Soureni is a village in the
Mirik
Mirik is a small town and a Notified Area of Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Mirik subdivision. The name ''Mirik'' comes from the Lepcha language, Lepcha words ''Mir-Yok'' meaning "place bur ...
CD block in the
Mirik subdivision
Mirik subdivision is a subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. It was declared a subdivision on 30 March 2017.
Subdivisions
Darjeeling district is divided into the following administrative subdivisions:
...
of the
Darjeeling district
Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its hill station and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters.
Kurseon ...
, in West Bengal, India.
History
Dakman Rai, the famous Nepali sardar (landlord), was given large tracts of land by the British during the establishment of tea gardens in Darjeeling. These included Soureni, Phuguri and Samripani. Bhoujit Rai, son of Dakman Rai, established a tea garden in Soureni by planting a tree variety called "Saur" and some tea on this personal estate. He later sold off the estate to the Tiwari brothers, Ramlal and Jalooram Tiwari, who had come from
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
to Darjeeling in 1870 and had established a shop in
Kurseong
Kurseong is a town and a municipality in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Kurseong subdivision.
Located at an altitude of , Kurseong is from Darjeeling and has a pleasant climate throughout ...
of which Bhoujit was a customer. The Soureni Tea Estate was formally established in 1902 by the Tiwari brothers. The Soureni Tea Estate was sold off by the Tiwaris in 1990. It is presently owned by Titagarh Wagons Ltd. Enormous contribution was made by Mr. Lingwood to the development of Soureni, including the establishment of its first high school.
Geography
Area overview
The map alongside shows a part of the southern portion of the
Darjeeling Himalayan hill region
Darjeeling Himalayan hill region or Darjeeling Himalaya is the mountainous area on the north-western side of the state of West Bengal in India. This region belongs to the Eastern Himalaya range. The Darjeeling district except the Siliguri subdiv ...
in the Darjeeling district. In the
Darjeeling Sadar subdivision
Darjeeling Sadar 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 ...
61.00% of the total population lives in the rural areas and 39.00% of the population lives in the urban areas. In the
Mirik subdivision
Mirik subdivision is a subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. It was declared a subdivision on 30 March 2017.
Subdivisions
Darjeeling district is divided into the following administrative subdivisions:
...
80.11% of the total population lives in the rural areas and 19.89% lives in the urban areas.
There are 78 tea gardens/ estates (the figure varies slightly according to different sources), in the district, producing and largely exporting
Darjeeling tea
Darjeeling tea is a tea made from ''Camellia sinensis var. sinensis'' that is grown and processed in Darjeeling or Kalimpong Districts in West Bengal, India. Since 2004, the term ''Darjeeling tea'' has been a registered geographical indication ...
. It engages a large proportion of the population directly/ indirectly. Some tea gardens were identified in the 2011 census as
census town
In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics.
India
In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...
s or villages. Such places are marked in the map as CT (census town) or R (rural/ urban centre). Specific tea estate pages are marked TE.
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.
Location
Soureni is a village near
Mirik
Mirik is a small town and a Notified Area of Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Mirik subdivision. The name ''Mirik'' comes from the Lepcha language, Lepcha words ''Mir-Yok'' meaning "place bur ...
in
Darjeeling district
Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its hill station and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters.
Kurseon ...
,
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...
, India. The market of Soureni Bazar caters to several villages and tea gardens of the surrounding area. There are two tea estates near Soureni Bazar – Soureni Tea Estate and Mechi Tea Estate. Soureni has a huge potential for tourism with numerous scenic spots. It lies on the alternate Darjeeling-Siliguri road, about 7 km from Mirik.
Climate
Soureni has a cool and pleasant climate with maximum temperatures of 32 °C in summer and a minimum of 9 °C in winter.
Places of interest
*Soureni-Tingling Viewpoint – One of the best viewpoint in the entire North-East India with a meandering road amidst the green slopes of the tea gardens.
*Hallaney – The views from both sides of this ridge road show Kurseong and the plains of North Bengal on the one side and the hills of Nepal, with the well-known Antu Dara, on the other.
*Bunkulung (Jayanti Nagar) – A developing commercial and agricultural village in the valley near the Balasan river. Ecotourism and home-stay facilities are being promoted in this area.
*Soureni Busty – Numerous orange orchards lie in this area.
*Tea Gardens – Soureni Tea Estate, Mechi Tea Estate,
Phuguri Tea Estate
Phuguri Tea Estate is a tea garden in the Mirik CD block in the Mirik subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
History
Dr. Camphbell was posted as a civil surgeon at Darjeeling in 1839. At that time there were h ...
, Tingling Tea Estate,
Singbulli Tea Estate, Ghayabaree and Millikthong Tea Estates.
Travel
*Nearest towns: Mirik (7 km), Darjeeling (49 km), Siliguri (52 km)
*Nearest railway station: New Jalpaiguri (60 km)
*Nearest airport: Bagdogra (55 km)
Demographics
According to the
2011 Census of India
The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...
, Saurinibasti had a total population of 3,901 of which 1,993 (51%) were males and 1,908 (49%) were females. There were 304 persons in the age range of 0 to 6 years. The total number of literate people in Saurinibasti was 3,151 (80.77% of the population over 6 years).
Education
CISCE affiliated
*Green Lawn School (English medium) ICSE & ISC
*Pine Hall Academy (English medium) ICSE
*Temple of Wisdom (English medium) ICSE
WBBSE and WBCHSe affiliated
*Rabindranath High School (Nepali medium) Madhyamik and WBHS
Healthcare
There is a
primary health centre with 10 beds, at Sourani Bustee.
References
{{Darjeeling District
Villages in Darjeeling district