The arc of sites between Katwa and the Bardhaman-Gushkara corridor, roughly 25-40km south-west of Katwa, is best explored by hired car or with a motorcycle/scooter. The cluster of Chandni Jaltungi, Bhalki Machan and Dariapur Dokra village makes a natural half-day or full day depending on pace.
Chandni Jaltungi: The Lake Pavilion of Dignagar
Hours (visiting): 7-9am; evenings for the light show
In the village of Dignagar, in the Ausgram block of Purba Bardhaman, an octagonal pavilion stands on a small platform in the centre of a still lake, its reflection perfectly doubled in the water. This is the Chandni Jaltungi, literally ‘moonlit water pavilion’, and the story behind it is the most unexpected love story in the district’s architecture.
Maharaja Kirti Chand Rai, the great Bardhaman Maharaja who ruled from 1702 to 1740 CE and whose patronage shaped much of what you see across Circuits 1 and 2; the Lalji Temple at Kalna, the Sarbamangala Temple and Ranishayar Dam in Bardhaman; was married to Rajrajeshwari, daughter of Bulchand Tandon, a noble family from Sindh (Punjab). His queen missed the great lakes and water pavilions of her homeland. In response, Kirti Chand commissioned the construction of this Jaltungi, a water pavilion in the Rajputana chatri style, on a purpose-built jheel (lake) at Dignagar, the royal retreat estate. Local legend says the queen was so luminous that when she cupped water from the lake on a full moon night, she held the moon’s reflection in her palms. Thus the name Chandni, ‘moonlight.’
The palace that accompanied the Jaltungi has not survived as the Maratha raids of the 1740s ended Dignagar’s golden era. But the pavilion on the water endures. Restored by the local block administration in October 2018, it now has an evening light and sound show narrating its history. Three cottages and one family room are available for overnight stays, managed by the property, making it the most atmospheric accommodation base in the entire circuit. The adjacent village of Dignagar also contains a centuries-old Jagannath Temple where you can attend evening aarti.
A Note on Kirti Chand’s Legacy
The same Maharaja Kirti Chand who built the Chandni Jaltungi also commissioned the Lalji Temple in Kalna (the oldest Panchavimshati Ratna temple in the district, built by his mother Braja Kishori Devi) and the Sarbamangala Temple in Bardhaman town. He expanded his zamindari from 49 to 57 parganas across 5,000 square miles — the largest it had ever been. He built lakes, temples, trading posts and one exquisite water pavilion for his queen. Visiting Chandni Jaltungi after Kalna and Bardhaman completes the picture of a single remarkable architectural patron.
Bhalki Machan: The Forest Retreat
Bhalki village, situated on the western edge of the Ausgram block and bordered by the Illambazar Forest, is enveloped by dry woodland consisting of sal and shegun (teak) trees. This setting serves as a clear indication of the proximity of the Birbhum uplands, which start immediately to the north. The main attraction is a large man-made lake cut from the forest and, beside it, a 35-foot brick tower that has accumulated two centuries of colourful misinterpretation.
Local tradition holds that the Zamindars of Bardhaman used this tower as a machan, a hunting platform, from which they shot bears (bhaluk in Bengali, hence Bhalki Machan, the Bear’s Hunting Platform). A persistent rumour speaks of a tunnel beneath the tower. In fact, the Chandni Jaltungi heritage website has published the more prosaic truth: according to the 1880 survey report, the tower was a numbered station of the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India, the extraordinary 19th-century project that measured the arc of the Indian meridian and established the height of the Himalaya. The platform on top served a theodolite and its operator, not a marksman and his prey.
This discovery does nothing to diminish the atmosphere of the place, which is genuinely beautiful. The lake is surrounded by wild dahlias, chrysanthemums and deodars planted by the local gram panchayat; the forest is quiet; woodpeckers, kingfishers and various forest birds make their presence known. A small boating facility operates on the lake in winter. The Aranya Sundari lodge (basic) is the only formal accommodation in the forest itself. The value of Bhalki Machan is less in any single attraction and more in the rare experience, within the Bardhaman circuit, of walking in actual forest.
Dariapur (Dariyapur): The Dokra Craft Village
Dariapur, the Dokra metalwork hub of Purba Bardhaman district, is located just 5km from Chandni Jaltungi. As one of the most easily accessible living-craft villages in the area, a visit can range from a quick 45-minute stop to a more extended two-hour exploration, depending on your interest.
Dokra (also spelled Dhokra) is an ancient technique of non-ferrous metal casting using the ‘lost-wax’ (cire perdue) process. The technique is one of the oldest known to humanity, with its origins dating back to the Indus Valley Civilisation. A notable early illustration is a dancing girl figurine from Mohenjodaro, which is approximately 4,500 years old. The process: an artisan first models the object in clay, then covers it in beeswax or resin and carves the desired surface design directly into the wax. A second clay layer is applied over the wax, leaving channels for drainage. The assembly is fired: the wax melts out, liquid bronze or brass is poured in and after cooling the outer clay is broken away to reveal the metal casting, retaining every carved detail. No two pieces are identical.
The families of Dariapur trace their craft lineage to Chhattisgarh (the Bastar region) via Odisha, settling in this village approximately 120 years ago. Today, 133 artisans in the village practice Dokra as their primary occupation. The West Bengal government, in association with UNESCO, has developed a Rural Craft Hub here, with a community centre, cooperative office, a kiln yard, a small Community Museum documenting the Dokra tradition and a direct-sales area where artisans’ workshops double as open showrooms. The cost of goods at the source is significantly lower than the retail price in Kolkata. Furthermore, visiting a working workshop offers a unique and remarkable experience: observing the lost-wax process firsthand. Artisans are usually delighted to explain and demonstrate for curious visitors.
Products range from small figurines (deities, elephants, horses, owls), which make excellent and authentic gifts, to large decorative panels, lamp caskets, conch shells and the distinctive Dokra jewellery. Some artisans have been invited by universities and organisations internationally to demonstrate the craft; the village is serious about quality and market linkage, with an active cooperative society established in 2014.
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