At a glance
- Purulia's picnic season runs from December to February, with the biggest crowds on 25 December, 1 January and Sundays.
- On 1 January 2026 forest department sources put the district's visitors at about one lakh, most of them in the Ajodhya Hills.
- The Upper Dam and Thurga Dam are the classic Ajodhya picnic stops; Khairabera and Murguma are quieter.
- Muradi Dam at Baranti and Joychandi Pahar are the north's established picnic spots, 95 to 120 km from the resort.
- Don't cook over open fires in forest areas, take every bit of plastic home, keep music off and stay out of the water.
The best picnic spots in Purulia are its hill reservoirs and forest edges: the Upper Dam and Thurga Dam in the Ajodhya Hills, Khairabera and Murguma on the flanks of the range, and Muradi Dam at Baranti and Joychandi Pahar in the north of the district. The season runs from December to February and peaks on 25 December and 1 January, when the crowds are huge. On New Year's Day 2026, forest department sources told the Bengali daily Bartaman that about one lakh people visited the district, most of them in the Ajodhya Hills.
Purulia's winter picnic season
Winter is picnic season across south Bengal, and Purulia's dry, mild winter days suit it well. India Meteorological Department averages for Purulia town (1991–2020) give December and January days of about 24–25°C and nights of about 12–13°C, with barely any rain. Mornings and evenings are cold, especially near the forest, so pack a warm layer even for a sunny day.
The days to plan around are 25 December, 1 January and the Sundays in between, when the main hill road fills with buses, cars and bikes. Ahead of New Year 2026 the forest department kept a close watch on picnic spots, with an eye on safety and pollution, and banned cooking over open fires in forest areas. Expect similar arrangements each season. If your dates are fixed, our guide to Christmas and New Year in Purulia has a plan for that week.
Best picnic spots in Purulia's Ajodhya Hills
Upper Dam
The Upper Dam, about 16 km from the resort, is the best-known picnic stop in the hills. A road runs along the top of the embankment of the Purulia Pumped Storage Project's upper reservoir, with water on one side and dense forest on the other, and cars can pull in along the top, which makes it one of the easiest spots for older visitors. It is a working power-station reservoir whose level is designed to move by up to about 22 m, so stay on the road and away from the water's edge.
The crowds have a cost. In 2019 a resident of Bandhgutu, a village near the power project, told Mongabay India that its dam had turned into a picnic spot, and that plastic and waste left behind were eaten by village livestock, which fell ill and died. She said villagers had lost 40 to 50 cattle over a few years.
Thurga Dam
Thurga (Turga) Dam, only about 9 km from the resort near Baghmundi, holds a clear reservoir among low wooded hills and has long been a place to spend the day. Turga Falls is a short way upstream on the same road and still flows in winter. The dam is planned to become the lower reservoir of the Turga pumped storage project, and contracts for its access road and tunnel were being let in 2026, so respect any fencing or closures.
Khairabera Dam
Khairabera, about 22 km away via Baghmundi and Koreng, is the quiet choice. Low forested hills ring a wide irrigation reservoir under the flat ridge of Chemtaburu. Outlook Traveller found the only sounds were water lapping on the rocky banks, cattle bells and a kingfisher, and a 2023 study rated the lakeside easy to reach.
Murguma Dam
At the north-western end of the range, Murguma is listed by the district administration as a picnic spot with fine views of the Ajodhya Hills. Its earth embankment runs for over 2 km beside an island-dotted lake, and migratory waterbirds gather on it in winter. It is about 37 km from the resort across the plateau. Mobile signal is weak, so settle pick-up plans before you go, and keep well back from the edge at the gorge viewpoint near the dam.
Picnic spots in north Purulia
The north of the district has two established picnic places, both a long drive from the Ajodhya Hills, so they are best combined into a day or an overnight trip. Our Garh Panchkot, Baranti and Joychandi Pahar day trip covers the route.
- Muradi Dam and Baranti, about 120 km away: the district administration calls the Muradi reservoir a famous picnic spot in the winter season, ringed by hillocks and visited by migratory birds. People come from Asansol and nearby towns for day-long picnics. As of 2026 there were no restaurants outside the resorts, no boating, no ATM and weak mobile signal, so carry cash and food.
- Joychandi Pahar, about 95 km away near Raghunathpur: the district lists it as a trekking and picnic spot, with an open field at the foot of the rocky hill. A tourism festival and fair is usually held in the foothills from 28 December into the first days of January, which makes the turn of the year especially busy.
- Garh Panchkot, about 110 km away: ruins and forest below Panchet Hill, with stalls selling tea and snacks at the entrance. Outlook Traveller advises leaving the hill by late afternoon, as it is deserted after dark.
Further afield, Jharkhand's Hundru, Dassam and Chandil draw big winter picnic crowds. Dassam is busiest over the Christmas and New Year weeks, and swimming there is prohibited after many drownings; see our guide to Ranchi's waterfalls from Purulia before you go.
| Picnic spot | Distance from the resort | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thurga Dam | 9 km | A short morning by the water | Project works and closures |
| Upper Dam | 16 km | Easy access, wide views | Crowds on holidays; stay off the water's edge |
| Khairabera Dam | 22 km | Quiet, kingfishers, hill views | Minor roads beyond Koreng |
| Murguma Dam | 37 km | Long walks, winter birds | Weak signal; gorge edge |
| Joychandi Pahar | 95 km | Hill, field and year-end fair | Steep steps to the temples |
| Muradi Dam, Baranti | 120 km | Sunset, migratory birds | No restaurants or ATM |
Quieter picnic spots for 25 December and 1 January
If you want a picnic without the loudspeakers, change the place or the hour. Khairabera and Thurga are calmer than the Upper Dam, and any of them is quieter before 10 am than after lunch.
Close to the resort, Pakhi Pahar, about 6.5 km away, is not a picnic ground but makes a good unhurried morning: local women from self-help groups guide visitors past the giant birds carved into the rock and through the forest, and they clear plastic litter from it every morning. In 2023 the guide service charged ₹100 per vehicle. Deulghata, about 44 km away, is usually quiet in late December, though it has no eateries or toilets and fills up for the Tusu fair at Makar Sankranti.
Picnic rules: fire, plastic, noise and water
None of this is complicated, and it keeps the spots open and the villages around them on side.
- No open fires in the forest. Before New Year 2026 the forest department banned cooking over open fires in forest areas. Bring cooked food or check the current rules before lighting anything.
- Take all plastic home. Thermocol plates, packets and bottles left at the dams end up eaten by cattle. Carry a bag for your rubbish and take it back with you.
- Keep music off. Sound carries far over water and through forest, there are villages around every reservoir, and the hills are home to wildlife.
- Stay out of the water. The power-project reservoirs rise and fall with the pumping cycle, Marble Lake is very deep, and wet rock at the falls is slippery.
- Be out of the forest by dusk. Elephants move through the Ajodhya Hills, mostly at night. Around New Year the sun sets at about 5:10 pm, so start home by mid-afternoon.
Planning a picnic day from the Ajodhya Hills
Start early, carry drinking water, a warm layer, cash and a rubbish bag, and expect patchy mobile signal in the hills. Toilets are scarce at most spots, so plan stops around towns and lodges. For more on the season, read our guide to Purulia in winter.
From Rangamati, the nearest picnic dams are a short drive away, and we can arrange a sightseeing cab or driver on request, which saves parking battles on the busiest days. Back at the cottages, a bonfire on the lawn can be arranged on request for the cold evening that follows.
