Purulia –
Thinking of a rugged terrain, with rocky hills and lush green forests – Think Purulia.
Situated by the Kangsabati River, Purulia is also known as Manbhum city. In ancient times it was known as Vajra Bhumi. It is a district steeped in a blend of nature, history and folkart. The undulating landscape is of red soil and the blazing red of the Palash flower in bloom. A rich Tribal culture adds to the mysticism of this land.
Temple Run
While in Purulia, Deulghata is a must see. 27 kms away from Purulia, these temples are believed to date back to the 11th – 13th Century. The walls of the Deuls(Temple Tower) are covered with decorative bricks and are believed to have been built by the Jains.
Banda Temple is also in all probability a Jain Temple and is the best preserved one. The 75 mt sandstone temple was built in the 11th Certury AD. It has an ornate and beautiful lotus shaped finial, which unfortunately Deulghata temples don’t have. The outer walls have intricate and beautiful floral and geometric patterns.
Cheliama , the big village contains the temple most richly decorated with intricate terracotta work and one of the few surviving ones from the 17th century. The Radha- Govinda temple have archways depicting Krishna Leela or avatars of Vishnu.
Purulia Chhau
Having seen the temples, if one wants to witness the original folk art and culture of Purulia, one must watch the Chhau Dance. Chhau is a semi-classical dance form with martial, tribal and folk origin. The dances have various sub-texts which can vary from religious themes like Shaivism, Jainism, Shaktism to martial arts, acrobatics or celebrating a particular festival. The Purulia Chhau Dance is listed on the UNESCO’s world heritage list of dances. The Purulia Chhau is distinctly different than the other two forms of Chhau, namely the Seraikella Chhau and the Mayurbhanj Chhau; in using distinctly different and crafted masks. The dancers don the masks of the characters they are depicting. For example, someone depicting a lion has a face mask of a lion and the body costumes too, with the dancer walking on all four. The Chhau masks are works of great craftsmanship and is registered un der the GI or the Geographical Indications tag.
Did you know Hindi films have also shown the Purulia Chhau?
Well… The Hindi film Lootera opens with a Chhau dance sequence depicting the Ramayana. Barfi too had several scenes of Purulia Chhau.
Jhumur –
Jhumur songs are extremely popular among artisan communities like the Kurmi, Kumhaar, Rajwer or tribal communities like Santhal, Munda, Oraon, Kharia, Birharh tribes. Jhumur is known for its lyrical and literary significance because of the use of ancient language. Different Jhumur songs are sung at different times of the year
Eco-Tourism
Pakhi Pahar in the vicinity of the Pardi Dam, Tugga and Bramni Falls,Matha Hills amongst numerous other places deserves definite visit while in Purulia. Numerous nature and rock climbing courses are conducted in the Matha Pahar region, which is known for its aesthetic beauty.
Visit the area around Bagmundi or Ayodhya Hills, which are parts of an extended plateau. Sit and revel at the serenity of Khairabera and Saheb Bandh.
How to Get There
Purulia can be reached by train, bus or any private vehicle from major cities like Kolkata, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bokaro and Asansol.
Bengal Beckons 