Ajodhya Hills, is a small plateau with hilly surroundings located in the

Purulia district Purulia district (Pron: puruliːaː) is one of the twenty-three districts of West Bengal state in Eastern India. Purulia is the administrative headquarters of the district. Some of the other important towns of Purulia district are Raghunathpur- ...

of the state

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is the easternmost part of the

Chhotanagpur Plateau The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the b ...

and extended part of

Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats pass through Odisha, Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka as well as Telangana. They are eroded and cut ...

range. Highest peak of Ajodhya Hills is Chamtaburu (699 m). The nearby populated town area is

Bagmundi Baghmundi is a community development block (CD block) that forms an administrative division in the Jhalda subdivision of the Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History Background Jaina Bhagavati-Sutra of the 5th century AD men ...

Geography

Overview

It is a popular place for young mountaineers to learn the basic course in rock climbing. There are three routes available to reach Ajodhya Hills. Via

Jhalda Jhalda is a city and a municipality in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Jhalda subdivision. Geography Location Jhalda is located at . It has an average elevation of . According to the ''Distr ...

, via

Sirkabad Sirkabad is a village in the Arsha CD block in the Purulia Sadar subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Sirkabad is located at . Sirkabad lies in the vicinity of the Ajodhya Hills and th ...

and via

Baghmundi Baghmundi is a village, with a police station, in the Baghmundi CD block in the Jhalda subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Baghmundi lies in the vicinity of the Ajodhya Hill and Forest R ...

. There are two Forest Rest Houses here, one at Ajodhya hill top and the other is at Matha range office. Other accommodation facilities are also available in Ajodhya Hill top and Bagmundi. There are Eco-resorts, 1. Gorgaburu Eco-resort, 2. Palash Bitan Jungle Hut at Murguma and 3. Eco-Adventure Resort at Khairabera.

Gorgaburu Gorgaburu is the second highest peak of Ajodhya Hills at an altitude of 677 meters. It is the second highest point in southern part of West Bengal. It is located at Western plateau and highlands of Purulia Purulia is a city and a municip ...

(677 m), Mayuri etc. are some of the peaks of Ajodhya hills range. Chamtaburu (712 m) is also the highest peak of southern West Bengal. The area forms the lowest step of the

Chota Nagpur Plateau The Chota Nagpur Plateau is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and the bas ...

. The general scenario is undulating land with scattered hills. The area around Baghmundi or Ajodhya Hill is an extended plateau.

History

According to Hindu mythology,

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

and

Sita Sita (; ) also called as Janaki and Vaidehi is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic, ''Ramayana''. She is the consort of Rama, the avatar of the god Vishnu, and is regarded as a form of Vishnu's consort, Lakshmi. She ...

had come to Ajodhya Hills and stayed during their exile. Sita was thirsty and Ram pierced an arrow through the Earth's soil crust and through that water gushed out. Sita quenched her thirst. The place is known as Sita-kunda. During the full moon day in

Baisakh Vaisakha; hi, बैसाख, Baisākh; pa, ਵਿਸਾਖ/وساکھ , te, వైశాఖ, kn, ವೈಶಾಖ, Vaiśākha; ml, വൈശാഖം, Vaiśākham; mr, वैशाख, Vaiśākh; ta, வைகாசி, Vaikāci; ne, � ...

every year

Santhal Santhal may refer to : Places and jurisdictions * Santhal Pargana division, in Jharkhand state, (north)eastern India * Santhal State, former petty princely state in Mahi Kantha, Gujarat, western India People * Santhal people (part of the Tea ...

, Bhumij and Munda tribals of nearby areas come and join in the game of hunting wild animals, called ''Disum Sendra''.

Distance from Kolkata

1. Balarampur (268m above Mean Sea Level): 319.7 Km 2. Matha (260m above MSL): 335.8 Km 3.

(302m above MSL): 317.5 Km 4. Ajodhya Hill Top (575m above MSL): 289.9 Km (Via Sirkabad) 5.

