6 Hidden Secrets of West Bengal that Every Offbeat Traveler will Appreciate

Have you heard of 'Hingul Putul' of West Bengal? Do you have a beautiful 'Baluchuri ' saree in your collection ? No? Well, then at least name a sweet from West Bengal. You just said 'Rosogolla' !

Well, then today I would introduce you to a Bengal which is beyond 'Rosogolla' and ' Taant' Sarees. This Bengal which is unknown to so many is slowly vanishing into oblivion.

It is only you and I who can stop them from vanishing.

In this article I would list some of the very unique and beautiful things from the Bankura District of West Bengal.

'Mecha Sondesh'

Let's start our journey with some 'Mecha Sondesh' from Beliatore. If the proverb "Necessity is the mother of invention" had a shape , then that would have been this sweet delicacy of Bankura known as 'Mecha Sondesh'.

We, the people of Bengal, absolutely love sweets and we cannot do without them. In 1625-1635 when Bankura was ruled by Malla Kings, there was once a shortage of milk due to dry weather conditions. The popular 'sondesh' which required milk could not be made.But neither the Kings nor the people could do away with their craving for sweets. Hence, a new type of 'sondesh' was created from gram flour and 'khoya kheer'.

Gram was pounded into flour and then fried in ghee. The lumps were ground again and then cooked in sugar syrup. Reduced milk (khoya Kheer or chachi) ,which could be transported from other parts of Bengal were also cooked along with the sugar and fried 'besan'.

The reduced soft mixture was cooled down before shaping them into balls. Lastly the balls were dipped in sugar syrup to give a thin coating of sugar.

Thus, was born the 'Mecha Sondesh' which not only satiated the sweet cravings of everyone but could also be made from very less quantity of milk.

'Mecha sondesh' is not much known or found outside Bankura. The sweets are delicious and if you ever go to Bengal ,make it a point to taste some of these unique sugar balls. Visit 'Mecha Mahal' of Belliatore for some of the best quality Mecha Sandesh

'Dasavatar Tas'

Now Lets go and explore a Card game. No! This is not the 52 cards game that I am talking about. Oh! Did I tell you what is 'tas'? Well, 'tas' is the Bengali word for cards. This particular card game is about more than a thousand years old and contains a set of one hundred and twenty cards. This card game was invented by the Malla kings of Bankura and had the depiction of ten Avatars of Lord Vishnu. The cards were made of cloth, tamarind glue, lime and natural colours. The rule of the game changed with time in a day and season in a year. The paintings on the cards are absolutely fantastic. However, with the emerging popularity other games and technology these cards have become almost extinct. Only one family 'Fouzdar' is still holding onto their family art. The residence of Fouzdar family is located in the 'sankhari bazaar' area of Bishnupur.

The process of making the cards are elaborate and time taking. Hence, these are a little expensive. A pack of ten cards costs Rs.4000/- and the cost of a full set of one hundred and twenty cards is Rs. 7000/-.As an alternative option, to stop the demand from dying out, the Fouzdar Family members have started painting the 'Dasavatar' art form on Bankura Lanterns. These beautiful lanterns are priced somewhere between Rs. 700 to Rs. 800.

'Hingul Putul'

'Putul' is the Bengali word for dolls. 'Hingul putul' is an ancient doll which was created by the women of the Fouzdar family. These are cute finger sized dolls made of soft clay. The name 'Hingul' comes from the locally available mercury sulphide clay which was used to give the dolls a red hue. The dolls after being made of soft clay, were dried under the sun and then painted brightly with natural colours.

These dolls have a unique dressing pattern with a western influence. They are often found wearing frocks and blouses and caps. However, in this age of Barbie dolls, these indigenous dolls are slowly dying out. A pair of 'Hingul dolls' that I bought from Fouzdar home was priced at Rs. 30 for a pair.

Terracotta articles of Panchmura

If you visit Bishnupur you would be mesmerized by the intricacy of the terracotta temples. You would definitely want to bring back a piece of such art as a souvenir. You would find shops selling terracotta items near the temples. They don't cost much but are excellent pieces of art.

If you want to watch the artisans create these beautiful pieces of art ,then head towards Panchmura village located about 25 kms. from Bishnupur. The drive to this village would be through typical Bengal villages which would take you across rice fields, mud houses, cattle and bamboo bushes.

In the village of Panchmura every house belongs to an artist. Even the kids are skilled in creating beautiful pieces.

one of the interesting terracotta items is the conch shell. It is a replica of the original sea conch shells and is made so skillfully that if you blow through them they would actually produce the exact sound of the conch shells!!! Isn't that interesting? However, one of the sad realities is that due to decreasing demand for these items the parents are discouraging their children from taking up their family art form. If this continues, then this art form would soon become just a chapter in history.

Baluchuri Sarees

Now, I would tell you about a unique saree from Bengal-A saree which you tell you stories from the Mahabharata, Ramayana and the 'Sri Krishna leela'.

Baluchuri silk sarees are pride of Bengal. The practice of making this saree started in about two hundred years ago in a village named Baluchar near Murshidabad district. The art flourished under the patronisation of Nawab Murshid Kuli khan. During the initial years,the baluchuri weaving revolved around the scenes from the royal court.The sarees were weaved to depict Nawabs,Or even Europeans of the east Indian company.

Present day weaver of baluchuri are settled in Bishnupur since the 19th century.Under the patronisation of the Malla kings,the patterns changed and the weavers started depicting scenes from Ramayana and Mahabharata on the sarees.

The process of making one Baluchuri Saree takes one week. There are three types of Sarees that are currently made - 'Baluchuri' (single coloured thread used for motifs), 'Meenakari Baluchuri' (multiple coloured threads are used for motifs),'Swarnachuri' (motifs are made of gold threads).The sarees are expensive but if you look at the intricacy of the motifs ,you would know that these are not over priced. The minimum price is Rs.5000 for a saree. You can find the weaving mills near the 'Dalmadal canon' area where you can actually see the weavers busy in their works.

Stone Craft of Susunia hills

Located about 60kms away from Bishnupur,the susunia hills stand guarding the district of Bishnupur. Susunia hills are a ideal for the beginner level trekkers and attracts many adventure seekers. Along with enjoying a beautiful trekking experience among the trees and rock strewn pathway, one can also admire the stone carvers who can be found working at the foot of the hills. The stone carvers use the rocks and stones from the hills itself and create some absolutely stunning pieces of art out of them. You can get one for yourself as a souvenir from the trip and they won't even burn your pockets.

These are some of the unique and beautiful things that you can get for yourself as a souvenir from West Bengal. I have already grabbed these unique articles for my collection. When are you planning to do so?