Asia > India > West Bengal > Durgapur
Durgapur is West Bengal's steel city, built almost from scratch in the 1950s when independent India chose this stretch of the Damodar River valley as the site of one of its showpiece public-sector steel plants. Sometimes called the Ruhr of India, it is an industrial city first and a tourist destination only incidentally — but those passing through on the way from Kolkata to the hills or the Jharkhand border will find it more pleasant and liveable than its reputation suggests.
The city was designed with wide roads, parks, and residential townships for the steel plant's workers, which gives it a spacious, planned character unlike the organic density of most Indian cities. Benachity Bazaar is the old commercial heart, a 2–3 km stretch of market streets with shops, food stalls, and a bustle that the newer malls have not entirely replaced. City Center is the modern hub — shopping malls, a cineplex, and restaurants.
Durgapur is 171 km from Kolkata and reached in under 2 hours by the Shatabdi Express. It functions mostly as a base for exploring the surrounding area rather than as a destination in itself. The town of Bishnupur, famous for its terracotta temples, is about 90 km south. The Durgapur Barrage on the Damodar River and Kumarmangalam Park are pleasant half-day outings within the city.