Dhanyakuria - Day Trip to the Village of Castles in Bengal

Dhanyakuria, the village of castles and mansions in North 24 Parganas of West Bengal, blends history with magical beauty of a Disney-sque look to give you an experience of a Gothic, English countryside. And it's extremely popular among the tourists for Dhanyakuria Rajbari and other mansions.

You might have come across villages and towns with many temples, but hardly any village of mansions as Dhanyakuria, which is known mainly for the Dhanyakuria Rajbari. For example, Bishnupur in the district of Bankura, West Bengal, is famous for its multiple terracotta temples that are located within a short radius. However, there's almost no village except one which has multiple castles - that is, no other except the Village of Castles and Mansions of West Bengal - Dhanyakuria, which boasts of the famous Dhanyakuria Rajbari and the Castle at Dhanyakuria.

Located in the district of North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, Dhanyakura, with the magnificent Dhanyakuria Rajbari, is the perfect spot for a weekend trip from Kolkata. It is about 55 kilometers from the heart of the city. A two-hour drive from the city can take you to a serene village, where history speaks through the large palatial mansions of Dhanyakuria, which were once lively and teeming from dawn to dusk, but remain mostly deserted these days.

Planning a Trip to Dhanyakuria

Winter had set in. The temperatures were already dipping. It was the perfect time for a trip. However, because of the Coronavirus Pandemic, we could not think of going on a long tour. Instead, we were searching for destinations that we could visit on a day trip from Kolkata. This is when we learnt about Dhanyakuria and the famous Dhanyakuria Rajbari.

We were keen to visit Chandraketugarh, an archeological site in North 24 Parganas, West Bengal, dating back to almost 3rd Century B.C. While researching on Chandraketugarh, we came across the name of the village of Dhanyakuria. This tourist spot located at a distance of only 10 kilometers from the Chandraketugarh Museum and with a plethora of castles or palaces, such as Gaine Rajbari, also popular as Dhanyakuria Rajbari, Gaine Castle, or Ballav Bari seemed interesting almost immediately.

Are you looking for a Dhanyakuria Travel Guide to explore interesting tourist places in the village and find sightseeing tours?

You're surely going to be disappointed because no such thing is available, which lists the things to see in Dhanyakuria.

We found only a few good articles and writeups on the internet and planned our trip based on them. And we are glad we did, as this place is an amazing tourist location.

Although there aren't many things to see in Dhanyakuria, a glimpse at the history of this otherwise unknown village through the outstanding palaces, mansions, and marvelous castle make it a place to visit. That's why tourists plan their visit to Dhanyakuria these days.

So, we decided not to wait and immediately planned our trip to this village of castles and mansions in West Bengal and visited the place to find the things to see in Dhanyakuria.

Best Time to Visit

Dhanyakuria is not very far from Kolkata and the weather there isn't extremely different from West Bengal's capital city as well. Therefore, it is a good decision to visit this village of castles near Kolkata during winter. Therefore, if you want to visit this village, plan it between November and February, when the weather is pleasant. As you need to go around the place to view the mansions, it is good to avoid the summer and monsoon months.

How to Reach Dhanyakuria

If you're traveling from Kolkata, reaching this village of castles and mansions is not difficult. It's just a two-hour drive from Kolkata. However, if you're looking at how to reach Dhanyakuria, you can find various ways.

You can also take a local train from Sealdah Station to reach Basirhat Station and take an auto or rickshaw from there for sightseeing. You can also get down at Kankra Mirzanagar Railway Station, which is close to this village of palaces and mansions.

It's not difficult to reach Barasat from Kolkata. From there you can board a bus and get down at the Basirhat bus stop. Autos and rickshaws are available from there as well. You can book an auto for the whole day to see various mansions, including the Dhanyakuria Rajbari.

They can take you through the lanes of this amazing town decked with palaces and castles that seem to pop out of books of European Fairy Tales.

