Siliguri (, ; ), also known as Shiliguri, is a major tier-II city in

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 ...

. It forms the

Twin Cities Twin cities are a special case of two neighboring cities or urban centres that grow into a single conurbation – or narrowly separated urban areas – over time. There are no formal criteria, but twin cities are generally comparable in stat ...

with the neighbouring city 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 ...

. The city spans areas of the

Darjeeling Darjeeling (, , ) is a city in the northernmost region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of West Bengal. Located in the Eastern Himalayas, it has an average elevation of . To the west of Darjeeling lies the Koshi Pr ...

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 Ja ...

s in the Indian

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

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 in 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 Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

. 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 * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (di ...

largest

urban agglomeration An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

in West Bengal, after

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

and

Asansol Asansol is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the second largest city in West Bengal. It is the 33rd largest urban agglomeration in India by population. Asansol is the district headquarters of Paschim Bardhaman district. Accordi ...

. Siliguri has great strategic importance in West Bengal, with convenient access to three international borders:

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

and

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

. It also connects the North-East with mainland India. Located in 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

Etymology

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.

Modern history

Siliguri was a small agricultural village in the

Kingdom of Sikkim The Kingdom of Sikkim (Classical Tibetan and , ''Drenjong'', , ''Sikimr Gyalkhab'') officially Dremoshong (Classical Tibetan and ) until the 1800s, was a hereditary monarchy in the Eastern Himalayas which existed from 1642 to 16 May 1975 ...

. It was captured by the

Kingdom of Nepal The Kingdom of Nepal was a Hindu monarchy in South Asia, founded in 1768 through the unification of Nepal, expansion of the Gorkha Kingdom. The kingdom was also known as the Gorkha Empire and was sometimes called History of Asal Hindustan, ...

in 1788, after which

Kirati The Kirati people, also spelled as Kirat or Kirant or Kiranti, are Tibeto-Burman ethnolinguistic groups living in the Himalayas, mostly the Eastern Himalaya extending eastward from Nepal to North East India (predominantly in the Indian state ...

and Lepchas came to settle in this region. At that time a river port on Mahananda, South of Siliguri in Phansidewa had an important role in having trade bond with Malda,

Bengal Bengal ( ) is a Historical geography, historical geographical, ethnolinguistic and cultural term referring to a region in the Eastern South Asia, eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. The region of Benga ...

and

Bihar Bihar ( ) is a states and union territories of India, state in Eastern India. It is the list of states and union territories of India by population, second largest state by population, the List of states and union territories of India by are ...

. This riverine trade line was thus used by the

ese and Sikkimese to bring goods into their mainland. Siliguri started as a small area in the northern part of city, on the front of

Mahananda River The Mahananda ( ) is a trans-boundary river that flows through the Indian states of Bihar and West Bengal before crossing into Bangladesh. It is an important tributary of the Ganges. Course The Mahananda river system consists of two streams- ...

, which is now Dagapur. The

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 Gajraj Mishra following the Anglo-Nepalese War of ...

in 1816, signed between Britain-Nepal, changed the prospects of Siliguri, and it became a point of transit for the

hills and

mainland. From 1816 onwards, Siliguri started growing rapidly as a small city due to its strategic location in trade routes. In 1865, the British captured Darjeeling and the entire

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 ...

region to build tea plantations and export the produce to England. To scale up exportation they introduced the

Siliguri Town railway station Siliguri Town railway station serves Siliguri in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The other important stations serving the metropolis are Siliguri Junction, Bagdogra, , , Matigara and New Jalpaiguri Junction. This is ...

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 ...

from the station to Darjeeling in 1880. This helped Siliguri gain sub-divisional town status in 1907. History 1a

The

Siliguri Corridor The Siliguri Corridor, often dubbed the "Chicken's Neck", is a stretch of land around the city of Siliguri in West Bengal, India. at the narrowest section, this geopolitical and geoeconomical corridor connects the seven states of northeast ...

was formed when

was divided into

and

East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...

(later Bangladesh) in 1947, with Sikkim later merging with India in 1975. At this point many immigrants came to settle here for better infrastructure, 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 ( US: meter-gauge railways) are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre. Metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by several European colonial powers including France, Britain and ...

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 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 and the busiest ...

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 () the largest 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 seat of the Government of Assam. Th ...

