be believed. The vegetation, typical of slopes in Eastern Ghats and the great Casuarina atmosphere, makes this beach, a one of a kind experience. The nearby delta, where the mighty Subarnarekha merges into the Bay of Bengal, is an additional attraction.
- The Marine Aquarium and Research Centre (MARC) was established in the year 1989 during the Seventh Five Year Plan. The major objective of the Centre is to display the marine biodiversity of the region and impart its values to the common people and to carryout the research activities.
MARC has largest inbuilt marine aquarium in the country and equipped with sea water circulation system and advanced filtration unit. The aquarium has 24 big sized (15x10x10’) marine tanks and 8 fresh water (3x2x2’) tanks which are equipped with compressed air supply, light and regulated supply of inflow & outflow of water.
Hundreds of visitors make it a point to view the Aquarium every day. The aquarium is opened to public on all working days from 9.3 0 A.M. to 6 P. M. - Lord Shiva Temple At ChandaneswarChandaneswarChandaneshwar is famous for a Shiva temple located in Chandaneswar, Baleswar, Orissa. A huge annual fair in the Pana Sankranti, the first day of the Oriya calendar, is celebrated in the premises of temple...
:Only 8 km away from Digha the century old Temple of Lord Shiva at ChandaneswarChandaneswarChandaneshwar is famous for a Shiva temple located in Chandaneswar, Baleswar, Orissa. A huge annual fair in the Pana Sankranti, the first day of the Oriya calendar, is celebrated in the premises of temple...
,near BengalBengalBengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...
and OrissaOrissaOrissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
Border.Nearly half million people & pilgrims visit the temple at Maha Vishuva Sankranti or GajanGajan (festival)Gajan is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is associated with such deities as Shiva, Neel and Dharmathakur.-Etymology:...
Mela : towards the end of Chaitra. - Junput: It is 40 km away from Digha; famous for fishing.
- Shankarpur: Also known as virgin beach, only 14 km east of Digha. It is also a regular fishing harbour. This beach is mostly empty except on weekends. The mornings are cool, when fishermen can be seen hauling their huge nets out of the sea. The morning sun reflecting on the sea waves in the east, and the local fish-boats on the coast offer excellent photographic opportunities.
- Subarnarekha River: The salty place where Subarnarekha RiverSubarnarekha RiverSubarnarekha River flows through the Indian states of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa.-Etymology:As per tradition, gold was mined near the origin of the river at a village named Piska near Ranchi. This is why it was named Subarnarekha, meaning ‘streak of gold’. Legend has it that traces of...
draining into Bay of Bengal, only 12 km away from Digha, located in Orissa-Bengal border. This is a new destination for Digha tourists. - Talsari: A small delta on Bay of Bengal, only 6 km away from Digha, located on Bengal-Orissa border. A quiet place, close to both sea and Subarnarekha river.
- Mandarmani: MandarmaniMandarmaniMandarmani is a large and fast developing seaside resort village in the state of West Bengal, India. It lies in East Midnapore district and at the northern end of the Bay of Bengal. Mandarmani is connected to Kolkata/Howrah by a highway. It is argued to be the longest driveable beach in...
is a small virgin beach on Bay of Bengal, only a few km from Digha. It is also a small fishing harbour and a fast developing tourist resort.