Siliguri, ) is a major tier-II city in
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 fou ...
. It forms
"Twin Cities" with the neighboring district capital of
Jalpaiguri
Jalpaiguri is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Jalpaiguri district as well as of the Jalpaiguri division of West Bengal, covering the jurisdiction of the five districts of North Bengal. The city is loca ...
. The city spans areas of the
Darjeeling
Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal ...
and
Jalpaiguri district
Jalpaiguri district () is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. The district was established in 1869 during British Raj.
The headquarters of the district are in the city of Jalpaiguri, which is also the divisional headquarters of No ...
s in the Indian
state
State may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State
* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of West Bengal. Known as the ''"Gateway of Northeast India"'',
Siliguri is popular for three Ts - tea, timber and tourism. It is located on the banks of 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 ...
and the
Teesta River
Teesta River is a long river that rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal through Rangpur, and enters the Bay of Bengal. It drains an area of . In India, it flows throug ...
at the foothills 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 10 ...
. Siliguri is the
third
Third or 3rd may refer to:
Numbers
* 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3
* , a fraction of one third
* Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute''
Places
* 3rd Street (d ...
largest
urban agglomeration
An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities ...
in West Bengal, after
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
and
Asansol
Asansol is a (Tier-II) metropolitan city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the second largest and most populated city of West Bengal and the 33rd largest urban agglomeration in India. Asansol is the district headquarters of Paschim Ba ...
.
Siliguri has great strategic importance in
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 fou ...
. It is located conveniently, connecting four international borders i.e. China,
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
and
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...
. It also connects the North-East with mainland India. Located at the foothills of
Eastern Himalaya
]
The Eastern Himalayas extend from eastern Nepal across Northeast India, Bhutan, the Tibet Autonomous Region to Yunnan in China and northern Myanmar. The climate of this region is influenced by the monsoon of South Asia from June to September. It ...
s, Siliguri is a significant trading and transportation hub.
History
file:BAYLEY(1838) Map of the Country between Titaleea and Dorjeling.jpg, 200px, left, Map of Darjeeling district (1838) during regime of Chogyal, Rajah of Sikkim
Middle Ages history
file:Historical Map of Sikkim in northeastern India.jpg, left, 200px, Map of Darjeeling district (1876) after being considered a "regulated area" by the British government
According to Sailen Debnath, "Siliguri" means a stack of pebbles or stones. Until the 19th century this region was called as "Shilchaguri" when there was dense Dolka forest covering the region. Siliguri was a small agricultural village in the
Kingdom of Sikkim
The Kingdom of Sikkim (Classical Tibetan and sip, འབྲས་ལྗོངས།, ''Drenjong''), officially Dremoshong (Classical Tibetan and sip, འབྲས་མོ་གཤོངས།) until the 1800s, was a hereditary monar ...
. It was captured by the
Kingdom of Nepal
The Kingdom of Nepal ( ne, नेपाल अधिराज्य), also known as the Gorkha Empire ( ne, गोरखा अधिराज्य) or Asal Hindustan ( ne, असल हिन्दुस्तान)(), was a Hindu king ...
in 1788, after which
Kirati
The Kirati people, also spelled as Kirant or Kiranti, are a Sino-Tibetan ethnic group. They are peoples of the Himalayas, mostly the Eastern Himalaya extending eastward from Nepal to North East India (predominantly in the Indian state of Sikkim ...
and Nepali
Lepchas came to settle in this region.
At that time a river port on
Mahananda, South of Siliguri in
Phansidewa
Phansidewa is a community development block (CD block) that forms an administrative division in the Siliguri subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Phansidewa is located at . It has an average ele ...
had an important role in having trade bond with
Malda,
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
and
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
. This riverine trade line was thus used by the
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...
ese and
Sikkimese to bring goods into their mainland.
Modern history
Siliguri started as a small area i.e. now Saktigarh, southern part of city, on the bank of
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 ...
.
Treaty of Sugauli
The Treaty of Sugauli (also spelled Sugowlee, Sagauli and Segqulee), the treaty that established the boundary line of Nepal, was signed on 4 March 1816 between the East India Company and Guru Gajaraj Mishra following the Anglo-Nepalese War ...
in 1815 signed between Britain-Nepal, changed the prospect of Siliguri. As it became a point of transit with
Darjeeling
Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal ...
hills and
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
mainland. 1815 onwards, Siliguri started growing rapidly as a small city due to its strategic convenience of trade. In 1865, the British captured Darjeeling and the entire
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 to build tea plantations and export the produce to England. For easy exportation they introduced the
Siliguri Town railway station
Siliguri Town is one of the railway stations that serve Siliguri in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The other important stations are: Siliguri Junction, Bagdogra, , , Matigara and New Jalpaiguri Junction. This is a sm ...
which stands to this day, and introduced the
Toy train
A toy train is a toy that represents a train. It is distinguished from a model train by an emphasis on low cost and durability, rather than scale modeling. A toy train can be as simple as a toy that can run on a track, or it might be operated b ...
from the station to Darjeeling in 1880. This helped Siliguri gain sub-divisional town status in 1907.
file:History 1a.jpg, left, 200px,
Toy train
A toy train is a toy that represents a train. It is distinguished from a model train by an emphasis on low cost and durability, rather than scale modeling. A toy train can be as simple as a toy that can run on a track, or it might be operated b ...
passing through Siliguri after independence, in 1955
The "
Siliguri Corridor
The Siliguri Corridor, also known as the Chicken's Neck, is a stretch of land around the city of Siliguri in West Bengal, India. at the narrowest section, this geo-political and geo-economical corridor connects the eight states of northeast I ...
" was formed when
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
was divided into
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 fou ...
and
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wi ...
(later Bangladesh) in 1947, with Sikkim later merging with India in 1975. At this point many immigrants came to settle here for better facilities which led to an increased population. Later in 1950 Siliguri achieved municipal status. Keeping in mind the importance of Siliguri, in 1951, the Assam rail link was established with newly made (1949)
Meter gauge
Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre.
The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, ...
Siliguri Junction railway station
Siliguri Junction (station code:- SGUJ) is one of the major and second largest railway station that serve the city of Siliguri located in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The Station has two types of gauges visible i. ...
. After few years in 1961 all these stations were connected with broad gauge
New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station which later became the most important railway station in Northeast India.
Due to tremendous growth, Siliguri is now far away from its past outlook, becoming the largest and fastest growing city in eastern India after
Guwahati
Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...
. The growth rate of Siliguri was 57.8% during 1971- 1981, considering this growth, Siliguri came under Integrated Urban Development Project program in 1981. Siliguri touched 46.83% of population growth rate in 1981–1991. A treaty between India and China for trade through
Nathu La Pass, has expedited development and prospects of Siliguri as an international transportation and logistics hub. Later in 1994 Siliguri built a Municipal corporation which has been responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Siliguri. Siliguri has now achieved the status of becoming the
3rd largest city in
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 fou ...
, after
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
.
Geography
Location
![Satellite view of Siliguri](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Satellite_view_of_Siliguri.jpg)
Siliguri located at the foothills of the eastern Himalayas at a location of . This city is spread over an area of 260 km
2 within the
Siliguri Corridor
The Siliguri Corridor, also known as the Chicken's Neck, is a stretch of land around the city of Siliguri in West Bengal, India. at the narrowest section, this geo-political and geo-economical corridor connects the eight states of northeast I ...
