Krishnanagar, Nadia – 100 kms from Kolkata

Krishnanagar is a historical city located at the southern banks of Jalangi River in Nadia district of West Bengal. It is mostly renowned for its founder and ruler, Raja Krishna Chandra Rai who was a prominent zamindar of Bengal. During the reign of Raja Krishnachandra, Krishnanagar city flourished as a center of art and culture which the Raja propagated immensely due to his personal artistic and aesthetic bent of mind. The Rajbari thus, stands as a striking example of the Rajas exquisite artistic outlook. The Krishnanagar Rajbari (palace) is the main attraction of this illustrious town that attracts most tourists and visitors. During festivals, the Rajbari including the whole Krishnanagar city is brightly illuminated with various colorful lights that is simply gorgeous to watch. BOOKING DETAILS OF KRISHNANAGAR


Culture and tradition have always thrived in the Krishnanagar city with many prominent Bengali literary figures like Bharat Chandra, Dwijendralal Ray and Narayan Sanyal originating from this place. The place was also famous in history for its ‘Jatra Dal’, which is a popular form of local Bengali folk drama.

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Places to see in Krishnanagar: Krishna nagar is a historical city with many prominent historical structures. If you are at Krishnanagar then the following places are a must visit for experiencing the rich cultural heritage of this place:

The Krishnanagar Rajbari – Also known as the Krishnanagar Palace is the palace of the famed Raja Krishnachandra of Bengal who was a noted zamindar of this area. The palace is most noted for its Durga Temple where many festivals are celebrated all year with much grandeur. Many people visit this place from far and wide to take part in the holy occasions here.

Ranaghat – It is a very popular town located in the Nadia district of West Bengal. It is mainly prominent for its sweets, handloom industry and flower trade. It is located about 70 kilometers from Kolkata city. The town finds many mentions in the pages of history during the colonial era. The ‘ratha-yatra’ and ‘Durga puja’ festivals of the famous Deychowdhury family are much admired in Ranaghat.

Roman Catholic Church – Krishnanagar also served as an important seat of Christian Missionary movement in Bengal. The Roman Catholic Church located here is the ideal example of this event. The church is a grand architecture that has many prized paintings of Jesus Christ on canvases and wooden frescos painted by renowned Italian artists.

Other places of interests include the Protestant Church, College Bhavan, the Public Library, Anandamoyi Tola Kali Bari, Krishna Nagar Academy and Company Bagan (which is a horticultural garden run by the state government).

Things to do in Krishnanagar: If you are in Krishnanagar, don’t miss the famous Jhulan mela that is celebrated at the Rajbari (Krishnanagar Palace) every year in the month of July/August. Dol Purnima is also another much celebrated festival here.

Other prominent festivals are the Jagaddhatri Puja, which is celebrated with much magnificence and splendor at Krishnanagar. The lighting are special eye-treats for everyone that is specially brought from the nearby town of Chandannagar to dazzle the town.

And finally, don’t forget to gorge on the famed sweets of Krishna Nagar, which is the pride of this town. ‘Sarbhaja’ and ‘Sarpuria’ are among the famous sweets invented right at this town by the halwaikars or moyras (who prepare sweets) of Krishnanagar. The shop of “Adhar Chandra Das” finds special mention here for the famous invention of the above-mentioned sweet delights.

Nearby attractions around Krishna Nagar:

Kalna – Also known as Ambika Kalna, it is the chief headquarter and municipality of Kalna subdivision of Bardhaman district. The town is most noted for its 108 Shiva temples and the Rajbari. The town is named after the Goddess Kali or Maa Ambika.

Mayapur Dham – A prominent Gaudiya Vaishnavism center and the headquarters of ISCKON. It is located along the banks of Bhagirathi River. The temple is world renowned and is considered a very holy place of pilgrimage. It is situated in Nabadwip, which is also the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, founder of the Gaudiya Vaishnavism movement. Most noted for the Chandrodaya Radha Krishna temple, and Prabhupada’s Samadhi Mandir (founder of ISKCON).

Ghurni – Famed for its industry of clay pottery and Krishnanagar’s famous clay dolls from the time of Maharaja Krishnachandra who popularized these clay dolls, which were amongst his favorite things. Ghurni is also the birthplace of Yogiraj Sri Shyama Charan Lahiri Mahasaya, founder of the Kriya yoga movement in India.

Shantipur – It was an illustrious seat of Vedic learning and Sanskrit literature in the 9th century. Presently, Shantipur along with Fulia is famous for its traditional handloom sarees like Tangail, Shantipuri and Jamdani which are famous all over India.

Nabadwip – The holy temple city of Bengal and the birthplace of Sri Chaitanya Mahapraphu. The nine archipelagos was the primary center of Vaishnav movement and culture in the 15th century Bengal. The island city is one of the most prominent pilgrimages of the country where lakhs of devotees throng every year to offer their obeisance at the lotus feet of Lord Krishna.

How to reach Krishnanagar: Krishnanagar is well connected by road and railway facilities from Kolkata. It is located about 100 kilometers from Kolkata and can be reached through National Highway 34. A wide range of motor services are available at Krishna nagar starting from buses, cars and auto-rickshaws. It is extremely well connected by road from Kolkata, Malda and Siliguri. Krishnanagar is also a junction on the broad gauge of Eastern Railway. Local EMU trains are the most convenient option to reach Krishnanagar from Kolkata.

Best time to visit Krishnanagar: Krishnanagar is blessed with a moderate temperate climate throughout the year. Thus, the place is ideal for visits almost every season of the year. But, winters are mostly preferable for excursion trips around the place due to the cool and pleasant weather conditions. Summer temperatures reach a maximum high of 34 degree Celsius while winter temperatures reach a maximum low of 10 to 11 degree Celsius.

 

Lodging and dining facilities at Krishnanagar: At Krishnanagar, there are a couple of nice hotels ideal for weekend visits throughout the year. There are deluxe category AC and non AC rooms. Cottages are also available. Other facilities like multi-cuisine restaurants, conference halls, free parking, 24 hours electricity, lawn, garden are also available. These hotels also arrange for Mayapur-Nabadwip day trips and even Puja offerings and bhog.

 

Photographs by Neelanjan Sinha, Mamon Sarkar, Pradyumna Pan, Chhanda and others.

BOOKING DETAILS OF KRISHNANAGAR