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Voykit pocket guide · India
Kharagpur
খড়্গপুর
Give Kharagpur one night only if you want the railway town and IIT campus; otherwise pass through — the sights are thin and the heat is real.
Kharagpur is the largest city in southwest Bengal and a railway, industrial and academic hub: Kharagpur Junction is one of India's busiest stations and IIT Kharagpur sits on the old Hijli detention-camp site. There is little conventional sightseeing, so most travellers use it as a rail stop between Kolkata and Odisha or Jharkhand, or as a base for Midnapore and the surrounding Rarh towns.
- Country
- India
- Local name
- খড়্গপুর
- Best months
- Nov–Feb
- Avoid
- Apr–Jun (hot and humid), Jul–Sep (monsoon)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- INR
- Money
- Indian rupees (INR, ₹) in small notes for autos, street food, tips and entry tickets.
- Daily spend
- Budget ₹1,200–2,500 excl. bed · Mid ₹2,500–5,000 excl. bed · High ₹5,000+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- Jio, Airtel and Vi sell tourist SIMs at airport counters and their shops; passport, visa and a photo needed; activation can take a few hours.
- Emergency
- All services 112
- Plugs
- Types C, D, M · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin C plugs fit most sockets; D (three round pins) is the common wall socket; hotels often have universal sockets. UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Street food and dhabas: Nothing.; Restaurant: 5–10% if no service charge is on the bill.; Car and driver: ₹300–500 a day at the end of the trip.; Guide: ₹300–500 for a half day.; Hotel porter / housekeeping: ₹50–100.; Auto or Uber: Round up.
- Water
- Not drinkable from the tap. Buy sealed bottles (check the cap), or use RO-filtered refill stations in hotels and cafés; avoid ice from street stalls.
- Toilets
- Western toilets in hotels, malls and airports; squat toilets with a water jug or hose in stations and villages. Carry tissue and sanitiser; paid public toilets (Sulabh) cost ₹5–10.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Tea (chai) at a stall | ₹10–20 |
| Thali or rice-and-dal meal | ₹80–200 |
| Biryani at a local restaurant | ₹150–350 |
| Auto or rickshaw, 3 kmAuto or rickshaw, 1.9 mi | ₹50–100 |
| Internet café, per hour | ₹10–25 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ₹500–1,000 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- CCU · Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata
- Nearest commercial airport; about 3–4 h by road or rail to Kharagpur (check)
Typical fares
- Auto Kharagpur Junction → Gole Bazaar
- ₹50–100 (check)
- Local train Kharagpur → Midnapore
- about ₹30, 40–60 min (check)
- Road Kharagpur → Kolkata
- about 3–4 h by car (check)
Get around
Autos and cycle-rickshaws cover the centre; agree the fare before you get in. Kharagpur Junction is the main rail hub, with Hijli station used by some through trains. Local buses run to Midnapore and nearby towns.
See and do
Known for
- Kharagpur Junction railway station and its long platform
- IIT Kharagpur, India's first IIT
- Hijli, the former detention camp
- Khirayer Gogjaa sweet
- Railway workshop town
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Midnapore | Local train or bus from Kharagpur Junction | About 1 h |
| Ghatal | Road via Midnapore, or rail then road | About 2 h |
| Chandrakona Road | Train from Kharagpur Junction toward Bankura | About 1–1.5 h |
| Keshiary | Road or local train south of Kharagpur | About 1 h |
| Chandrakona | Train to Chandrakona Road, then auto | About 2 h |
Sleep
- Kharagpur Junction / railway station area
- Walk to platforms and the booking counter; best for one night with bags and early trains.
- Gole Bazaar / Bhandari Chawk
- Central shopping and eating; congested but close to the station.
- Near IIT Kharagpur (Chhota Tengra, DVC/IIT)
- Quieter, campus-oriented stays; a short auto ride from the junction.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello / Namaste | নমস্কারnomoshkar |
| Thank you | ধন্যবাদdhonnobad |
| How much is it? | কত টাকা?koto taka |
| Where is the station? | স্টেশন কোথায়?station kothay |
| Please stop here | এখানে থামুনekhane thamun |
| I don't want it | আমার দরকার নেইamar dorkar nei |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Namaste (palms together) or a handshake between men; wait for a woman to offer her hand; avoid: Hugging or kissing strangers
- Hands and feet: Give and eat with the right hand; apologise if your foot touches someone; avoid: Pointing feet at people or shrines; touching books or food with your feet
- Temples: Shoes off, walk clockwise around shrines, accept prasad (blessed food) with the right hand; avoid: Leather in Jain temples; entering sanctums that say Hindus only
- Home visit: Bring sweets or fruit; accept tea at least once; avoid: Refusing all food; wearing shoes inside
- Questions: Expect personal questions (married? job? salary?) as friendliness; avoid: Taking offence; answer vaguely if you prefer
- Saying no: A firm, polite 'nahi, dhanyavaad' (no, thank you) and keep walking; avoid: Long explanations to touts
- Dress: Loose clothes covering shoulders and knees; kurta tops are cheap and cool; avoid: Swimwear or shorts away from Goa beaches
Scams and watch-outs
- Summer heat and humidity from March; monsoon rain peaks Jul–Aug.
- Gole Bazaar and the station area are very congested — watch bags and traffic.
- Buy rail tickets on the official IRCTC site or at the station counter; ignore touts offering 'confirmed' seats.
- Drinking water and street food hygiene: stick to sealed water and busy stalls.
Kharagpur is generally safe by day; the real risks are heat, monsoon flooding, congested bazaars and unlicensed touts at the station. Keep valuables zipped and use prepaid or app-based transport where possible.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Kharagpur yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Kharagpur Junction railway station and its long platform
- IIT Kharagpur, India's first IIT
- Hijli, the former detention camp
- Khirayer Gogjaa sweet
- Railway workshop town
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Kharagpur Municipality: kharagpurmunicipality.org
- Indian Railways (IRCTC): www.irctc.co.in
- Wikivoyage: Kharagpur, revision 5304021 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5304021
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Kharagpurখড়্গপুর
এই ঠিকানায় যান
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- All services112
No embassies in Kharagpur; most countries have embassies or consulates in Kolkata or New Delhi (check).
Dialing code 3222; from overseas +91 3222 XXX XXX.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/kharagpur). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.