Aura of India: West Bengal Districts: From the Darjeeling Hills to the Delta

Cloud over the Namring tea garden near Darjeeling

Photo: Sourabh.biswas003, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons

Tea gardens on the slopes near Darjeeling, with the plains of West Bengal far below.

West Bengal runs from the Himalaya to the sea, and in a single train journey you can go from tea gardens to mangrove forests.

The hills and the Dooars

West Bengal has 23 districts. In the far north, Darjeeling and Kalimpong sit on ridges facing Kangchenjunga, known for their tea and for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the toy train that is a World Heritage Site. Below them, in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar, the Dooars is a belt of tea estates and forests; Jaldapara and Gorumara national parks shelter rhinos and elephants. Cooch Behar has the palace of its old royal family.

The river plains

South of the hills, the Ganges plain is dotted with history. Malda is famous for its mangoes and the ruins of Gaur and Pandua, old capitals of Bengal's sultans. Murshidabad was the seat of Bengal's last Nawabs, whose Hazarduari palace still stands. In Nadia, Mayapur and Nabadwip are pilgrimage towns linked to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu. In Birbhum, Santiniketan, where Rabindranath Tagore founded his university, became a World Heritage Site in 2023, and its Poush Mela fair is held in December.

The west and the delta

In Bankura, the town of Bishnupur has terracotta temples built by the Malla kings, and the clay Bankura horse is a symbol of Bengal's crafts. Purulia, on the plateau edge, is the home of Chhau, a masked dance. Kolkata, the capital, is its own district. To the south, the Sundarbans, in South 24 Parganas, is the largest mangrove forest in the world and home to the Bengal tiger.

Getting around

Kolkata has the main airport, and Bagdogra serves the north. Trains connect almost every district. October to March is the best season; Durga Puja in October is the biggest festival of the year; regional calendars can shift the exact days.

Twenty-three districts, and five more planned

West Bengal has had 23 districts since 2017. The last round of change came in two steps: Alipurduar was carved out of Jalpaiguri in 2014, and in 2017 Kalimpong was separated from Darjeeling, Jhargram from West Medinipur, and Bardhaman was split into East and West Bardhaman.

In its first budget, on 22 June 2026, the new state government announced five more. Kolkata is to become a full revenue district with its own district magistrate. Four others are to be carved out of large districts: Basirhat from North 24 Parganas, Sundarbans from South 24 Parganas, Jangipur from Murshidabad, and Arambagh from Hooghly. That would take the total to 28.

As of October 2026 the new districts have been announced but not yet formed, so maps, train tickets and government offices still use the 23. A similar plan for seven new districts, announced in 2022, never went ahead.

One route from the hills to the sea

Fly into Bagdogra and spend three days in Darjeeling and Kalimpong. Come down to the Dooars for a night near Jaldapara or Gorumara, then take the overnight train south from New Jalpaiguri. Stop at Malda for Gaur and Pandua, and at Murshidabad for the Hazarduari palace and the Nawabs' river.

Continue to Santiniketan in Birbhum, then go west to Bankura for the terracotta temples of Bishnupur. End in Kolkata, with two nights on a boat in the Sundarbans. Allow two to three weeks for the whole route, or pick one end of the state. For the festival season and the state as a whole, see the West Bengal guide.

Districts to know

Darjeeling: tea, the toy train and Kangchenjunga.
Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri: the Dooars and their national parks.
Murshidabad: the palace of the last Nawabs.
Birbhum: Santiniketan and the Poush Mela.
Bankura: Bishnupur's terracotta temples.
Purulia: the Chhau dance.
South 24 Parganas: the Sundarbans.

In West Bengal, the hills and the delta are one overnight train apart.

Plan your visit

Best season	October to March across the state. The hills are also pleasant from March to May; avoid the monsoon, June to September, when landslides can close roads in the north.
How to reach	Kolkata airport for the south; Bagdogra, near Siliguri, for the hills and the Dooars. Howrah and Sealdah stations in Kolkata, New Jalpaiguri in the north.
Getting around	Trains link almost every district. Shared jeeps and hired cars in the hills; boats in the Sundarbans.
Where to stay	Kolkata for the south and Bishnupur or Santiniketan for the west. In the north, Darjeeling and Kalimpong, or the forest edge near Jaldapara and Gorumara.
How long to spend	Three days for Kolkata; a week for one region; two to three weeks to cross the state from the hills to the delta.
Permits	None for most of the state. The Sundarban Tiger Reserve is entered only on registered boats; foreign visitors need a permit to cross into Sikkim.

Open West Bengal, India in Google Maps

Questions people ask

How many districts are there in West Bengal?

23, as of October 2026. Five more were announced in the June 2026 state budget: Kolkata as a full revenue district, Basirhat, Sundarbans, Jangipur and Arambagh. That would make 28, but they have not yet been formed.

Which district is the Sundarbans in?

South 24 Parganas, with part of the delta in North 24 Parganas. A new Sundarbans district, carved out of South 24 Parganas, was announced in June 2026.

Which district of West Bengal is Darjeeling in?

Darjeeling district, in the far north. Kalimpong, once part of it, has been a separate district since 2017.

What is the best route to see West Bengal?

North to south: the hills and the Dooars first, then Malda, Murshidabad, Santiniketan and Bishnupur, ending in Kolkata and the Sundarbans. Overnight trains link the two ends.

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West Bengal Districts: From the Darjeeling Hills to the Delta