Birbhum-Murshidabad

Birbhum-Murshidabad is a region in West Bengal consisting of the districts of Birbhum and Murshidabad. Birhum is famous for its folk culture, especially the itinerant singers known as bauls. The district is also known as "Ranga Matir desh" because of its reddish soil. Murshidabad was the historical centre of the last independent Bengal state.

It is basically an agricultural district. The people in and around Santiniketan and the temple towns and shakti peethas are used to the inflow of large number of tourists.

• Baharampur (বহরমপুর)
• Bakreshwar
• Fullara
• Kankalitala
• Kendubillo — birthplace of Joydeb, 12th century Sanskrit poet, also famous for the old temple and fair
• Labhpur - birth place of Tarashankar Bandopadhyay
• Murshidabad (মুর্িশদাবাদ)
• Nalhati
• Nanoor — birthplace of Chandidas Rami, Sanskrit poet, possibly of the 14th century
• Sainthia
• Santiniketan (শান্তিনিকেতন)
• Tarapith

Bengali is the local language. There are Santhalis and other tribals in the area. Hindi and a little bit of English is understood in the towns.

• By rail - It is well-connected with Kolkata.
• By road - The Panagarh-Moregram Expressway linking Grand Trunk Road (NH 2) with NH 5 cuts across the district. There are several other entry points for the district.
• By bus - the neighbouring districts are well connected with Birbhum by bus.

The towns of Birbhum ditrict are well connected by roads.

• Tagore's university at Santiniketan
• Shakti Peethas - temple towns
• Hot spring at Bakreshwar

• Go to Data Mahbub Shah (Rahmatullahe Alaihe) Majar (Tomb) at Pathor Chapuri

• Siuri is famous for a sweetmeat - morabba- and for pickles. Morabba is made of various vegetable/fruit items preserved in a sugar base - pataler motabba, beler motabba, chal kumror morabba (known as petha in Agra), sata mulir morabba, amlokir morabba and so on. These are available in the sweetmeat shops.

If you are the adventurous type try the fresh toddy juice as the tappers bring it down early in the morning beside highways in the rural areas. Warning: Once it is late fermentaion sets in. Avoid country liquor shops.