. The growth rate of Siliguri was 57.8% during 1971- 1981. Considering this growth, Siliguri came under the Integrated Urban Development Project program in 1981. Siliguri population growth rate rose to 46.8% of 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 third-largest city in

, after

and

Geography

Location

Siliguri is located at the foothills of the eastern Himalayas at a location of . The city is spread over an area of within the

. The city is bordered by dense forests to the north and the

flows through the city, thereby bisecting it into two halves, while 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 and subsequently enters Bangladesh through Rangpur division. In Bangladesh, it merges with Jamu ...

flows on its eastern border. Siliguri has an average elevation of 122 metres (400 feet). As Siliguri is located in the

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 ...

region, the soil is

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is usually defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural ...

y in nature with the ratio of sand and silt much higher than clay. This region is very prone to earthquakes 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 Silig ...

is bordered by Himalayan ranges to its north,

to the south-east,

Uttar Dinajpur Uttar Dinajpur (), also known as North Dinajpur, is one of the 23 districts of the state of West Bengal in India. The district is the part of Malda Division. Raiganj city is the headquarters of the district. This district bifurcated on 1 Ap ...

district of

to the south and the Indian state of

to the south-west. To the east lies

, north-east the

Kalimpong district Kalimpong district is a List of districts in India, district in the state of West Bengal, India. In 2017, it was carved out as a separate district to become the 21st district of West Bengal. The district is headquartered at Kalimpong, which g ...

, and

to the west. The mighty Mountains Siliguri

Climate

Siliguri has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

( Köppen: ''Cwa''). Hot, humid summers, pleasant to warm winters and a severe monsoon define Siliguri's climate.

Temperature

The average annual temperature in Siliguri is . In summer, the temperature varies from a minimum between to a maximum between . The temperature of the hottest month, August, is , and temperatures in peak summer sometimes exceeds . On the other hand, the winter maximum temperature hovers around , and the minimum drops to between . January is the coolest month with an average temperature of . The minimum temperature in winter season sometimes drops to or below . The highest temperature ever recorded in Siliguri was on 7 June 2023, while the lowest was , recorded on 8 January 2018.

Rainfall and other conditions

On average, Siliguri gets more than of rainfall annually. Winters are mostly dry, with the summers being rainy. About eighty percent of the annual rainfall occurs during the monsoon or rainy season between June and September. Heavy showers are often felt in May, June, July, August and September. July is the wettest month () and January the driest (). The average rainy days in July is 27 and for December and January it is 1. Humidity is high throughout the year. Monsoon in Siliguri 2

Demographics

Based on the 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 513,264. 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, where 32% of Siliguri's population lives.

Languages

Bengali is the official language in

, 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 Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

, 4.66% Nepali, 2.39%

Bhojpuri Bhojpuri may refer to: * Bhojpuri language, an Indo-Aryan language of India and Nepal * Bhojpuri grammar, grammatical rules of the language * Bhojpuri nouns, nouns of the language * Bhojpuri people, people who speak the language * Bhojpuri region ...

, 1.58%

Marwari Marwari may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the Marwar region of Rajasthan, India, largely in the Thar Desert ** Marwari people, an Indian ethnic group originating in the Marwar region ** Marwari language, the language of the Marwari ...

and 1.24%

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

as their first language.

Bengalis Bengalis ( ), also rendered as endonym and exonym, endonym Bangalee, are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group originating from and culturally affiliated with the Bengal region of South Asia. The current population is divi ...

form the majority linguistic group in the city, followed by

Biharis Bihari () is a demonym given to the inhabitants of the Indian state of Bihar. Bihari people can be separated into three main Indo-Aryan ( Bihari-speaking) ethnolinguistic groups: Bhojpuris, Maithils and Magahis. They are also further divid ...

(including Bhojpuriyas),

Marwaris The Marwari or Marwadi (Devanagari: मारवाड़ी) are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group that originate from the Marwar region of Rajasthan, India. Their language, also called Marwari, comes under the umbrella of Rajasthani la ...

Punjabis The Punjabis (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ; ਪੰਜਾਬੀ ; romanised as Pañjābī) are an Indo-Aryan peoples, Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group associated with the Punjab region, comprising areas of northwestern India and eastern Paki ...

Nepalis Nepali or Nepalese () are the permanent citizens of Nepal under Nepali nationality law. The term ''Nepali'' strictly refers to ''nationality'', meaning people holding citizenship of Nepal. Conversely, people without Nepalese citizenship but wi ...

