THT 045: Digha - A Romantic Holiday Beach in Bay of Bengal
Digha is West Bengal's most popular sea resort and tourist spot located south west of Calcutta. It is 187 km from Calcutta and Described as the 'Brighton of the East best for a holiday. Digha has a low gradient with a shallow sand beach with gentle waves extends 7 kms in length.
In Digha sea starts about a mile away from the start of the beach. The scenic beauty of this place is charming and luring. The beach is girdled with casuarinas plantations along the coast enhancing the beauty of this place. These trees apart from beautifying the sands also aid in reducing the erosion on the dunes.
One can view both sunrise and sunset at Digha sea beach. The sunsets and sunrises reflecting off the salty waters of the Bay of Bengal is something straight off an artist's easel. The sea at Digha is calm and shallow for about a mile from the beach making it quite safe for swimming.
Digha Originally known as Beerkul during Warren Hastings time was discovered in the late 18th century by the British. It is mentioned as the "Brighton of the East" in one of Warren Hasting's letters (1780 AD) to his wife. One can view both sunrise and sunset at Digha sea beach. The sunsets and sunrises reflecting off the salty waters of the Bay of Bengal is something straight off an artist's easel. The sea at Digha is calm and shallow for about a mile from the beach making it quite safe for swimming.
Also In 1923, an English tourist John Frank Smith was charmed by the beauty of Digha and started living here. His writings about Digha slowly gave exposure to this place. After independence, he convinced West Bengal's chief minister Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy to develop Digha as a beach resort.
Digha – Attractions & Activities
The Marine Aquarium and Research Centre (MARC) - The Marine Aquarium and Research Centre (MARC) was established in the year 1989 during the Seventh Five Year Plan. The major objective of the Centre is to display the marine biodiversity of the region and impart its values to the common people and to carry out the research activities. MARC has largest inbuilt marine aquarium in the country and equipped with sea water circulation system and advanced filtration unit. The aquarium has 24 big sized (15x10x10') marine tanks and 8 fresh water (3x2x2') tanks which are equipped with compressed air supply, light and regulated supply of inflow & outflow of water. Hundreds of visitors make it a point to view the Aquarium every day. The aquarium is opened to public on all working days from 9.3 0 A.M. to 6 P. M.
Amaravati Lake – This is a small park with a lake called Amravati, where you can enjoy a boat ride. Near the lake is a Snake Farm, which is an added attraction
Lord Shiva temple at Chandaneswar - Only 8 km away from Digha the century old Temple of Lord Shiva at Chandaneswar,near Bengal and Orissa Border.Nearly half million people & pilgrims visit the temple at Maha Vishuva Sankranti or Gajan Mela: towards the end of Chaitra.
How to Reach: Digha is accessible from Kolkata by road and by train.
Bus Service: There is frequent bus service to Digha from Dharmatala bus stand of Kolkata and many other parts of West Bengal. It is almost a 5 hour journey from Kolkata. Bus