, also known as the ''Chicken's neck''. The city is surrounded by dense forests towards north and lifeline of Siliguri,
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 ...
flows through the city thereby bisecting it into two-halves. Also
Teesta river
Teesta River is a long river that rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal through Rangpur, and enters the Bay of Bengal. It drains an area of . In India, it flows throug ...
is not so far from the city. Siliguri has an average elevation of 122 metres (400 feet). As Siliguri is located in the
Terai
, image =Terai nepal.jpg
, image_size =
, image_alt =
, caption =Aerial view of Terai plains near Biratnagar, Nepal
, map =
, map_size =
, map_alt =
, map_caption =
, biogeographic_realm = Indomalayan realm
, global200 = Terai-Duar savanna a ...
region, the soil is
sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class o ...
y in nature i.e. the ratio of sand and silt is much higher than clay. This region is very prone to earthquake as there are several fault lines nearby.
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 ...
is surrounded by Himalayan ranges towards north and towards south by the country
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
,
Uttar Dinajpur
Uttar Dinajpur () is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. Created on 1 April 1992 by the division of the erstwhile West Dinajpur district, it comprises two subdivisions: Raiganj and Islampur.
History
Undivided Dinajpur district ...
district 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 fou ...
and the Indian state of
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
. On the east lies
Jalpaiguri district
Jalpaiguri district () is a district of the Indian state of West Bengal. The district was established in 1869 during British Raj.
The headquarters of the district are in the city of Jalpaiguri, which is also the divisional headquarters of No ...
and
Kalimpong district
Kalimpong district is a district in the state of West Bengal, India. Originally known as Dalingkot tehsil, the region was alternatively under the control of Sikkim and Bhutan. In 1865, it was annexed from Bhutan by British India under the Treaty ...
and bounded on the west by the country of
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
, thus strategically so important.
Climate
Siliguri falls under the
humid subtropical climate (''Cwa''), when using the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
. Warm summer, cool winter and a severe monsoon defines Siliguri's climate.
Temperature
The average annual temperature in Siliguri is 23.7 °C. In summer, the temperature varies from a minimum of 18-22 °C to a maximum of 26-32 °C.
The temperature of the hottest month, August is 28.5 °C. The temperature in summer sometimes exceeds 35 °C. On the other hand, the winter maximum temperature hovers around 20-24 °C, and the minimum drops 6-9 °C.
January is the coldest month with an average temperature of 16.1 °C. The minimum temperature in winter season sometimes drops 5 °C or below. The highest temperature ever recorded in Siliguri is 41.7 °C, was recorded on 15 April 1952, while the lowest was recorded on 8 January 2018, when the mercury plummeted to 1.9 °C.
Rainfall and other conditions
On an average, Siliguri gets 3340 mm per year. Winters are mostly dry, with the summers being rainy. About 80% of the annual rainfall is felt between June to September, this period is known as monsoons or rainy season in the season cycle. Heavy showers are often felt in May, June, July, August and September. July is the wettest month (804 mm) and January is the driest month (12 mm). The average rainy days in July is 27 and for December and January it is 1. The humidity in air is high throughout the year.
Demographics
Based on Census data of 2011, the population of Siliguri UA/Metropolitan (including Siliguri municipal corporation and Dabagram municipality) is 701,489, while the population in the Municipal corporation area is 5,13,264.
Males constitute 51.44% of the population and females 48.55%. Population shares of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe category persons in Siliguri municipal area are 8.84% and 1.25% respectively. The literacy rate in Siliguri is 77.64%.
There are 154 notified and 31 non-notified slums in Siliguri, with 32% of Siliguri's population staying in them.
Languages
Bengali is the official language in
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 ...
, including Siliguri city.
In the municipal corporation at the time of the 2011 census, 60.88% of the population spoke
Bengali
Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to:
*something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia
* Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region
* Bengali language, the language they speak
** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
, 25.24%
Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
, 4.66%
Nepali, 2.39%
Bhojpuri, 1.58%
Marwari and 1.24%
as their first language.
Bengalis
Bengalis (singular Bengali bn, বাঙ্গালী/বাঙালি ), also rendered as Bangalee or the Bengali people, are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of ...
form the majority linguistic group in the city, followed by
Biharis
The Biharis () is a demonym given to the inhabitants of the Indian state of Bihar. Bihari people can be separated into three main Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic groups, Bhojpuris, Maithils and Magadhis. They are also further divided into a v ...
,
Marwaris
The Marwari or Marwadi (Hindi: मारवाड़ी, Urdu: مارواڑی) are an Indian ethnic group that originate from the Rajasthan region of India. Their language, also called Marwari, comes under the umbrella of Rajasthani languages ...
,
Punjabis,
Nepalis
Nepalis (English: Nepalese ; ne, नेपाली) are the citizens of Nepal under the provisions of Nepali nationality law. The country is home to people of many different national origins who are the descendants of immigrants from India, ...
,
Odias
The Odia (), formerly spelled Oriya, is an Indo-Aryan ethnic group native to the Indian state of Odisha who speak Odia language. They constitute a majority in the eastern coastal state, with significant minority populations in neighboring An ...
, and
Tribals. According to a 2001 thesis, Bengali speakers had a percentage of 64.25% out of the total population. Of the 30 wards in 2001, their population varied between 11.71% to 98.96%.
Religion
The most commonly followed religion in Siliguri is
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
, with
Islam being the largest minority religion, followed by small percentage of adherents of
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
and
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
.
Governance and politics
Civic administration
Siliguri saw rapid urbanisation under the British rule and that was reflected in its local governance as well. The earliest form of local urban governance as a Sanitation Committee set up in 1915.
Its function was to dispose off night soil. Till 1921, most aspects of local governance in Darjeeling district, including Siliguri, was looked after by the Darjeeling Improvement Fund. In 1922, Siliguri Local Board with nominated members was created under the Bengal Local Self Government Act, 1885. In 1938, the Union Board was set up in Siliguri under the Bengal Village Self-Government Act, 1919 and it provided public utilities in the city.
The
Municipal Council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
was set up in 1949 under the Bengal Municipal Act of 1932 with 8 wards.
The first chairperson of the municipality was the Sub Divisional Officer and the local councilors, called 'commissioners' in the then municipal act in effect, were nominated by the state government. After the amendment of the act in 1956, 3/4 of the local representatives were elected, while the remaining nominated by the Deputy Commissioner. Thus, the first elected chairperson of Siliguri was Jagdish Chandra Bhattacharya.
In 1994, the municipal council was upgraded to the
Siliguri Municipal Corporation
Siliguri Municipal Corporation or SMC was established in the year 1994 and has been responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Siliguri.
History
Siliguri Municipality was established in the year 1949. The first ...
with 47 wards.
It had five departments then: General Administration, Collection, License, Public Works and Sanitation and Public Health. The corporation now has 23 departments. It has 47 wards, of which 14 wards are in
Jalpaiguri
Jalpaiguri is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Jalpaiguri district as well as of the Jalpaiguri division of West Bengal, covering the jurisdiction of the five districts of North Bengal. The city is loca ...
district, while the remaining 33 wards are in
Darjeeling
Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal ...
district. The last municipal elections was in 2015, when
Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)/CPIM/CPM) is a Marxist–Leninist communist political party in India. It is the largest communist party of India in terms of membership and electoral seats and one of the na ...
won 23 seats,
All India Trinamool Congress won 17 seats,
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...
won 5 seats,
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; ; ) is a political party in India, and one of the two major Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. Since 2014, it has been the ruling political party in India under Narendra Mod ...
won 2 seats, while an independent candidate won 1 seat. The mayor of Siliguri for the 5-year term of 2015-20 was
Ashok Bhattacharya from CPIM, who was later elected as the local
Member of Legislative Assembly
A member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected by the voters of a constituency to a legislative assembly. Most often, the term refers to a subnational assembly such as that of a state, province, or territory of a country. ...
as well.
