Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude

Tripoto
2nd Jan 2017
Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha
Day 1

Purulia..the rugged beauty of ruins, mountains, dams & canals & to top it all culture & history. We chose to travel
this unique district of
beautiful Bengal after a lot of recommendation from friends ( the Bengalis who were above the  lure of holidaying in the good old "bong favourites" dipuda- Digha, Puri, Darjeeling 😃). And thanks to their arrangements, we could witness serene rural Bengal.
We chose to stay at Baranti, a small village at a 1.5 hour drive from Asansol. We travelled by early morning train to Asansol & from there
took a passenger train to a quaint little station called Muradi.
The station was straight out of R.K. Narayan's Malgudi days. A colourful one storey building & a tiny overbrigde. Empty platform & handful of villagers crossing the tracks to reach other side of the village. From Muradi, Baranti is a 6 kilometres drive through bumpy roads bordering the Baranti lake reflecting the lush green Baranti hills.
Our little homestay was pretty as picture facing the lake & the hill.
The "Hill Lakeview Resort" is in no way a resort, but won our hearts with their attentive service, food & good behaviour. The food is a major USP of this place, fresh vegetables from their kitchen garden & fresh water fish from the nearby ponds made the meals a gourmet affair. The evening snacks of masala muri & pakoda & numerous requests for tea coffee was always met with a smile.
The village of Baranti is a pretty little hamlet with painted mud cottages, squeaky clean. Herds of cows & goats coming back from their daylong wandering during evening was a scene to watch. The people of the village were extremely friendly & allowed us in their rice storage godowns & showed us the husking process.
There is nothing much to do after sundown. Being a group of 10, we had some good fun playing dumbcharade, listening to ghost stories & munching on hot pakodas.

The next day started early. We stopped at the ruins of Garh Panchakot. The sunrise behind the ruins was a spectacle of colours. From Garh Panchkot the next stop was a 45 kms drive to Joy chandi hills. Fabled to be the shooting location for Satyajit Ray' s celebrated movie "Hirak Rajar Deshe". The uphill climb of 500 steps was worth enough for the 360 degree view.  The hill has a small shrine of goddess Chandi (the hill gets its name from her). The next stop was Ayodhya hills. This hill  is accessible by road & has nothing much to see except a waterfall that was too crowded. We next stopped at the Upper Dam & Lower Dam which wasn't any extraordinary.
The next & last stop for the day was "Chorida" village. This village makes the masks used for Chau Dance. This little village intrigued me with its craftsmanship, technique & colours. Each house has an artist & their workshops are hues of rainbow. They were eversmiling & showed us around. The masks For sale were reasonably priced as well. We returned with our bags full.
2days at the rustic Bengal was as colourful as it's flora & fauna. The best time to visit Baranti is Spring when the area is in full bloom.

View from our homestay

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Road that leads to our homestay

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Kitchen farming

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

The green Baranti hills

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

The cabbage plantation

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Hazy view of the lake

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

From the Balcony of our homestay

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Road to the hills

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Akeli Sawari

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

On track

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Baranti village

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Evening snacks

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

The little garden ahead of the Balcony

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Husking hay

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Our pretty homestay

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Ecostorage

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Hiding my shimmer...water

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha
Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Village roads take me home

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

The sonajhuri parasite plant

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Well..a well in the village ????

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Returning home

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Reflection of me ....myself...

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Daily chores

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha
Day 2

Garh Panchakot

Sunrise at Garh Panchakot

Photo of Purulia by Arpita Bose Sinha

Ruins of Garh Panchakot

Photo of Purulia by Arpita Bose Sinha

Sunrise from the ruins

Photo of Purulia by Arpita Bose Sinha

Peek a boo

Photo of Purulia by Arpita Bose Sinha

The sunrise peekaboo

Photo of Purulia by Arpita Bose Sinha

The shadow of the sunlight

Photo of Purulia by Arpita Bose Sinha
Photo of Purulia by Arpita Bose Sinha

Waiting for life

Photo of Purulia by Arpita Bose Sinha

Joy Chandi hills, Ayodhya Hills & Chorida

Joy Chandi Pahar

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Joy Chandi Pahar

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Joy Chandi Pahar

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Meandering roadways to reach Ayodhya Pahar

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Atop Joy Chandi Pahar

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Wish tree

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

The settlement below

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Masks of expression

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Of the good & The evil

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Young artisan at his workshop

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

He is a student of Class 10. At work at his father's workshop during winter holidays

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

From the stalls

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

He is 80 & a master craftsman

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Expressions

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Upper Dam & Lower Dam

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

The road to destination..the beauty of the roads

Passenger Train

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Dying light

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

Colourful accompaniments resting

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha

The sleepy station Muradi

Photo of Baranti: the intoxication of nature's enchanting solitude by Arpita Bose Sinha