UNESCO World Heritage Sites in West Bengal –
1 . Sundarbans National Park 🏞️, West Bengal –
It is a famous National Park, Tiger Forest and Biosphere Reserve in India. It is the largest estuarine Mangrove forest in the world. It is an integral part of the world’s largest delta formed by the sediments of Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987.
2. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway 🚂 –
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is a narrow gauge railway from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling and it is famous as ‘Toy Train.’ This is run by the Indian Railways and 86 kms long. The elevation level is from 100 metres at New Jalpaiguri to 2200 metres at Darjeeling. Daily Kurseong to Darjeeling return service and daily tourist train from Darjeeling to Ghoom are also famous. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1999. It is now a part of Indian Mountaineer Railways. Later the Nilgiri Mountain Railway was added in 2005 and Kalka – Shimla Railway was added in 2008 by UNESCO.
3. Santiniketan – It is a famous institute of culture, art, language and ancient history. In 1901, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore established a Brahmacharya Ashram school surrounded by nature and came to be known as ‘ Patha Bhavana ‘ from 1925. In the year 1921, Rabindranath Tagore established a ‘world university ‘ in Shantiniketan which is known as ‘ Visva Bharathi ‘ . It is now a Central University. It is a centre of art, culture, heritage and tradition. It is carrying the vision of unity of humanity .
Tentative List –
4. Bishnupur Temples – Temples of Bishnupur, Bankura , West Bengal are very popular and famous. Those are great symbols of art and architectural excellence. Those are examples of great Terracotta works. Bishnupur is a historical town of Bankura district, West Bengal and it was the capital of Malla Kings.
5. Neora Valley National Park – It is a protected wildlife sanctuary of West Bengal and situated in Kalimpong. It is a great biosphere reserve. It is a famous spot for tourists. The place is famous for attractive birds, butterflies and a wide range of flora. The view of the mountain and pleasant weather conditions are special flavours of this spot.
Writing ✍️ Skills –
1 . Write a letter to your friend describing your feelings of a ride in Darjeeling Himalayan Railway 🚂 . 10
2. Write a letter to your father describing your happiness after an educational excursion in Neora Valley National Park. 10
3. Write an application to the Head of the Institution to organise an educational tour to Sunderbans National Park . 10
4. Write an enquiry email to the manager of a hotel in Bishnupur, Bankura for the booking of two rooms for a family tour. 10
5. Write a paragraph describing your tour’s experience to Santiniketan. 10
