This Offbeat Beach Off the East Coast of India That No One Will Tell You About. Welcome to Bichitrapur- Paradise Redefined.
Nowadays,
beach destinations are quite on the trend. And hitting the same old ones for
unrolling, is passe. And on top of it all, trending places are overcrowded, as
always. Well, where's the fun in that? How about unwinding yourself away
from the footprints of over-tourism? Is it not alluring enough? In fact, it is.
Bichitrapur, off the east coast of India, is just the place in the sun. Unlike its sister beaches on the same coastline, this is somewhat an offbeat one, away from the city rush. And one perfect weekend getaway ex-Kolkata or ex-Bhubaneswar. With a distinctive ecosystem of backwater mangroves, Bichitrapur offers one eye-soothing and memorable destination. It is indeed a land of fantasy borne out of a fairy tale, a Utopian panorama all together.
Bichitrapur, off the east coast of India, is just the place in the sun. Unlike its sister beaches on the same coastline, this is somewhat an offbeat one, away from the city rush. And one perfect weekend getaway ex-Kolkata or ex-Bhubaneswar. With a distinctive ecosystem of backwater mangroves, Bichitrapur offers one eye-soothing and memorable destination. It is indeed a land of fantasy borne out of a fairy tale, a Utopian panorama all together.
***
Set
along the virgin shoreline of Bay of Bengal is a triad of acres of land. Pristine
yellow stretches of mudflats contrasted by the green and blues; the quintessential array of red crabs; and an unending horizon. All merged together
to literally form 'a land of amazement', Bichitrapur.
***
How to Reach Bichitrapur
By Train: Digha is the nearest railway station (14 km), West Bengal. Jaleswar Railway Station is at 45 km from Bichitrapur Mangrove Sanctuary.
By Road: One can also opt for road routes. Booking a cab ex-Howrah, ex-Kolkata or ex-Bhubneswar to Bichitrapur Mangrove Sanctuary, Odisha is a notable option.
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| It is indeed a land of fantasy borne out of a fairy tale, a Utopian panorama all together. Far away the sea could be seen. |
Where to Stay
One can either stay at Mandarmani, Digha or cottages run by OTDC (Odisha Tourism Development Corporation Limited) or OFDC (Odisha Forest Development Corporation).
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| We stayed at Priya Jeet Resort at Mandarmani, West Bengal; arriving the day before to have a full-fledged taste of the sea. |
Nearby Places to Visit
Mandarmani (about 40 km away), Digha (about 15 km away) and Talsari (about 11 km away) are the nearest beach escapades to Bichitrapur and Bhubaneswar is about 290 km from Khadibil. One could also visit Udaypur beach on the way.
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| Udaypur Sea Beach |
Bichitrapur At A Glance |
| Bichitrapur at a glance |
Why Visit Bichitrapur? What Is So Special About it?
Bichitrapur was long due, so we started out on a
weekend. Bagging a window seat, will no doubt, do you justice. Why? Because, the
Indian landscape is famous for its contrast. And on this trip, be sure to
experience this diversity. The roadside scenes transform from packed city
markets to arrays of green fields. Google navigation hardly ever keeps you off
the right track. With every turn, it informed, that we were getting closer to
our destination. So getting lost was quite unlikely. Little did we know what
wheels we were putting into motion. For the time being, we headed towards our anticipated destination, without the faintest idea of the (good) imprints we were to carry
off.
As the GPS declared "destination reached", the windscreen showed a bushy ruddy village road ahead. Well, I was eagerly waiting for something more than just a narrow road. I was rather disappointed, to be very honest. The water was nowhere to be seen, not even in the distance. After a few meters, the car halted in front of a ticket booth. By the booth house, a few minutes’ walks through the mangrove shrubberies led to a jetty. A boat ride started off, through the waters of Subarnarekha, supposedly to the backwater mangrove mudflats. The riverside was naturally ample in greens. At the apparent end of the clear waters, a series of trees clearly marked out the skyline.
