The Banks of the Ajay

Churulia sits not far from the Ajay River, the slow-flowing watercourse that marks the boundary between Paschim Bardhaman and Birbhum districts. Walk down to the ghats in the cool of early morning or late afternoon: you'll see washermen at work, herons, the occasional fishing coracle, the wide flat silvery sheet of water. This same river runs past Jaydev Kenduli, the great Baul pilgrimage site, roughly 50km upstream.