While spring is yet to make way for summer, however, due to global climatic changes, early March was also observing record high temperatures. Despite the rising mercury levels, a fantastic highway with excellent drivability, and with stunning natural beauty to complement it, was enough to convince us to hit the road leading to Ghatshila. At a distance of around 230 kilometres from Kolkata, Ghatshila offers an opportunity to spend a nice weekend while enjoying the fantastic drive. Join Team Wheels as we take you on a drive to the land of Asia’s first copper mines and also the world’s second deepest mine.

Route Description

In order to beat the heat and the office rush, we ensured to start early in the day. By 7am we were already at Vidya Sagar Setu Toll Plaza, where we set our trip meter to zero. We continued driving on NH-12, through Kona Expressway, then took the left exit to NH-16 with 7.7 kilometres in the trip meter. We took a pit stop at Azad Hind Dhaba at Uluberia for some lip smacking breakfast comprising of alu paratha and tea. Post breakfast, we were back on the highway and continued straight on NH-16, through Dhulagori Toll plaza, all the way to Kolaghat. Upon crossing Kolaghat, we continued straight towards Kharagpur on NH-49. At Kharagpur roundabout, with our trip meter reading 115 kilometres, we took the second exit to continue on NH-49. From there on, starts the beautiful stretch of road, in excellent conditions thanks to NHAI. We passed Lodhashuli Forest, with long stretches of roads blessed with the scenic beauty of trees and the seasonal ‘Palash’ by its sides.

At 167 kilometres on our trip meter, we exited West Bengal and entered Jharkhand. At 183 kilometres, we reached Baharagora, from where we took right towards NH-18. We continued on NH-18, passing through Kokpara Toll Plaza (207 kilometres on trip meter) and finally arriving at Ghatshila. At 226 kilometres on the trip meter, we took the left service lane avoiding the highway over bridge, and continued for another kilometre, before taking a U- turn underneath the bridge. Thereafter we continued for another 250 metres and then took the left (towards St Jospeh’s School) and finally reached our destination - Resort Atmosphere. The trip meter indicated 229 kilometres and it took us around 3 hours and 50 minutes of driving time to reach there.

Ghatshila

Situated at a distance of 45kilometres from Jamshedpur, Ghatshila was once a preferred ‘second home’ for many Bengalis due to its beauty and pleasant climate during the winters. In fact, even today, though residing in Jharkhand, Bengali is the most spoken language at Ghatshila with more than 50% of people residing in the area speaking the language. Ghatshila situated on the Chota Nagpur Plateau, and is extremely rich in Copper. The first Copper mines of Asia, and the second deepest mine in the world lies in the area between Ghatshila and Jamshedpur. Hindustan Copper Limited is located at Moubhandar, a mile away from Ghatshila.

Resort Atmosphere

Our abode for the night at Ghatshila was Resort Atmosphere which is touted to be one of the best properties in town. We had opted for the Deluxe Room whose tariff was INR 4000 per night. The Deluxe Room is located on the second floor; however, please note that there are no elevators at present. In the third floor, they have a games lobby which has a pool table, foosball table, and carrom board, just to name a few. The resort has been constructed on a large plot of land and has a pond where one can opt for boating. Apart from that there were multiple areas where children or adults can play cricket and football among other sporting facilities available in the resort.

The Deluxe Room is well furnished with all the modern amenities to soothe an urbane soul. The side wall is made purely with glass which offers an amazing view of the property. The bed was large and came with comfy mattress and nice pillows. The washroom was clean with modern bathroom fittings. Got to know later that another category of room, the VIP Deluxe Room (tariff INR 4500) has a bathtub as well in the bathroom! During our stay we were treated with simple home cooked tasty meals comprising of rice, dal, bhaji, sabji and lip smacking succulent mutton! We also had chutney, papad and awesome ‘Gurer Rasogolla’ made with pure jaggery. Finally, to end our night, we were served scoops of butterscotch ice-cream. Our overall stay at Resort Atmosphere was very pleasant. The owner, Mr. Tushar, and his wife, ensured we were well taken care of, throughout our stay at their resort.

In The Vicinity

While at Ghatshila, we visited four local sightseeing spots. Though there are many more interesting spots nearby, however, due to paucity of time we chose the top four out of the pool. 1. Gouri Kunj (House of Great Bengali Novelist & Author Late Shri Bibhuti Bhushan Bandyopadhyay) - Tucked away in the quiet town of Ghatshila, Gouri Kunja, which was named after his first wife, was not just a house but a sanctuary for one of Bengal’s greatest literary minds—Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay. The author who gave us masterpieces like Pather Panchali, Aparajito, Chader Pahar, Ichhamati and Aranyak spent a significant part of his life here till his death in 1950, finding inspiration in the untouched beauty of nature. The small house has some of the author’s clothes, furniture, manuscripts of unfinished works on display. 2. Ratmohna falls - Ratmohna falls is one of the famous falls in Ghatshila, right on the banks of the Subarnarekha River. Though the weather ensured we could only see the glimpse of the mighty waterfall, it was lovely seeing it with a rocky Subarnarekha bed right adjacent to us. Just

standing in the middle of the bridge that’s over Subarnarekha and enjoying a panoramic 360 degree view is enough to delight you, add to that the golden sunset we caught here! 3. Burudih Lake: Burudih Lake is one of the prominent tourist spot of Jharkhand that attracts a number of tourists. This is an artificial lake created on the Burudih Dam. Bordered by low hills and green forests this lake provides a wonderful beauty, which will make one spellbound. Reflection of the adjacent hills on the crystal clear water of the lake creates an awesome painting. Apart from the scenic beauty, tourist can also enjoy boating (paddle and speed boat) in the lake. There are some eateries on the barrage bridge adjacent to the lake which one might try for tasty local desi chicken! 4. Dharagiri Falls: From Burudih dam, another 5-10 minute’s drive brought us to Basadera village, at the edge of forests. There, we parked the car and with the help of a local village kid who became our guide, we walked through the village, on to an exciting walk down the jungle trail. It’s an approximately 15 minute trek, neither very long nor too hard, and is extremely beautiful. The feeling of walking through nature, that too dense forest area, rejuvenates you! It's best to visit in the morning with birds chirping adding to the beauty of the greenery of the forest. At the end of the trek we reached the 21-feet high Dharagiri falls, however to see its true might; suggest you to visit during peak monsoon, around August-September.