Digha
Discover Digha
Digha (Bengali: দীঘা Dīghā, Odia: ଦୀଘା Dīghā) is one of the most popular seaside resorts in West Bengal. People from the cities flock around the beaches of Digha during the vacation. As it is close to cities like Kolkata and Kharagpur, Digha has emerged from a small fishing hamlet to a weekend getaway with numerous budget hotels and lodges. Historically known as Beercool (বীরকুল Bīrkul), Digha has been known for its climate and natural beauty since the late 18th century. Warren Hastings called Beercool the "Brighton of the East" in a letter to his wife in 1780. Beercool then became popular among the British back then, and the Bengal Gazette published in 1781 even mentions a scheme for developing the place as a modern city. However, the popularity of Beercool got diminished around 1823, and the bungalow of Hastings eventually disappeared into the Bay of Bengal.
What to Experience in Digha
Famous Beaches
Taste of Digha...
The famous 'Hinger Kochuri' is a famous breakfast of Digha. There are many stalls and sweet shops all over Digha which offers this delicious breakfast. There are many cheap "rice hotels" all over Digha, serving cheap, but good quality Bengali dishes. There are some more expensive restaurants where continental food is available. In an average restaurant, a vegetarian meal is available for ₹35-45, Bengali fish curry-rice is available for ₹25-35. A meal with egg curry-rice is available around ₹45. Another great idea would be to just buy the staple vegetarian fare at the hotel you are staying and have it delivered to your room. You can buy fresh fishes like ilish, pomfret, parshe and prawns from Mohona, Digha fish market in the morning and have it cooked at the numerous "Dada-Boudi'r" joints around Sea Hawk. Have this fish with your standard vegetarian lunch or dinner. In the evening look for fried fish, crabs and prawns on the sea front in Digha. Those who are fussy about the quality of cooking, have transport at their command and are looking for tasty fish preparations should go and have lunch at Shankarpur, they prepare the fish much better than at the rest of Digha. The quality at Shankarpur is comparable to the splurge dining in Kolkata but is comparatively cheaper and the fish as fresh as you can demand. The trouble of travelling would be well compensated. Always avoid the hotel-agents at the Digha station as their hotels are situated very far from the beach.
A Rich Past
Explore the historical roots that shaped Digha into what it is today.
Historically known as Beercool (বীরকুল Bīrkul), Digha has been known for its climate and natural beauty since the late 18th century. Warren Hastings called Beercool the "Brighton of the East" in a letter to his wife in 1780. Beercool then became popular among the British back then, and the Bengal Gazette published in 1781 even mentions a scheme for developing the place as a modern city. However, the popularity of Beercool got diminished around 1823, and the bungalow of Hastings eventually disappeared into the Bay of Bengal. A century later, Calcutta-based English businessman John Frank Smith rediscovered the place in 1923 after examining the old documents, and he convinced the Bengal government to develop Digha to be a beach resort. A scheme to develop the place was approved in 1956. Digha is divided into two localities: New Digha and Old Digha. Old Digha covers the original seaside destination, and its beach has been narrowed due to heavy soil erosion. Big stones and concrete steps are used to hold together the beach. New Digha is the newly-developed locality, about 2 km (1.2 mi) from the old beach. The new beach is wider, and is lined with hotels and shops. The entire stretch between the two localities are covered by casuarina plantations, locally called jhāuban (ঝাউবন, literally "tamarisk forest") for their similarity with tamarisks. Summer starts in April and continues until June with a maximum temperature of 37 °C (99 °F)....
Climate
Summer starts in April and continues until June with a maximum temperature of 37 °C (99 °F). Although cold wind from the sea keeps the weather pleasant in this time. Next comes monsoon in July and lasts till the end of September. Digha generally experiences an average rainfall with high humidity in the monsoon season. Autumn sets in October and lasts till mid of December with an average temperature of around 25 °C (77 °F). The weather remains very pleasant this time. Winter sets in the second half of December and lasts till mid February with an average temperature of 15–16 °C (59–61 °F). The spring is the most enjoyable season in Digha starting from mid February to mid April. The hotels remain full of their capacity as tourist inflow is the highest in this peak season. Since Digha is near the border of West Bengal and Odisha, both Bengali and Odia are understood by the locals. Therefore, having a knowledge of any one of the two languages can be useful to communicate with them. 21.
