Page 291 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

EASTERN INDIA  289

WEST BENGAL & SIKKIM

West Bengal has three distinct types of landscape. In the west,
the red soil gives its rich colour to the terracotta temples of Bishnupur.
The Ganges Delta in lower Bengal has dense, tangled mangrove swamps
where Royal Bengal tigers roam, while the charming Raj-era hill
stations of Darjeeling and Kalimpong are located in the foothills
of the Himalayas in the northern part of the state. The neighbouring
state of Sikkim, which also borders Bhutan, Nepal and China, is
ringed by mountains. In its tranquil valleys, richly ornamented Buddhist
monasteries stand amidst emerald-green terraced tea fields. The world’s
third-highest mountain, Kanchendzonga (8,588 m/28,209 ft), dominates
the skyline and the life of Sikkim’s people. The two states have a
combined population of 81 million.

Sights at a Glance
CHINA
Towns & Cities National Parks
6 Barddhaman 4 The Sunderbans
7 Shantiniketan w Jaldapara Wildlife
8 Murshidabad Sanctuary
q Siliguri Hill Stations & Areas of Yumthang
y Gangtok Natural Beauty • Thimphu
i Pelling e Kurseong •
•
Historic Sites r Darjeeling Pemayangtse BHUTAN
9 Gaur t Kalimpong
0 Pandua o Yuksam
Temples, Monasteries & Rivers & Valleys Bagdogra • NH31
Holy Places 3 Hooghly River •
1 Belur Math Tours Jalpaiguri
2 Dakshineshwar
5 Bishnupur: Shyama u A Tour of
Northern Sikkim
Raya Temple NH31 • Dalkola
p Tashiding Monastery NH81

Ganges
BANGLADESH J amuna

NH60 • Baharampur
Dhanbad
•
NH2
NH32
0 kilometres 100 Durgapur • NH34
0 miles 100 •
Purulia NH60A
• Bangaon
Key NH33 NH35 •
• Khulna
National highway Jamshedpur
Major road Kharagpur NH6 Hooghly • Kolkata
•
Minor road NH41
Major railway NH60 Haldia • NH117
International border NH5 • Kakdwip
State border • Digha
•
Baleshwar Bay of Bengal
The ten-armed goddess Durga, elaborately adorned for the Durga Puja festival For keys to symbols see back flap

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