Naxalbari (also spelled Naksalbari) is a village in the
Naxalbari
Naxalbari (also spelled Naksalbari) is a village in the Naxalbari CD block in the Siliguri subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. Naxalbari is famous for being the site of a 1967 revolt that would eventuall ...
CD block in the
Siliguri subdivision
Siliguri subdivision is a subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Subdivisions
Darjeeling district is divided into the following administrative subdivisions:
Police stations
Police stations in the Siligu ...
of the
Darjeeling district
Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its hill station and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters.
Kurseon ...
in the state of
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
, India. Naxalbari is famous for being the site of a
1967 revolt that would eventually lead to the
Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
, image = Naxal Left-wing violence or activity affected districts of India 2018.svg
, image_size = 300px
, caption = Naxalite active z ...
.
History
Naxalbari became famous for being the site of a left-wing poor peasants uprising in 1967, which began with the "land to tiller" slogan, an uprising continuing to this day (see
Naxalite).
The
Naxalbari uprising
Naxalbari uprising was an armed peasant revolt in 1967 in the Naxalbari block of Siliguri subdivision in Darjeeling district, West Bengal, India. It was mainly led by tribals and the radical communists leaders of Bengal and further developed in ...
was triggered on 25 May 1967 at Bengai Jote village in Naxalbari when the police opened fire on a group of villagers who were demanding their right to the crops at a particular piece of land. The firing killed 9 adults and 2 unknown children.
The
CPI (ML) have put up busts of Lenin, Stalin, Mao and
Charu Majumder
Charu is a word derived from Sanskrit that refers to something beautiful, graceful and pure in a spiritual sense.
The word also means “one who is radiant and graceful”
And is often used in the Ramayana for praising Lord Rama.
It refers to ...
on that piece of land. The spot has Bengai Jote Primary School next to it. There is a memorial column erected that has the names of the people who died during the police firing. The names are 1. Dhaneswari Devi (F), 2. Simaswari Mullick (F), 3. Nayaneswari Mullick (F), 4. Surubala Burman (F), 5. Sonamati Singh (F), 6. Fulmati Devi (F), 7. Samsari Saibani (F), 8. Gaudrau Saibani (M), 9. Kharsingh Mullick (M) and "two children".
Geography
Location
Naxalbari is located at . It has an average elevation of 152 metres (501 feet).
The stretch of land, where Naxalbari is situated, lies on the
Terai
The Terai or Tarai is a lowland region in northern India and southern Nepal that lies south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas, the Sivalik Hills, and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This lowland belt is characterised by tall grasslands, scr ...
region at the base of the
Himalayas
The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...
. To the west of Naxalbari, across the border river
Mechi
Mechi ( ne, मेची अञ्चल ) was one of the fourteen zones of Nepal until the restructuring of zones to provinces, comprising four districts; namely Ilam, Jhapa, Panchthar and Taplejung. Its headquarters are at Ilam. It comes und ...
lies
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
. The entire stretch of the land surrounding Naxalbari is covered by farmlands, tea estates and forests and small villages consisting of an area of 182.02 km². The Naxalbari block has six Gram Panchayats (village councils), viz. Gossainpur, Lower
Bagdogra
Bagdogra is a settlement in the Naxalbari CD block in the Siliguri subdivision of the Darjeeling district, in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the Greater Siliguri Metropolitan Area. The Bagdogra is well connected by air to six ...
, Upper Bagdogra, Hatighisha, Naxalbari and Moniram, from north to south. The population of the Naxalbari block was 144,915 in the year 2001.
Area overview
The map alongside shows the Siliguri subdivision of the Darjeeling district. This area is spread across the foothills of the Himalayas and is a plain land gently sloping from north to south. While the northern part is mentioned as the Terai region, the larger southern portion forms the western part of the
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 ...
region. While 55.11% per cent of the population resides in rural areas, 44.89% resides in urban areas. On the western side, the
Mechi River
The Mechi River is a trans-boundary river flowing through Nepal and India. It is a tributary of the Mahananda River.
Course
The Mechi originates in the Mahabharat Range in Nepal. It flows through Nepal, forms the boundary between India and Nepal ...
forms a long border with Nepal. On the eastern side the
Mahananda River
The Mahananda River (Pron:/ˌməhɑːˈnʌndə or ˌmɑːhəˈnʌndə/) is a trans-boundary river that flows through the Indian states of Bihar and West Bengal, and Bangladesh. It is an important tributary of the Ganges.
Course
The Mahananda ...
forms a short border with Bangladesh.