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| The ticket booth. |
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The small dock wherefrom the boat ride is initiated before steering through Subarnarekha
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| Towards the edge, a line of trees clearly marked out the skyline. |
Steering through Subarnarekha leads off to the
second episode- docking on an island. The docking point is known as Kharibil.
And to emphasize here, this part of the island is completely unchartered
territory.
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| Do not let Google Maps fool you in the normal view. Switch on to the satellite view to get a clear idea of the place |
A bunch of trees welcomed us with a pleasant breeze, acclaiming our heartfelt courtesy. Indeed the first step to long-lasting and impeccable memory. I got my Nikon busy clicking pictures. A few steps into the bushy trails, and voila, there it was! A stretch of barren land, strewn with dead trunks of trees standing upright like the watchmen of nowhere.
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The greeneries beside the Subarnarekha while steering through the river. When docked at an island, a stretch of barren land welcomed us. The yellow stretch was strewn with dead trunks of trees standing upright like the watchmen of nowhere. Such is the diversity here!
***
Tickets: Round trip which includes to and fro
journey to the mudflats- Rs. 1200 for
six-seater and Rs. 1400 for an eight-seater boat. The archipelago consists of twenty-six small islands, most of which are delimited to harboring due to
the presence of quicksands.
***
Beyond the ruins of sands and trunks, was a more clear and endearing expanse of sand, giving way to hotspots of crab-holes. And afar, was an ethereal beauty, a captivating landscape. A line of silvery beige abruptly ending into a blue infinity. Looking minutely, one could catch the sight of another thin line of white movements of the sea, at the horizon. It was layers of multiple landscapes, bewitching enough to take one’s breath away. Trust me, I fell in love with the sea here. I have seen layers in the mountainscape before, but this is an absolute wonder!
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A line of silvery beige abruptly ending into a blue infinity. Looking minutely, one could catch the sight of another
thin line of white movements of the sea, at the horizon. It was layers of multiple landscapes, bewitching enough
to take one’s breath away.
|
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| The marooned vista was edged by stunning views of silvery beige abruptly ending into a blue infinity. |
***
It
was as if somebody uttered “Stupefy” and I stopped to apprehend the place for
its sheer beauty.
***
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The place is rich in quite a varied number of flora and fauna. Red crabs are a delight to the camera lenses, however, they are too fast to capture.
On our end, there was this large expanse of the sapphire estuarine. The water spreads out in a calmer and more patient stretch here, encompassing the horizon. There was no wave. It was as if we landed on a different planet. [Remember Nolan's Interstellar? Not the big one though but before it.] The idyllic phenomenon of the saltwater frothing onto the sand is indeed a sight for the sore eyes. As the tide swept in and gulped the mudflats, we headed for our return. I wish I could have stayed a bit more.
We turned to leave. Our minds, though not empty, were saving the imprints of the gloriously dying day. The return ride was more scenic, needless to say. The day dusked
with vibrant colors and the surrounding greenery turned into a more lavishing
green. Washed by a light monsoon drizzle, the water, as well as the mangroves,
gleamed in the rays of the setting sun. Nature dressed up in a whole new attire
of hues- green, saffron, blue, and abundant.
So if you ask me why Bichitrapur? I would answer,
for experiencing Nature from up so close. You can touch the sea, here. Feel it. Also here, Mother Nature
reveals herself to you in a series of surprises- first on the river, second on the island and
lastly on the estuarine beach. Here you could feel the thrill of demystifying Nature
and connecting to her.
Where To Eat
There are two shops beside the ticket booth. One could have Veg-thali or Chicken-thali therein. A
souvenir shop and a shop for meetha-pan are also there. The latter is a must-try though.
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| The exquisite must-try Meetha Pan |
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33 comments
This is so informative | is such a quick and easy way to find out all I need to know to plan a trip to Bichitrapur.
