Shankarpur Beach

Shankarpur Beach lies on the Bay of Bengal coast in Purba Medinipur district, close to Digha. It is a quieter stretch of shoreline with pale sand, clear water and steady sea breezes, and it is visited by people looking for a calmer seaside stop than the busier resorts nearby.

The beach is rich in shore life: more than sixty kinds of marine molluscs have been recorded on its sands, and they play an important part in the coastal ecosystem. Patterns traced across the sand by these creatures are one of the things visitors notice on a walk.

A fishing harbour at Shankarpur is the other main sight. Boats land their catch from the bay here each day, and watching the fishing community at work gives a sense of how the local economy depends on the sea.