Asansol
Asansol (Bengali: আসানসোল Āsānsol, Hindi: आसनसोल Āsansol) is the headquarters of the Paschim Bardhaman district of West Bengal. It is at the centre of a major industrial area and the second largest urban agglomeration in the state.
Understand
[edit]Asansol (AH-shahn-shohl) is an important mining and industrial centre in Eastern India. Over the years, Asansol grew considerably with the growth of coal mining, development of railways and growth of the steel plant of IISCO (Indian Iron and Steel Company) in Burnpur.
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]The nearest airport is Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport (RDP IATA) in Durgapur (around 35 km (22 mi) by road). Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU IATA) in Kolkata is the nearest international airport.
By train
[edit]1 Asansol Junction ER 
is an important railway station on the Howrah–Delhi main line and most of the trains stop here. Daily direct trains to Delhi, Jammu Tawi, Dehradun, Kalka, Kathgodam, Jodhpur, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur and Mumbai either start from Asansol or pass through Asansol. There are several weeklies and bi-weeklies to far off destinations such as Kanyakumari, Yesvantpur, Ahmedabad and Dibrugarh. For travel from Kolkata or Bardhaman, short-distance passenger and localtrains are ideal. Be sure to book a reserved seat in advance because the trains are generally crowded. Some long-distance trains also offer reservation from Howrah to Asansol. Online bookings can be done on the Indian Railway site.
Asansol station has three double-bedded AC retiring rooms, two double-bedded non-AC retiring rooms and an eight-bedded dormitory. Escalators are present at platforms no. 2 and 7. Wi-Fi service is available here. A food plaza in the station premises is open 24/7. It also has an air-conditioned premium lounge for upscale passengers.
By bus
[edit]Air-conditioned Volvo and SBSTC buses along with non-air-conditioned buses leave daily from Esplanade, Kolkata for Asansol via Durgapur. The tickets can be booked in either advance, online or at the spot before the departure of the buses. The bus journey is comfortable and relaxing in comparison to the journey by SBSTC AC buses. Bookings can be made online through portals like Redbus.
By car
[edit]Asansol is on the historic Grand Trunk Road in South Asia. Those travelling from Kolkata should take either the Durgapur Expressway (NH 19) or the GT Road from Howrah.
Get around
[edit]
Hired cars, auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are available. Nobody goes by meters and so be sure to check about the hire charges before boarding.
By taxi
[edit]Just like the taxis in Kolkata, the Ambassador taxis in Asansol are painted yellow and blue. They are readily available at the railway station and certain other fixed points.
See
[edit]- 1 Bishnu Temple, Garui. This stone temple is built over a platform with a Bengal hut-shaped roof and arched entrance. The temple dates to about 14th century CE. A stone, called "Narayan shila", is worshipped here as the deity of the temple. Earlier, a 12 armed Lokeswar Vishnu idol was being worshipped as deity, which has been stolen long before. The temple is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).
- 2 Ghaghar Burhi Temple. A small shrine dedicated to Goddess Kali, it is the oldest temple of Asansol.
- 3 IISCO Steel Plant, Burnpur. Operated by Steel Authority of India (SAIL), the IISCO Steel Plant is one of the major steel plants in West Bengal.
- 4 Susanta Ray Wax Museum.
- 5 Vidyasagar Art Gallery.
Do
[edit]- 1 Manoj Talkies. You can watch all newly released movies here. Good cinema hall; one of the biggest with a seating capacity of almost 1800.
- 2 Nehru Park, Burnpur (14 km (8.7 mi) from Asansol railway station). A beautiful park on the banks of the Damodar River. A cast iron statue of Nehru, casted by IISCO, is in the park. There is an eatery in the park. There's a big pond inside the park with boating facilities. You can get great views of the Biharinath Hill from the park.
- Panifala (about 7 km from city centre), ☏ 91 9932133154. A picnic spot with a lake for boating and beautiful garden of flowers.
- 3 Rabindra Bhawan.
- 4 Satabdi Park (2 km (1.2 mi) from Asansol railway station). There are facilities for paddle boating and a few rides for children. Nice place to spend the evening.
Buy
[edit]Asansol is one of the big markets in West Bengal. There are many shops for buying clothes, electronic goods, sports accessories etc.
Eat and drink
[edit]Many of the larger hotels have bars and restaurants. Most of clubs in the area have the colonial old world charm but entry is restricted to members and their guests.
- Arpan, Burnpur Road, ☏ 91 341-2252007. Adjacent to Chitra Cinema. It has a bar..
- 1 Gangar Hotel, Court Compound. Dhaba type. No pretensions of luxury. Delicious Bengali food - dal-aloobhaja must try; fish range from rui and chital maachh to ilish and varieties of chhoto maachh; those who like can also order mangsho or dimer dalna.
- Garam Masala, GT Road, ☏ 91 341 3262030. Bombay Hotel presents a complete vegetarian AC restaurant in the market place.
- Sudhamrit, Bastin Bazar, GT Road, ☏ 91 341-2302757.