Odias The Odia (), formerly spelled Oriya, are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group native to the Indian state of Odisha who speak the Odia language. They constitute a majority in the eastern coastal state, with significant minority populations ...

, and Tribals. According to a 2001 thesis, Bengali speakers constituted 64.25% of the total population. Of the 30 wards in 2001, their population ranged from 11.71% to 98.96%.

Religion

The most common religion in Siliguri is

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

, with

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

being the largest minority religion, followed by small percentages of adherents to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

and

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

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 was a Sanitation Committee set up in 1915. Its function was to dispose of night soil. Until 1921, most aspects of local governance in Darjeeling district, including Siliguri, were 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, borough cou ...

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 councillors, 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. 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. As of now, the corporation has 23 departments. It has 47 wards, of which 14 wards are in

district, while the remaining 33 wards are in

district. The last municipal elections were held on 2015, when

Communist Party of India (Marxist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) is a Communism in India, communist List of political parties in India, political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electora ...

won 23 seats,

All India Trinamool Congress The All India Trinamool Congress (; AITC), simply known as Trinamool Congress, is an Indian political party that is mainly influential in the state of West Bengal. It was founded by Mamata Banerjee on 1 January 1998 as a breakaway faction f ...

won 17 seats,

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

won 5 seats,

Bharatiya Janata Party The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP; , ) is a political party in India and one of the two major List of political parties in India, Indian political parties alongside the Indian National Congress. BJP emerged out from Syama Prasad Mukherjee's ...

won 2 seats, while an independent candidate won 1 seat. The mayor of Siliguri for the five-year term from 2015 till 2020 was

Ashok Bhattacharya Ashok Bhattacharya is an Indian politician and the former mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation. He is a member of Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). He is a prominent leader of CPI(M) in the northern region of West Bengal. He was ...

from

CPI(M) The Communist Party of India (Marxist) (abbreviated as CPI(M)) is a communist political party in India. It is the largest communist party in India in terms of membership and electoral seats, and one of the six national parties of India. ...

, who was later elected as the local

Member of Legislative Assembly A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) is a representative elected to sit in a legislative assembly. The term most commonly refers to members of the legislature of a federated state or an autonomous region, but is also used for several national ...

as well. The term of the last elected body of Siliguri Municipal Corporation ended on 7 May 2020 but municipal elections could not be held because of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. 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 until 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. The last elections for the Lok Sabha took place in

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

, when Raju Bista from Bharatiya Janta Party won the seat. The last elections to the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha took place in

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

. 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 Ministry of Urban Development may refer to: * Ministry of Urban Development (Albania) *Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, India, formerly the Ministry of Urban Development * Ministry of Urban Development (Maharashtra), India *Ministry of Urban D ...

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 is an urban planning agency serving the cities of Siliguri and Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, India. It was established in the year 1980 and has been responsible of Planning & Development of Siligu ...

. The Public Health Engineering Department of the

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonom ...

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 (SJDA) 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

Siliguri and the surrounding sub-Himalayan forests are rich in both their flora and fauna biodiversity. The plains of North Bengal (Siliguri,

Cooch Behar Cooch Behar (), also known as Koch Bihar, is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal and it stands on bank of the Torsa river. The city is the headquarters of the Cooch Behar district. During the British Raj, Cooch Behar was the seat of the ...

etc.) are surrounded by deep forests, which are home to various common and rare species of native plants. Notably, the forests here are moist

Tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

and characterised by the dense growth of tall Sal (

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 lig ...

) trees. Overall, Sal trees compose about 80% of all the vegetation in these tropical forests. These forests are broadly categorised according to the dominant plant species in them, such as: 1) East Himalayan Sal Forest, present on the lower slopes of the

Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary (Pron: móhɑ́nɑ́ndaa) is located on the foothills of the Himalayas, between the Teesta River, Teesta and Mahananda River, Mahananda rivers. Situated in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India; it comes unde ...

. It contains Sal,

Khair Khair is a town and a municipal board in Aligarh district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Khair is the biggest town of Aligarh district. It is situated around 27 km from Aligarh, 114 km from Delhi and 60 km from Mathura ...

, Simul and Sissoo, alongside 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. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Earth ...

