Altitude: 30 meters above sea level.
Temperature (deg C):
Summer- Max. 25, Min. 21
Winter- Max. 23, Min. 09
Rainfall: 155 cms
Clothing: Summer- Cotton, Tropical; Winter- Woolens.
Languages: Bengali, Hindi, English.
Best season: Throughout the year but preferably from October to March.
Air: Nearest airport: Bagdogra (170Kms).
Rail: Malda Town (76 km)
South Dinajpur came into existence after the division of old West Dinajpur into North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur in April 1992. Its history dates back to the Pal and Sen Dynasties of North Bengal and shares a rich historical heritage. Archaeological excavations have revealed that a highly developed civilization flourished here in the past.
The people of South Dinajpur or Dakshin Dinajpur are largely dependent upon agriculture for their livelihood. The four rivers, namely, Brahmani, Atreyee, Tangon, and Punarbhaba flow through South Dinajpur and sustain a large community of fishermen.
South Dinajpur has many interesting places to visit, some of them are mentioned below:
BALURGHAT – It is the district headquarters of South/Dakshin Dinajpur. A small town with a lot of greenery and void of any form of pollution. The Raghunathpur forest is located one kilometre away from Balurghat. Another small forest called Dogachhi has located 6 km from the town; it also possesses a canal where a boating facility is available. A forest department bungalow is available in Raghunathpur.
HILI – Hili is situated along the Indo-Bangladesh international border. It is 25 km from Balurghat. Here you can see hundreds of large trucks plying across the border for the exchange of goods and commodities. Hili has one tourist bungalow owned by the Public Works Department.
SARONGBARI – Sarongbari is an attractive picnic spot within a small forest; a small hut and drinking water facilities are available for tourists.
COLLEGE MUSEUM – It is a small museum in Balurghat that houses many valuable collections of antiques like coins, sculptures, terracotta, inscriptions, and ornamental stones from ancient periods.
BOLLA KALI TEMPLE – Located 20 km from Balurghat is the Bolla Kali Temple alongside the Balurghat-Malda highway. It is a famous temple that has a legend associated with it. The story goes that a zamindar was arrested by the British for not paying his taxes and Goddess Kali rescued him. To show his gratitude he built a temple here known as the Bolla Kali Temple.
TAPAN – Tapan is located 35 km from Balurghat town. It is famous for the lake called Tapan Dighi. This lake has a mound on the northern side which dates back to the times of Lord Buddha. No excavation has yet taken place in this area.
BANGARH – Bangarh is historically a very important place in South Dinajpur. Most of the ancient ruins in the district were found here. It is located 45 km from Balurghat and 65 km from Malda. The history of this place dates back to the Gupta period.
Professor Kunia Gobinda Goswami led an excavation team in 1938-1941 and found many historical objects and ruins here from the Mauryan period to the time when North Bengal was under Muslim rule.
Some of the objects found in the excavation were: a manuscript of King Naipala (11th century AD), a statue of Darpal, pillars of Lord Vishnu Temple, walls of an ancient building, many statues and small relics, a grave of the Turkish warrior Bakhtiar Khilji. Also, a road was found called the Usha Haran Road, which is believed to be the road used by the grandson of Lord Krishna, Anirudha, to kidnap his wife Usha.
