Marvellous Murti

Whenever you think of refreshing yourself off the monotonous life, you should remember the name Murti, a small village on the bank of a shallow stream of the same name in Jalpaiguri. Last December, we teamed up and got ready with our backpacks to spend the weekend at Murti. We took Kanchankanya Express from Sealdah at night and reached New Mal next morning.
Our hired car was ready there to take us to the resort of the West Bengal Forest Development Corporation at Murti. It was a foggy winter morning. Quite flows the river Murti by the side of the resort. And on the other side of the river sleeps Gorumara National Park. Checking into the room we refreshed quickly and got out for a walk. It was so pleasant to walk along the road running through the tea gardens. Sometimes we plunged into the gardens and plucked a twig or two. Then we came back to take our lunch at the resort and booked our tickets for the trip to Gorumara watch tower. The possibility of having a glimpse of different wild animals and birds like bison, deer, peacock, and even leopard is great from Gorumara watch tower. We started for Gorumara watch tower at 3 p.m. We collected our guide from the check post of the forest. We saw peacocks here and there on our way to the watch tower.

We could see a bison near the salt-pit. We were very lucky to see a leopard crossing the way to slink into the bush when we were returning from the watch tower. The special attraction of this evening trip was a tribal dance with tea and snacks.
Tourists can cover four other watch towers, i.e. Medla, Chukchuki, Khunia and Chapramari centering round this spot. Bindu, Jhalong, Samsing, Suntalekhola, etc. are also accessible from here. Nature with all her beauties is present in these little and half known villages. Sitting beside this river in a moonlit night and hearing the murmuring sound will surely take you to another world, the world of fantasy.
How to go: Murti is well connected by road from Siliguri. The nearest airport is Bagdogra and the nearest railway stations are New Mal and New Maynaguri. For online railway reservation visit www.irctc.co.in
Where to stay: There are two resorts at Murti. One is of W.B.F.D.C. and the other is private. For checking the availability of accommodation please visit www.wbfdc.com . Booking of W.B.F.D.C. resort is done from Kolkata.
When to go: The best time to visit Murti is from October to March.