Travel Log: Trip to Krishnanagar and Nabadwip

By WhenWeEat

Destination:Krishnanagar & Nabadwip in Nadia district of West Bengal

Expenses: INR 300-400 per head (approx) 

Duration: Less than 1 Day

This is an anecdote of a thoroughly unplanned yet enthralling trip to Nabadwip. I set out on a Saturday with my friends and returned back refreshed. It is the best impulsive short-trip I have had in my life.

Reaching Gopal Bhar’s home: Krishnanagar

We boarded the Sealdah-Krishnanagar local at 3: 20 AM and reached there by 6 o’clock in the morning. Then we took a rickshaw to the bus stand and set out for our unplanned expedition.

Krishnanagar is a cultural and literary centre in Nadia district. It was the home of the benevolent Raja Krishnachandra and his famous court jester Gopal Bhar who’s witty, humorous and amusing short stories have been immortalised across generations in West Bengal and Bangladesh. Krishnanagar is a lot of things to many. But to me, it is Gopal Bhar’s home. I have grown up with the stories of Gopal Bhar and to this day he remains the "Rosher Raja, Mojar Raja, Shobar Raja Gopal Bhar”.

Putul Potti

If you come to Krishnanagar, you have to visit Ghurni. Located on the bank of Jalangi river, Ghurni is an artisans delight. Their clay sculptures are famous worldwide with exhibitions held in Boston, London and Paris. Therefore, our first destination was Putul Potti in Ghurni neighbourhood. You can reach Putul Potti via bus from the main city.

We were greeted with fresh, chilly air in Putul Potti. However, the chill did not give us the gloomy wintery quiver we get in busy metro cities. It was more of a welcoming caress with a subtle reproach from mother-nature, may be for not visiting her often.

The Ghurni River

A rickshaw puller told us to go to Jolongi where the Ghurni Nodi (river Ghurni) flows serenely towards her final destination, leaving all the rage and turbulence of her journey behind. The river shore is called Tarun Shangha Ghat. 

We journeyed via the rickshaw into this abode of crystal clear water and started walking towards Kadamtala Ghat (another shore by the river Ghurni). The placidity of the surroundings made us forget about all our woes from the jungle of concrete. We breathed in the new air, free from rancid exploits of city life. Silence was the new melody since we didn’t want to interrupt the peaceful  tête-à-tête between the river and its Naukas (wooden boats) which were gliding smoothly on the undulating waves.

An Enchanting Boat Ride

We stopped by a sailing boat. The boatman kindly asked us who are we, where we are from and we called him Dadu (grandfather). This address made him a bit liberal and he asked us whether we would love to have a boat ride?  What else does a thirsty soul want? If there was any last silt of anxiety or tension left, it slithered away, leaving our minds full of sounds, smell and rhythm of the ride, not to mention the sweet symphony conjured by our boatman in his soft, creamy voice, singing “O Nodi re, ekti kotha shudhai shudhu tomare”.

Breakfast in Putul Potti

After the ride, hunger came knocking. We were wondering if we would find any eatery open this early. On asking our boatman-dadu, he brought us to a small road side eatery. We were greeted warmly in a well maintained mud house with a small kitchen, counter, wooden bench and a table. We had:

1.      Kachuri/Kachauri (stuffed flattened flour cake fried in vegetable oil)

2.      Shor Bhaja/Shor Puria  (Krishnagar's special sweet dish)

3.      Layngcha (sweet dish)

4.      Gurer Sondesh (sweet dish made of date jaggery)

From their hospitality to the food, everything was so pure. Our tummies were filled with the delicious food and our heart was overwhelmed with their love and affection.

Next in agenda was a bath in the river Ghurni. It was fun filled, invigorating and of course- naughty.

Exploring Nabadwip

After the bath, we packed up and took a bus to Nabadwip. It is a city in Nadia, and a paragon of pilgrimage for the Vaishnavas, since, this is where Shri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu was born. Every year pilgrims pour in Nabadwip from all over the world on occassions like Gaur Purnima, Dol Jatra and Rash Purnima.

We explored Nabadwip partly on rickshaw and partly on foot. Amongst places to see are the countless temples of Gaur Nimai, birth place of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, historical monument and tombs.

Concluding with authentic Bengali Lunch: Nabadwip style

At 2 PM all of us were starving but adamant on not trying anything except authentic Nabadwip style Bengali food. 

We found a roadside eatery nearby and saw, to our delight, that it had a lunch thali filled with authentic Nabadwip food. We ordered:

1.      Kachi Palan Bhaja (Fried Spinach)

2.      Kumro Phool er Bora (Pumpkin Blossom Fritters)

3.      Bok Phool er Bora (Hummingbird Blossom Fritters)

4.      Plain Gobindo Bhog Chaal er Bhaat (A type of rice)

5.      Ghono Moong er daal (Moong means Green/Golden Gram)

6.      Teet Begun (bitter in taste, looks like eggplant)

7.      Aloo Posto (Type of sides prepared with Potato and Poppy seeds)

8.      Paneer Bora (Indian Cheese Fritters)

9.      Mishti Doi in dessert (Sweet Yogurt)

The lunch was complimented with add-ons like Gondhoraj lebu (a variety of lemon), Ghee (a class of clarified butter), nun (salt), lanka (green chili), shosha (cucumber), tomato and peyaaj (onions).

Another site to explore near Nabadwip is Mayapur. However, it was not in our schedule this time. We were on the clock you see. We have to get back. We are always on the clock. So, with the scent of Gondhoraj lebu still in our hands and the sweet mishti doi melting in our mouth we began our journey back home with a salty heart.