Khana Mihirer Dhipi
The main mound, with exposed brick structure and the local legend of Khana and Mihir attached to it. Twenty minutes of walking, and worth reading about before you go.
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Chandraketugarh: a 2,000 year old city under the fields
Near Berachampa on the Basirhat road, under a set of earth mounds and paddy fields, lies a settlement older than two thousand years, with layers going back to the Mauryan period. What you see today is not a monument: it is mounds, brick lines, a small museum nearby and a landscape. Come for the idea of it, not for a view. From Barrackpore it is only 37 km, closer than from Kolkata.
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The short version
- Road distance from Kolkata
- 45 km
- From Barrackpore side
- 37 km
- Usual drive time
- 1.5 to 2 hours from Kolkata, 1 to 1.5 hours from Barrackpore
- Best time to go
- November to February, morning
- Suits
- History readers, students, photographers, anyone bored of the usual list
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What you actually see there
The local museum
A small collection of terracotta seals, plaques and pottery found in the area. Ask us to check the opening day before you fix the date, because it is not open every day.
Berachampa and around
A working country town with a market and simple eating places. Many people add Taki, 25 km further on the same road, and make a full day of it.
How to reach
From Barrackpore, take the Barasat road and then the Basirhat highway to Berachampa, about 37 km. From central Kolkata it is about 45 km via Barasat. The site is spread across village land, so you need the car to move between the mound, the museum and the market. There is no signage worth relying on, so keep your phone map on.
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What we tell people before they go
Small things that decide whether the day is good or tiring.
Read a page about the site before you go. Without that, mounds look like mounds.
Nothing is fenced or ticketed, so do not pick up anything from the ground. Whatever is left there is protected.
Combine it with Taki for a full day, or with the Bandel and Chandannagar side if you are starting from our belt.
Road distances and drive times here are checked on road routing data and then widened for real traffic. Timings, ferry hours and entry rules change with the season, so ask us the day before you go and we will tell you what the road is like that week.
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Cars for this trip
These are the trips on our list that match this guide. Pickup is from your gate.
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We pick up from these areas
A day trip works best when the car reaches you early, from your own side of town.
questions
Questions about Chandraketugarh: a 2,000 year old city under the fields
Is there anything to actually see at Chandraketugarh?
Honestly, not much above ground: the Khana Mihirer Dhipi mound, some exposed brickwork, the museum collection and the fields. If you like history, it is remarkable. If you want a view or a monument, you will be disappointed, and we would rather tell you that first.
How far is Chandraketugarh from Barrackpore?
About 37 km by road through Barasat, an hour to an hour and a half. From central Kolkata it is about 45 km.
not sure yet? send the date anyway. If we cannot do it, we will say so.
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