Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s Kapalkundala has captured the imagination of several generations. Published in 1866, it is a story of a forest-dwelling girl named Kapalkundala, who fell in love with and married Nabakumar, a young gentleman from Saptagram. Following the success of Chattopadhyay’s first novel Durgeshnandini, he decided to write about a girl who is brought up in a remote forest by a Kapalik (tantrik sage) and never saw anyone but her foster-father. The story is set in Dariapur, Contai in modern-day Purba Medinipur district in West Bengal where Chattopadhyay served as a Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collector. So when my publisher suggested that we check out this new property in Dariapur called Mrinmoyee Kutir Village Resort, my happiness knew no bounds. With my bags packed and accompanied by members of Team WHEELS, I set off on a journey to the land of Kapalkundala.

Route
Set your trip meter to ‘0’ and begin your drive from the Vidyasagar Setu Toll Plaza. Drive through Kona Expressway to meet National Highway-16 (NH-16) taking the left diversion at its end. Once you are onto the NH-16 (also known as Bombay Road), the highway being a 3+3 lane drive, offers an extremely pleasurable driving experience. Keep following NH-16 via Andul, Dhulagori Toll Tax Plaza, Uluberia, Bagnan until you reach Kolaghat Bridge. Slow down after crossing the bridge to take the left turn just before the flyover across NH-16 and head towards Nandakumar by NH-41.
On reaching the huge traffic roundabout at Nandakumar, take the third exit to your right, leading towards Contai and Digha by the State Highway-4 (Also referred to as Digha Road). While driving on the Digha Road, be extremely careful of the high speed buses recklessly coming from the opposite direction and give them the right of way.

Continue driving on the Digha Road and cross Chandipur, Nachinda until you reach Contai. You will spot a signage before a bifurcation stating that one road is heading towards the Contai town while the other leads towards the Contai Bypass. Enter the Contai town and drive straight till you arrive at Rupasri Cinema Hall. From this point, you need to take a left u-turn. Keep driving straight until you reach Mukundapur Bazaar. Turn right from here and proceed straight for about 500 metres before taking a left turn from Bhabani Morh. Keep driving straight on Kapalkundala Mandir Road until you cross Kapalkundala Mandir on your left. A short drive from here will bring you to Dariapur Lighthouse which will be on your left. The destination - Mrinmoyee Kutir Village Resort is located bang opposite the Dariapur Lighthouse on your right.

Mrinmoyee Kutir Village Resort
Inaugurated in November 2021, Mrinmoyee Kutir Village Resort is a brand new property situated only a few kilometres away from Contai Rupasri Bypass and Contai Railway Station. This resort has been thoughtfully created based on the theme of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s novel Kapalkundala.

This beautiful property has four rooms – Kapalkundala (3 bed room), Nabakumar (3 bed room), Mrinmoyee (2 bed room) and Paddaboti (2 bed room). Each of the rooms has been tastefully designed by architect Biswajit Jana. The rooms are clean and the extensive use of bamboo and jute both on the exterior and interior lends an earthly touch. The beds are comfortable, the bed linens are neat and the washroom is clean, equipped with a geyser. Each of the rooms has a private seating area just outside the entrance of the room with chairs and table made from bamboo.

The property has a lush green lawn, a break out zone with music system that can comfortably accommodate up to eight guests for a private party, a cosy dining hall by the side of a huge pond, and ample area within the premise for the guests to enjoy a relaxing walk. The staffs are friendly and helpful.

If you are looking for a place to spend your time in tranquillity, away from the hustle and bustle of the city and close to the nature, then Mrinmoyee Kutir Village Resort is a perfect match for you. There are food packages available which can be customised as per your choices, details of which are mentioned in the information box below.

Mrinmoyee Kutir Village Resort
Opposite to Dariapur Light House
Dariapur, Purba Medinipur
West Bengal – 721442
Phone: 8710045662
Email: [email protected]
Check in: 12 Noon, Check out: 11 AM
Room Rent: 3 Bed Room – INR 2,500 per night, 2 Bed Room – INR 1,800 per night

Food Packages:
Breakfast, lunch (fish), evening snacks and dinner (country chicken) – INR 600 per person
Breakfast, lunch (fish), evening snacks and dinner (mutton) – INR 750 per person
Breakfast, lunch (fish), evening snacks (chicken pakora) and dinner (fried rice and chilli chicken) – INR 800 per person
Arrangements for open air barbeque and preparation of tribal bamboo chicken can be made with prior notice

Places to visit in the vicinity
Bankiput Beach
The approach road is quite picturesque, passing through a red murram road with a canal on the left and an earth embankment on the right. The exact entry point to the Bankiput Beach is marked by a dirt road leading up on the earthen embankment to the right and meeting the beach which lay across the embankment.

The first thing that strikes you is that the sea beach is sparkling clean. The light yellow sand contrasts with the green casuarinas trees which sway over the embankment. During high tide, the increasing surge of waves leave the beach appearing to be narrower while at low tide, the water recedes away farther, leaving behind the grayish-yellow rippling sandy beach and the red crabs, merrily dancing away before disappearing in the sand. A dense casuarina forest dots the actual sea beach lying between the boulders. A flight of concrete steps descending through the dyke, spread over a few metres and merges with the water.