(304mabove MSL): 306.1 Km

Places to Visit based on Balarampur-Bagmundi Route

1. Ajodhya Hill Top: About 5 Hotels, Resorts and Lodges. 42 Km from Balarampur Rly. Station via Matha. 24 Km from Matha Forest Range Office. 18 Km from Bagmundi. 2. Matha Forest Rest House: 18 Km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 10 Km from Bagmundi. 3. Bagmundi: 28 Km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 4. Turga Dam and Turga Falls: 30 Km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 2 Km from Bagmundi. 5. Upper Dam and Lower Dam of Purulia Pumped Storage Hydel Power Project: 36 Km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 18 Km from Matha. 10 Km from Bagmundi. 6. Paprakocha Dam, Gorgaburu Eco-Resot: 13 Km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 12 Km from Matha. 23 Km from Bagmundi. 7. Gorgaburu Eco-Resot: 13 Km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 12 Km from Matha. 23 Km from Bagmundi. 8. Khayrabera Dam and Chamtaburu Hill: 32 Km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 14 Km from Bagmundi. 24 Km from Matha. 9. Machkanda Falls: 40 Km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 22 Km from Bagmundi. 32 Km from Matha. (All via Khayrabera) 10. Chamtaburu Hill: 32 Km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 14 Km from Bagmundi. 24 Km from Matha. 11. Bamni Falls: 40 Km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 22 Km from Matha. 14 Km from Bagmundi. 12. Durga Bera: 39 Km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 21 Km from Matha. 13 Km from Bagmundi.

Places to Visit from Ajodhya Hill Top (with distance)

1. Upper Dam (495m above MSL) and Lower Dam (300m above MSL) of Purulia Pumped Storage Hydel Power Project: 6 Km and 9Km on same route 2. Durga Bera (572m above MSL): 7 Km 3. Bamni Falls (434m above MSL): 10 Km 4. Turga Dam (284m above MSL) and Turga Falls: 18 Km 5. Khayrabera Dam and Chamtaburu Hill: 21 Km (via forest road), 30 Km (via Bagmundi) 6. Machkanda Falls: 18 Km 7. Murguma Dam: 20 Km 8. Matha: 23 Km 9.

(264m above Mean Sea Level ): 16 Km 10. Charida: 21 km 11. Pine Forest: 3 Km 12. Mayur Pahar (605m above MSL): 2 Km 13. Balarampur Rly. Station: 39 Km 14.

: 15 Km

Distance from Jhalda

1. Murguma (338m above MSL): 16 Km (Via Begunkodar) 2. Khairabera (304m above MSL): 32 Km (Via Bagmundi)

Development

Purulia Pumped Storage Project The Purulia Pumped Storage Project is a pumped storage hydroelectric power plant, located at Purulia district of West Bengal, India. The Ajodhya Hills offered suitable terrain for construction of upper and lower reservoirs. The scheme can supply a ...

with an installed capacity of 900 MW (4 X 225 MW) has been set up in Ajodhya hills under Baghmundi police station with the loan assistance of

Japan Bank for International Cooperation The , JBIC, is a Japanese public financial institution and export credit agency that was created on October 1, 1999, through the merger of the Japan Export-Import Bank (JEXIM) and the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF). JBIC became the in ...

. Near Ajodhya Hills, there is Turga Dam and the Lake, and the pleasant waterfall formed by the River Bamni. The site of the Turga Dam site is a perfect tourist spot, where the visitors can spend their day. Mahua flower in summer

References

Gallery

File:Bandhu Bridge, Entrance via Sirkabad.jpg, Bandhu Bridge, Entrance via Sirkabad File:Pond at Ajodhya top.jpg, Pond at Ajodhya top File:Pine forest near forest at hill top.jpg, Pine forest near forest office at hill top File:Bamni Falls.jpg, Bamni Falls File:Purulia Pumped storage project.JPG, Purulia Pumped storage project

External links

Ajodhya Photographs at TrekEarth
{{Eastern Ghats Hills of West Bengal Tourist attractions in Purulia district