You can be a birdwatcher, history hunter, landscape photographer, wildlife enthusiast, angler or someone just waiting to wind-up after a hectic week in office – Belun will not disappoint you. Around 175 kms from Kolkata, Belun Eco Village (also called as Katwa Jol Bari) is located near Katwa in Burdwan District of West Bengal.
Belun village is a low-lying area and harbours a unique eco-system. Every year the annual floods of Shibai River submerge the adjacent landscape and create a marshland for a couple of months. After the water recedes, the region becomes home to a healthy population of birds, mammals, reptiles and butterflies. Local as well as migratory birds flock to Belun and mammals like jackals, foxes, fishing cats and civets are spotted regularly.
Long back, we started some “nature conservation efforts” in Belun with the villagers and worked mutually to sustain the fragile eco-system of this area. After working for nearly two decades, we can proudly say that the human population of Belun Eco Village and its surrounding areas now co-exist with the flourishing population of local birds and animals without confrontation.
Unlike most other villages in India, Belun has somehow escaped the fruits of modernisation. In our village, Facebook and WhatsApp is still not the trend but neighbours talk to each other while children like to play football in the rain instead of Angry Birds. The village life in Belun is still untouched. Here, the shepherd boy herds his cows, the fishermen brings his catch to the village market every morning, the farmer ploughs his land after rains and the village elders gossip below the Banyan Tree.
Recently, we have made a Nature Interpretation Center in Belun, where we conserve 56 species of indigenous fish in our pond and some rarest plants in our gardens. Located just beside the Shibai River our Nature Interpretation Center is an ideal place to spot birds and local wildlife. We have also facilitated two cottages with all modern amenities for our guests. We surely encourage a plastic-free zone and all our guests are treated to the local ways of village life.
Our Belun Eco Village has been designed by nature itself, so we do not have a “Joggers’ Park” but you can take a walk on the banks of Shibai River with the cold mud pressing on your heels. We have tried everything to bring our guests close to nature – here you can still experience the joy of plucking fruits from trees and putting them straight into your mouth, chasing butterflies and bringing out eggs from the duck house.
Our nature guides take children across the village to show them local flora and fauna and introduce them to village life. The guests always get a chance to interact with the villagers and experience local culture and a bullock cart ride. As, Belun is located near to Katwa, so guests can also go for local sightseeing to historical and religious destinations like Attahas (one of the 51 Sati Peeths) and the Sri Gouranga Mandir in Katwa.
At Belun Eco Village, we have tried to conserve life itself … so guests can experience it the way it should be – as nature intended it.
