Introduction
Digha is a popular sea beach in West Bengal and is 187km away from Kolkata. It lies in the district of Midnapore. It is well connected with the bus and rail service. It has a beach of 7km in length. The sea here is calm and shallow with frequent waves and tourist enjoy the view and its scenic beauty. It offers lots of tourist activities on the beach and on the sea. Digha is one of the most romantic sea resorts of Bengal. As it is situated very close to Kolkata the people of Kolkata often visits this place and enjoy them very much.
Tourist attraction
1. Digha Beach- Digha has two beaches. One is the Old Beach which is in Old Digha and the New Beach in New Digha. Old beach of Digha is not so vast and consists of many big stones. It also has records of frequent waves which led problems to many hotels situated nesr the sea. The New beach is situated in New Digha which is just a 2km walk from Old Digha. This beach is ery clean and well maintained. The area near the beach is not so crowded. Most hotels are in Old Digha.
2. Shankarpur- Shankarpur is also a beach resort which is situated on the east of Digha. It is just 14km away from Digha. One could use public transport to reach this place. The place remains empty almost everyday but in the weekends the place is crowded with the tourist. It is a fishing harbour. The mornings are cool and one could find fishermen carrying their nets on their shoulder to catch fish. The tourist enjoys the boating on the sea.
3. Junput- It is situated 40km away from Digha and is also very famous as a fishing harbour. The place is very famous for its sea view. When there is low tide the beach looks very wide and long. Tourist here enjoys the sunrise and the temple of Kapalkundala devi is situated here which is an old temple.
4. Chandaneswar- It is just 8km from Digha and here one could get to see the very old temple of Lord Shiva which lies near the border of Bengal and Orissa. Many tourist and local people gathered here in the month of April or Chaitra when a fair known as Gajan Mela is held every year.
5. Subarnarekha River- It is a river which is situated 12km away from Digha where the river drains into the Bay of Bengal. Now it has also become a tourist spot near Digha.
6. Talsari- It is just 8-10km from Digha. Many cabs and other public transport can be used from Digha to reach Talsari. Talsari beach is very famous where one could find reb crabs. The temperature here is very hot in summer and it receives high rainfall during the monsoon. The place is very quiet and is very close to the sea and Subarnarekha River. Here one could find the cashew trees. People here enjoy the small waves.
7. Mandarmuni- It is a small sea beach not far from Digha. It takes only 30 minute from Digha. It is also famous for the fishing harbour. The place is very much free from the huge traffic. There are many small hotels near Mandarmuni where tourist can stay and spend their nights.
8. Markets- The main attraction of the tourist is the Digha markets where tourist can enjoying shopping. The shops sell many handicrafts item made from sea shell. Many small shops are situated in and around the sea beach.
Climate
The climate here is very pleasant. During summer months it is very hot but still the tourist enjoy themselves in the beach and sea. The winters are not very cold. During the monsoon the place receives the average rainfalls. But the best time to visit the place is from July to March.
Transportation
Digha is well connected by rail and roadways. Frequent bus services are available from Kolkata and other major cities of Bengal. It is not so far from Kolkata. It just takes 5-6 hours to reach the place. Many local people of Bengal also use their private car to reach the place. Many trains run everyday from Howrah, Shalimar, Santragachi and Bhubaneswar and from Vishakhapatnam and the trains reach to the Digha station.
Culture
People here are mostly Bengali. Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. Beside these fishing is also done by the people. The people here made various handicrafts item from sea shell and from jute and sell them to the local markets. People here enjoy almost all the festival but the people here mostly enjoy the beach festival which is held in the mid of the month of January. They also enjoy the sea food festival and the fairs. During the sea food festival tourist also gathered and enjoys the taste of different fish items specially the prawn items which is very popular fish of Bengal.
Hotels and accomodation
Digha has many luxury and normal hotels. Beside these many lodges, guest houses and holiday homes are also available. Many small restaurants are also available beside the sea beach and in and around the city. The hotels near the sea beach costs a little bit but you could enjoy the view of the sea from the balcony of the hotel. One of the best hotel of Digha is the Hotel Sea Hawk. It has all the facilities and also the food here are very tasty. Other popular hotels are hotel Shantiniketan, hotel Aditya International, hotel Roofers pearl New Digha and many more. One could enjoy the pure Bengali food in Digha.
What to do in Digha
Digha offered a very beautiful place where people enjoy the bath on the sea (Bay of Bengal). Tourist enjoys the sunrise and the sunset. Digha is a place of food hub. On the beach you could enjoy the street food and the fried lobster and other fresh fish pakodas. One can also hire a horse and can have a ride on the entire beach for a very nominal charge. The fresh coconut water is enjoyed by the tourist on the beach. The evening is very lovely here you could find lots of people sitting on the beach and enjoys the beauty of the Bay of Bengal and its tide. You could enjoy the sight of the loading of the fresh fish and the auction of the fish at the beach. You could enjoy the evening sea but be careful not to go in the sea in the evening because the sea becomes very rough in the evening.