Durgapur (Bengali: দুর্গাপুর) is an industrial metropolis in the state of West Bengal, India about 160 km from Kolkata.
Understand
Durgapur was a dream child of the great visionary Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, the second Chief Minister of the state. The well laid out industrial township was designed by Joseph Allen Stein and Benjamin Polk. It is home to the largest industrial unit in the state, Durgapur Steel Plant, one of the integrated steel plants of Steel Authority of India Limited. Alloy Steels Plant of SAIL is also here. There are a number of power plants, chemical and engineering industries. Some metallurgical units have come up. It also has National Institute of Technology, Durgapur, one of the NITs of the country, and Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute.
Aside from Durgapur's interest as a place of impressive industrial plants and good urban design, the City Centre is turning out to be quite a hotspot hangout place, complete with a bunch of shopping malls and arcades, a cineplex, a host of eateries (some great food and darn cheap at that), with manicured spots where youngsters hang out. If you want the ambience of a good restaurant, you can visit one of the many such as Peerless Inn, Pathik, Luxor, City Residency. Some people prefer the roadside smaller ones that serve both purposes: watching beautiful ladies and awesome food.
Get in
By train
Six trains per day, except Sunday, travel to Durgapur directly from Howrah, one from Sealdah and three from Delhi. Many other trains travel from these and other cities through Durgapur, stopping at the city's train station. For timings and other information, check with Indian Railways.
- 1 Durgapur railway station.
By road
Durgapur is on Grand Trunk Road (NH 19). Buses ply regularly between Durgapur and Kolkata and back (see schedule and additional information here). Ordinary buses as well as AC Volvo coaches & Mercedes Benz buses run by the South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC), West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation (WBSTC) and private operators depart from City Centre in Durgapur to reach the Esplanade Bus Terminus in Kolkata in under three hours. Some buses go to Karunamayee in Salt Lake. Besides, buses from Burdwan, Bankura, Asansol, different places in North Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, etc., also travel to Durgapur.
Get around
Your car is your best friend in this city. Options of public transport are also available.
Taxis are readily available at the railway station and certain other fixed points. These do not operate on meters but on arbitrary fixed rates. Therefore, bargain properly before you move out.
Auto rickshaws, like the taxis, charge arbitrary rates and operate from the railway station and certain fixed points. Those on business travel generally hire out a car for the day. Rickshaws are available for shorter trips.
Minibuses are generally too crowded and often go around circuitous routes.
There are buses run by the South Bengal State Transport Corporation (SBSTC) too, but their services are infrequent. Nearly all minibuses and SBSTC buses travel between the railway station and Prantika in Benachiti through different routes.
Industry landmarks
- 1 ABL.
- 2 Alloy Steels Plant.
- 3 Durgapur Projects Limited.
- 4 Durgapur Steel Plant.
- 5 Durgapur Thermal Power Station (DVC).
See
- 1 Bhabani Pathak’s Tilla. Made famous in the novel Devi Chaudhurani by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. An unbelievable network of tunnels starting near the City Center region right up to the Damodar river. Legend has it that unless you know the map of the tunnel system, it would nearly be impossible to navigate. Nowadays, it is a protected monument (the entrance of the cave). But you would be able to visit the place.
- 2 Deul Park. Deul Park is close to Durgapur City. The bank of the Ajoy River and natural surroundings are very relaxing. The 800-year-old Ichhai Temple and water rides coexist in the park. There is also a hotel-cum-restaurant in the park, where you can stay.
- 3 Durgapur Barrage. Definitely one of the best places to see, if you are interested in one of two things: nature and man's effort to control its fury. And if you really are game, you should be there at the height of monsoons. Try peering over the railings to watch water being let out of the lock-gates. It is a phenomenal sight. A few yards away from the main barrage is the canal. There is a short foot bridge over it. Try crossing with a lock gate open. It is dizzying. And finally, get down by one of the sides (Bankura or Durgapur - prefer Durgapur), the beaches. It is really pretty. Finally, there are a few fishermen who fish in those waters. Pay a few bucks and ask them to give you a ride. Earlier it used to be a great spot for bird-watching in the winters. But the birds have decreased although if you go in the early morning you can still see lots of birds. One bit of advice: Wear warm clothes.
- 4 Durgapur Steel Plant (Main gate shown in the map). The steel plant is one awesome thing to see. It is hard to imagine the scale of things that happen and how the heck all of this works together. You need a permit to visit, which is easily obtained from the Administrative building, outside the plant, near the main gate of the plant.
