Khirai Visit (24thDec2023)
29-December-2023Khirai village in East Midnapure is well known as the valley of flowers of West Bengal. It is a small village located near Panskura. Just like its name, the surroundings too are calm, peaceful and amazingly colourful.
Along the rivers Khirai and Kangsabati, many varieties of flowers are cultivated which look like multi-colours carpet – a combination of orange, yellow and green and so on.
Flowers are cultivated in a very large area in Khirai, but the visitors go to only one particular place which is easily accessible and where parking spots are available(paid but amount is reasonable). This place is located below a railway over bridge and you can see (and hear !) the trains rushing past every 15-20 mins.
So many different flowers like Marigold, Pot marigold, Common marigold, Gladiolus, Chrysanthemum, and Cockscomb, etc are cultivated in the Khirai region.
The flower season starts from mid November, peaks in January and gradually subsides by mid February.
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Flower cultivation in this region is aided by the fertile alluvial soil of both Khirai and Kangsabati River. As far as you can see, only colourful flowers are covered along the sides of the rivers. Therefore, this region is called the “valley of flowers” and Khirai is well known for this beauty.
In the flower season, this particular place(pic above) becomes festive. Lots of tourists come to the Khirai gardens from Kolkata for a day outing. The local people charge for vehicle parking and its not very big amount. All kinds of food items area available but I noticed people crowding around only the Roll Counter and the Puchka sellers. Probably later in the day, the other hotels selling lunch etc get their customers.
You can buy flowers and plants too.
You will see most the girls ( visitors) wearing flower head bands here and clicking selfies throughout. That is a bit upsetting (the selfie part, not the headband part) as I did not see anyone stopping to admire either the flowers or the place. Only priority seemed to be get good photographs..but I guess that’s happening everywhere.
You can buy small flower bouquets at Khirai. They sell them at reasonable prices.
The location is just below the railway over bridge as you can see in the photograph above.
Is vehicle parking available at Khirai Flower Gardens?
Yes. The space below the railway over bridge is used for parking the 4 and 2-wheelers. They charge some amount.
The roads from the Kansabati Bridge to the Khirai Flower Gardens are single lane and narrow. If you are in a large vehicle(Innova types) then you have to drive carefully and at places have to go to the extreme edge if there is an incoming vehicle. Even with smaller 4-wheelers, its a challenge to cross if two vehicles come upon each other from opposite directions. Not saying you can’t, as I did notice quite a few big vehicles parked at the Flower Gardens. But you need to drive carefully and cautiously.
Best Time to visit Khirai Flower Gardens.
Winter, is the best season to visit, when Khirai blooms to her full glory. In the recent years, Khirai has become famous and the farmlands are like a picnic destination for the people of Kolkata who take the 2 hour commute to reach. If I was to put a date range then it would be Dec to Jan. And if you don’t like the crowds then probably mid Nov and Mid Feb.
These two regions (Panskura and Khirai) of West Bengal produce some of the best ornamental flowers like Chrysanthemum, Karen and Marigold for the whole of West Bengal and neighboring states. In some years, the seeds of these flowers are even sent to far off places like Uttar Pradesh where they bloom in winter.
How to reach Khirai Flower Gardens?
If you are travelling from Kolkata, then exit the Kharagpur highway just before the Mechogram Flyover
https://maps.app.goo.gl/3Qv2HD33nNxqCdfC9
Next you have to look for the Old Kansabati Bridge.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Y7sGzBQdHhQGpZBf7
Immediately after the bridge, take a left turn and then take further left after around 100 metres and continue straight for 4 kms and you will reach the Railway Over bridge where the food stalls and vehicle parking are located.
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