#jhargram #weekendtour #besthomestay #foreststay
Weekend at a 130-year-old Bungalow inside a lonely forest. On another weekend tour this time our visit was to Salboni Forest, Jhargram. It was a 3.5-hour drive from our home to reach Garh Salboni, which is 6-7 km before Jhargram town. The main attraction of this tour was our stay at Aranya Kuheli. Spread over 26 bighas of forested land there stands a century-old British-era bungalow. There is some interesting history to it.
Once upon a time, a British colony was built in the remote jungle area of Garh Salboni close to Jhargram town. A few private Bungalows were built by the Britishers, each one of those with huge forested lands and gardens. One of the Bungalows was of one Mr Gordon. In the 70's the Bungalow was purchased by a South Calcuttan man named Somnath Choudhury. The Bungalow was called 'Bhut Bungla'. At that time one can imagine, without electricity and basic amenities how deserted this house and the area were! But the brave man renovated the haunted Bungalow and started to live along with his family at this place. Today Mr Choudhury in his mid-70s, reminisces about those days around this forest area. A homestay was started a few years back on this property by Mr Choudhury's daughter. A new Cottage has come up just beside the old bungalow, where rooms with all modern amenities are there for the tourists. We put up in the new cottage. The century-old one-storied huge bungalow has several rooms too. The huge compound is full of a variety of flora and fauna. There are hundreds and hundreds of varieties of trees in the 26-bigha land of the Choudhury. Amid all this, there is fear of Elephants, especially after sunset in this area, like any other part of Jangal Mahal. Mr Choudhury was showing us the Elephant Pugmarks of a few days back just in front of his Bungalow when a few Elephants thronged their garden for the ripe mangoes, jackfruit, and mahua. They vandalized the entry gate, uprooted a few trees, and destroyed the hammock. While staying at Aranay Kuheli, inside the lonely forest area, rejuvenates one's soul from the hustle and bustle of busy city life. The compact greenery all around is soothing for the eyes, while the birds' chirping and sound of various insects are like music to the ears. While daytime here is a leisure in the jungle, the night stay is thrilling.
Tariff: AC DB Room at new Cottage - 1800. For Booking at Aranya Kuheli: Contact - Sangita Ghosh Choudhury 9831920229.
Places to Visit: # Krish Garden (1 km) # Amlachoti Herbal Garden (3.5 km) #Jhargram Tribal Museum (6 km) # Jhargram Khas Jangal (4 km) # Jhargram Rajbari (8 km) # Kanak Durga Temple, Chilkigarh (18 km) # Chilkigarh Rajbari (20 km)
20 окт 2024