Our Journey Starts

We started early in the morning in our car after completing our breakfast at the famous sweet shop Maharani near Deshapriya Park. Then we headed toward Science City. We drove through Rajarhat to cross Kharibari and took a right turn at Taki Road near Deganga. We drove past Chandraketugarh near the Berachampa Crossing and took a left turn at Nehalpur to reach this village of castle and mansions in West Bengal.

A Glimpse at the History of the Village

Even 300 years ago, this place was a part of the Sunderbans. Thick forests covered the area and there were quite a few meandering creeks of saline water. However, a person called Jagannath Das cleared the forests away and converted the forests into a land fit for living. He settled down in this village with his family in 1742. After that, several families came and settled here. These included families, such as Ballavs, Gaines, Mandals, and Sawoos. Many of them had become rich by trading in rice and sugarcane. They built grand mansions as garden retreats or baganbari in the village. Many of these large houses or mansions here have been constructed following medieval European architecture, which makes them stand out even today.

Many of the families who settled here played an important role in the development of the area. For example, Upendranath Sawoo and Mahendranath Gaine were instrumental in establishing the first English-medium school in the village in 1885. Sawoo also played an important role in building a charitable hospital, the Dhanyakuria Rural Hospital, as well as a girls' school in the area in 1893.

The Village of Castles

At first glance, Dhanyakuria appears like any other small village of West Bengal. The narrow road that entered the village from the main road meandered through a number of small houses. They were dotted here and there with an odd pond. There was also a large field where young people from the village had gathered to spend their time playing cricket on a sunny winter morning.

What sets this village apart is the glimpse of more than a few mansions that clearly have touches of European architecture. At first look, they seem like many other buildings of Kolkata, which were built by The first castle was built there by the Dutta family. However, it's the almost dilapidated Gaine Bagan Bari or the Gaine Castle, which is surely the gem in the crown of this place. However, there are also a few other mansions that attracted our attention. These include:

• Gaine Rajbari or the Gaine Palace
• Sawoo Mansion (Sahoo Mansion or Sau Bari)
• Ballav Bari or the Ballav Mansion

Among these, the Gaine Rajbari is extremely well maintained, while most of the others are deserted. In fact, Gaine Rajbari is also known to be at its festive best during the time of Durga Puja. Some of the castles are maintained by caretakers and the owners, who live away in the cities, visit them once or twice a year. The Gaine Castle, although the most outstanding of all in terms of architectural grandeur and probably even better than the Gaine Rajbari, is almost in its ruins. The local High School and a few other buildings also follow the fusion architectural styles and stand out.

Gaine Castle or Gaine Baganbari

While driving through the Kolkata-Basirhat Road, don't be surprised if you feel a castle from an old European town has been transfered to the rustic lanscape of West Bengal. The Gaine Castle, also known as Gaine Baganbari or the Garden House of the Gaines, is difficult to differentiate from a gothic English castle.

We were surprised to find such a Castle of astounding beauty located right on the Kolkata-Basirhat Road. The gate of the Gaine Castle mostly remains closed for the public these days. There's police posted at the gate of the Gaine Castle or Gaine Baganbari and it's not easy to convince him to enter the premises. To enter the Gaine Castle, you have to seek written permission from the local police station. We didn't have permission. So, all we could do was stare in astonishment from outside.

The Gaine family was one of the major industrialists of the region and owned a number of jute mills. This castle, which was the garden retreat of the family, was built over a century ago by Gobinda Chandra Gaine. The construction continued over the years and his son Mahendranath Gaine also became involved in supervising it.

There's a huge gate guarding the Gaine Castle that spans over an area of 30 acres. The gate itself is a perfect example of European architectural influence. The gate of the Gaine Castle has a couple of towers on two sides for the sentries to protect the premises. There are also balconies in these towers where the sentries to stand while guarding the Gaine Castle. The two towers are connected by an arch, which has an intricate sculpture depicting two Europeans fighting a lion in bare hands.

The portico of the Gaine Castle or the Gaine Baganbari, on the right side of the gate, is constructed following European architectural styles. There are human figures constructed on the roof of the portico. This building is completely dilapidated now and we felt that it might not be the right decision to enter it.

