Gadiara

The Ganges is wide here. Wide enough that you stop thinking of it as a river and start thinking of it as a fact of the world. Gadiara occupies one of the most naturally magnificent positions in the Howrah district. The village and its embankment face west-southwest, which means that both sunrise (over the water behind you, reflected in the river in front) and sunset (directly into the confluence) are spectacular viewing events that the town has calibrated its rhythms around. The WBTDC tourist lodge, the small temples along the ghat and the chai-wallahs on the embankment all position themselves to take advantage of this fact.