Mahishadal and Geonkhali

Mahishadal and Geonkhali are two settlements in the southwest region of West Bengal. They are 5 km (3.1 mi) apart from each other.

Mahishadal New Rajbari

Mahishadal Old Rajbari

Mahishadal (মহিষাদল Mahiṣādal) is a town known for its Rajbari (Royal Palace) complex.

Geonkhali (গেঁওখালি Geõkhāli) is a village at the confluence of Rupnarayan, Damodar and Hooghly rivers. The Hooghly River is very wide and the view is breathtaking.

Get in

By train

Suburban trains from Howrah and Kharagpur has stops at 1 Mahishadal  South Eastern  and 2 Satish Samanta Halt  South Eastern  . The latter is closer to Mahishadal Rajbari and Geonkhali.

By car

Mahishadal is two hours' drive from Kolkata and half an hour's drive from both Haldia and Tamluk. Refer to the respective articles for getting into the aforementioned cities.

By ferry

You can also take a ferry from Diamond Harbour or Gadiara, which is a scenic way to arrive at Geonkhali.

See and do

Gopaljiu Temple, Mahishadal Rajbari Complex

• Forest Department Amusement Park. (updated Jul 2016)
• 1 Mahishadal Rajbari. Like other Raj families in the area, Mahishadal also belonged to a Mahishya family. They belonged to the royal Bhumihar family and it was founded by Bhuiyan Ray Mahapatra. The zamindari was held for over a century by this Bhumihar family till the Permanent Settlement. The Rajbari complex consists of two palaces – the old one was built in 1840 and the new one in 1935. The new palace is known as Phulbagh Palace. You can see the grand corridors, majestic staircase, stuffed animals, hunting weapons of the 16th and 17th centuries, paintings and furniture. There are also two Hindu temples within the complex, Gopaljiu Temple and Ramjiu Temple, both were built by Rani Janaki Devi. Gopaljiu Temple is a nine-pinnacled (navaratna) temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and was built in 1778. (updated Jul 2023)

Sleep

There are a few state-owned lodges in Mahishadal and Geonkhali to lie your weary heads. There are more hotel options in Haldia and Tamluk.

• 1 Triveni Sangam, ☏ +91 3224 255929, +91 3224 255930, fax: +91 3224 255927, ceo.hda@gmail.com. AC & non AC Rooms, Roof-top cafeteria. Booking office: Haldia Development Authority, New Administrative Building, City Centre, Haldia. (updated Jul 2016)
• Bungalow of Irrigation Department, Government of West Bengal, Geonkhali. (updated Jul 2016)

Go next

• Diamond Harbour
• Gadiara
• Haldia
• Tamluk