The term of the last elected body of Siliguri Municipal Corporation got over on 7 May, but municipal elections could not be held because of the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. A Board of Administrators was established with the outgoing mayor, Ashok Bhattacharya, as the chairperson. This board will take care of the civic utilities of the city till the new municipal body is elected. This follows the establishment of similar boards first in state capital Kolkata and then the rest of the state.
Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha constituency
Siliguri is part of the
Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency
Darjeeling Lok Sabha constituency is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India. The constituency centres on Darjeeling in West Bengal. While five assembly segments are in Darjeeling district, one assembly segment is in Kalimpong distr ...
. The last elections for the Lok Sabha took place in
2019
File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...
, when
Raju Bista from Bharatiya Janta Party won the seat. The last elections to the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha took place in
2021
File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October 2021 coup in Sudan; Crowd shortly after t ...
. The Member of Legislative Assembly representing
Siliguri Vidhan Sabha Constituency is
Sankar Ghosh.
Civic services and infrastructure
Building plans in Siliguri are approved by Siliguri Municipal corporation; for building up to 3 storeys including parking, the Borough Offices give clearance, while for buildings with more than 3 storeys, the Building Department gives the approval. The present City Development Plan 2041 for Siliguri was developed in 2015 as part of the Capacity Building for Urban Development project under the then
Ministry of Urban Development
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) is a ministry of the Government of India with executive authority over the formulation and administration of the rules and regulations and laws relating to the housing and urban development in Ind ...
by the private consultancy,
CRISIL Risk and Infrastructure Solutions Limited.
Siliguri City comes under Siliguri Jalpaiguri Planning Area and the responsibility of planning and development of the city lies with
Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority
Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority or SJDA was established in the year 1980 and
has been responsible of Planning & Development of Siliguri - Jalpaiguri Area. It came in existence under the West Bengal Town and Country (Planning & Develo ...
.
The Public Health Engineering Department of the
state government is responsible for developing and maintaining the infrastructure for water supply, while the Water Supply department of the corporation provides new connections, supplies water, and collects the user charges.
The Conservancy Environment Department of the corporation provides Solid Waste Management services in the city. Each ward in the city has its own Solid Waste Management committee that takes care of cleanliness at the ward level.
The Public Works Department of the corporation and
Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority
Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority or SJDA was established in the year 1980 and
has been responsible of Planning & Development of Siliguri - Jalpaiguri Area. It came in existence under the West Bengal Town and Country (Planning & Develo ...
are both responsible for the construction and maintenance of roads in Siliguri. Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority also prepared the Traffic & Transportation Master Plan 2030 and the Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Siliguri Jalpaiguri Planning Area.
Flora and fauna
Flora
![Flora fauna 7](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Flora_fauna_7.jpg)
Siliguri and surrounding Sub-Himalayan forests are rich in fauna diversity, the plains of North Bengal (Siliguri,
Jalpaiguri
Jalpaiguri is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Jalpaiguri district as well as of the Jalpaiguri division of West Bengal, covering the jurisdiction of the five districts of North Bengal. The city is loca ...
,
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 t ...
etc.) are surrounded by deep forests. These forests are home of various rare and common species of plants. The forest here is moist
Tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
and characterised by dense growth of tall Sal i.e.
Shorea robusta
''Shorea robusta'', the sal tree, sāla, shala, sakhua, or sarai, is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The tree is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet and across the Himalayan regions .
Evolution
Fossil evidence from l ...
. Sal occupies about 80% of all vegetation in these tropical forest.
These forests are categorised by their dominating plant species such as 1) East Himalayan Sal Forest present on the lower slopes of
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary (Pron: móhɑ́nɑ́ndaa) is located on the foothills of the Himalayas, between the Teesta and Mahananda rivers. Situated in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India; it comes under Darjeeling Wildlife division ...
contains
Sal,
Khair,
Simul,
Sissoo
''Dalbergia sissoo'', known commonly as North Indian rosewood or ''shisham'', is a fast-growing, hardy, deciduous rosewood tree native to the Indian subcontinent and southern Iran. ''D. sissoo'' is a large, crooked tree with long, leathery leav ...
, Riverine grasslands and various rare species of plants like
Orchids
Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant.
Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowering ...
2) East Himalayan Upper Bhabar Sal mainly present at Jalpaiguri district which is characterised by dense population of Microstegium chiliatum,
Sal i.e.
Shorea robusta
''Shorea robusta'', the sal tree, sāla, shala, sakhua, or sarai, is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The tree is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet and across the Himalayan regions .
Evolution
Fossil evidence from l ...
. Others are
Terminalia tomentosa
''Terminalia elliptica'' is a species of '' Terminalia'' native to southern and southeast Asia in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam.Sal and Saaj Deforestation in West Nepal"Terminalia Tomentosa"/ref> It is a ...
,
Schima wallichii
''Schima wallichii'' is an evergreen tree belonging to the tea family Theaceae
Theaceae (), the tea family, is a family of flowering plants comprising shrubs and trees, including the economically important tea plant, and the ornamental camel ...
And the 3) Eastern Tarai Sal Forest generally found in lower altitudes compared to other two types of forest. This type of forest characterised by various species of
bamboos
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
,
ferns
A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except th ...
, and
Sal which is found in Baikunthapur Forest, near Siliguri city.
Rapid growth of city causing deforestation, making Siliguri warmer day by day and unbalancing the ecosystem.
Fauna
![Flora fauna 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Flora_fauna_2.jpg)
Siliguri is located in the Terai region ("moist land"), a belt of marshy grasslands and dense tropical deciduous moist forests at the base of Himalaya range which is rich in biodiversity, containing numerous rare species of flora and fauna. These forests are characterised by their distinct wildlife variety.
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary (Pron: móhɑ́nɑ́ndaa) is located on the foothills of the Himalayas, between the Teesta and Mahananda rivers. Situated in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India; it comes under Darjeeling Wildlife division ...
near Siliguri is famous for elephants. Sukna is the gateway to this sanctuary, which is 12 km from Siliguri.
These sub-Himalayan forests are the home of various types of wild animals like the
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 ...
,
tiger
The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...
,
Indian bison
The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to Indian Subcontinent , South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global populatio ...
,
barking deer
Barking may refer to:
Places
* Barking, London, a town in East London, England
** London Borough of Barking and Dagenham, a local government district covering the town of Barking
** Municipal Borough of Barking, a historical local government dist ...
, wild pig, monkey,
civet
A civet () is a small, lean, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term civet applies to over a dozen different species, mostly from the family Viverridae. Most of the species diversit ...
, snake, lizard, mountain goat,
sambar, chital and
fishing cat
The fishing cat (''Prionailurus viverrinus'') is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. Since 2016, it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Fishing cat populations are threatened by destruction of wetlands and have declin ...
. These forests are also home of about 243 different bird species like the
pied hornbill,
egret
Egrets ( ) are herons, generally long-legged wading birds, that have white or buff plumage, developing fine plumes (usually milky white) during the breeding season. Egrets are not a biologically distinct group from herons and have the same build ...
