Canning (ক্যানিং Kyāniṁ) is a small town in the South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. It is known as the "Gateway of the Sundarbans", as many people reach Canning on their wat to the mangroves.
Get in
By train
- 🌍 Canning railway station Sealdah South . The last station of the Sealdah–Canning line, and the nearest station to Sundarbans National Park. The railway distance from Kolkata to Canning is 45 km (28 mi).
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(updated Sep 2022)
See and do
- 🌍 Kuthi of Port Canning. Named after the then-Viceroy Lord Canning, the town was originally developed as a feeder port to Kolkata in the 1860s. However, the idea faded with the choking of the Matla River and in 1867, the river reduced the town to a "bleached skeleton". The kuthi is still present as a remainder of the original Port Canning. (updated Oct 2022)
- 🌍 Matla Bridge. Provides an exquisite view of the Matla River flowing towards the Sundarbans. (updated Jan 2025)
- 🌍 Sundarban Kristi Mela o Loko Sanskriti Utsab (সুন্দরবন কৃষ্টি মেলা ও লোকসংস্কৃতি উৎসব Sundarban Kr̥ṣṭi Melā O Lokasaṁskr̥ti Utsab), Narayantala (opposite bank of the Matla River). 23-28 Dec every year. Literally "Sundarbans Culture Fair and Folk Culture Festival". Like many fairs in large cities, you can expect various food stalls, jewellery shops, handicraft stalls, furniture showrooms, and vehicle showrooms here. Besides, you can enjoy group and solo performances, including Santal dance. (updated Jan 2025)
Nearby
- 🌍 Ghutiari Sharif (ঘুটিয়ারী শরীফ Ghuṭiẏārī Śarīph) (Ghutiari Sharif Sealdah South ). The resting place of Ghazi Pir (গাজী পীর Gājī Pīr), known by locals for his power over dangerous animals and controlling the natural elements. People in the Sundarbans, regardless of religion, worship Ghazi Pir and Bonbibi for protection from tigers. Two large fairs are organised in Ghutari Sharif every year in June-July and August-September in memory of Ghazi Pir, and many devotees participate in those fairs, again regardless of religion. (updated Jul 2025)
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