A strong wind blew incessantly while we sat on the earthen dam beneath the casuarina trees. A few huts of the locals and fishing boats of various hues, some anchored at the beach while others sailing away – gave us company on the serene and secluded beach.

Kapalkundala Temple
While driving to Mrinmoyee Kutir Village Resort, you must have spotted a prominent Shiva temple on your left on Kapalkundala Road. It has a small concrete shade in front with the statue of Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. Park your car near the temple premises and walk about a 100 metres inside the Dariapur village to find the actual Kapalkundala temple which resembles the description sketched by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay in his novel of the same name.

The temple is a private property. The owner Bhudeb Chandra Jana who resides near the temple acceded to our request and unlocked the doors to the temple. According to him, in 1860, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, the then Deputy Magistrate of Negua subdivision, had stayed at a bungalow close to this Dariapur Kali temple which was then in the middle of the dense forest. The Rasulpur River once flowed close to the temple but has now receded. 

According to legend, a kapalik (tantric sage) brought a young girl, Kapalkundala to be sacrificed in order to appease the goddess Kali at this temple. According to Bhudeb Chandra, the novelist often visited the temple on a horse, to meet the kapalik. The kapalik had given a medicine for the Bakim Chandra’s brother who then recovered from a serious ailment. He later came back to express his gratitude to the kapalik.

The State Heritage Commission along with Zilla Parishad restored the dilapidated temple a few years ago. Presently, the renovated temple stands inside a walled complex while the garden remains neglected. At present, there is no deity since the idol of Goddess Kali, made of metal, was stolen long back.

Dariapur Lighthouse
You would come across very few functional lighthouses in India. Surprisingly, Dariapur Lighthouse is one of the few operational ones which continue to signal the approaching ships, boats and trawlers. Located a kilometre away from the Kapalkundala temple, it is situated bang opposite to Mrinmoyee Kutir Village Resort.

Originally, a 60 feet high steelmast was erected in 1943 at the site, on which a wick lamp used to be hoisted under the supervision of local port official. Subsequently, DA gas equipment with sun valve, replaced the wick lamp. The construction of the present RCC Lighthouse tower was completed in 1968.

The lighthouse now has a 230V 70W metal halide lamp and low maintenance batteries charged by photo voltaic modules. The system was commissioned in March 1999.The elevation above mean sea level of the lighthouse is 30 metres with a visibility range of 19 nautical miles.

This 75 feet high property is under Ministry of Shipping, Department of Lighthouse and Lightships. It remains open between 3 pm and 5 pm every day. There is an entry ticket of INR 10 per person. It offers a rare view from the top overlooking Mandarmani, Tajpur, Digha and Ganga Sagar Islands on a clear and bright day.

Deshapran Fishing Harbour – Pethuaghat
Pethuaghat held the surprise treat of our trip. Home to India's seventh largest fishing harbour – the Deshapran Fishing Harbour had about 200 colourful trawlers getting ready to sail. Located approximately 1.5 km away from Mrinmoyee Kutir Village Resort, Deshapran Fishing Harbour at Pethuaghat in Contai is where Rasulpur River meets the Bay of Bengal. It looks spectacular like a painting done with myriad hues.

The mechanized wooden trawlers anchored at the harbour are all painted deep orange, flying the Indian tricolour at mast. According to fisheries department, the harbour is home to nearly 300 mechanised fishing vessels as well as 150 traditional boats, engaged in fishing. It was inaugurated by Governor M K Narayanan in 2010 to provide a major boost to marine fishing. Pethuaghat by the Rasulpur River has been a fishing harbour for years, owing to the availability of adequate navigable depth during tides and proximity to rich fishing grounds but it is only recently that the government with funds from the Centre improved upon the facilities. This active harbour gives a first-hand learning experience about coastal fishing.

Basudev Bhuiya, an experienced hand at the harbour, shared that the trawlers, fitted with wireless systems for their safety, set out for fishing in deep sea with each trip generally extending over 7-8 days. Each boat has around 12-14 fishermen onboard. Interestingly, apart from the driver of the boat, all other staffs are salaried ranging between INR 10-12k per month. The drivers are generally hired at 10% commission on the catch in order to motivate them in making the trips successful. Generally a driver won’t return to the harbour till the catch is satisfactory with 5-6 tons of fish that would fetch at least INR 5-6 lakh at the auction. The boats on return, take a day to unload the catch and reloading ice for refrigeration at the harbour before going back to the sea the very next evening during high tide after refuelling and loading the ration for the next trip.

The Pethuaghat harbour mainly has three jetties and facilities like auction hall, net mending shed, an engine workshop, dormitory for fishermen, a petrol pump and a canteen - all located inside a huge walled complex. The unloaded fish stock is mainly transported to Digha for auction. 

Masnad-e-Ala of Hijli, a sufi shrine, is located on the opposite bank of the harbour which can be accessed by hiring a country boat from the harbour.