, kingfisher, drongo, fly catcher, woodpecker and others. Another common sight is migratory water birds.
Transport
Road
NH 27 crosses through the heart of the city which is now a part of
AH2 project. Siliguri originates the century-old Hill Cart Road that is
NH 110 which connects Siliguri and Darjeeling (77 km) made in British period. Siliguri also originates
NH 10 which connects Gangtok,
NH 12 which connects Pankhabari-Mirik. The highways NH 327, that connects Siliguri — Panitanki and NH 327B connecting Panitanki - Mechi Bridg, are also part of
AH2.
It connects to adjacent countries through following routes:
*
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
: via
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 ...
*
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
: via
Phulbari
* China: via
Nathula
Nathu La
(, ) is a mountain pass in the Dongkya Range of the Himalayas between China's Yadong County in Tibet, and the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal in Bengal, South Asia. The pass, at , connects the towns of Kalimpong and Gangtok ...
,
Sikkim
Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Silig ...
*
Bhutan
Bhutan (; dz, འབྲུག་ཡུལ་, Druk Yul ), officially the Kingdom of Bhutan,), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is situated in the Eastern Himalayas, between China in the north and India in the south. A mountainou ...
: via
Jaigaon
Jaigaon is a census town in Alipurduar subdivision under Kalchini Block of Alipurduar district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is located on the country's border with Bhutan, and ''Bhutan Gate'' separates the two countries. Phuentsholing ...
Bus service
![Transport 4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Transport_4.jpg)
* Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus:
Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus
The Tenzing Norgay Central Bus Terminus is the one of the largest and most important bus terminal in North Bengal. It is located on Hill Cart Road, Siliguri, District Darjeeling, adjacent to the Siliguri Junction railway station, about 6 ki ...
is the main bus terminus serves as bus depot for both Government and private bus service which operated by
NBSTC
North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) is a state government run transport corporation in West Bengal, India. It plies buses mainly in North Bengal but operates services to other parts of West Bengal and neighboring states like ...
. It connects to cities in
Sikkim
Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Silig ...
,
Assam
Assam (; ) is a state in northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north; Nagaland and Manipur ...
,
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
,
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . I ...
,
Meghalaya
Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of Assam: (a) the United Khasi Hills and J ...
etc. and all other districts and cities in
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 fou ...
like
Darjeeling
Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal ...
,
Kalimpong,
Jalpaiguri
Jalpaiguri is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Jalpaiguri district as well as of the Jalpaiguri division of West Bengal, covering the jurisdiction of the five districts of North Bengal. The city is loca ...
,
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 t ...
,
Malda,
Balurghat,
Raiganj
Raiganj () is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Uttar Dinajpur district. The police station was set up 125 years ago and railway connectivity reached the place 115 years ago. The city h ...
,
Dalkhola
Dalkhola is a city and a municipality of Uttar Dinajpur district in the state of West Bengal, India.
History
Dalkhola was originally in the state of Bihar in India. After 1959, Dalkhola was located in the state of West Bengal. The town expanded ...
,
Berhampore,
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
,
Asansol
Asansol is a (Tier-II) metropolitan city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the second largest and most populated city of West Bengal and the 33rd largest urban agglomeration in India. Asansol is the district headquarters of Paschim Ba ...
,
Suri etc.
* Sikkim Nationalised Transport Bus Terminus:
Sikkim Nationalised Transport Bus Terminus (Siliguri)
The Sikkim Nationalised Transport Bus Terminus is one of the most important bus terminal in North Bengal. It is located on Hill Cart Road, Siliguri, Darjeeling, adjacent to the Siliguri Junction railway station, about New Jalpaiguri Railway ...
is located at hillcart road in siliguri. This bus terminus is operated by
Sikkim Government. Mainly buses connecting towns and cities of Sikkim are operated from here. This bus terminus is one of the busy and important bus terminus in siliguri area.
Sikkim Nationalised Transport Bus Terminus (Siliguri)
The Sikkim Nationalised Transport Bus Terminus is one of the most important bus terminal in North Bengal. It is located on Hill Cart Road, Siliguri, Darjeeling, adjacent to the Siliguri Junction railway station, about New Jalpaiguri Railway ...
, which connects
Sikkim
Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Silig ...
.
* P. C. Mittal Memorial Bus Terminus:
P.C. Mittal Memorial Bus Terminus
The P.C. Mittal Memorial Bus Terminus is a bus terminal located on Sevoke Road, Siliguri, District Darjeeling. It is from from Siliguri Junction railway station and about from New Jalpaiguri Railway Station. Both State owned North Bengal ...
is a bus terminal located on Sevoke Road, Siliguri, District Darjeeling. Both state owned
North Bengal State Transport Corporation
North Bengal State Transport Corporation (NBSTC) is a state government run transport corporation in West Bengal, India. It plies buses mainly in North Bengal but operates services to other parts of West Bengal and neighboring states like Si ...
(NBSTC) buses and private buses towards
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 ...
areas ply from here.
Rail
Being a transportation hub, Siliguri is well connected through railway with almost all parts of the country. There are seven stations that serve the city.
![New Jalpaiguri Junction (NJP)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/New_Jalpaiguri_Junction_%28NJP%29.jpg)
;New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station:
New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station established in 1960
(station code NJP) is an A1 category
broad gauge and narrow gauge railway station under
Katihar railway division
Katihar railway division is one of the five railway divisions under Northeast Frontier Railway zone of Indian Railways. This railway division was formed on 15 January 1958 and its headquarter is located at Katihar in the state of Bihar of India ...
of
Northeast Frontier Railway zone
The Northeast Frontier Railway (abbreviated NFR) is one of the 19 railway zones of the Indian Railways. It is headquartered in Maligaon, Guwahati in the state of Assam, and responsible for operation and expansion of rail network all across No ...
. It is the biggest railway station of Northeast India which serves the city Siliguri. This station is well connected to almost all parts of the country except
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
. Also this station ranked 10th cleanest railway station in India in 2016 survey and came among the top 100 booking stations of Indian railway. There are many services available including 1 International Mitali Express, 4 Rajdhani Express, 2 Tourist Vistadome Express, 1 Shatabdi Express and 2 Humsafar Express.
![SGUJ 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/SGUJ_2.jpg)
;Siliguri Junction:
Siliguri Junction railway station
Siliguri Junction (station code:- SGUJ) is one of the major and second largest railway station that serve the city of Siliguri located in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The Station has two types of gauges visible i. ...
(station code SGUJ) established in 1949
is another major broad gauge and narrow gauge railway station of Siliguri. Until 2011 it was the only triple gauge (broad gauge, meter gauge and narrow gauge) railway station in India. After 2011 meter gauge was shut down but the track is still present between Siliguri Junction railway station and Bagdogra railway station. There are many services available, towards different cities of India.
;Siliguri Town railway station:
Siliguri Town railway station
Siliguri Town is one of the railway stations that serve Siliguri in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The other important stations are: Siliguri Junction, Bagdogra, , , Matigara and New Jalpaiguri Junction. This is a sm ...
is one of the oldest railway station (station code SGUT) of the region opened in 1880, 139 years ago for
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. Built between 1879 and 1881, it is about long. It climbs from abo ...
(Toy train) which were connecting Siliguri and Darjeeling. It lost its importance due to newly made Siliguri Junction railway station and New Jalpaiguri junction.
