Purulia
পুরুলিয়া
Purulia district · Tagore Country & Rarh
Chhau dance, red earth and the Ayodhya hills.
Chhau dance: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage (2010)
About Purulia
Purulia is the heartland of Purulia Chhau, a martial-arts-based mask dance, part of the Chhau tradition inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (2010). The landscape of red earth, rocky hills and palash (flame of the forest) blooms in spring is very different from the delta.
Highlights
- Chhau mask-making at Charida village
- Ayodhya Hills and Baghmundi
- Spring palash blooms
- Tribal culture and festivals
Plan your trip
- Best time
- October to March; Chhau festivals are held in spring.
- How to reach
- Purulia Junction; overnight and long-distance trains from Howrah.
- Suggested stay
- 2 to 3 days
- Distance from Kolkata
- About 300 km by road
- Travel time
- 6 to 7 hours
- Nearest railway station
- Purulia Junction
- Budget
- Budget
- Culture
- Chhau dance and the mask makers of Charida.
- Good to know
- Summers are extremely hot: travel between October and March.
Nearby and related destinations
- Garh Panchkot & Joychandi: A ruined fort under a hill, and Ray’s rocky skyline. (about 250 km from Kolkata, nearest station Asansol, Adra or Joychandi Pahar)
- Susunia & Bikna: A forested hill, an ancient inscription and a dokra village. (about 220 km from Kolkata, nearest station Chhatna or Bankura)
- Shantiniketan: Rabindranath Tagore's university town. (about 160 km from Kolkata, nearest station Bolpur Shantiniketan)
- Bishnupur: Terracotta temples of the Malla kings. (about 140 km from Kolkata, nearest station Bishnupur)
Part of these guides
Distances and travel times are approximate road figures from central Kolkata. Check timings, permits and road conditions before you travel.