Weekend getaway from Kolkata · #8 of 10
Murshidabad
The Nawabs' old capital on the Bhagirathi: the thousand-door Hazarduari Palace museum, Nizamat Imambara, Wasif Ali Manzil and Motijhil lake, plus Murshidabad silk. The Hazarduari Express makes it an easy rail weekend.
Murshidabad was the Nawabs' capital when it rivalled London for wealth, and its riverside sprawl of palaces and mosques still shows it. The thousand-door Hazarduari Palace anchors a weekend of Nawabi history along the Bhagirathi, from the ruined Katra Masjid to the horseshoe lake at Motijhil, finished off with a length of Murshidabad silk.
Getting there
About 200 km; several other Azimganj-bound expresses from Howrah also work if you connect across the river at Azimganj Junction.
Volvo coaches also run the Kolkata-Berhampore route if you'd rather not drive the full distance yourself.
Day 1 - Hazarduari and the Nawabi core
The palace of a thousand doors and the cluster of mosques and monuments around it- 16:00 AMDrive
Hazarduari Express from Kolkata
Board an early express bound for Murshidabad Junction; the four-hour ride crosses central Bengal's rice country before reaching the Bhagirathi.
📍 Howrah Junction, Kolkata
Tip · Reserve ahead for weekend travel; this is a popular heritage-town route.
- 210:30 AMFood
Check in and lunch
Settle into a hotel near Lalbagh, then a simple lunch before the afternoon of sightseeing begins.
📍 Lalbagh, Murshidabad
Tip · Ask upfront whether a roadside eatery charges by meal-system or a la carte to avoid surprises on the bill.
- 312:00 PMSight
Hazarduari Palace museum
The Palace of a Thousand Doors, 900 real and 100 false, built in 1837 in a grand European style and now the biggest site museum under the Archaeological Survey of India, with over a thousand antiquities on display.
📍 Hazarduari Palace, Murshidabad
Tip · Open 9 AM to 5 PM; give yourself at least an hour and a half inside.
- 42:00 PMSight
Nizamat Imambara
Directly opposite the palace, a 680-foot Shia congregation hall built in 1847, its three quadrangles holding the Madina Mosque and a two-storied mosque.
📍 Nizamat Imambara, Murshidabad
- 53:00 PMSight
Clock Tower and Bachchawali Tope
Between the palace and the Imambara, a clock tower with a heavy bell alongside a huge medieval cannon over seven tonnes in weight, its brass inlay still visible.
📍 Clock Tower, Murshidabad
- 64:00 PMSight
Wasif Ali Manzil
A beautifully restored palace rebuilt after an earthquake destroyed the original, with the ruins of the older Begum Mahal visible just behind it.
📍 Wasif Ali Manzil, Murshidabad
- 75:30 PMSight
Evening walk along the Bhagirathi ghats
A quiet riverside stroll near Chawk Masjid as the light fades over the Bhagirathi, past several of the Nawab-era mosques clustered along the bank.
📍 Bhagirathi riverside, Murshidabad
- 88:00 PMStay
Dinner and overnight stay
A simple dinner near Lalbagh before an early night ahead of the second day's sightseeing.
📍 Lalbagh, Murshidabad
Tip · Drink only bottled or municipal-supply water; the local groundwater carries arsenic contamination.
Day 2 - Katra Masjid, Motijhil and silk shopping
The ruined mosque of the Nawab who founded the city, a horseshoe lake, and Murshidabad silk before the ride home- 98:00 AMSight
Katra Masjid and Jahan Kosha Cannon
Built by Murshid Quli Khan in 1723, this five-domed mosque once held 2,000 worshippers; nearby stands the huge Jahan Kosha ('Destroyer of the World') cannon, said to have been brought from Dhaka.
📍 Katra Masjid, Murshidabad
- 109:30 AMSight
Motijhil Lake park
A horseshoe-shaped lake once known as the Company Bagh, where Lord Clive celebrated acquiring the Diwani of Bengal in 1765; now a park with toy train rides and a children's area.
📍 Motijhil Park, Murshidabad
- 1111:00 AMSight
Khushbagh tombs
The garden cemetery of Alivardi Khan, his grandson Siraj-ud-Daulah and other family members, with a three-domed mosque at its western end.
📍 Khushbagh, Murshidabad
- 121:00 PMFood
Lunch
A last Bengali meal in town; sweets and curd here are noticeably cheaper than in Kolkata even if the classic Nawabi ghee-fried snacks have faded.
📍 Lalbagh, Murshidabad
- 132:30 PMActivity
Murshidabad silk shopping
Khadi shops in Khagra and Berhampore sell Murshidabad silk kora sarees and embroidery work; the original Baluchari weavers migrated to Bishnupur long ago, so look for silk rather than Baluchari patterns here.
📍 Khagra, Murshidabad
Tip · Government-subsidised rebates of around 20 percent are sometimes available at Khadi outlets.
- 144:00 PMDrive
Train or drive back to Kolkata
Head back via the Hazarduari Express or the NH-12 road route, arriving in Kolkata by evening.
📍 Murshidabad railway station, Murshidabad
Where to eat
Cheaper here than in Kolkata; a good place to sample local mishti doi and sandesh.
Confirm the meal-system versus a la carte pricing before you order at smaller eateries near Hazarduari.
When to go
Cool, comfortable weather for a full day of walking between palaces and mosques.
Hot; plan outdoor sightseeing for morning and late afternoon.
Good to know
- The local groundwater is arsenic-contaminated; stick to bottled water or the municipal surface-water supply.
- Photography is restricted in parts of the Hazarduari Palace museum; check signage inside.
- Book accommodation ahead since good options near Lalbagh are limited.
- Confirm meal pricing (meal-system versus a la carte) before ordering at small local eateries.
