It took us around 6-6.5 hours, starting from Kolkata, to reach the fabled Ajodhya Hills. It is the easternmost part of Chhotonagpur Plateau and the highest land area of South Bengal.
We drove through the State Highway crossing Arambagh, Bankura, Manbazar, and Balarampur, and reached our destination - Patal Ghar. A open resort on the foothills of 'Kuku Burru', one of the hills around that region. The place is great, near Baghmundi Town. The houses where we stayed were built in the shape of "Hobbit House" as seen on LOTR and Hobbit Film series.
In the evening, we went to Chharida, known as "The Mask Village". Here, the majority of masks for the Chhau Artists get made. Around hundreds of shops in close vicinities, with their exhibition of beautiful masks lit up green in the backdrop of blue halogen lights made the evening stroll through the village very memorable.
We covered the major places of Ajodhya Hills in second day. The places which can be accessed from Baghmundi.
Those were - Lower Dam, Upper Dam, Ajodhya Hill Top, Mayur Pahar, Marble Lake, Bamni Falls, and Khairabera Reservoir (this we visited after lunch).
Pick of the bunch, for me, would be Bamni Falls, and Khairabera Dam. Marble Lake is also a good spot, where a water body is being surrounded by elevated bunch of large limestone rocks.
There is a hiking trail down the path to reach the lowest point of Bamni Falls. It is tough for uninitiated people, but if you can go down all the way, you will be treated well.
On the way to Khairabera Reservoir, we went past "Chemta Burru", the highest peak of Ajodhya Hills, and also, South Bengal.
We stayed for 2 nights, and on our way home, we stopped and visited the "Murra Buru" or Pakhi Pahar, that got its name due to the bird-scriptures imprinted on it by ancient humans. The morning stroll through the forest and climbing up the hill was fun.