Siliguri Town railway station
Siliguri Town is one of the railway stations that serve Siliguri in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The other important stations are: Siliguri Junction, Bagdogra, , , Matigara and New Jalpaiguri Junction. This is a sm ...
is also a broad gauge and narrow gauge railway station which is halting point for 8 trains only.
;Bagdogra railway station:
Bagdogra railway station (station code BORA) comes under greater Siliguri metropolitan area. It is 10 km from Siliguri junction and 3rd largest railway station after NJP and Siliguri Junction. This station serves Bagdogra and adjacent areas. Bagdogra railway station is on
Siliguri-Aluabari broad gauge single line via
Thakurganj
Thakurganj is a town and a notified area, divided into 12 wards, in Kishanganj district in the Indian state of Bihar.
Geography
It has an average elevation of 82 metres (269 feet). It touches international border of Nepal in one side ...
. This station is halting point for 14 trains.
;Gulma railway station:
Gulma railway station Railway (station code GLMA) comes under Siliguri Urban area. It is 12 km from Siliguri City center and serves Champasari anchal, Gulma areas. Gulma railway station is on
New Jalpaiguri-Alipurduar-Samuktala Road Line
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
. This station is halting point of 5 trains. Mainly passenger train are halt in this station.
;Matigara Railway Station:
Matigara Railway Station (station code MTRA)
is situated at Mathapari, West Bengal.
Trains passing through this station include MLFC - SGUJ DEMU and SGUJ- MLFC DEMU. This station has a single platform and two tracks. one broad gauge line and one metre gauge line.
;Rangapani railway station:
Rangapani railway station
Rangapani railway station is a railway station on Katihar–Siliguri line, Katihar–Siliguri branch of Howrah–New Jalpaiguri line in the Katihar railway division of Northeast Frontier Railway zone. It is situated beside Fulbari Ghoshpukur C ...
(station code RNI) comes under greater Siliguri metropolitan area. It is 14 km from Siliguri City center and serves Rangapani and adjacent areas. Rangapani railway station is on
Howrah-New Jalpaiguri line. This station is halting point for 2 passenger trains.
Air
Bagdogra International Airport
Bagdogra Airport is a customs airport located in the western part of Siliguri, in Bagdogra in northern West Bengal, India.
It is operated as a civil enclave at AFS Bagdogra of the Indian Air Force. It is the gateway airport to the hill station ...
is an
international airport located towards the west of Siliguri city, operated as a
civil enclave
A joint-use airport is an aerodrome that is used for both military aviation and civil aviation. They typically contain facilities of both a civil airport and a military air base.
By country
United States
The United States has several joint-use ...
at AFS Bagdogra of the
Indian Air Force. This airport is a major transport hub in the region with flights connecting
Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
,
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...
,
Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...
,
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
,
Bangalore
Bangalore (), List of renamed places in India, officially Bengaluru (), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan area, metropolitan population of a ...
,
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India ...
,
Ahmedabad,
Guwahati
Guwahati (, ; formerly rendered Gauhati, ) is the biggest city of the Indian state of Assam and also the largest metropolis in northeastern India. Dispur, the capital of Assam, is in the circuit city region located within Guwahati and is the ...
,
Dibrugarh
Dibrugarh (pron: ˌdɪbru:ˈgɑ:) is an industrial city in Upper Assam with sprawling tea gardens. It is located 435 kms East from the state capital of Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of Dibrugarh district in the state of Assam i ...
and has international connectivity with
Paro and
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
. The airport also has regular
helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...
services to
Gangtok. Due to its location near
Darjeeling
Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal ...
hills and
Sikkim
Sikkim (; ) is a state in Northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Province No. 1 of Nepal in the west and West Bengal in the south. Sikkim is also close to the Silig ...
, Bagdogra international airport sees thousands of tourists annually.
Central government of India confirmed
international airport status to this airport in 2002 with limited international operations. This is one of the few airports in India with zero sales tax on aviation turbine fuel.
Educational facilities
University
*
University of North Bengal
University of North Bengal (abbreviated as NBU) is a public state collegiate major research university in North Bengal region of West Bengal, which is located in Raja Rammohanpur, Siliguri, Darjeeling district, in the Indian state of West Be ...
, since 1962
Colleges
;General degree colleges
*
Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy Government College
Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy Government College, is state-government owned undergraduate college, which was established in 2010, is the government degree college in Himachal Vihar, Siliguri, Darjeeling district. APC Roy is the second governmen ...
*
Siliguri College, Since 1950
*
Kalipada Ghosh Tarai Mahavidyalaya
Kalipada Ghosh Tarai Mahavidyalaya, also known as Bagdogra College, established in 1988, is the general degree college in Bagdogra. It offers undergraduate courses in arts, commerce and science . The campus is in the Darjeeling district. It is ...
*
Munshi Premchand Mahavidyalaya
Munshi Premchand Mahavidyalaya, established in 2008, is general degree college in Sevok Road, Siliguri. It is in Darjeeling district. It offers undergraduate courses in arts. It is affiliated to University of North Bengal
University of ...
*
North Bengal St. Xavier's College
*
Gyan Jyoti College
*
Siliguri College of Commerce
*
Siliguri Mahila Mahavidyalaya
*
Surya Sen Mahavidyalaya
*
Salesian College
; Medical colleges
*
North Bengal Medical College and Hospital
North Bengal Medical College and Hospital (NBMC&H) is located in Sushrutanagar, on the outskirts of Siliguri, West Bengal, India. It is the largest and the oldest healthcare teaching institute in North Bengal region of West Bengal, serving as a ...
, Since 1968
*
North Bengal Dental College and Hospital
North Bengal Dental College & Hospital (NBDC&H) is a government dental college situated at Sushrutanagar, near Siliguri, Darjeeling, West Bengal. The college is recognized by Dental Council of India and is under the West Bengal University of ...
; Engineering colleges
*
Siliguri Government Polytechnic
Siliguri Government Polytechnic , is a government polytechnic located in Siliguri, Darjeeling district, West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated alo ...
College
*
Siliguri Institute of Technology
Siliguri Institute of Technology (informally SIT) is a private engineering and management college, established in 1999 in Siliguri, West Bengal, India. Initially the college was under North Bengal University and from the year 2004 came under ...
*
Surendra Institute of Engineering & Management
Surendra Institute of Engineering & Management is a Graduate Engineering and Management College established in the year 2009 in Siliguri, West Bengal, India, under the aegis of a charitable society Bidya Bharati Foundation. The institute was in ...
;Other Colleges
*
Inspiria Knowledge Campus
Schools
; English Medium Schools
*
Delhi Public School
Delhi Public School (also known as DPS) is the largest public school institution in India. The classes are from KG I to Class XII (Science, Arts and Commerce). It is affiliated to CBSE. Delhi Public School may refer to:
* Delhi Public School Socie ...
(CBSE)
*
Techno India Group Public School
Techno India Group Public School is a chain of well-developed schools in West Bengal and beyond. Its headquarters is in Salt Lake, Kolkata. It has over 18 branches all over West Bengal. It has over 2000 students in each school. The schools are af ...
(CBSE)
;Army Schools
*
Army Public School Army Public School may refer to:
* Indian Army Public Schools
* Army Public Schools & Colleges System
Army Public Schools & Colleges System or APSACS is one of the largest educational institutions of Pakistan which provides education till inte ...