ReplyDeleteLast year we visited to Digha. But I guess we miss this beach. My blog partner is from Kolkata. We will definitely going to visit this beach next time
ReplyDeleteWow the beaches there are so gorgeous. I love the beach so whenever I have a chance to visit there I wouldnt mind checking this out.
ReplyDeleteI love the exclusivity and the tranquilty of the place. This is my kind of escape.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, this place looks beautiful! Although I’ve never been to a beach in India before myself, I would love to make my way over in the near future. Thanks for sharing all of this! :-)
ReplyDeleteNow this is a place where I'd love to go and have a vacation in. The place looks awesome and sounds like you had a great time.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a nice place.. I would really die to have a vacation here..! �� I bet you had a really great time..��
ReplyDeleteBichitrapur is really a very peaceful and wonderful beach area, we visited it in the late Feb.
ReplyDeleteLoved it.
Exceptionally well written. I specially liked because I am from Kolkata and I have visited Bichitrapur, Mandarmani, Digha etc. Very nice article.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot .... it means so much.
DeleteSuch a wonderful beach..! I would really love to visit this place someday. Thanks for sharing..!
ReplyDeleteOdisha has always been on my list but I never got a chance to go there. Bichitrapur seems nice! :)
ReplyDeleteI’ve never been to this part of the world but it looks so beautiful and peaceful! I will have to add this to my bucket list!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! I love beaches...and even better, beaches that are not over-populated to the point that I can literally have the beach to myself. And this beach is it! It must have been so calm there right?
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting view. First time to see that kind of beach. Wow. Thanks for a new discovery! A perfect movie setting with fantasy or maybe suspense to horror theme? lol Can be romantic if really creative,
ReplyDeleteIt is so cool when you learn about new places to visit! This would be something I would like to see -- it's so isolated and relatively untouched by man. That's hard to find! If only there was enough time to see all of the places in the world!
ReplyDeleteThis place is perfect for a quiet weekend getaway. I would love to try the food here, too. :)
ReplyDeleteI love going to the beach and this looks both stunning and unique! Thanks so much for sharing with us!
ReplyDeleteAll of these photos are so beautiful! This place looks like a lovely destination!
ReplyDeleteThe scenery looks beautiful and the buildings colorful. I love the water, particularly the way the trees frame it.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that there exists such a beautiful beach in Bengal. You have taken great photos.
ReplyDeleteI would definitely want to find a beach like Bichitrapur. So great to have the beach to yourself. The boat ride through the mangroves looked interesting. I certainly see why it drew you to have your camera out all the time. So interesting to see a tree in the middle of the water.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting spot to find! Thanks for the information about it, the trees look so weird, definitely worth it for the pictures.
ReplyDeleteI like beaches and so do love the navigation part to the hidden gem of India. It was perfectly baked trip. I hope you enjoyed tranquility of the place.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness, this place looks beautiful! Although I’ve never been to India's east coast before myself, I would love to make my way over in the near future. Thanks for sharing all of this! :-)
ReplyDeleteI love beaches, and off the beaten path ones like this are even better! I don't think about beaches when I think of India (silly I know) but I would love to visit an Indian beach someday. I love the picture of the bright red crab too.
ReplyDeleteDream place. Heavenly views. I wish I could go there right away and ... I do feel like I've been part of your beautiful experience thanks to your skilled depiction.
ReplyDeleteI have to go to Kolkata for some work next month. Thank you so much I am definitely going to this beach. I love such calming places.
ReplyDeleteIs the water brown? muddy? Or it's just because of the sand? Looks like a hidden gem it is.
ReplyDeleteNice pics
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Which you have shared here about the holiday destinations in India. Your article is very informative and I liked your way to share this information in this post. Thank you for sharing this article here.
ReplyDeleteNice. Good one.
ReplyDeleteNice information. Thanks for sharing content and such nice information for me. I hope you will share some more content. Please keep sharing!langkawi parasailing
ReplyDeleteHi there! Leave your valuable suggestions here.