Chalouni Tea Estate, Aibheel Tea Estate and Chalsa Tea Estate are
tea gardens
Tea Gardens is a locality in the Mid-Coast Council local government area, in Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia.
At the Tea Gardens had a population of 3,288, with most of the population resident in the town of Tea Gardens a ...
, located near each other in the
Matiali CD block in the
Malbazar subdivision of the
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 Ja ...
in the
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
n state of
West Bengal
West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...
. All the three tea estates are located in the north-western section of the
Dooars
The Dooars or Duars () are the alluvial floodplains in eastern-northeastern India and southern Bhutan that lie south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas and north of the Brahmaputra River basin. This region is about wide and stretches ov ...
.
Geography
Location
Chalouni Tea Estate is located at .
Chalouni Tea Estate lies at an altitude of 1,500 feet, at the foot of a lower sub-Himalayan range.“Chalouni is scenically resplendent. To its north lies the Kalimpong Sub-Division reserve forest. The hills rise above into a chain of mountain ranges adding to the beauty of the garden. There are a number of rain-fed streamlets flowing north-south, which lace its body meandering and dancing to produce a musical symphony to add to its sylvan beauty and charm.”
Chalouni has a common boundary with five tea gardens namely
Samsing
Samsing is a small hill village and tourist spot in the Matiali (community development block), Malbazar subdivision of Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal situated at an elevation of 3000 ft in the foothills in between Jalpaiguri and Dar ...
, Matelli, Nagaisuree, Engo and
Zurantee.
Aibheel Tea Estate is located at
Aibheel Tea Estate is located in the foothills of Kalimpong-Bhutan range.
Chalsa Tea Estate is located at
Chalsa Tea Estate is located on the picturesque Chalsa Hill. On the east, the Murti River separates the tea estate from the Upper Tondu Forest. On the west is
Matelli
Matialihat (also known as Matelli) is a census town in the Matiali CD block in the Malbazar subdivision of the Jalpaiguri district in the state of West Bengal, India.
Geography
Area overview
Gorumara National Park has overtaken traditio ...
.
The tea estate has undulating topography intercepted by mountain streams.
Area overview
Gorumara National Park
Gorumara National Park (Pron: ˌgɔ:rʊˈmɑ:rə; ''Gorumara Jatio Uddan'') is a national park in northern West Bengal, India. Located in the Dooars region of the Himalayan foothills, it is a medium-sized park with grasslands and forests. Goruma ...
has overtaken traditionally popular
Jaldapara National Park
Jaldapara National Park (Pron: ˌʤʌldəˈpɑ:rə) is a national park situated at the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas in Alipurduar, Alipurduar District of northern West Bengal, India, and on the banks of the Torsa River. It is situated a ...
in footfall and
Malbazar
Malbazar, also known as Mal, is a town and a municipality in Jalpaiguri district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Malbazar subdivision. It lies about 65 km from Jalpaiguri and 55 km from Siliguri. It li ...
has emerged as one of the most important towns in the
Dooars
The Dooars or Duars () are the alluvial floodplains in eastern-northeastern India and southern Bhutan that lie south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas and north of the Brahmaputra River basin. This region is about wide and stretches ov ...
. Malbazar subdivision is presented in the map alongside. It is a predominantly rural area with 88.62% of the population living in rural areas and 11.32% living in the urban areas.
Tea gardens in the
Dooars
The Dooars or Duars () are the alluvial floodplains in eastern-northeastern India and southern Bhutan that lie south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas and north of the Brahmaputra River basin. This region is about wide and stretches ov ...
and
Terai
The Terai or Tarai is a lowland region in parts of southern Nepal and northern India that lies to the south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas, the Sivalik Hills and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
This lowland belt is characterised by ...
regions produce 226 million kg or over a quarter of India's total tea crop. 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.
Etymology
Chalouni Tea Estate was named after the chilloune tree that was quite common in the area.
Aibheel Tea Estate was earlier known as Sonapani as the natural spring waters appeared to be gold coloured.
The gardens
Chalouni Tea Garden was established in 1885.
When the British took over the Dooars from Bhutan, Aibheel Tea Estate was leased out around 1890 to Sir Benjamin Simpson, who was medical officer of Sir Ashlay Eden's mission in Bhutan. His son, P.A.Simpson, managed the property from the earliest days to around 1920. The estate now is divided in to four divisions: Naya Kaman, Gunty Side, Sathkya and Dangee.
Duncan Brothers planted the Chalsa Tea Estate around 1910. It was subsequently taken over by Goodricke. It now has two divisions namely Gandrab and Main Division. The new factory commissioned in 1994 is amongst the best in the tea industry. The factory was HACCP certified in 2008 and upgraded in 2009.
Goodricke
Established in 1977, Goodricke owns 18 tea estates in India, all inherited from sterling tea companies, who operated from the late 1800s. Goodricke has 12 gardens in the
Dooars
The Dooars or Duars () are the alluvial floodplains in eastern-northeastern India and southern Bhutan that lie south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas and north of the Brahmaputra River basin. This region is about wide and stretches ov ...
. With its rich agro climate the area produces CTC tea. Goodricke's tea gardens in the Dooars are:
Danguajhar,
Leesh River,
Meenglas,
Hope
Hope is an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one's own life, or the world at large.
As a verb, Merriam-Webster defines ''hope'' as "to expect with confid ...
, Aibheel, Chulsa, Chalouni,
Jiti,
Sankos,
Gandrapara,
Lakhipara and
Kumargram
Kumargram is a community development block (CD block) that forms an administrative division in the Alipurduar subdivision of the Alipurduar district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Geography
Kumargram is located at .
The Kumargarm CD Block ...
.
Eight sterling tea companies viz., The Assam-Doors Tea Co. Ltd., Hope Tea Co. Ltd., The Lebong Chulsa Tea Co. Ltd., The British Darjeeling Tea Co. Ltd., The Chulsa Tea Co. Ltd., The Leesh River Tea Co. Ltd., The Danguajhar Tea Co. Ltd., and The Meenglas Tea Co. Ltd., were amalgamated with Goodricke in 1977.
References
{{Jalpaiguri district
Tea estates in West Bengal
Jalpaiguri district