Just 30 km from Bishnupur, is the Gangani Canyons. It is a distant cousin of Gandikota Canyons. Though not extravagant as the latter, Gangani is still gorgeous and majestic in her own way. This beautiful artwork of Mother Nature was formed due to several hundred years of erosion and the majestic Silabati river's constant flow has resulted in these beautiful gorges.
According to the local legend, this is the place where one of the Pandavas, Bheem, killed a demon Bakasura. This Grand Canyon of West Bengal in Garbeta town is a hidden gem and we had breathtaking views as the evening sun rays fell on these gorges. Certain parts of the majestic canyons reminded us of Moon land in Leh. Thanks to West Bengal Tourism, a stairway leads to the banks of the river from the canyon. It was amazing to spend a quiet evening here walking down the steps admiring the beauty of Nature and soaking our feet in the river. The fertile green farm lands on the other bank of the river made us realize how generous and life giving Mother Nature is. Due to our greed and fast paced economic growth, we are wiping out our natural resources at an alarming pace. It is high time we save natural resources to sustain a healthy life on planet Earth.
Gangani seems to be a favorite picnic spot an the place is feeling the heat with tons of garbage strewn around. In our travel experience across India, the two other regions- J&K and North East seem to enjoy a lot of these picnic spots. The stark difference between those two regions and gangani is that the former destinations are squeaky clean while Gangani is littered. Be a responsible traveler.
The 30 km drive from Bishnupur to Gangani is such a breeze. Narrow rural roads connected us to the Kolkata-Bishnupur Highway, which was absolutely spotless and acres of green paddy fields and water bodies were such a treat to our eyes.
In tops 40 minutes, a small detour from the highway led us to the isolated, muddy roads leading to the canyons. The tourist lodge arranged for our comfortable ride and safe driver who charged us Rs.1200 for the 60 km journey. If you have not had enough of the temples in Bishnupur, Garihat village is home to a few.
