Ajodhya Hills (), is a small plateau with hilly surroundings located in the

Purulia district Purulia district () is one of the twenty-three districts of West Bengal state in Eastern India. Purulia is the administrative headquarters of the district. Some of the other important towns of Purulia district are Raghunathpur- Adra, Manbazar ...

of the state

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. It is the easternmost part of the Chhotanagpur Plateau and extended part of

Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats is a mountain range that stretches along the East Coast of India, eastern coast of the Indian peninsula. Covering an area of , it traverses the states and union territories of India, states of Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Prade ...

range. Highest peak of Ajodhya Hills is Chamtuburu (720 m). The nearby populated town area is

Bagmundi Baghmundi is a Community development blocks in India, community development block (CD block) that forms an administrative division in the Jhalda subdivision of the Purulia district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of West Bengal ...

Geography

Purulia is situated in the westernmost part of the Indian state of West Bengal and forms the lowest step of the Chota Nagpur Plateau. The district features a rugged and undulating landscape, marked by scattered hills, ridges, and plateaus. The soil is predominantly lateritic, supporting dry deciduous vegetation. Major rivers flowing through the region include the Kangsabati, Subarnarekha, and Kumari, which play a crucial role in the district's irrigation and ecology. The

Ajodhya Hills Ajodhya Hills (), is a small plateau with hilly surroundings located in the Purulia district of the state West Bengal, India. It is the easternmost part of the Chhotanagpur Plateau and extended part of Eastern Ghats range. Highest peak of Ajodhya ...

, located in the southern part of the district, are part of the extended plateau region and serve as an important ecological and tourist zone. The climate of Purulia is classified as

tropical savanna Tropical and subtropical grasslands, savannas, and shrublands is a terrestrial biome defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. The biome is dominated by grass and/or shrubs located in semi-arid to semi-humid climate regions of subtropical and t ...

(Aw) under the

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

climate classification. Summers are hot and dry, while winters are cool and pleasant. Rainfall occurs mainly during the monsoon months from June to September. The district is known for its scenic beauty, tribal villages, and potential for eco-tourism development.

Overview

It is a popular place for young mountaineers to learn the basic course in rock climbing. There are three routes available to reach Ajodhya Hills. Via

Jhalda Jhalda is a town and a municipality in Purulia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Jhalda subdivision. Geography Location Jhalda is located at . It has an average elevation of . According to the ''Distri ...

, via

Sirkabad Sirkabad is a village in the Arsha CD block in the Purulia Sadar subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Sirkabad is located at . Sirkabad lies in the vicinity of the Ajodhya Hills and t ...

and via

Baghmundi Baghmundi is a village, with a police station, in the Baghmundi (community development block), Baghmundi Community development blocks in India, CD block in the Jhalda subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geogra ...

. There are two Forest Rest Houses here, one at Ajodhya hill top and the other is at Matha range office. Other accommodation facilities are also available in Ajodhya Hill top and Bagmundi. 1. Gorgaburu Eco-resort, 2. Hill Queen Eco Resort at Mamudi, 3. Eco-Adventure Resort at Khairabera, 4. Hotel Palash Ajodhya, Palashbari Restora, Family Restaurant and Palash Bar cum Restaurant at Ajodhya Hilltop.

Gorgaburu Gorgaburu is the second highest peak of the Ajodhya Hills with a height of . It is the second highest point in southern part of West Bengal. It is located at Western plateau and highlands of Purulia district. It is a conical hill formed out of ...

with a height of , Mayuri etc. are some of the peaks of Ajodhya hills range. Chamtuburu is also the highest peak of southern West Bengal. The area forms the lowest step of the

Chota Nagpur Plateau The Chota Nagpur Plateau () is a plateau in eastern India, which covers much of Jharkhand state as well as adjacent parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Bihar. The Indo-Gangetic plain lies to the north and east of the plateau, and th ...

. The general scenario is undulating land with scattered hills. The area around Baghmundi or Ajodhya Hill is an extended plateau.

History

During Mughal times the area was a part of Bengal Subah. Later on after defeat of Mughals, the area became a part of Manbhum district under the British Raj. After the independence the area became a part of Bihar state. After states were reorganised in mid fifties the area came under West Bengal. Famous Deulghata Jain temples (11th cent AD) lies about 15 K.M. north of Ajodhya Hills. Charida the village of Chhau mask makers, lies just south of the southern boundary of the hills. It is said that the mask making for famous ‘Chhau’ dance started under the auspices of king Madan Mohan Singh Deo of Banghmundi. According to Hindu mythology,

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

and

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

had come to Ajodhya Hills and stayed during their exile. Sita was thirsty and Ram pierced an arrow through the Earth's soil crust and through that water gushed out. Sita quenched her thirst. The place is known as Sita-kunda. During the full moon day in

Baisakh Vaisakha (, ) is a month of the Hindu calendar that corresponds to April/May in the Gregorian Calendar. In the Indian national calendar, Vaisakha is the second month of the year. It is the first month of the Vikram Samvat calendar, Odia calenda ...

every year

Santhal Santhal or Santal may refer to : *Santhal people (part of the Tea Tribes), in Jharkhand, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, Assam in India, also minorities in neighboring Bangladesh and Nepal ** their Santhal rebellion in present-day Jharkhand, India ** ...

Bhumij Bhumij may refer to: * Bhumij people, tribal ethnic group of India * Bhumij language, the language of Bhumij people * Bhumija, type of Shikhara {{Disambiguation ...

and

Munda __NOTOC__ Munda may refer to: Places India * Munda, a village in Hanumangarh district, Rajasthan, India * Munda Majra, a former village in Haryana, India * Munda Pind, a village in Punjab, India Pakistan * Munda, a village near Bilyamin in Kur ...

tribals of nearby areas come and join in the game of hunting wild animals, called ''Disum Sendra''.