Essential Information
Getting There
Multiple Options21.622987.50821 Digha railway station (DGHA) is the main entry point to the town. However, you should make reservations in advance for weekends, national holidays and sessions like Durga Puja, Diwali, Christmas etc. For train timings, check out the Indian Railways website. There are several trains from Howrah (HWH), New Jalpaiguri (NJP), Puri, Mecheda and Panskura. There are frequent bus services to 21.6271187.499932 Digha from Kolkata, including Esplanade, Baruipur, Garia and Joka. Buses from Garia run from 4:00AM–8:30AM and there is also an afternoon bus service from the same state transport depot. Service is regular and residents of Jadavpur, Tollygunge and Rajpur Sonarpur can easily use the good service. There are also bus services from Asansol, Baharampur, Bardhaman, Santiniketan, Serampore, Siliguri and Tarakeswar. Buses are available from Howrah as well, a connection has been made from Sealdah to Digha where a private bus arrives at 8:30AM throughout the week....
Getting Around & Staying
Getting Around
The main attraction of Digha is of course, the beaches in and around the town. Except Shankarpur and Talasari, all other beaches are easily accessible from the hotels in Old Digha and New Digha. Some Digha tourists even explore the beaches afield, which are listed at #Go next. The two temples in and around Digha are popular pilgrimage sites in the area, making Digha to claim the nickname the "Second Puri". Both are built in the typical Kalinga architecture style followed by many temples in Odisha. The museums and aquariums in Digha are less-explored gems of the town. The famous 'Hinger Kochuri' is a famous breakfast of Digha. There are many stalls and sweet shops all over Digha which offers this delicious breakfast. There are many cheap "rice hotels" all over Digha, serving cheap, but good quality Bengali dishes. There are some more expensive restaurants where continental food is available.
Where to Stay
Always avoid the hotel-agents at the Digha station as their hotels are situated very far from the beach. It is better to consult the cycle-rickshawallahs for better lodging facilities (they take commissions from the hotel guys)
Money & Budget
The famous 'Hinger Kochuri' is a famous breakfast of Digha. There are many stalls and sweet shops all over Digha which offers this delicious breakfast. There are many cheap "rice hotels" all over Digha, serving cheap, but good quality Bengali dishes. There are some more expensive restaurants where continental food is available. In an average restaurant, a vegetarian meal is available for ₹35-45, Bengali fish curry-rice is available for ₹25-35. A meal with egg curry-rice is available around ₹45. Another great idea would be to just buy the staple vegetarian fare at the hotel you are staying and have it delivered to your room.
Language & Talk
Since Digha is near the border of West Bengal and Odisha, both Bengali and Odia are understood by the locals. Therefore, having a knowledge of any one of the two languages can be useful to communicate with them. 21.622987.50821 Digha railway station (DGHA) is the main entry point to the town. However, you should make reservations in advance for weekends, national holidays and sessions like Durga Puja, Diwali, Christmas etc. For train timings, check out the Indian Railways website. There are several trains from Howrah (HWH), New Jalpaiguri (NJP), Puri, Mecheda and Panskura. There are frequent bus services to 21.6271187.499932 Digha from Kolkata, including Esplanade, Baruipur, Garia and Joka.
Safety Information
Glimpses of Digha
seashore during daytime
a statue of a woman with a bird in her hand
The Boat
Lonely Ice Cream Parlour at Sea Side Road
a body of water with waves
Gracefully breezing sea beach.....
fried fish in digha beach.
a statue of a person riding a horse
Digha sea Beach🏖
Orange Flower
seashore during daytime
a statue of a woman with a bird in her hand
The Boat