Birbhum - district of West Bengal, India

A district of West Bengal and the "land of red soil", Birbhum is famous for its folk culture, especially the itinerant singers known as bauls. It is also the birthplace of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen.

Cities

• Suri (Siuri) — headquarters of Birbhum with morabba sweets

Eastern Birbhum

• Labhpur — birthplace of Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay, home to the Fullara Temple

• Nanoor — birthplace of Chandidas, a Sanskrit poet

• Santiniketan — town of Rabindranath Tagore's Visva-Bharati University, known for exotic handmade goods

Northern and Western Birbhum

• Bakreshwar —

• Dubrajpur —

• Kendubillo (Jaydev Kenduli) — birthplace of Jayadeva, a 12th-century Sanskrit poet, also famous for the old temple and fair

• Nalhati —

• Sainthia —

• Tarapith —

Understand

Birbhum has seen many cultural and religious movements in history. The Visva Bharati University at Santiniketan is one of the famous sites in Birbhum is known for. Many festivals are celebrated in the district, including Poush Mela.

Climate

The climate of Birbhum is generally dry, mild and healthy. The hot weather usually lasts from the middle of March to the middle of June, the rainy season from the middle of June to the middle of October, and the cold weather from the middle of October to the middle of March. They do not always correspond to these limits.

Talk

Like most of West Bengal, Bengali is the main language in the region. Hindi and English are also understood in the region. Besides, tribal languages like Santali are also common.

Get in

By train

The cities and towns in Central Bengal are well connected with major cities in the state. The major railway stations are in Rampurhat, Santiniketan and Suri.

By car

The Panagarh-Morgram Expressway links the Grand Trunk Road, with NH 5 cuts across the district. There are several other entry points for the district.

Get around

The towns of Birbhum district are well connected by roads.

See and do

The major attractions in the region include the Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, the hot spring in Bakreshwar and the Tarapith Temple.

Eat and drink

If you are the adventurous type, try the fresh toddy juice as the tappers bring it down early in the morning beside roads in rural areas. However, avoid it, if you get it late in the day as once late fermentation starts.

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