. 2) East Himalayan Upper Bhabar Sal Forest, mainly present in the Jalpaiguri district. It is characterised by a dense population of Microstegium chiliatum and Sal. Other notable species are

Terminalia tomentosa ''Terminalia elliptica'' (sin. ''Terminalia tormentosa'') 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"Te ...

and

Schima wallichii ''Schima wallichii'', commonly known as the needlewood or Chinese guger tree, is a species of evergreen tree in the tea family, Theaceae. ''Schima wallichii'' is native to a wide area of China and tropical Asia. It grows tall. File:Chilaune.j ...

. 3) Eastern Tarai Sal Forest, mainly present in lower altitudes compared to the other two types of forest. It is characterised by various species of

bamboos Bamboos are a diverse group of mostly evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family, in the case of '' Dendrocalamus sinicus'' ...

and

ferns The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

, alongside Sal which is found in Baikunthapur Forest (near the Siliguri urban area). In recent times, the rapid growth of the city has led to deforestation, much like other urban areas globally. This has in turn made Siliguri's climate warmer, disrupting some of the local ecosystems.

Fauna

Siliguri is located in the

region of the

Indo-Gangetic Plain The Indo-Gangetic Plain, also known as the Northern Plain or North Indian River Plain, is a fertile plain spanning across the northern and north-eastern part of the Indian subcontinent. It encompasses North India, northern and East India, easte ...

, which is a belt of marshy grasslands and dense tropical deciduous forests at the base of the Himalayan range. The region is rich in biodiversity, containing numerous rare species of flora and fauna. These forests are especially notable for their distinct variety of wildlife. For example,

near Siliguri is famous for its Indian elephants. Sukna is the gateway to this sanctuary, which is located from Siliguri. These sub-Himalayan forests are home to various types of wild animals like the

elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

Indian bison The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ) is a large bovine native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 mature individuals ...

barking deer Muntjacs ( ), also known as the barking deer or rib-faced deer, (URL is Google Books) are small deer of the genus ''Muntiacus'' native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. Muntjacs are thought to have begun appearing 15–35 million years ago, ...

, 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's div ...

, 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. It has a deep yellowish-grey fur with black lines and spots. Adults have a head-to-body length of , with a long tail. Males are larger than f ...

. These forests are also home to 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. Migratory water birds are also a common sight.

Transport

Roads

The NH 27 crosses through the heart of the city and is now a part of the

AH2 Asian Highway 2 (AH2) is a road in the Asian Highway Network running from Denpasar, Indonesia to Merak, and Singapore to Khosravi, Iran. The route is connected to M10 of the Arab Mashreq International Road Network. The route is as follows: ...

project. Siliguri is the origin of the century old Hill Cart Road (also known as) NH 110, which connects Siliguri to

() dating from the British period. It is connected to

Gangtok Gangtok (, ) is the capital and the most populous city of the Indian state of Sikkim. The seat of East Sikkim district, eponymous district, Gangtok is in the eastern Himalayas, Himalayan range, at an elevation of . The city's population of 100 ...

via the NH 10. The NH 12 which connects Pankhabari with Mirik. Highways NH 327 and NH 327B connect Siliguri to

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. ...

and Mechi Bridge. Adjacent countries are connected through the following routes: *

: via

: via Phulbari *

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

: via

Nathula Nathu La(, Sikkimese: རྣ་ཐོས་ལ་) is a mountain pass in the Dongkya Range of the Himalayas between China's Yadong County in Tibet, and the Indian states of Sikkim. But minor touch of Bengal in South Asia. The pass, at , conn ...

: 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. Phuentsholin ...

Bus services

* Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus: Tenzing Norgay Bus Terminus is the main bus terminus and serves as a bus depot for both the Government and a private bus service 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 Sikkim ...

. It connects to cities in

Sikkim Sikkim ( ; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China in the north and northeast, Bhutan in the east, Koshi Province of Nepal in the west, and West Bengal in the ...

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, 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 ...

Meghalaya Meghalaya (; "the abode of clouds") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeast India. Its capital is Shillong. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the Assam: the United Khasi Hills an ...

etc. and all other districts and cities in

including

Kalimpong Kalimpong 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 region comes under Gorkhaland Territo ...

Alipurduar Alipurduar (), is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarters of the Alipurduar district and Alipurduar railway division of NFR. It is situated in the Western Dooars natural region, on the banks of Kaljani River in the ...

