Quintessential Purulia is famous for its rich culture, heritage and Chhau Dance. To many, it is still an unknown tourist spot. This place is adventure in its itself. During Summer, the temperature of Purulia is at its peak of 48 degree, while in winter, it is charming and sweet.  The Purulia town witness vintage buildings, narrow lanes and shopping malls on the other side. Recently, I and my Photographer Husband planned a short and sweet weekend trip to Purulia to capture the moments of adventure, culture, and the ultimate village life of this exciting place.

Purulia is a part of main belt of “Jongal Mohol”, which was the most controversial and dangerous area under Maoists of Bengal. Today, it is a peaceful district with growth and development everywhere, well connected Highways and tourism industry also witness a continuous upgrade.

Here's the Day 1 list of places that we explore:

1. Pakhi Pahar- A “Shikaar Utsav” is organized in that area and whoever won the Shikar competition, he has to draw a bird on the hill. It is an interesting rock hill where one has to draw a bird on the hill and that's how, it got its name. There are many birds drawn on the hill (have a close view of the picture) Isn’t it interesting tradition?

2. Ayodhya Hills- The entire range of Ayodhya is a serene beauty in itself. The hills are standing like prickly hard rock guarding the district and the awesome sun plays hide and seek at its best.

3. Upper and Lower Dam- The location of both the dams on the Ayodhya Hills range is just spectacular. The calm, serene and the candid beautification of the dams makes this place a must visit when you are in Purulia.

4. Bamni Falls- If you want adventure in Purulia and love water, then Bamni Falls is a must in your to-do list. To witness the awesome beauty of the falls, you only have to take 300 zig zag natural rock stairs down to reach near the falls and play with splash of clean, clear hill water. Coming up 300 stairs up is a real pain on your legs and make your heart out of your mouth. But if you are a fitness freak and adventure lover, then these 300 stairs hardly matters!

5. Chorida Village- It is one and only village in Purulia district where the artisans make the masks of Chhau Dance. It is a popular dance form of Purulia District where men dress up in different character and wear masks of different characters and create a unique dance drama magic on the stage. The specialty of this mask is that only papers and home made glue is used to make this mask.

6. Ruins of Deulghata Temples-  Jain Community when came to Purulia established their identity with the construction of temples and enhance their culture and tradition. Till date, you will find many Jain Community people in Purulia. Though, these temples are standing in a negligible and ruin state without any maintenance, but, still the presence of history can be felt till today.

For many days, I was living a mundane life and I was rabid to take a small trip to refresh and celebrate our anniversary. We started our journey by personal car at around 10. AM and completed the Day 1 trip by 6.00 PM evening with lunch, tea and snacks break in between.

Stay Tuned for my Day 2 visit in Purulia!

Linked with http://www.threewordwednesday.com/2016/11/3ww-week-no-508.html