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full-screen map.
Civic Administration
Police station
Naxalbari police station has jurisdiction over the Naxalbari CD block.
CD block HQ
The headquarters of the Naxalbari CD block is at Naxalbari.
Demographics
According to the
2011 Census of India
The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...
, Naksalbari had a total population of 1,618 of which 811 (50%) were males and 807 (50%) were females. There were 138 persons in the age range of 0 to 6 years. The total number of literate people in Naksalbari was 1,289 (79.67% of the population over 6 years).
Transport
Naxalbari
Naxalbari (also spelled Naksalbari) is a village in the Naxalbari CD block in the Siliguri subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. Naxalbari is famous for being the site of a 1967 revolt that would eventuall ...
has a railway station on the
Katihar–Siliguri line
The Katihar–Siliguri line is a railway line connecting in the Indian state of Bihar with in West Bengal, via , , , , , , , and . It was a metre-gauge track that was converted to broad gauge in 2011.
Another railway line with a slightl ...
. Daily trains run from New Jalpaiguri via Siliguri Town, Siliguri Junction, Matigara and Bagdogra. There are four trains running from New Jalpaiguri; New Jalpaiguri-Katihar Passenger, New Jalpaiguri-Aluabari-New Jalpaiguri DEMU Ring Rail, New Jalpaiguri-Balurghat DEMU and New Jalpaiguri-Radhikapur DEMU.
There is also a bus service from Siliguri Court More to Naxalbari.
Naxalbari's
Panitanki
Panitanki is a town in Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India. It is located on the India-Nepal border; a border crossing to Kakarbhitta in Nepal is located here.
Panitanki is around 84 km from the district headquarters, Darjeeling. T ...
neighbourhood is on
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
's eastern border with India at
Jhapa District
Jhapa ( ne, झापा जिल्ला; ) is a district of Province No. 1 in eastern Nepal named after a Rajbanshi word "Jhapa" meaning "to cover" (verb). The latest official data, the 2021 Nepal Census, puts the total population of the d ...
,
Province No. 1
Province No. 1 (proposed names: Kirat Autonomous State, Kirat, Limbuwan, Khambuwan Rashtriya Morcha, Nepal, Khambuwan, Mount Everest, Sagarmatha, Virata, Birat and Koshi River, Koshi) is the easternmost of the seven Provinces of Nepal, province ...
. There is a border crossing to the
Kakarbhitta
Kakarbhitta (often written and pronounced Kakadbhitta or Kakarvitta) is a neighbourhood in Mechinagar Municipality in Jhapa District of Province No. 1, southeastern Nepal.
Demographics
At the time of the 1991 Nepal census, Mechinagar had a popul ...
neighbourhood of
Mechinagar
Mechinagar ( ne, मेचीनगर) is a municipality in Jhapa District, Province No. 1, Nepal and is the main entry point from India on Nepal's eastern border. Nepal's custom office is in Kakarvitta ( ne, काँकडभिट्टा), ...
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
with a
checkpoint for customs and crossing by third-country nationals while citizens of Nepal and India cross without restriction.
Education
Naxalbari has two major government high schools, one for males and one for females, and one college. There are many public and private primary schools.
* Nand Prasad High School - A government boys high school, which runs from class 5th to 12th grade. It was founded in 1943.
* Nand Prasad Girls High School - A government girls high school, which runs classes from 5th grade to 12th grade. It was founded in 1973.
* Naxalbari Nepali High School - A government co-ed high school, from 05th Grade to 12th Grade. Founded in 1985, it was recognized by the Govt. of W. B. in 2000.
* Naxalbari College - A government college. It was established in 2008.
* Shreema Shishu Udyan School - A private primary school for boys and girls, which runs classes from 1st grade to 5th grade. It was founded in 1979.
*Sabuj Sathi Nursery School - A private primary school for boys and girls, which runs classes from pre-nursery to 4th grade. It was founded in 1984. Mrs. Laxmi Ghosh established Shreema Shishu Udyan and Sabuj Sathi Nursery School.
*Sarada Vidya Mandir - A private primary school for boys and girls, which runs classes from pre-nursery to 8th grade (increase every year up to 10th). It was established in 1998.
* Sister Margaret English Public School - This school only teaches up to the primary level.
* Raja Rammohan Navodaya Vidyalaya - A private Bengali medium primary level school.
See also
*
Naxal (disambiguation)
References
External links
The Rising: Naxalbari to now
{{Darjeeling District
Naxalite–Maoist insurgency
Villages in Darjeeling district
1960s in West Bengal