- 5 Garh Jungle. It is also called Dharma Garh of Raja Surath. If you are adventurous enough, then there is the Garh Jungle on the eastern end of the city. The place is supposed to be one of oldest places of ancient India. As per the verses of Puranas and Bhagbats this is the place of Satya Yuga where Raja Surath performed Durga Puja at the instruction of Mahamuni Medhas. Raja Surath after being defeated by Kols and Bhils came under the blessings of Medhas Mahamuni whose ashram was there and thereafter performed Durga Puja. Jogiraj Brahmananda Giri of the Dasnami cult rediscovered the place and started Durga Puja at the same temple founded by Raja Surath. Thousands of devotees around the world visit the place at the time of Durga Puja. Jogiraj Brahmananda Giri a yogi of modern India spent nore than 12 years in the deep forest to re-establish the place. It is believed that the name Durgapur is borrowed from this legend.
- 6 Kumaramangalam Park. This was one of the most beautiful parks around, being the first park in the entire district to have a musical fountain. Then due to neglect the entire infrastructure started falling apart. Durgapur Steel Plant, which oversaw its maintenance outsourced it to a private company. The musical fountain is now back and the park is back to its good old days again. Boating facilities are also available.
- National Institute Of Technology, Durgapur. It is one of the premier technical institutes in India and it is a jewel in the crown of Durgapur. The National Institute of Technology,(formerly Regional Engineering College, Durgapur), was established under an Act of Parliament in 1960 as one of the eight such colleges aimed to function as a pace setter for engineering education in the country and to foster national integration.If you visit Durgapur do not miss NIT where you can interact with some of the best technical minds in the country.
- 7 Rahreswar Shibtola. This temple is more than 800 years old (according to the Archaeological Survey of India). It is built in the style of Rathas of Southern India. Lovely serene environment - take a few steps out and you will see the remains of a British Royal Air Force airport.
- 8 Troika Park. It is a fun place for kids near City Centre. It has a toy-train, a few rides and a bunch of other attractions. Adjacent to it is a deer park. You can actually walk in and touch a few of the deer. You can also find a leisure boating lake close by.
Do
- Durgapur Club, Aurobindo Ave, Steel Township, ☏ 91 343 256 4280. It is a fraction of its former colonial self. Yet, with swimming pools and the who’s who of the Durgapur Steel Plant, complete with its British era high-nosedness, is still a hotspot.
Buy
Durgapur is an industrial city and you get things such as steel and carbon black. However, for general purchases Benachity is normally the place. You get the Bankura horse (terracotta and wood) and the Vishnupur Baluchari. Nowadays you can get a lot of things here.
- Benachity. With its quaintish oldish appearance is a great choice. It is really huge, probably close to 2 to 3 km in length with shops on all sides. The charm is really in its small merchant setup - not the big mall one roof thing. One of the biggest Vimal showrooms is in this market.
Eat
Most of the hotels have restaurants. Apart from that there are good places for eating in Benachity. Banskopa Inn on GT Road, between Muchipara and Rajbandh, is a good place out of town. A lot of restaurants have come up. However most of the restaurants serve the same food with only quality being the difference. Also try out the road side dhabas on G.T. Road near to NIT for some great rotis and tadkas at unbelievable rates.
Drink
Some of the large hotels have bars. Entry into the clubs is restricted to members and their guests.
Sleep
- 1 Banskopa Inn, GT Road (between Rajbandh and Muchipara), ☏ 91 343 2520378-379. With bar and restaurant. In fair weather try the garden restaurant.
- Durgapur House (annexe), Priyadarshini Indira Sarani, ☏ 91 2569393-9494.
- Hotel Preetika, Pump House More, Shahid Sukumar Sarani, Bidhan Nagar.
- Hotel Reliance, Nachan Road, Bhiringi More, Benachity, ☏ 91 343 2583881-2583882. Welcome to the world of luxury and comfort. It is one of the most popular hotels in Durgapur, with a reputation for warmth and hospitality.
- 2 Ispat Hotel, Steel Township, ☏ 91 343 2563817.
- 3 Kwality Hotel, Bhiringhi Morh, ☏ 91 343 2583852.
- 4 Pathik Motel, near Gandhi Morh, ☏ 91 343 2546399, fax: 91 343 2545768. ₹150 (dormitory) - ₹900 (AC Delux).
- 5 The Peerless Inn (Peerless Sarovar Portico), City Centre, ☏ 91 343 254 6601, ✉[email protected].
- 6 The Riviera, Birbhanpur (near Durgapur Barrage), ☏ 91 343 2555476-5760, 91 9830155510, 91 9832161686. The only resort in this area on the riverside. A.C. riverview rooms, landscaped garden, children's park, lounge bar, multicuisine restraurant, marriage & conference facilities. ₹400-2000.
Go next
- Ajay River - go deeper till you can see the Ajay river. Here is another amazing piece of architecture: a Shiva temple made of burnt clay bricks exactly in the shape of the famous "Linagaraja temple" of Bhuvaneshwar. Sadly it is in a state of complete disrepair.
- Baranti - holiday resorts
- Biharinath - holiday resorts
- Dhabas on G.T.Road - if you have the guts try eating some roti and mutton at one of the numerous dhabas by the National Highway (erstwhile GT Road). They are awesome.
- Santiniketan - 60 km
- Vishnupur - 70 km