, Malda,

Balurghat Balurghat is a city and municipality located in the Dakshin Dinajpur district of West Bengal, India, serving as the district headquarters. Strategically positioned on National Highway 512, it is well-connected by road and rail, facilitating trad ...

Raiganj Raiganj (), is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal and it stands on the bank of the Kulik river. This city is the headquarters of the Uttar Dinajpur district. The city situated in the narrow strip which joins the Northern and Southern p ...

, Dalkhola,

Berhampore Berhampore (), also known as Baharampur (), is a city and a municipality in the state of West Bengal, India. Berhampore is the administrative headquarters of the Murshidabad district. As of 2011 census, Berhampore is the seventh largest city ...

, Suri and the SBSTC headquarters

Durgapur Durgapur (), is an industrial hub and a planned urban agglomeration in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is stands on the northern bank of the Damodar river and located in Paschim Bardhaman district. Durgapur is a major centre for producin ...

etc. * Sikkim Nationalised Transport Bus Terminus: Sikkim Nationalised Transport Bus Terminus (Siliguri) is located at the hill-cart road in Siliguri. This bus terminus is operated by the Sikkim Government. Buses connecting towns and cities of Sikkim are mainly operated from here. This bus terminus is one of the busiest and most important bus termini in the Siliguri area. Sikkim Nationalised Transport Bus Terminus (Siliguri), which connects

. * P. C. Mittal Memorial Bus Terminus: P.C. Mittal Memorial Bus Terminus 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 Sikki ...

(NBSTC) buses and private buses towards

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 railway station

, established in 1960 (

station code A station code is a brief, standardised abbreviation, or alphanumeric code, used by railways to identify a train station, railway station uniquely (within a country or region). Codes are mostly used internally but can be seen on railway traffic s ...

: 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 the jurisdiction of Northeast Frontier Railway zone of the Indian Railways. This railway division was formed on 15 January 1958 and its headquarter is located at Katihar in the ...

Northeast Frontier Railway zone The Northeast Frontier Railway (abbreviated NFR) is one of the Zones and divisions of Indian Railways, 19 railway zones of the Indian Railways. It is headquartered in Maligaon, Guwahati in the state of Assam, and responsible for operation and e ...

. It is the largest railway station of Northeast India serving 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 bound by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north, and Karnataka to the ...

. This station ranked 10th cleanest railway station in India in a 2016 survey and was among the top 100 booking stations of Indian railway. Many premium services are available, including 1 international

Mitali Express The ''Mitali Express'' (13131/13132) train () is an international express rail service which connects the Indian city of Siliguri with the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka every week. Together with the Maitree Express train and the Bandhan Express t ...

Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express The Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express is an Indian Railways Vande Bharat Express train. It connects the capital of West Bengal, Kolkata, via Howrah railway station to the largest city in northern West Bengal, Silguri, via New Jalpaig ...

, New Jalpaiguri - Guwahati Vande Bharat Express, New Jalpaiguri–Patna Vande Bharat Express, 4

Rajdhani Express The Rajdhani Express () is a series of passenger train services in India operated by Indian Railways connecting the national capital New Delhi with the capitals or the largest cities of various states. ''Rajdhani'', derived from the Sanskrit m ...

, 2 Tourist Vistadome Express, 1

Shatabdi Express Shatabdi Express () are a series of fast passenger trains operated by Indian Railways. Shatabdi Express are day trains and mostly return to their origin station the same day. The trains run at a maximum permissible speed of depending on the ...

and 2

Humsafar Express Humsafar Express is a fully premium service with AC-3 Tier and Sleeper class accommodation having all the modern facilities designed and operated by Indian Railways. "Humsafar" is an Urdu word meaning "co-passenger" The first service was inaugu ...

;Siliguri Junction

(

: 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, the meter gauge was shut down, but the track remains between Siliguri Junction railway station and Bagdogra railway station. Many different cities in India are serviced from this station. ;Siliguri Town railway station

is one of the oldest railway station (station code: SGUT) of the region, opened in 1880 for the

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a narrow-gauge, 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 c ...

(Toy train) connecting Siliguri to Darjeeling. Its importance has now lessened with the construction of the Siliguri Junction railway station and New Jalpaiguri junction.

is also a broad gauge and narrow gauge railway station, and is halting point for 8 trains only. ;Bagdogra railway station

Bagdogra railway station Bagdogra Railway Station is one of the railway station that serves Western Siliguri Metropolitan Areas in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The other stations are: , New Jalpaiguri, , , and . This station has five bro ...

