Birbhum

Birbhum (Bengali: বীরভূম Bīrbhūm, Santali: ᱵᱤᱨᱵᱷᱩᱢ Birbhum), the "Land of Red Soil", is known for its rich culture, vibrant religion and picturesque nature.

• 23.91666787.5333331 Suri (সিউড়ি Siuṛi) — headquarters of Birbhum with morabba sweets
• 23.8801487.371082 Bakreshwar (বক্রেশ্বর Bokreshwor) — pilgrimage site with hot springs
• 23.887.383 Dubrajpur (দুবরাজপুর Dubrājpur) —
• 23.9587.324 Rajnagar (রাজনগর Rājnogor) —
• 23.9587.675 Sainthia (সাঁইথিয়া Sāinthiyā) —

• 23.6620587.697276 Bolpur (বোলপুর Bōlpur) — largest city, major commercial centre
• 23.6842387.660427 Ballavpur (বল্লভপুর Bollobhpur) —
• 23.6387.538 Ilambazar (ইলামবাজার Ilāmbājār) —
• 23.6387.439 Kendubillo (কেন্দুবিল্ব Kendubilwo) — birthplace of Jayadeva, a 12th-century Sanskrit poet, also famous for the old temple and fair
• 23.8387.8210 Labhpur (লাভপুর Lābhpur) — birthplace of Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay, home to the Fullara Temple
• 23.7041987.8641511 Nanoor (নানুর Nānur or নান্নুর Nānnur) — birthplace of Chandidas, a Sanskrit poet
• Prantik (প্রান্তিক Prāntik) —
• 23.677687.685212 Santiniketan (শান্তিনিকেতন Shāntiniketon) — town of Rabindranath Tagore's Visva-Bharati University, known for exotic handmade goods

• 24.0814487.7092813 Mallarpur (মল্লারপুর Mollārpur) —
• 24.387.8214 Nalhati (নলহাটি Nolhāṭi) —
• 24.1187.815 Tarapith (তারাপীঠ Tārāpīṭh) — Hindu pilgrimage site, home to the temple of Ma Tara

Birbhum (Bengali: BEER-b^hoom) has seen many cultural and religious movements in history. The Visva Bharati University at Santiniketan is one of the famous sites in Birbhum is known for. Many festivals are celebrated in the district, including Poush Mela and Choitro Sankranti. Birbhum is also famous for the group of itinerant singers called bauls (বাউল bāul).

The climate of Birbhum is generally dry, mild and healthy. The hot weather usually lasts from the middle of March to the middle of June, the rainy season from the middle of June to the middle of October, and the cold weather from the middle of October to the middle of March. They do not always correspond to these limits.

Official websites:

• Birbhum District
• Birbhum Police^{[dead link]}

Bengali is the main language in Birbhum. The Birbhumi dialect has a rich folklore, similar to the other dialects in the Rarh region.

Hindi and English are also understood in the district, especially in urban areas.

Tribal languages like Santali are common in Birbhum as well.

The cities in Birbhum are well-connected by train. A lot of express trains have a stop at Santiniketan. There are MEMU local trains up to Rampurhat.

The NH 114 runs north–south in Birbhum and it is useful to get to Santiniketan and Sainthia. The Panagarh–Morgram Highway also runs north–south in the district and it is useful to get to Dubrajpur, Suri, Tarapith and Nalhati. A link road connects Panagarh–Morgram Highway to NH 114 near Santiniketan.

The cities in Birbhum are well-connected by road and train.

Like most of West Bengal, there are three types of rickshaws in Birbhum: cycle rickshaws, auto-rickshaws and electric rickshaws. Cycle rickshaws can carry two people and are useful for short distances. Auto-rickshaws, also called "autos", can carry three or four people and are useful for medium distances. Electric rickshaws, also called "totos", can carry four or five people and are also useful for short and medium distances.

There are too many attractions in Birbhum to be visited in a week tour. Birbhum is full of cultural, natural and religious attractions, including the Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, five Shakti Pithas (Bakreshwar, Fullara, Nalhati, Sainthia and Tarapith), Mama Bhagne, Amkhoi Wood Fossil Park and so on. Visva-Bharati University is famous for its gurukula method of education. Mama Bhagne is famous for its unusual rock balancing. Amkhoi Wood Fossil Park is the only fossil park in West Bengal.

If you are the adventurous type, try the fresh toddy juice as the tappers bring it down early in the morning beside roads in rural areas. However, avoid it later in the day because fermentation starts.