The Chilapata Forest is a dense forest near

Jaldapara National Park Jaldapara National Park (Pron: ˌʤʌldəˈpɑ:rə) is a national park situated at the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas in Alipurduar, Alipurduar District of northern West Bengal, India, and on the banks of the Torsa River. Jaldapara is sit ...

Dooars The Dooars or Duars ( as, দুৱাৰ, duar, rkt, দুৱাৰ, duar, bn, দুয়ার, duyar) () are the alluvial floodplains in eastern-northeastern India that lie south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas and north of the ...

Alipurduar district Alipurduar is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Alipurduar district. Situated on the east bank of Kaljani River on the foothills of the Himalayas, the city is a gateway to Bhutan and no ...

, West Bengal, India. It is about 40 km from

Alipurduar Alipurduar is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Alipurduar district. Situated on the east bank of Kaljani River on the foothills of the Himalayas, the city is a gateway to Bhutan and no ...

, and just a few minutes away from

Hasimara Hasimara is a town in Alipurduar district of West Bengal state, India near the border with Bhutan. It is located at 26° 45' N latitude and 89° 21' E longitude at an altitude of 109 metres above sea level and has a population of about 40,000 (20 ...

town.

Ecology

The forest forms an

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae an ...

corridor between Jaldapara National Park and the

Buxa Tiger Reserve , photo = Buxa Tiger Reserve forest 2014.jpg , iucn_category = II , map = India West Bengal , map_width = , label = Buxa NP , label_position = right , location = West Bengal, India , nearest_city = Alipurduar , coordinates = , area_km ...

, and is rich in wildlife. New species continue to be found. The forest used to be home to large

Rhinoceros A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species o ...

populations. In hunting expeditions in 1892-1904, in and around Chilapata Forest, the Maharajah of

Cooch Behar Cooch Behar (), or Koch Bihar, is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Cooch Behar district. It is in the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas at . Cooch Behar is the only planned city in the ...

recorded killing one rhino, injury of one, and sighting of over 14. Rhinos now are extremely rare.

Indian leopards The Indian leopard (''Panthera pardus fusca'') is a leopard subspecies widely distributed on the Indian subcontinent. The species ''Panthera pardus'' is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because populations have declined following habi ...

are still common. It is hoped that eco-tourism will provide a new source of income for the indigenous

Rabha The Rabha are a Tibeto-Burman community to the Indian states of Assam, Meghalaya and West Bengal. They primarily inhabit the plains of Lower Assam and the Dooars, while some are found in the Garo Hills. Most of the Rabhas of Dooars refer to thems ...

people, who now depend on the forest mainly for firewood.

Tourism

West Bengal State Forest Development Agency (WBSFDA) runs an eco-tourism resort at Kodalbasti, providing basic accommodation. Nalraja fort chilapata

One of the main attractions is the ruined "Nalraja Garh", or fort of the Nal kings, built in the

Gupta Gupta () is a common surname or last name of Indian origin. It is based on the Sanskrit word गोप्तृ ''goptṛ'', which means 'guardian' or 'protector'. According to historian R. C. Majumdar, the surname ''Gupta'' was adopted by se ...

period in the fifth century C.E., the

Golden Age of India Certain time periods have been named "golden ages" where development in the Indian subcontinent flourished. Ancient India Gupta Empire The period between the 4th and 6th centuries CE is known as the Golden Age of India because of the considerab ...

. Although poorly maintained, the site has considerable archaeological interest. Other activities include Tonga rides through Mathura tea garden, boating on the Bania river and angling on the confluence of the Kalchini, Bania and Buri Basra.The Telegraph 16 April 2008: Wild call for Dooars visitors
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References

External links

* *https://beyotee.com/chilapata Dooars Forests of West Bengal Tourist attractions in Alipurduar district {{Environment-stub