Ayodhya Hills | The unspoilt beauty

 

Ayodhya Hills | The unspoilt beauty

Ayodhya Hills is situated in Purulia district of West Bengal. It is an extension of the Dalma Hills of Jharkhand. The place is surrounded by forests of sal, teak and mahua trees. It is a picturesque getaway with hills, dales, trees, springs, lakes, river and clear blue skies. Gorga-Buru (2850 ft) is the tallest peak of Ajodhya Hills.  Around 16,000 tribal people reside at Ayodhya Hills .  Area of  Ajodhya Hills are around 34,517 acres and  the forest  houses various wild animals including leopards, elephants, deer and wolves. Ayodhya Hill Top  is the main tourist area of Ajodhya Hills and  most of the hotels and  are located in this place. A visit to beautiful waterfalls, deep forests, tribal villages, Gorga-buru and Mayur hill are sure to captivate your senses.

Sightseeing at Ayodhya Hills

Marble Lake

Marble Lake which is also known as the Tarpaniya Lake is a must visit attraction of Ajodhya Hills. The charming beauty of the place will mesmerize you. This man-made lake was formed when the rocks here were quarried for stone to build irrigation dams. The Marble Lake is surrounded by towering walls of scraggy boulders overhanging the clear, azure waters. There are two points from where you can enjoy the lake's beauty - one is from the top, and the other one is from the side of the lake. Let the soft wind caress your face while you stand on the rock beside the blue water, tranquilized with romanticism and peace.

Bamni Falls

Embraced by trees and rocks, this exotic waterfalls is undoubtedly the biggest attraction of Ayodhya Hills.  A  downward trek from the main road along a rocky and lightly-forested trail will take you to the front of the beautiful Bamni Falls. The cascading water falls over the rocks has formed a small lake down below. 

Turga Falls

Located close to Bamni Falls, this waterfalls also attracts a lot of tourists. From the main road, you can catch glimpses of the gushing white waters through chinks in the forest cover.

Mayur Pahar

It is a hillock situated 3 km from Ajodhya Hill Top area. A spectacular panoramic view of the entire range of Ayodhya Hills and its surrounding forests are visible from the top of Mayur Pahar.

Pakhi Pahar

This 800 feet high hill called Pakhi Pahar is a canvas for the artist, Chitta Dey, who along with his team, has sculpted nearly 65 images of birds on the sheer rock face. The hill has now become a hotspot for tourists who visit this place, only to be left speechless by the single-minded dedication and passion of the veteran artist. Encompassed by verdant forest, Pakhi Pahar is also a great spot for bird watching.

Upper Dam & Lower Dam

Both the upper and lower dams are part of the Purulia Pumped Storage Project (PPSP). These huge reservoirs are engineering marvels. Water from these reservoirs are used for hydroelectric power generation. The Lower Dam, especially, looks spectacular when viewed from the roadside viewpoint situated between the Upper Dam and Lower Dam.

Sitakunda

It is a tiny hot water spring, 1.5 km from Ajodhya Hill Top. According to the belief of local people, Rama and Sita had come to Ajodhya Hills and stayed during their exile. Sita was thirsty and so Ram pierced an arrow through the Earth's soil crust through which water gushed out. This place is now known as Sita Kunda.

Khairabera Dam

This is an Irrigation Dam amidst hills and forest at Baghmundi. It is a beautiful and pleasant place which has a vast water body at the foot hills of Chemto and Barra Hills (Ajodhya –range). During the spring the Palash trees add a new spectrum to the scenic beauty of the area with their red-flowers.

Best Time to Visit Ayodhya Hills

Ayodhya Hills can be visited all throughout the year except during the summer months of April to June. The place gets very cold and chilly during the months of November to January. February and March is the best time to witness the bloom of Palash flowers across the valley and  early October gives a show of Kash phool. And the monsoon season shroud the place in endless greenery with dark clouds rolling over the densely forested hills.

How to Reach Ayodhya Hills

Trains are available from Howrah and Santragachi to Purulia. It takes around 5 hours to reach Purulia by train. From Purulia, you can hire a cab to go to Ayodhya Hill top. Buses are also plying from Esplanade and Taratala to Purulia.