Jamuria

Introduction

Jamuria is a neighbourhood of Asansol, in the Paschim Bardhaman district of West Bengal, India. It falls under the administration of the Asansol Municipal Corporation, placing it within one of the state's larger urban centres rather than in a standalone town.

Before you go

Getting there

Asansol is the main gateway for the region, and most travellers arrive by train. Asansol Junction sits on the Howrah–Delhi main line, and most trains stop there. Daily direct trains either start from or pass through Asansol, with several weeklies and bi-weeklies reaching far-off destinations such as Kanyakumari, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Dibrugarh. For travel from Adra or Bardhaman, short-distance passenger and local trains are ideal. Trains are generally crowded, so book a reserved seat in advance; some long-distance trains also offer reservation from Howrah to Asansol. The station has AC and non-AC retiring rooms, a dormitory, escalators at platforms 2 and 7, Wi-Fi, a 24/7 food plaza and an air-conditioned premium lounge.

By plane, the nearest commercial airport is Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport (RDP) in Durgapur, around 35 km (22 mi) by road, while Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) in Kolkata is the nearest international airport. There is also a general aviation airport at Burnpur, where you can land with a small plane. By bus, air-conditioned Volvo and SBSTC buses, along with non-air-conditioned buses, leave daily from Esplanade in Kolkata for Asansol via Durgapur; tickets can be booked in advance, online or at the spot before departure, and online bookings can be made through portals like Redbus. By car, Asansol is on the historic Grand Trunk Road, and the Durgapur Expressway (NH 19) is another option from Kolkata.

Getting around

Jamuria is best treated as part of the wider Asansol area, so plan your movements around the transport that serves Asansol and its surroundings. Buses are the main form of public transport in Jamuria itself, running on the Jamuria–Raniganj, Jamuria–Asansol and Jamuria–Haripur routes, which makes the bus a straightforward way to reach Asansol and nearby Raniganj. A regular bus service to Kolkata departs every morning, with a return bus from Kolkata in the evening. There is no metro or tram network in Jamuria or the Asansol area, so build your plans around rail, bus and road-based transport.

Jamuria has its own stop on the local rail line running through Andal–Sonachara–Tapasi–Ikra–Jamuria–Barabani–Chinchuria–Sitarampur, a useful corridor for moving between Jamuria and neighbouring settlements. For anything beyond the immediate area, your gateway is Asansol Junction on the Howrah–Delhi main line, where most trains stop and from which daily direct trains serve different parts of India. Trains are generally crowded, so book a reserved seat in advance where reservation is available. Within the Asansol area, hired cars, auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are all available; nobody goes by meters, so agree on the hire charges before you board. Yellow-and-blue Ambassador taxis, similar to those in Kolkata, are readily available at the railway station and at certain other fixed points. Given Jamuria's character as an industrial, coal-mining town spread across a municipal area, treat walking as a way to cover short local distances rather than as a primary means of getting around.

Where to stay

Asansol's accommodation is concentrated along GT Road and around the Bastin Bazar and Asansol Market area, with a cluster of budget options on Hutton Road and Station Road Morh within easy reach of the railway station. If you want to be close to transport and the main commercial streets, look at places like Hotel Ajanta on Hutton Road, Hotel Geetanjali opposite the Fire Brigade, or Hotel Sarita and Hotel Shradhanjali on GT Road. Bastin Bazar and Asansol Market hold several more budget addresses, including Hotel Akbar, Hotel Glossy, Hotel Gloster, Hotel Paramount, Hotel Plaza and Hotel Sadab, while Hotel Arti, Hotel Asansol Taj, Hotel Classic, Hotel Maharaja, Hotel Mousumi, Hotel Rajshree, Hotel Durga and Hotel Evergreen are scattered along GT Road, BB Road and the surrounding lanes. Hotel Atithi sits at Hutton Road Morh, and the Tourist Hotel is on GT Road.

For something more comfortable, the mid-range choices spread out towards Burnpur Road, Kanyapur and Murgasol. Hotel Asansol Inn is on Police Colony Lane off Burnpur Road, Hotel Ispat International is on Burnpur Road, and Hotel Asansol International sits on GT Road East at Murgasol. The Hindustan Residency is on Kanyapur Road, Jubilee Resorts is at Kanyapur on the NH2 bypass, and Hotel Shreshtha International is on GT Road at Kumarpur. Hotel Parbati International lies roughly two kilometres from the railway station. If you prefer a quieter base away from the centre, the Burnpur Guest House on Riverside Road in Burnpur is an option.

What to see and do

Start with the Bishnu Temple at Garui, a stone temple raised on a platform with a Bengal hut-shaped roof and an arched entrance, dating to around the 14th century. A stone known as the Narayan shila is worshipped here as the deity; the earlier twelve-armed Lokeswar Vishnu idol was stolen long ago. The temple is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India. The Ghaghar Burhi Temple, a small shrine dedicated to Goddess Kali, is the oldest temple of Asansol. For a different side of the city, the IISCO Steel Plant at Burnpur, operated by SAIL, is one of West Bengal's major steel plants. Indoors, you can visit the Susanta Ray Wax Museum or the Vidyasagar Art Gallery.

For an evening out, catch a newly released film at Manoj Talkies, one of the biggest cinema halls around. Nehru Park at Burnpur, on the banks of the Damodar River, holds a cast iron statue of Nehru cast by IISCO, an eatery, and a large pond with boating; you can take in views of Biharinath Hill from the park. Satabdi Park, a short distance from Asansol railway station, offers paddle boating and a few rides for children, and makes a pleasant place to spend the evening. Further out, Panifala is a picnic spot with a lake for boating and a garden of flowers. Rabindra Bhawan is another local venue to look out for.

Three days in Jamuria

Day one: Base yourself in Jamuria, in the Paschim Bardhaman district of West Bengal, and use it as your starting point for the surrounding industrial belt of Eastern India. Jamuria sits close to Asansol, so you can spend your first day getting your bearings in the Asansol area, which is administered by the Asansol Municipal Corporation. The city's story is tied to industry, particularly IISCO at Burnpur, so a look at that side of the region gives you a sense of what shaped it. Asansol Junction is the main railhead, with trains connecting it to Howrah, Delhi, Kanyakumari, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Dibrugarh, Adra and Bardhaman, so arriving and moving on is straightforward. If you prefer to fly, Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport (RDP) at Durgapur and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) in Kolkata are the nearest options, and Volvo buses run by SBSTC are another way to reach the area.

Day two: Give the day to Asansol itself. Bengali is the everyday language you will hear, and the city is one of the larger urban centres of the region, so expect a busy, workaday character rather than a tourist one. Use the rail links from Asansol Junction if you want to make a side trip to Bardhaman or Adra, both of which appear on the same network. Keep your plans flexible around train timetables, since daily services are what tie this part of Eastern India together. If you are travelling onward by air, RDP at Durgapur and CCU at Kolkata remain your two practical choices, and AC coaches with Wi-Fi are available on some services if you book ahead.

Day three: Slow down and treat Jamuria and its immediate surroundings as the focus rather than a transit point. The area is part of the industrial landscape of Paschim Bardhaman, so the interest lies in seeing how the towns here relate to one another rather than in ticking off sights. If you have time before leaving, the connections from Asansol Junction toward Howrah, Delhi, Kanyakumari, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Dibrugarh, Adra and Bardhaman make it easy to continue your journey in almost any direction. For departures by air, plan around RDP at Durgapur or CCU in Kolkata, and remember that SBSTC Volvo buses are an alternative for the road. Three days is enough to understand the rhythm of the place without rushing it.