A gravel road, which leads to the Gaine Castle, is now mostly covered in outgrown grasses from the lawns around it. There's also a water body right in front of the castle. The reflection of the castle in the waters is a scene to marvel at.

There are several instances of the coat of arms of the Gaine family on the exterior walls of the castle along the entrance doors as well as the arches on the balcony. You can also find sculptures of European heads on the wall.

Gaine Rajbari

The Gaine Palace or the Gaine Rajbari of this village was built in the mid-19th Century. It is also known as Dhanyakuria Rajbari. Its construction was also started under the supervision of Gobinda Chandra Gaine and continued under his son Mahendranath Gaine.  Their residential mansion or the Gaine Rajbari is one of the best examples of fusion architecture of the area and is popularly known as Dhanyakuria Rajbari.

The Gaine Rajbari consists of a domed tower with three stories supported by gigantic pillars. It is known as the Nazar Minar. The arches in the first two stories of the building offer a glimpse of Islamic architectural influence. These add to the beauty of the Gaine Rajbari.

European architecture has also played a major role in shaping this magnificent mansion called Gaine Rajbari that would look almost out of place in any other village of West Bengal but this one.

Adjacent to the palace is the Gaine Mandir or the temple of the Gaine Family. This temple follows the Hindu architectural style.

The Gaine Rajbari has a large courtyard or the thakurdalan where the family's ancestral Durga Puja festival is held every year. Several scenes from various old Bengali movies were shot in this mansion. It is still used for shooting Bengali movies and television series.

The Gaine Palace or Gaine Rajbari is one of the few grand mansions of the village which some of the owners still use as their residence. This is why it is one of the most well-maintained mansions.

Sawoo Mansion

The Sawoo Mansion is another large house that still stands as a witness to the glorious past of this village. It was built almost a couple of centuries ago by Patit Chandra Sawoo. However, right now this mansion mostly remains closed, as the owners live in Kolkata. We also found the gates of the Sawoo Mansion locked. However, we could peep into the mansion and get a glimpse of the interior too.

Just outside the gate of the mansion is an Indian Bael tree, which also seems as old as the building.

The Sawoo Mansion is decorated with Corinthian pillars that make it magnificent. Besides, over the window arches, there's stucco to make them more attractive.

Close to the Sawoo Mansion is the Sawoo Garden House or the Sawoo Baganbari. Although it is not as grand as the main residential house of the Sawoos, it also stands testimony to the history of the place.

Ballav Mansion

Just around the corner from the Sawoo Mansion lies another famous palatial house, which is almost as popular as the Gaine Rajbari. It's the Mansion of the Ballavs or the Ballav Bari. Built by Shyamacharan Ballav, a member of the renowned Ballav family over 150 years ago, this house also has an extensive lawn in front of it. However, the long blades of grasses stand witness to the fact that this house is also not maintained properly any more. There are a few benches on the lawns where you can sit and rest. There's also a pond inside the boundaries of the Ballav Mansion, which is used by the local people these days.

The feature of the Ballav Mansion that makes it stand out is the presence of a few human structures at the top of the house. And these human figures surely appear as large dolls. Some of these figures are those of Royal people, while there are others of Indian guards. There's a design of a peacock right in the middle of the wall guarding the roof. These dolls on the roof have made the house well known among the locals as Putul Bari or the House of Dolls.

There are a couple of outhouses, which were used by the guards to keep an eye on the gates of the Ballav Mansion and stop intruders from entering the premises. Those structures are completely dilapidated these days.

Back to Kolkata

The time we spent at Dhanyakuria was worth remembering. We had enjoyed all the things to see in Dhanyakuria. The wonderful history of this amazing village had seeped into our minds. The mansions and the castle for which this place is famous had found a place in our hearts as well. After a day well spent at this village of castles and mansions in West Bengal, we took Basanti Highway and navigated through Basanti and Minakhan to trace our way back home.