Kolkata

Kolkata, the capital city of West Bengal, is on the eastern bank of river Bhagirathi or, Ganges. Some say that, it is an amazing city, to some it is a city of processions, still others opine, it is a city of slums. Once it was also called a city of palaces. Hence Kolkata is unique, always vibrant and beautiful and is a City of Joy!

Kolkata and the rest of the world are in perfect synchronization, the latest events of the world are transmitted to Kolkata in no time. There are many legends about the name Kolkata. According to some, local dialect Kal-kata used to be pronounced by Europeans as Cal-cutta. The story is like, in 1742 Canals (Khal) were dug (cutta) around three sides of Kolkata, hence Calcutta was derived from Khal-kata. Some say that the name Kolkata was kept in parity with Kalikat, to some other?the name was given after KaliKutir (the Kalighat temple). Whatever may be the story, Kolkata is an ancient place. The name Kolkata was referred to for the 1st time in the Manasa Vijay Kavya composed by Bipradas Piplai in 1495. The name Kolkata is also found in the Chandimangal of poet Mukundaram. Ain-E-Akbari written by Abul Fazal in 1596 also mentioned the name Kolkata. Even in 1608, Lakshmikanta Roy Chowdhury got the title of Zamindar of Kolkata. The name Kolkata perhaps came from the oldest community Kol, i.e., Kolkahota lived in Kolkata. Agreeing to the opinion of the intelligentsia and researchers the honorable High Court of Calcutta in a recent judgment declared that nobody could claim to have fathered this city and Job Charnock is not the founder of this city. Kolkata in its form is the outcome of imagination, dreams and initiatives of many people for many days. This has dispelled the long-standing confusion about the founder of the city.

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Digha -

Digha is West Bengal's most popular sea resort. Originally known as Beerkul, it is mentioned as the "Brighton of the East" in one of Warren Hasting's letters (1780 AD) to his wife.

 In 1923, an English tourist John Frank Smith was charmed by the beauty of Digha and started living here. His writings about Digha slowly gave exposure to this place. After independence, he convinced West Bengal's chief minister Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy to develop Digha as a beach resort.
A small town, Digha is crowded with hotels generally around one main road. Its proximity to Calcutta (187 kms) attracts tourists throughout the year. Digha is a hard beach where one can drive during low tide. The beach is however facing the problem of sea erosion.

Bathing is advisable only during the low tide. One can view both sunrise and sunset at Digha sea beach.

New Digha

New Digha is an extension of Digha. It too has several hotels. There is a small park with a lake here. 

Shankarpur
Not far from Digha (appx 14 kms) is the Shankarpur Fishing Harbour Project. It is also being developed as a beach resort.

Chandaneshwar
Only 8 kms from Digha, Chandaneshwar is the site of an old Shiva temple.

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Puri

The holy city of Puri is located 60-km from Bhubaneswar on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. It is one of the four holy dhamas of India - Puri, Dwarka, Rameswaram and Badrinath. It is considered that a pilgrimage of the temples of India is not complete without making the journey to Puri. 

Popularly Known As Puri is called "Sri Purusottama Dham" or "Martya Vaikuntha", the abode of Lord Vishnu on earth. Other names are "Sriksetra" (best of all sacred centers), "Purusottama Ksetra" (the abode of the supreme being), "Nilachal", "Nalagiri", "Sankha Ksetra", and "Jagannatha Dhama". Puri is about 2-km wide and 4-km long.

The Jagannatha Temple or Jagannath temple here is one of the major temples in India. The worship of Lord Jagannatha is so ancient that there is no idea how long. He has been worshiped. The Lord has had many temples before the present one.

Sri Ramanuja visited Puri between 1107 and 1117 century AD and stayed for some time. Vishnu Swami visited Puri in the second half of the 12th century and established a 'Matha' near 'Markandeswar' Tank, called "Vishnuswami Matha". Nimbarka Acharya also made a pilgrimage to Puri, and Srila Prabhupada visited in January 1977.

A major reason that Puri is so important to the "Gaudiya Vaishnavas" is because Lord Chaitanya spent so much time here. Many of His pastimes with His most intimate associated\s took place at different sites in this area.

Non-Hindus cannot enter the Jagannatha temple. This is strictly enforced. 
Besides being an important holy town Puri also has one of the best beaches for swimming in India. It is one of the most visited places in India by young foreign tourist. It is a very pleasant place.