(Bengdubi & Khaprail)
*
Army Public School Army Public School may refer to:
* Indian Army Public Schools
* Army Public Schools & Colleges System
Army Public Schools & Colleges System or APSACS is one of the largest educational institutions of Pakistan which provides education till inte ...
, Sukna
*
Kendriya Vidyalaya Sevoke Road
Kendriya Vidyalaya Sevoke Road is a school in the city of Siliguri, West Bengal, India, offering both primary and secondary education. The school is situated in Salugara locality, in the foothills of Himalayas. It is affiliated to the Central Boa ...
Media
; Newspaper: English newspapers including ''
The Telegraph
''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include:
Australia
* ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...
'', ''
Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest se ...
'', ''
The Statesman
A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level.
Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to:
Newspapers United States
* ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...
'', ''The Economic Times'', and ''
The Asian Age
''The Asian Age'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper with editions published in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. It also prints an "international edition" in London. It was launched in February 1994.
The same publishing company also prod ...
'' are widely circulated throughout the city. Several Bengali newspapers including ''
Uttarbanga Sambad'', ''
Anandabazar Patrika
'' Anandabazar Patrika'' ( Bengali: আনন্দবাজার পত্রিকা, ) is an Indian Bengali-language daily newspaper owned by the ABP Group. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1 million c ...
'', ''
Bartaman
''Bartaman Patrika'' is an Indian Bengali language, Bengali daily newspaper published from Kolkata, West Bengal, India, by Bartaman Pvt. Ltd. Apart from the Kolkata edition, the newspaper has three other simultaneous editions, published daily f ...
'', ''Uttarer Saradin'', ''
Aajkaal'', ''Pratidin'', and ''
Ganashakti
''Ganashakti Patrika'' (1967-present) is an Indian Bengali daily newspaper published from Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Initially the paper started as an organ of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) West Bengal State Committee. '' and Nepali Paper
HimalayaDarpan are available. The leading Hindi dailies ''
Prabhat Khabar
Prabhat Khabar is a Hindi language newspaper published daily in Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. The newspaper is circulated in several states in India, including Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and some parts of Orissa. It was founded in August 1 ...
'' and ''Janpath Samachar'' are also published from Siliguri.The online based news portals ''Siliguri Times'', ''Khabar Arohan'', ''Bong Siliguri Times'', ''CCN News'', ''The Siliguri Journal'', and ''Siliguri Barta'',
Times of North
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events, and a fundamental quantity of measuring systems.
Time or times may also refer to:
Temporal measurement
* Time in physics, defined by its measurement
* Time standard, civil time specific ...
provide live updates regarding Siliguri and adjacent areas.
;Radio :
All India Radio
All or ALL may refer to:
Language
* All, an indefinite pronoun in English
* All, one of the English determiners
* Allar language (ISO 639-3 code)
* Allative case (abbreviated ALL)
Music
* All (band), an American punk rock band
* ''All'' (All ...
Siliguri was commissioned in 1963 as an additional station of
AIR Kolkata.
It has two groups of transmitters, i.e. high power BEL HMB 140 (AM) -2
×100 kWand medium range GCEL 136 (FM) - 2
×5 kW for broadcasting programs. ''Prantik'' was the first program broadcast from here in 1969.
In the course of time many notable individuals like
Hemanta Mukhopadhyay
Hemanta Mukhopadhyay (16 June 1920 – 26 September 1989), known professionally as Hemant Kumar and Hemanta Mukherjee, was a legendary Indian music composer and playback singer who primarily sang in Bengali and Hindi, as well as other Indian ...
,
Ustad Rashid Khan
Ustad Rashid Khan (born 1 July 1968) is an Indian classical musician in the Hindustani music tradition. He belongs to the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana, and is the great-grandson of gharana founder Inayat Hussain Khan. He is married to Soma Khan. ...
,
Subhas Mukhopadhyay,
Shashi Kapoor,
Manabendra Mukhopadhyay,
Madhuri Chattopadhyay, and Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi have visited
AIR
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...
Siliguri. Popular programs executing from here are ''Pratyusha'', ''Yuva Anusthan'', ''Grame Ganje'', ''Mahila Majlis'', ''Mananiyeshu'', ''Sishumahal'' and ''Arogya''. Two radio channels are operated from
AIR
The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...
Siliguri through which programs are broadcasting daily:
:In addition to
All India Radio
All or ALL may refer to:
Language
* All, an indefinite pronoun in English
* All, one of the English determiners
* Allar language (ISO 639-3 code)
* Allative case (abbreviated ALL)
Music
* All (band), an American punk rock band
* ''All'' (All ...
, Siliguri has several private FM radio channels:
;Television: Siliguri receives almost all television channels that are received by rest of the country. Apart from the national terrestrial network
Doordarshan, cable TV serves most of the houses. Siliguri also receives some Nepali and Bangladeshi channels too. Siliguri has three local channels: CCN, Amar Cable and HTV. There is a TV tower in Kurseong, about 25 km from Siliguri.
Sports facilities
Siliguri hosts numerous sporting events and matches to influence and build up young athletes from the city. Some of the important sports enthusiast local clubs in Siliguri organise several cricket, football, volleyball, swimming competition, TT matches etc. S.A.I or
Sports Authority of India
The Sports Authority of India (SAI) is the apex national sports body of India, established in 1982 by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of Government of India for the development of sports in India. SAI has 2 Sports Academic institution ...
in Kanchenjunga Stadium conducts football and athletics. With the provision for an international outdoor and indoor stadium, Siliguri has enough opportunities to host national level matches. This has also led to Siliguri being a prominent city to produce national champions like
Mantu Ghosh
Mantu Ghosh (born 1973/1974) is an Indian former table tennis player from West Bengal. As a two-time national champion, Ghosh is now the coach of India's table tennis women's team and a sports administrator after previously working in different ca ...
, the gold medalist winner in the bi-annual South Asian Games (SAF) for table tennis,
Ankita Das
Ankita Das (born 17 July 1993) is an Indian table tennis player from Siliguri, West Bengal. She participated in World Championship and reached quarter-finals.
She represented India at the 2012 London Summer Olympics in Women's singles even ...
,
Nandita Saha and
Soumyajit Ghosh
Soumyajit Ghosh (born 10 May 1993) is an Indian table tennis player from Siliguri, West Bengal. He was the youngest Indian player to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, 2012 Olympics. He also became the youngest national champion at t ...
another internationally acclaimed table tennis player and
Wriddhiman Saha
Wriddhiman Prasanta Saha (born 24 October 1984) is an Indian cricketer who plays for the Indian national cricket team. He is a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman. He plays for Tripura in domestic cricket and for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Pr ...
– Indian international
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
er who plays
Test matches for
Indian national team. Siliguri has done a tremendous job for Indian table tennis. Bikash Ghosh Memorial Swimming Pool is beside Kanchanjunga stadium in the city, which conducts swimming competitions. White water rafting is done nearby in the
Teesta river
Teesta River is a long river that rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal through Rangpur, and enters the Bay of Bengal. It drains an area of . In India, it flows throug ...
.
Kanchenjunga stadium
This is the main stadium in Siliguri, a multipurpose stadium, mainly used for football matches, although it has also hosted several cricket matches. It has a capacity of 30,000 people at a time. Recently this stadium is all set to get a facelift.
