Mayurakshi - The Blue Lagoon of enthralling nature

Massanjore is a nature based tourist spot, located at juncture of two eastern states namely Jharkhand and West Bengal. Nature based areas are those where the landscapes remain in its form & untouched by human being. A wide variety of plants, green meadows make the place lush green and eco-friendly.

This area was under West Bengal state government at the beginning but new demarcation pushed the place under the jurisdiction of Jharkhand. Massanjore dam is located across Mayurakshi river in Dumka district of Jharkhand state, India. It is also called ‘Canada dam’ or ‘Pearson dam’ which was commissioned in 1955. The dam is 155 feet high from its base and 2170 feet long. It is on the Siuri-Dumka road which is about 24 kms from Dumka in Jharkhand and about 45 kms from Siuri in West Bengal.

Mayurakshi river, as also called ‘Mor river’ is a major river in Jharkhand and has it’s source on Trikut hills which is about 16 kilometers from Deoghar in Jharkhand state. It flows through Jharkhand and then through districts of Birbhum and Murshidabad in West Bengal before flowing into the Hooghly river. The river is about 250 kilometers long. Mayurakshi literally means ‘peacock eyes’ which is as ‘mayur/mor’ means peacock and ‘akshi’ means eye. The comparison is with the beautiful feathers on a peacock’s tail.

This is a nice place for family and friends to stay and enjoy the nature. The view of the Dam is very beautiful as many people enjoy looking at the scenic view of the dam. The place is just amazing for adventurous persons. Hill climbing or trekking is pretty much enjoyable. There is a very nice picnic spot where a group of 30-40 peoples can enjoy along with the friends and families. People may also avail the opportunity of boat ride with safety measures in Mayurakshi river. One can also enjoy the aerial view of hydroelectric power station adjacent to Massanjore dam. Here, the broad river, mountains, gives Jharkhand state its identity everywhere. At night, the total ambience gets changed.

Inspection Bungalows of both the states are available on hill tops and that gives an extra advantage to see the dam and river in new style. Youth hostel is also available to stay. However it will be good to stay nearby Bolpur city as it makes it convenient to visit the spots like Bakreshwar, a place of warm water sources, Shantiniketan (Famous Tagore university), Tarapeeth and Dargah (holy place) etc. Otherwise, it will remain incomplete. Deoghar is also not far away from Massanjore where one can visit the temple of Anukul Thakur before leaving the place. Ajay river is another small attraction one can find on the way to Siuri while getting back from the spot. It will be a nice trip for 2-3 days a family of four members can enjoy the natures pride truly. One can make a short trip of 1 day without visiting Shanti Niketan and other local tourist spots around the place.

One can visit this place from any location via Kolkata city or can directly reach Bolpur, Birbhum district in West Bengal. Tourists can hire a cab from Bolpur railway station to reach this tourist destination, as other modes of transport may not be convenient for tourists. One should also carry sufficient drinking water and few food items as there is no food court available at the location. However some local small eating places are available nearby the place. But one should also take care of hygienic issues and at the same time should also remain cautious on environmental issues as no one is allowed to throw any kind of wastes around the spot.

Cost for such trip for a group of four members will be around Rs.5000/- for one day trip excluding the cost to reach Bolpur. Otherwise it may cost around Rs. 12000-15000/- for three days trip.