Just 2.5 kilometres from Midnapore town, tucked against the Kangsabati riverbank, Gopegarh Eco Park is the easiest heritage excursion from the town and a pleasant addition to a day otherwise spent on the Freedom Trail. The park was opened in 2001 on the ruins of the old Gopegarh Fort, a site with roots reaching back through Buddhist, Hindu and Mughal-period occupation.
History of the Site
The site of Gopegarh dates to the Buddhist period, when the area around Midnapore was part of the commercial and religious network serving Tamralipta port. In the Ain-i-Akbari, Abu'l-Fazl mentions two forts in Medinipur; one of them is generally identified as Gopegarh, also known as Gope Griha. Later it received Hindu Puranic associations and was connected to the mythological Kingdom of Virat in the Mahabharata tradition. In the early nineteenth century, the Banerjee family of Telinipara, zamindars who had acquired the ruins, built a palace within the old fort's perimeter, itself now largely ruined. The Gope Nandini Mandir, a goddess temple within the compound, is still actively worshipped.
The Park Today
The park is a pleasant, forested retreat. Walking paths wind through tall trees, past colourful flower beds and a small lake where boating is available. Inside the compound stands the ruin of the Gope Palace, a structure of exposed brick pillars from which the forest has been cleared but which offers little hint of its original character. More rewarding is the watchtower near the Gope Palace, from which a panoramic view of the Kangsabati River and its bridge unfolds in the late afternoon, with the distant silhouette of Midnapore town behind it. Entry is Rs 10 per person. A children's play area and designated picnic sites make this a popular family destination on winter Sundays. Booking for boating and picnic sheds can be arranged at the Forest Range Office.
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