Chandraketugarh

চন্দ্রকেতুগড়

North 24 Parganas district · Kolkata & Around

A buried city more than two thousand years old.

About Chandraketugarh

At Berachampa, an hour and a half from Kolkata, lie the mounds of an ancient port city occupied from several centuries BCE to the Pala period. The site is famous among archaeologists for its delicate terracotta plaques. Visitors see the excavated brick temple base at Khana-Mihirer Dhipi, the ramparts of the old fort and a small site museum.

Highlights

Khana-Mihirer Dhipi, the excavated mound
The rampart of the ancient fort
The site museum of terracotta finds

Plan your trip

Best time: November to February.
How to reach: Harua Road station on the Sealdah to Hasnabad line is close to Berachampa; about 40 km from Kolkata by road via Barasat.
Suggested stay: Day trip
Distance from Kolkata: About 40 km by road
Travel time: 1.5 to 2 hours
Nearest railway station: Harua Road
Budget: Budget
Accessibility: An open protected site; the museum’s opening days are not currently verified.
Travel responsibly: Taking or buying antiquities from the site is illegal.

Tip

It is a protected site: do not pick up or buy pottery or terracotta fragments.

Nearby and related destinations

Parmadan Forest: A riverside deer forest named for Bibhutibhushan. (about 100 km from Kolkata, nearest station Bongaon Junction)
Kolkata: The City of Joy: colonial grandeur, adda, books and food.
Chandannagar: A former French colony on the Hooghly. (about 40 km from Kolkata, nearest station Chandannagar)
Serampore (Srirampur): Danish Bengal and the birthplace of modern Bengali printing. (about 30 km from Kolkata, nearest station Shrirampur)

Part of these guides

Distances and travel times are approximate road figures from central Kolkata. Check timings, permits and road conditions before you travel.