Football:
*This stadium hosted the
Federation Cup 2012 matches of India. The first
Federation Cup played on this ground was between
Mohun Bagan AC
Mohun Bagan Athletic Club is an Indian professional sports club based in Kolkata, West Bengal. Founded in 1889, its football section is one of the oldest in India and Asia. The club is most notable for its victory over East Yorkshire Regiment ...
and
Churchill Brothers S.C. in 2012.
*The final match of the
2013–14 Santosh Trophy was played at the stadium in March 2014.
*Seven rounds of the
2015 I-League 2nd Division
The 2015 I-League 2nd Division was the eighth season of the I-League 2nd Division, the second division of football in India. Eight clubs participated this season, including Mohammedan S.C. (Kolkata), Mohammedan, after they were relegated from the ...
match were played on this ground.
*It also hosted two
Kolkata derby
The Kolkata Derby (locally known as "Boro Match"; bn, বড় ম্যাচ) is the football match in Kolkata, between East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan (Mohun Bagan till 2019–20). In January 2020, the owners of a Kolkata based Indian Su ...
matches in
2016 I-league.
*All the matches of
2016 SAFF Women's Championship were played in the Kanchenjunga Stadium.
*
Third I-League derby matches were held in this stadium ground in 2017.
Cricket:
*This stadium has hosted 11
Ranji Trophy matches. The first
Ranji Trophy played on this ground was between
Bengal
Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...
and
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...
in 2010.
*Two
Celebrity Cricket League
The Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) is an amateur men's cricket league in India. It consists of nine teams of film actors from nine major regional film industries of Indian cinema. The league commenced in 2011. Salman Khan is Brand Ambassador ...
matches were played here. The first Celebrity Cricket League played on this ground was between the
Veer Marathi vs
Karnataka Bulldozers and
Telugu Warriors vs
Bengal Tigers
The Bengal tiger is a population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna.
The tiger is estimated to have been present in ...
in 2013.
Municipal corporation indoor stadium
Indoor sports including
table tennis
Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...
,
badminton
Badminton is a racquet sport played using racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per side) and "doubles" (with two players p ...
,
taekwon-do
''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...
,
lawn tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cove ...
and
chess
Chess is a board game for two players, called White and Black, each controlling an army of chess pieces in their color, with the objective to checkmate the opponent's king. It is sometimes called international chess or Western chess to dist ...
are being played here. Siliguri is renowned for being the training grounds of table tennis players. This stadium can hold 5000 people at a time. The Senior National Table Tennis Championship was recently organised here. Sports festival, 2017 was also held in this indoor stadium.
Visitors' attractions
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. Built between 1879 and 1881, it is about long. It climbs from abo ...
toy train runs between
New Jalpaiguri
New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station (station code NJP) established in 1960, is an A1 category broad gauge and narrow-gauge railway station under Katihar railway division of Northeast Frontier Railway zone. It is the largest as well as the ...
, Siliguri and
Darjeeling
Darjeeling (, , ) is a town and municipality in the northernmost region of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the easternmost province of Nepal ...
. It was built between 1879 and 1881 and has been designated as a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...
.
Coronation Bridge
The Coronation Bridge, also known as the Sevoke Roadway Bridge, in West Bengal, India, spans across the Teesta River, connecting the districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong. The bridge is a part of the National Highway 17 '' H 31 (old)'' This br ...
, also known as Sevoke Bridge, is situated on lower Himalaya about 20 km from Siliguri and was made in 1930 This bridge spans across
Teesta River
Teesta River is a long river that rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal through Rangpur, and enters the Bay of Bengal. It drains an area of . In India, it flows throug ...
.
Gajoldoba
Gajoldoba or Gojaldoba is a village in the Mal CD block in the Malbazar subdivision of the Jalpaiguri district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Geography
Location
Gajoldoba is located at .
Area overview
Gorumara National Park has overtak ...
view point is 28 km from Siliguri, famous for the huge reservoir formed by
Teesta
Teesta River is a long river that rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal through Rangpur, and enters the Bay of Bengal. It drains an area of . In India, it flows through ...
barrage. This reservoir is home for variety of migratory birds (like
river lapwing,
great crested grebe
The great crested grebe (''Podiceps cristatus'') is a member of the grebe family of water birds noted for its elaborate mating display.
Taxonomy
The great crested grebe was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in t ...
,
Indian cormorant,
purple heron,
Eurasian wigeon
The Eurasian wigeon or European wigeon (''Mareca penelope''), also known as the widgeon or the wigeon, is one of three species of wigeon in the dabbling duck genus ''Mareca''. It is common and widespread within its Palearctic range.
Taxonomy
Th ...
,
common shelduck,
cotton teal
The cotton pygmy goose or cotton teal (''Nettapus coromandelianus'') is a small perching duck which breeds in Asia, Southeast Asia extending south and east to Queensland where they are sometimes called white-quilled pygmy goose. They are among t ...
,
tufted duck
The tufted duck or tufted pochard (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of close to one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek '' aithuia'', an unidentified seabird ment ...
,
little ringed plover
The little ringed plover (''Charadrius dubius'') is a small plover. The genus name ''Charadrius'' is a Late Latin word for a yellowish bird mentioned in the fourth-century Vulgate. It derives from Ancient Greek ''kharadrios'' a bird found in river ...
,
great cormorant
The great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo''), known as the black shag in New Zealand and formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and the large cormorant in India, is a w ...
). Due to shuttling of migratory birds, the Pakhibitan sanctuary was established here. A boating facility is available.
North Bengal Wild Animals Park, about away from the city, offers visitors the 'Bengal Safari' to experience sub-Himalayan wildlife closely, such as
jungle fowl
Junglefowl are the only four living species of bird from the genus ''Gallus'' in the bird order Galliformes, and occur in parts of South and Southeast Asia. They diverged from their common ancestor about 4–6 million years ago.
Although origin ...
,
sambar deer,
royal bengal tiger
The Bengal tiger is a population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna.
The tiger is estimated to have been present i ...
,
wild boars
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is n ...
,
spotted deer
The chital or cheetal (''Axis axis''; ), also known as the spotted deer, chital deer, and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described and given a binomial name by German naturalist Johann Christian Po ...
,
wild bear
The brown bear (''Ursus arctos'') is a large bear species found across Eurasia and North America. In North America, the populations of brown bears are called grizzly bears, while the subspecies that inhabits the Kodiak Islands of Alaska is kno ...
, and
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 ...
. It is fundamentally a part of the
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary (Pron: móhɑ́nɑ́ndaa) is located on the foothills of the Himalayas, between the Teesta and Mahananda rivers. Situated in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India; it comes under Darjeeling Wildlife division ...
, spread over an area of 700 acres. The park conducts herbivore safaris, carnivore safaris, and elephant safaris. The
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary (Pron: móhɑ́nɑ́ndaa) is located on the foothills of the Himalayas, between the Teesta and Mahananda rivers. Situated in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India; it comes under Darjeeling Wildlife division ...
is located away from Siliguri on the foothills of the Himalayas, between
Teesta
Teesta River is a long river that rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal through Rangpur, and enters the Bay of Bengal. It drains an area of . In India, it flows through ...
and
Mahananda.The sanctuary spans over of reserve forest. In 1959, it received the status of a sanctuary mainly to protect the
Indian bison
The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to Indian Subcontinent , South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global populatio ...
and royal bengal tiger. This sanctuary is home to rare
mountain goat
The mountain goat (''Oreamnos americanus''), also known as the Rocky Mountain goat, is a hoofed mammal endemic to mountainous areas of western North America. A subalpine to alpine species, it is a sure-footed climber commonly seen on cliffs an ...