(station code: BORA) comes under greater Siliguri metropolitan area. It is from Siliguri junction and is the third largest railway station after NJP and Siliguri Junction. This station serves Bagdogra and adjacent areas. Bagdogra railway station is on the Siliguri-Aluabari broad gauge single line via Thakurganj. This station is the halting point for 14 trains. ;Gulma railway station Gulma railway station Railway (station code: GLMA) is part of the Siliguri Urban area. It is from Siliguri City center and serves Champasari Anchal and Gulma areas. Gulma railway station is on the New Jalpaiguri-Alipurduar-Samuktala Road Line. This station is the halting point of 5 trains. Mainly passenger train halt at in this station. ;Matigara railway station

Matigara Railway Station Matigara Railway Station is one of the railway stations that serve Siliguri in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal. The other stations are: Siliguri Junction, New Jalpaiguri, , , and . This is a small station consisting ...

(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 (station code RNI) is part of the greater Siliguri metropolitan area. It is from Siliguri City center and serves Rangapani and adjacent areas. Rangapani railway station is on the Howrah-New Jalpaiguri line. This station is a halting point for 2 passenger trains.

Air

Bagdogra Airport Bagdogra Airport () is a customs airport serving the city of Siliguri in West Bengal, India. It is located in Bagdogra, south-west from the city centre. It is operated as a civil enclave at the Bagdogra Air Force Station of the Indian A ...

is an

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports, and feature longer runways and have faciliti ...

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 India Visakhapatnam Airport operates as a civil enclav ...

at AFS Bagdogra of the

Indian Air Force The Indian Air Force (IAF) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the air force, air arm of the Indian Armed Forces. Its primary mission is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during armed conflicts. It was officially established on 8 Octob ...

. This airport is a major transport hub in the region, with flights to

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

Dibrugarh Dibrugarh () is a city in the Indian state of Assam, located 435 kms east of the state capital Dispur. It serves as the headquarters of the Dibrugarh district in Upper Assam. Dibrugarh also serves as the headquarters of the Sonowal Kach ...

and has international connectivity with Paro and

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, 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 estim ...

. The airport also has regular

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which Lift (force), lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning Helicopter rotor, rotors. This allows the helicopter to VTOL, take off and land vertically, to hover (helicopter), hover, and ...

services to

. Due to its location near

hills and

, the Bagdogra Airport sees thousands of tourists annually. Central government of India confirmed

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 The University of North Bengal (also North Bengal University, abbreviated as NBU) is a public state university in the North Bengal region of West Bengal, India. Its main campus is located in Raja Rammohanpur, Siliguri, Darjeeling district, in ...

, since 1962

Colleges

;General degree colleges * Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy Government College * Siliguri College, Since 1950 * Kalipada Ghosh Tarai Mahavidyalaya *

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 The University ...

North Bengal St. Xavier's College North Bengal St. Xavier's College, Jalpaiguri, is the third Jesuit college established in the northern area of West Bengal, India. Founded in 2007, it offers undergraduate courses in arts and sciences and is affiliated to the University of No ...

* Gyan Jyoti College * Siliguri College of Commerce * Siliguri Mahila Mahavidyalaya * Surya Sen Mahavidyalaya * Salesian College ; Medical colleges * North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, Since 1968 * North Bengal Dental College and Hospital ; Engineering colleges * Siliguri Government Polytechnic College * Siliguri Institute of Technology *

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 Society or DPS Society, is a chain of schools . The descriptor "Public School" references the model of the long-established public schools in the United Kingdom. The Delhi Public School Society is the administrative authorit ...

(CBSE) *Don Bosco School (CISCE) * Techno India Group Public School (CBSE) ;Army Schools * Army Public School (Bengdubi & Khaprail) * Army Public School, Sukna * Kendriya Vidyalaya Sevoke Road

Media

; Newspaper: Various English language

newspapers A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

including ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...

'', ''

Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

'', '' The Statesman'', ''

The Economic Times ''The Economic Times'' is an Indian English-language business-focused daily newspaper. Owned by The Times Group, ''The Economic Times'' began publication in 1961 and it is sold in all major cities in India. As of 2012, it is the world's secon ...

'', 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 pro ...