Sleep
[edit]| This guide uses the following price ranges for a standard double room: | |
| Budget | ₹1000 |
| Mid-range | ₹1000 to ₹3000 |
| Splurge | ₹3000 |
Budget
[edit]- 1 Hotel Ajanta, 225, Hutton Road (2 km (1.2 mi) from Asansol railway station), ☏ 91 341 2214052, 91 341 2214721.
- 2 Hotel Akbar, Leighton Place, Bastin Bazar Road, ☏ 91 2204758.
- Hotel Arti, 7/162 GT Road, Raha Lane, ☏ 91 2206455-58.
- Hotel Asansol Taj, BB Road, Bakar Ali Lane, ☏ 91 2212075.
- Hotel Atithi, Atithi Complex, 1 GT Road, Hutton Road Morh, ☏ 91 2201431.
- Hotel Classic, BB Road, ☏ 91 2206373.
- Hotel Durga, 27 Apcar Garden, Sen Raleigh Road, ☏ 91 2253340.
- 3 Hotel Evergreen, Abdul Latif Lane, ☏ 91 2204927.
- Hotel Geetanjali, 114, GT Road, Station Road Morh, opposite Fire Brigade, ☏ 91 2220044, 91 2204824.
- Hotel Glossy, Bastin Bazar, Asansol Market, ☏ 91 2202208.
- Hotel Gloster, Bastin Bazar, Asansol Market, ☏ 91 2203730.
- Hotel Maharaja, 163/8 GT Road, ☏ 91 2203119.
- Hotel Mousumi, 29 Nuruddin Road, near Ashram Morh, ☏ 91 2204280.
- Hotel Paramount, Bastin Bazar, Asansol Market, ☏ 91 2202340.
- Hotel Plaza, Plaza Market, Bastin Bazar, Asansol Market, ☏ 91 2203830.
- Hotel Rajshree, 46 Shiv Mandir Road, ☏ 91 2205637.
- Hotel Sadab, Bastin Bazar, Asansol Market, ☏ 91 2204218.
- 4 Hotel Sarita, 17 GT Road, ☏ 91 2207686-3152.
- Hotel Shradhanjali, 20 & 22 GT Road, above Ghanty Cloth Store, ☏ 91 2206599.
- 5 Burnpur Guest House, 5, Riverside Rd, Burnpur.
- Tourist Hotel, 169, GT Rd, ☏ 91 2202270.
Mid-range
[edit]- Hotel Asansol Inn, Police Colony Lane, Burnpur Road, ☏ 91 341 2252552, 91 341 2250016.
- 6 Hotel Asansol International, 66 GT Road (East), Murgasol, ☏ 91 2204875-77-20.
- 7 The Hindustan Residency, Kanyapur Road, ☏ 91 341 2250101, 91 341 2250055, [email protected].
- 8 Hotel Ispat International, 15 Burnpur Road, ☏ 91 341 2257851-2257852, fax: 91 341 2257585, [email protected].
- 9 Jubilee Resorts, JRO Complex, Kanyapur, NH2 Bypass, ☏ 91 341 3202694-3260270.
- 10 Hotel Shreshtha International, GT Road, Kumarpur, ☏ 91 341 2253300, 91 341 3265175.
- 11 Hotel Parbati International (2 km (1.2 mi) from Asansol railway station).
Splurge
[edit]Nearby
[edit]- 1 Churulia. Birthplace of Kazi Nazrul Islam, a Bengali poet. The village is about 17 km from Asansol, and contains a museum with his works and a memorial for him. A fair with high standard cultural programmes is organised on the occasion of the poet's birthday in the Bengali month of Joistho (May-June).
Go next
[edit]- Biharinath - holiday resorts
- Bishnupur — The famous terracotta temple town and home to major art and craft is about 100 km from Asansol. The Bankura horse, symbol of Indian handicrafts is produced at Panchmura, near Bishnupur. It is also the home of the Baluchari sari, initially woven with Ramayana and Mahabharata motifs but now modernised.
- Durgapur - 42 km from Asansol.
- Dhanbad - 60 km from Asansol.
- Garh Panchakot — Home to Panchet Dam, about 17 km from Asansol. It is approachable via Chirkunda.
- Kendubillo – Temple and birthplace of Sanskrit poet Jaydev, on the banks of the Ajay river, is about 80 km from Asansol. Makar sankranti mela with bauls (religious singers with a detached philosophy and spontaneity of their own) participating is held in mid January.
- Maithon — About 20 km from Asansol. It is approachable via Neamatpur or Asansol Bypass, or one can take a little circuitous route via Chirkunda. Those travelling in a car often take one route for going out and return by the other.
- Santiniketan — Visva-Bharati, founded by Rabindranath Tagore and now a central university and an institution of national importance, is located here. It is about 90 km from Asansol.
| Routes through Durgapur |
| Dhanbad ← Maithon ← | W  E |
→ Durgapur → Bardhaman |
| Dhanbad ← Maithon ← | W  E |
→ Durgapur → Bardhaman |