,
chital
The chital or cheetal (''Axis axis''; ), also known as the spotted deer, chital deer, and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described and given a binomial name by German naturalist Johann Christian Po ...
,
barking dear,
fishing cat
The fishing cat (''Prionailurus viverrinus'') is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. Since 2016, it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Fishing cat populations are threatened by destruction of wetlands and have declin ...
, sambar deer, tiger, elephant and
Indian bison
The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to Indian Subcontinent , South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global populatio ...
and migratory birds. It offers mild to medium trekking challenges at some points.
There are some important Hindu and Buddhists monuments in and around the city.
Salugara monastrey is located away from Siliguri. Main attraction is the
stupa, which is believed to be founded by the Tibetan Lama,
Kalu Rinpoche
Kalu Rinpoche (1905 – May 10, 1989) was a Buddhist lama, meditation master, scholar and teacher. He was one of the first Tibetan masters to teach in the West.
Early life and teachers
Kalu Rinpoche was born in 1905 during the Female Woo ...
. The ideal tranquil location for meditation was established by Tibetan monks and followers of
Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current D ...
. Sed-Gyued monastery is located near Salugara monastery. It is a breathtaking monument which was destroyed by the Chinese army, and then rebuilt. The monastery is home to more than 90 monks of the
Gelukpa
240px, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Bodhgaya (India).">Bodh_Gaya.html" ;"title="Kalachakra ceremony, Bodh Gaya">Bodhgaya (India).
The Gelug (, also Geluk; "virtuou ...
division, and is used as a research centre. Ewam India Buddhist Monastrey is from Siliguri and is placed in the lap of nature near Bengal safari. The
ISKCON
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement or Hare Krishnas, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava Hindu religious organization. ISKCON was founded in 1966 in New York City by A. C. Bhaktiv ...
temple in the city, also known as Sri Sri Radha Madhav Sundar Mandir locally, is one of the biggest Krishna centres in the North-Eastern region of India. The Sevoke Kali temple is an ancient temple on the banks of
Teesta
Teesta River is a long river that rises in the Pauhunri Mountain of eastern Himalayas, flows through the Indian states of Sikkim and West Bengal through Rangpur, and enters the Bay of Bengal. It drains an area of . In India, it flows through ...
river close to the
Coronation Bridge
The Coronation Bridge, also known as the Sevoke Roadway Bridge, in West Bengal, India, spans across the Teesta River, connecting the districts of Darjeeling and Kalimpong. The bridge is a part of the National Highway 17 '' H 31 (old)'' This br ...
.This temple dedicated to
Maa Kali, the Goddess of Destruction.
Siliguri also offers amusement and water parks to tourists and locals. Dreamland Amusemet Park, located near
Fulbari
Fulbari is a village in Madaripur District, Bangladesh, part of Rajoir Upazila. The village covers an area of 2.5 km2, and is bordered by the villages of Gojaria, Mridhabari, Mohismari, chamta.
Fulbari under Rajoir Union parishad was esta ...
, from Siliguri junction, is an agricultural land converted in a fun house. It has 5-6 usual rides with a mini
Ropeway
Ropeway may refer to:
Cable transport
* Cableway, or cable transport, a broad class of transport modes that have cables
* Aerial lift, a means of cable transport in which cabins, cars, gondolas, or open chairs are hauled above the ground by mean ...
also. Savin Kingdom is an amusement and water park which is located near Dagapur in Siliguri. The water park has a pool, slides, artificial wave, and rain dance. It also has various joy rides like adrenaline junkies, sky train, break dance, go-carting, and artificial bulls. A multiplex, kids zone, restaurant are also there.
North Bengal Science Centre, established in 1997, is the only science sentre of North Bengal. The main attractions are Digital Planetarium, Science Shows, 3D Theater, Taramandal Shows, science galleries and a green Science Park. The Hong Kong market is known as the Chandni Chowk of
Northeast India
, native_name_lang = mni
, settlement_type =
, image_skyline =
, image_alt =
, image_caption =
, motto =
, image_map = Northeast india.png
, ...
, a street market with a variety of shops popping out on the alleyways.
Notable people
*
Ashok Bhattacharya - Ex Minister of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs.
*
Ankita Das
Ankita Das (born 17 July 1993) is an Indian table tennis player from Siliguri, West Bengal. She participated in World Championship and reached quarter-finals.
She represented India at the 2012 London Summer Olympics in Women's singles even ...
- Represented India at the
2012 Summer Olympics in
Women's singles event in Table Tennis.
*
Goutam Deb
Goutam Deb (born 6 January 1957) is an Indian Politician currently serving as the Mayorbr>of Siliguri Municipal Corporation. He was a Cabinet Minister of Department of Tourism in the Government of West Bengal from 2016 to 2021. He also serv ...
- Mayor of Siliguri since February 2022, Ex-Cabinet Minister of Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal
*
Mantu Ghosh
Mantu Ghosh (born 1973/1974) is an Indian former table tennis player from West Bengal. As a two-time national champion, Ghosh is now the coach of India's table tennis women's team and a sports administrator after previously working in different ca ...
- Indian table tennis player, two time national-level Champion and
Arjuna Awardee.
*
Richa Ghosh
Richa Ghosh (born 28 September 2003) is an Indian cricketer. In January 2020, at the age of 16, she was named in India's squad for the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup. Later in the same month, she was also named in India's squad for the 2020 Aust ...
- Indian cricketer, represented
2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup
The 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup was the seventh ICC Women's T20 World Cup tournament. It was held in Australia between 21 February and 8 March 2020. The final took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on International Women's Day. Hosts ...
.
*
Soumyajit Ghosh
Soumyajit Ghosh (born 10 May 1993) is an Indian table tennis player from Siliguri, West Bengal. He was the youngest Indian player to qualify for the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, 2012 Olympics. He also became the youngest national champion at t ...
- table tennis player and the youngest Indian to qualify for the
London, 2012 Olympics. He also became the youngest national champion at the age of 19.
*
Charu Majumdar - founder of the
Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist).
*
Sailendra Nath Roy - Guinness Book of World Record holder for the farthest distance travelled on a zip wire and pulled 40 tonnes
DHR toy train using hair.
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Nandita Saha - table tennis player who was part of Indian trio, defeated Canada in Commonwealth 2006 at Melbourne and won bronze medal for India.
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Wriddhiman Saha
Wriddhiman Prasanta Saha (born 24 October 1984) is an Indian cricketer who plays for the Indian national cricket team. He is a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman. He plays for Tripura in domestic cricket and for Gujarat Titans in the Indian Pr ...
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cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...
er who plays
Test matches for
Indian national team.
See also
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Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority
Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority or SJDA was established in the year 1980 and
has been responsible of Planning & Development of Siliguri - Jalpaiguri Area. It came in existence under the West Bengal Town and Country (Planning & Develo ...
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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 ...
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List of cities in West Bengal
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List of metropolitan area in West Bengal
This is a list of Metropolitan Areas, metropolitan cities in the state of West Bengal, India according to their population.
List
References
{{Reflist
West Bengal
Metropolitan areas of India ...
References
External links
Siliguri Municipal CorporationSiliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority
{{West Bengal
Cities and towns in Jalpaiguri district
Cities and towns in Darjeeling district
Cities in West Bengal