'' are widely circulated throughout the city. Several

language newspapers including ''

Uttarbanga Sambad ''Uttarbanga Sambad'' is a Bengali language broadsheet published from Siliguri. RNI , Reg. No. WBBEN/2007/24656 , Name: SAMBAD AAJKER UTTARBANGA , Publication City: COOCH BEHAR , Link: http://rni.nic.in/registerdtitle_search/registeredtitle ...

'', ''

Anandabazar Patrika ''Anandabazar Patrika'' is an Indian Bengali-language daily newspaper owned by the ABP Group. Its main competitors are ''Bartaman'', '' Ei Samay'', '' Sangbad Pratidin'', " Aajkal", " Jago Bangla", " ganashakti" and " dainik Statesman". Histo ...

'', ''

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 dail ...

'', ''Uttarer Saradin'', '' Aajkaal'', ''Pratidin'', and '' Ganashakti'' and Nepali Paper Himalaya Darpan are available. The leading Hindi dailies ''

Prabhat Khabar is a Hindi-language daily newspaper published in Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal, with circulation in some other states in India, including parts of Orissa. It was founded in August 1984 in Ranchi, in Bihar. With the formation of Jharkhand ...

'' 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'', ''Siliguri Barta'', and the ''Times of North'' provide live updates regarding Siliguri and adjacent areas. ;Radio :

All India Radio All India Radio (AIR), also known as Akashvani (), is India's state-owned public broadcasting, public radio broadcaster. Founded in 1936, it operates under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broa ...

Siliguri was commissioned in 1963 as an additional station of AIR Kolkata. It has two groups of transmitters: 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 Hemanta Mukherjee and Hemant Kumar, was an Indian music director and a playback singer who primarily sang in Bengali and Hindi, along with several other Indian ...

Ustad Rashid Khan Ustad Rashid Khan (1 July 1968 – 9 January 2024) was an Indian classical musician in the Hindustani tradition. He belonged to the Rampur-Sahaswan gharana and was the great-grandson of gharana founder Inayat Hussain Khan. He was awarded t ...

, Subhas Mukhopadhyay,

Shashi Kapoor Shashi Kapoor (pronounced �əʃi kəpuːɾ born Balbir Raj Kapoor; 18 March 1938 – 4 December 2017) was an Indian actor and producer known primarily for his work in Hindi films. He is considered as one of the greatest and most successful acto ...

Manabendra Mukhopadhyay Manabendra Mukhopadhyay was an Indian singer and music composer in Bengali films. Coming to limelight in the early 1950s Manabendra was an innovative and stylish singer who had a strong foundation in Indian classical music. With his distincti ...

, Madhuri Chattopadhyay, and Priya Ranjan Dasmunshi have visited

AIR An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...

Siliguri. Popular programs executing from here are ''Pratyusha'', ''Yuva Anusthan'', ''Grame Ganje'', ''Mahila Majlis'', ''Mananiyeshu'', ''Sishumahal'' and ''Arogya''. Two radio channels are operated from

Siliguri through which programs are broadcasting daily: :In addition to the

, Siliguri has several private FM radio channels: ;Television: Siliguri receives almost all the television channels received by rest of the country. Apart from the national terrestrial network

Doordarshan Doordarshan (), abbreviated as DD, is India's State-owned enterprise, state-owned public broadcasting, public television broadcaster. Established by the Government of India on 15 September 1959, it is owned by the Ministry of Information and B ...

, 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 from Siliguri.

Sports facilities

Siliguri hosts numerous sporting events and matches to facilitate developing young athletes from the city. Local clubs in Siliguri that conduct matches include cricket, football, volleyball, swimming, and table-tennis.

Sports Authority of India The Sports Authority of India, SAI, was set up in 1984 to carry forward the legacy of the 1982 Asian Games held in New Delhi under the Department of Sports. SAl has been entrusted with promoting sport in India and achieving sporting excellen ...

(SAI) 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 led Siliguri to become a prominent city for national champions like Mantu Ghosh, the gold medalist winner in the bi-annual South Asian Games (SAF) for table tennis, Ankita Das,

Nandita Saha Nandita Saha is an Indian table-tennis player. She was a part of Indian trio who defeated Canada in Common wealth 2006 at Melbourne and won Bronze medal for India. She won Bronze Medal in Women's singles in Senior National TT Championship in 201 ...

