Howrah City | Image Resource : upload.wikimedia.org

An industrial city even before Independence this city gained prominence for its industries. It is the second largest city of West Bengal after Kolkata and sitting comfortably on the banks of Hoogly, it is the twin city of Kolkata. The bridges connecting Howrah to Kolkata is considered as the longest one in their types in the whole world. If you visit Kolkata then, you should also visit its twin.

Howrah city is a beautiful city with many rivers flowing in the district. It is home to some premier institutes of higher learning and some excellent international schools. The city is home to many writers of repute. It is a literary hub of West Bengal and tourists throng the place as it has many ashrams and other tourist attractions. Good accommodations are scattered around the city so tourists need not worry about finding good accommodation and restaurants.

The tourist attractions of Howrah are Indian Museum, Park Street, Jaldapara wild life sanctuary, Howrah Bridge and the famous Belur Math.

Belur Math: For Those Seeking Bliss

The Belur Math is spread in over 40 acres of land and it is in Howrah. It is the headquarters of Ramakrishna Mission, a monastic mission started by swami Vivekananda the main disciple of Sree Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission are twin organisations but they are managed by a single trust.

Shaheed Express | Image Resource : im3-c75.kxcdn.com

The math was started to propagate harmony among different religions, social equality without distinction of caste or creed, etc. Sri Ramakrishna is regarded as the prophet of modern age. The math and mission together have 180 branches in India and other parts of the world. Belur Math is a pilgrimage centre for people of all faiths from the world over. If not for religious purposes people descend on the place to enjoy the peace the place exudes.

It is a serene campus on the banks of Ganga and it has temples dedicated to Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi and Swami Vivekananda. Swami Vivekananda spent his last years in the math and he carried the urn containing the mortal remains of Sri Ramakrishna on his shoulders to the math. Contemporary swamis of Swami Vivekananda also stayed here for longer time. A room where Sri Ramakrishna attained mahasamadhi is preserved. The lush greenery, lawns and tall trees lend shade as well as beauty to the whole premises.

A museum containing articles used by the Sri Ramakrishna attracts visitors. It portrays the history of the math and mission. The premises houses training centre for monastics, charitable dispensary, Veda Vidyalaya, etc. The math is open for visitors from 6 in the morning to 11 AM and again it opens at 4 in the evening and closes at 7.

Shaheed Express: Connecting Five States

The train serves the people of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Shaheed Express is an express train connecting Amritsar with Jaynagar. This express train stops at 54 stations and it runs thrice in a week between the two destinations. It covers the distance in about 40 hours and pantry car is not attached with this train.