Shankarpur – Towards Serenity

It’s a remote beach in West Bengal; 14 kilometres from the famous beach town Digha and approximately 185 kilometres from Kolkata. A sea beach, yet not that crowded, it’s a place to rejuvenate and push away all the tiredness and pressure of daily life. The place is called Shankarpur.

My first visit to Shankarpur was in the year 2012 in October. Basically it was off-season then and it’s was amazingly lonely! It was a 3 day outing and there were 7 of us, all guys. We had a hell of a time over there. It was like leaving behind civilisation and enjoying the sea and the peaceful environment! Our journey started from Howrah Railway Station in the morning. We took the train from Howrah to Ramnagar, the previous station to Digha reaching there by 10 AM. We took a trekker from Ramnagar Station which took us to Shankarpur via Choddo Mile (14 mile) which is a junction from where different beaches can be reached like Digha, Shankarpur, Mandarmoni, and Tajpur etc.

As soon as we reached we didn’t waste any time and hit the beach. A lonely beach where all you can see is a vast stretch of water till the horizon!! The sound of the waves, the cool water and the sun on our head made the environment a memorable one. The beaches on this side of the country are hard, not like the beaches of Goa or Andamans where there’s soft white sand. And they have always helped the hard working people from Kolkata an opportunity to take a break and relax for the weekend from their hectic schedule. The beaches of Bengal have their own characteristics. Gorgeous sunsets, beachside shacks providing a range of food from a full lunch to tea and snacks, everything can be availed right on the beach or beside the beach area.

Coming to Shankarpur, it is one of the less visited beaches of Bengal as previously mentioned, hence affordable accommodations are available. However there are a few resorts too, for people who would want to relax not only on the beach, but also enjoy the comfort. We however, chose Kinara tourist lodge which is run by Benfish. It is small and cosy with decent food and very much pocket friendly. And if one wants to eat out, there are a few basic restaurants where basic Bengali lunch and dinner are available. We stayed in Shankarpur for 3 days, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, in the serenity of the sea. It was like recharging our souls so that we go back and face our daily lives with much energy and enthusiasm.

If we talk about activities to do in Shankarpur, there’s pretty less to do apart from spending time at the beach, bathing in the sea and a visit to the local village of fishermen to watch their daily activities. The scope of finding good subjects for photography is high here, from the sunset to clicking the fishermen. And there are fewer tourists.

So, the next time you feel like taking a short weekend vacation and you are bored of Digha and Mandarmoni, give Shankarpur a try. Chill and relax, and enjoy your weekend amidst the virgin beach of Shankarpur.