Asansol

Asansol (Bengali: আসানসোল Āsānsol, Hindi: आसनसोल Āsansol) is the headquarters of the Paschim Bardhaman district of West Bengal. It is at the centre of a major industrial area and the second largest urban agglomeration in the state.

Understand
Asansol (AH-shahn-shohl) is an important mining and industrial centre in Eastern India. Over the years, Asansol grew considerably with the growth of coal mining, development of railways and growth of the steel plant of IISCO (Indian Iron and Steel Company) in Burnpur.

By plane
The nearest airport is Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport in Durgapur (around  by road). Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata is the nearest international airport.

By train
is an important railway station on the Howrah–Delhi main line and most of the trains stop here. Daily direct trains to Delhi, Jammu Tawi, Dehradun, Kalka, Kathgodam, Jodhpur, Gwalior, Indore, Jabalpur and Mumbai either start from Asansol or pass through Asansol. There are several weeklies and bi-weeklies to far off destinations such as Kanyakumari, Yesvantpur, Ahmedabad and Dibrugarh. For travel from Kolkata or Bardhaman, short-distance passenger and localtrains are ideal. Be sure to book a reserved seat in advance because the trains are generally crowded. Some long-distance trains also offer reservation from Howrah to Asansol. Online bookings can be done on the Indian Railway site.

Asansol station has three double-bedded AC retiring rooms, two double-bedded non-AC retiring rooms and an eight-bedded dormitory. Escalators are present at platforms no. 2 and 7. Wi-Fi service is available here. A food plaza in the station premises is open 24/7. It also has an air-conditioned premium lounge for upscale passengers.

By bus
Air-conditioned Volvo and SBSTC buses along with non-air-conditioned buses leave daily from Esplanade, Kolkata for Asansol via Durgapur. The tickets can be booked in either advance, online or at the spot before the departure of the buses. The bus journey is comfortable and relaxing in comparison to the journey by SBSTC AC buses. Bookings can be made online through portals like Redbus.

By car
Asansol is on the historic Grand Trunk Road in South Asia. Those travelling from Kolkata should take either the Durgapur Expressway (NH 19) or the GT Road from Howrah.

Get around
Hired cars, auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are available. Nobody goes by meters and so be sure to check about the hire charges before boarding.

By taxi
Just like the taxis in Kolkata, the Ambassador taxis in Asansol are painted yellow and blue. They are readily available at the railway station and certain other fixed points.

Buy
Asansol is one of the big markets in West Bengal. There are many shops for buying clothes, electronic goods, sports accessories etc.

Eat and drink
Many of the larger hotels have bars and restaurants. Most of clubs in the area have the colonial old world charm but entry is restricted to members and their guests.

Go next

 * Biharinath - holiday resorts
 * Bishnupur — The famous terracotta temple town and home to major art and craft is about 100 km from Asansol. The Bankura horse, symbol of Indian handicrafts is produced at Panchmura, near Bishnupur. It is also the home of the Baluchari sari, initially woven with Ramayana and Mahabharata motifs but now modernised.
 * Durgapur - 42 km from Asansol.
 * Dhanbad - 60 km from Asansol.
 * Garh Panchakot — Home to Panchet Dam, about 17 km from Asansol. It is approachable via Chirkunda.
 * Kendubillo – Temple and birthplace of Sanskrit poet Jaydev, on the banks of the Ajay river, is about 80 km from Asansol. Makar sankranti mela with bauls (religious singers with a detached philosophy and spontaneity of their own) participating is held in mid January.
 * Maithon — About 20 km from Asansol. It is approachable via Neamatpur or Asansol Bypass, or one can take a little circuitous route via Chirkunda. Those travelling in a car often take one route for going out and return by the other.
 * Santiniketan — Visva-Bharati, founded by Rabindranath Tagore and now a central university and an institution of national importance, is located here. It is about 90 km from Asansol.