Suntalekhola or Suntaley Khola (also Suntaleykhola) is a village and a tourist spot in the

Gorubathan Gorubathan is a village in the Gorubathan CD block in the Kalimpong Sadar subdivision of the Kalimpong district in the Indian state of West Bengal. History Gorubathan was once ruled by Lepcha kings who built ''Dalim Fort'' on top of a hill ...

CD block in the

Kalimpong Sadar subdivision The Kalimpong subdivision is the sole subdivision of the Kalimpong district in the state of West Bengal, India. It was initially formed as a subdivision of the Darjeeling district in 1916 under British India. On 14 February 2017 the subdivision w ...

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 ...

in the state of

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fourt ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Etymology

Nepali language Nepali (; , ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Himalayas region of South Asia. It is the official, and most widely spoken, language of Nepal, where it also serves as a '' lingua franca''. Nepali has official status in the Indian st ...

, ''Suntaley'' means orange and ''khola'' means stream.

Geography

Location

Suntalekhola is located at .

Area overview

The map alongside shows the Kalimpong Sadar subdivision of Kalimpong district. Physiographically, this area forms the Kalimpong Range, with the average elevation varying from . This region is characterized by abruptly rising hills and numerous small streams. It is a predominantly rural area with 77.67% of the population living in rural areas and only 22.23% living in the urban areas. While

Kalimpong Kalimpong (Hindi: कलिम्पोंग) is a town and the headquarters of an eponymous district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located at an average elevation of . The town is the headquarters of the Kalimpong district. The re ...

is the only municipality, Dungra is the sole

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 ...

in the entire area. The economy is agro-based and there are 6 tea gardens in the Gorubathan CD block. In 2011, Kalimpong subdivision had a literacy rate of 81.85%, comparable with the highest levels of literacy in the districts of the state. While the first degree college in the subdivision was established at

in 1962 the entire subdivision (and now the entire district), other than the head-quarters, had to wait till as late as 2015 (more than half a century) to have their first degree colleges at

Pedong Pedong is a town in the Pedong CD block in the Kalimpong subdivision of the Kalimpong district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The town is very close to Resi-Sikkim border. Pedong lies on the National Highway-717A connecting Bagrakote to ...

and

. 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.

The place

The altitude of the place ranges from 650 to 950 m. It gets its name from a small stream: Suntaley Khola. This place is nearly 5 km from Samsing. The green patch on the left side of the way to Suntalekhola holds many varieties of birds and butterflies. Species of birds are found here include:

pond heron Pond herons (''Ardeola'') are herons, typically long with an wingspan. Most breed in the tropical Old World, but the migratory squacco heron occurs in southern Europe and the Middle East and winters in Africa. The scientific name comes fro ...

black eagle The black eagle (''Ictinaetus malaiensis'') is a bird of prey. Like all eagles, it is in the family Accipitridae, and is the only member of the genus ''Ictinaetus''. They soar over forests in the hilly regions of tropical and subtropical South ...

hill partridge The common hill partridge, necklaced hill partridge, or simply hill partridge (''Arborophila torqueola'') is a species of bird in the pheasant family found in Asia. Description Males of the species have ornate patterns and markings, a combina ...

red-vented bulbul The red-vented bulbul (''Pycnonotus cafer'') is a member of the bulbul family of passerines. It is a resident breeder across the Indian subcontinent, including Sri Lanka extending east to Burma and parts of Bhutan and Nepal. It has been introduc ...

, ashy wood pigeon,

bronzed drongo The bronzed drongo (''Dicrurus aeneus'') is a small Indomalayan bird belonging to the drongo group. They are resident in the forests of the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. They capture insects flying in the shade of the forest canopy by m ...

white-throated fantail The white-throated fantail (''Rhipidura albicollis'') is a small passerine bird. It is found in forest, scrub and cultivation across tropical southern Asia from the Himalayas, India and Bangladesh east to Indonesia. The white-spotted fantail ('' ...

, blue rock thrush, scarlet minivet,

lesser racket-tailed drongo The lesser racket-tailed drongo (''Dicrurus remifer'') is a species of bird in the family Dicruridae. It is found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. Description Lesser racket-tailed drongo is about 25–27·5 cm long, excluding out ...

, rufous sibia, grey treepie, spangled drongo and

common green magpie The common green magpie (''Cissa chinensis'') is a member of the crow family, roughly about the size of the Eurasian jay or slightly smaller. In the wild specimens are usually a bright green colour (often fades to turquoise in captivity or with ...

. Many locals are involved in tourism-related business.

Tourism

There are WBFDC cottages for the tourists to reside. Several trek routes originate from Suntalekhola, most of which are within the

Neora Valley National Park Neora Valley National Park is a national park in Kalimpong district, West Bengal, India that was established in 1986. It spreads over an area of , and is a rich biological zone in eastern India. It is the land of the red panda in the pristine und ...

, which is located adjacent to this place. It is known for its landscape with green tea gardens, hills and forests, which attract a lot of tourists. There is a hanging bridge over the Murti river that provides access to the lodges or cottages of the Forest Department.

References

Villages in Kalimpong district Tourist attractions in West Bengal {{Kalimpong-geo-stub