One of the most popular and most admired tourist spots for Bengalis, specially Kolkatans to be more specific is Digha. Visiting here at the weekends after a hectic weekly schedule is just like spending some time in paradise. But how many of us know that how it became a tourist spot? What is its history? Let's take a small effort to find it out.

Previously this place was known as Beerkul. Warren Hastings, the then Governor General of India in 1780 mentioned about this place in his letters to his wife and other officials. He was so fascinated with this place's beauty that he appreciated it by referring it as, “Brighton of East”.

Along the seaside there were many cashew plantations for which this place gained some name. It was under the British rule till 1947 and was not a place of much discussion. A name, not generally heard of will always come whenever Digha's history will be discussed, is John Frank Snaith. He was a British businessman, who started to live there since 1923. The beauty of this place made him a permanent resident over there. He wrote about that place in many of his writings and highlighted good exposure of this place.

After independence Snaith convinced the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy to make a tourist spot and develop a beach resort there. A missionary by the name Sindhur Tara was developed and a church by the same name was constructed beside the Amarabati Park (a tourist spot). Gradually, it became a tourist spot for local people and at this point of time it is one of the most visited places in West Bengal. The time span between July to March is the best as the climate almost remains pleasant during this time.

The main occupation of the people here is farming and fishing, but over the last few years a steep rise in the profession of tourism and other related activities has been noticed. There are uncountable hotels and lodges of different fares to entertain the tourists in this beautiful place. Of late, there are a number of tourist spots apart from the sea beach. They are Shankarpur, Junput, Udaipur, Marine Aquarium and Research Centre (MARC), Science City, Amarabati Lake, Talsari and Chandeswar Temple. So, friends let's take a step ahead and visit this lovely place to gather some everlasting memories.