Natural History & Heritage

Rocks that make up Ajodhya hills belong to a group of rocks called Chhotanagpur Granite Gneiss Complex. Investigations have revealed that they formed more than a billion years ago in Mesoproterozoic era. Since then the area underwent multiple phases of tectonic movements, and witnessed metamorphic and magmatic episodes, thus forming varieties of rocks that we see today. Prolonged erosion through ages sculpted the area and formed its admirable river valleys, residual hills, lakes, springs and waterfalls that make the area a major ecotourism hot spot. There are at least 37 locations where tourists can see and admire these rocks and landforms. They are called geosites which are known for their distinct aesthetic appeal as well as for being archives that record the history of Earth. They are popular among geotourists. Apart from being geodiverse, the area is also biodiverse. Many species of mammals, amphibians, insects etc can be spotted in the dry, deciduous forests of the region. One such species is the Madras treeshrew which is small mammal, not common in West Bengal. Among the trees, Sal, Palash, Kusum, Mohua, Kend, and various bamboos are commonly observed.

Distance from Kolkata

# Balarampur (268m above Mean Sea Level): # Matha (260m above MSL): #

(302m above MSL): # Ajodhya Hill Top (575m above MSL): (Via Sirkabad) #

(304m above MSL):

Places to Visit based on Balarampur-Bagmundi Route

# Ajodhya Hill Top: About 5 Hotels, Resorts and Lodges. 42 km from Balarampur Rly. Station via Matha. 24 km from Matha Forest Range Office. 18 km from Bagmundi. # Matha Forest Rest House: 18 km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 10 km from Bagmundi. # Bagmundi: 28 km from Balarampur Rly. Station. # Turga Dam and Turga Falls: 30 km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 2 km from Bagmundi. # Upper Dam and Lower Dam of Purulia Pumped Storage Hydel Power Project: 36 km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 18 km from Matha. 10 km from Bagmundi. # Paprakocha Dam, Gorgaburu Eco-Resot: 13 km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 12 km from Matha. 23 km from Bagmundi. # Gorgaburu Eco-Resot: 13 km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 12 km from Matha. 23 km from Bagmundi. # Khayrabera Dam and Chamtuburu Hill: 32 km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 14 km from Bagmundi. 24 km from Matha. # Machkanda Falls: 40 km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 22 km from Bagmundi. 32 km from Matha. (All via Khayrabera) # Chamtuburu Hill: 32 km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 14 km from Bagmundi. 24 km from Matha. # Bamni Falls: 40 km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 22 km from Matha. 14 km from Bagmundi. # Durga Bera: 39 km from Balarampur Rly. Station. 21 km from Matha. 13 km from Bagmundi.

Places to Visit from Ajodhya Hill Top (with distance)

# Upper Dam (495m above MSL) and Lower Dam (300m above MSL) of Purulia Pumped Storage Hydel Power Project: 6 km and 9 km on same route # Durga Bera (572m above MSL): 7 km # Bamni Falls (434m above MSL): 10 km # Turga Dam (284m above MSL) and Turga Falls: 18 km # Khayrabera Dam and Chamtuburu Hill: 21 km (via forest road), 30 km (via Bagmundi) # Machkanda Falls: 18 km #

Murguma Dam The Murguma Dam is constructed on the Saharajhore River, one of the tributary of Kangsabati River in West Bengal, India. The dam is constructed near Murguma village in the foothill of Ajodhya Hills, Purulia District. It's under the jurisdiction of ...

: 20 km # Matha: 23 km #

(264m above Mean Sea Level ): 16 km #

Charida Charida (also referred to as Chorida, Chorda) is a village in the Baghmundi CD block in the Jhalda subdivision of the Purulia district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Charida is located at . Charida i ...

: 21 km # Pine Forest: 3 km # Mayur Pahar (605m above MSL): 2 km # Balarampur Rly. Station: 39 km #

: 15 km # Pakhi Pahar

Distance from Jhalda

# Murguma (338m above MSL): (Via Begunkodar) # Khairabera (304m above MSL): 3 (Via Bagmundi)

Development

Purulia Pumped Storage Project with an installed capacity of 900 MW (4 X 225 MW) has been set up in Ajodhya hills under Baghmundi police station with the loan assistance of

Japan Bank for International Cooperation The , JBIC, is a Japanese public financial institution and export credit agency that was created on October 1, 1999, through the merger of the Japan Export-Import Bank (JEXIM) and the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (OECF). JBIC became the ...

. Near Ajodhya Hills, there is Turga Dam and the Lake, and the pleasant waterfall formed by the River Bamni. The Turga Dam site is a tourist spot, where the visitors can spend their day. Mahua flower in summer

References

Gallery

File:Bandhu Bridge, Entrance via Sirkabad.jpg, Bandhu Bridge, Entrance via Sirkabad File:Pond at Ajodhya top.jpg, Pond at Ajodhya top File:Pine forest near forest at hill top.jpg, Pine forest near forest office at hill top File:Bamni Falls.jpg, Bamni Falls File:Purulia Pumped storage project.JPG, Purulia Pumped storage project File:Chemtaburu Hill view point.jpg, Chemtaburu Hill view point File:Top view from Chemtaburu Hill at 1700ft.jpg, Top view from Chemtuburu Hill at 1700 ft File:Ajodhya Chemtaburu Hill - Khairabera Dam.jpg, Ajodhya Chemtaburu Hill - Khairabera Dam

External links

Ajodhya Photographs
at TrekEarth
Pakhi Pahar Photograph
at Tour and Travellers {{Purulia topics Hills of West Bengal Tourist attractions in Purulia district