, 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. He also became the youngest national champion at the age of 19, when he ...

- another internationally acclaimed table tennis player- and

Wriddhiman Saha Wriddhiman Saha (born 24 October 1984) is a former Indian cricketer who played for the national cricket team. He is the former first-class wicket-keeper of Bengal cricket team in domestic cricket and Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League ...

– Indian international

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

er who plays First-class and

Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film) ...

cricket for the Indian national team. Siliguri has done a tremendous job for Indian table tennis. Bikash Ghosh Memorial Swimming Pool is beside Kanchenjunga Stadium in the city, and conducts swimming competitions. White water rafting is done nearby in the

Kanchenjunga Stadium

Kanchenjunga Stadium, a multipurpose stadium, is the main stadium in Siliguri, and is primarily used for football matches, although it has also hosted several cricket matches. It has a seating capacity of 30,000. Football: *This stadium hosted the Federation Cup 2012 matches of India. *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 match were played on this ground. *It also hosted two

Kolkata derby The Kolkata Derby (locally known as "Boro Match") is the association football, football match in Kolkata, between Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal FC, East Bengal. The rivalry between these two teams is over 100 years old, ...

matches in 2016 I-league and one in 2017. *All the matches of

2016 SAFF Women's Championship The 2016 SAFF Women's Championship was the 4th edition of the SAFF Women's Championship, the biennial international women's football championship contested by the national teams of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF). The tournament be ...

were played in the Kanchenjunga Stadium. Cricket: *This stadium has hosted 11

Ranji Trophy The Ranji Trophy is a premier domestic first-class cricket championship played in India and organized annually by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The teams representing regional and state cricket associations participate. BCCI ...

matches. *Two

Celebrity Cricket League The Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) is an exhibition men's cricket league in India. It consists of eight teams of film actors from different film industries of Indian cinema. The league commenced in 2011. Salman Khan is the brand ambassador ...

matches were played here.

Municipal corporation indoor stadium

Indoor sports including

table tennis Table tennis (also known as ping-pong) is a racket sport derived from tennis but distinguished by its playing surface being atop a stationary table, rather than the Tennis court, court on which players stand. Either individually or in teams of ...

badminton Badminton is a racquet sport played using racket (sports equipment), racquets to hit a shuttlecock across a net (device), net. Although it may be played with larger teams, the most common forms of the game are "singles" (with one player per s ...

Taekwondo Taekwondo (; ; ) is a Korean martial art and combat sport involving primarily kicking techniques and punching. "Taekwondo" can be translated as ''tae'' ("strike with foot"), ''kwon'' ("strike with hand"), and ''do'' ("the art or way"). In ad ...

lawn tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...

and

chess Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...

are 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

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 and the busiest ...

, Siliguri and

. It was built between 1879 and 1881 and has been designated as a

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

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 district, Darjeeling and Kalimpong district, Kalimpong. The bridge is a part of the Nat ...

, also known as Sevoke Bridge, is situated on lower Himalaya about from Siliguri and was made in 1930. This bridge spans across

Gajoldoba Gajoldoba or Gojaldoba is a village at the Rajganj CD block of the Jalpaiguri district in the state of West Bengal, India. Geography Location Gajoldoba is located at . Area overview Gorumara National Park has overtaken traditionally popul ...

view point is 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 and subsequently enters Bangladesh through Rangpur division. In Bangladesh, it merges with Jamuna ...

Barrage. This reservoir is home for many species of migratory birds, including river lapwing,

great crested grebe The great crested grebe (''Podiceps cristatus'') is a member of the grebe family of water birds. The bird is characterised by its distinctive appearance, featuring striking black, orange-brown, and white plumage, and elaborate courtship displa ...

Indian cormorant The Indian cormorant or Indian shag (''Phalacrocorax fuscicollis'') is a member of the cormorant family. It is found mainly along the inland waters of the Indian Subcontinent but extends west to Sind and east to Thailand and Cambodia. It is a gre ...

purple heron The purple heron (''Ardea purpurea'') is a wide-ranging heron species. It breeds in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Palearctic. The Western Palearctic populations migrate between breeding and wintering habitats whe ...

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 T ...

common shelduck The common shelduck (''Tadorna tadorna'') is a waterfowl species of the shelduck genus, ''shelduck, Tadorna''. It is widespread and common in the Euro-Siberian region of the Palearctic realm, Palearctic, mainly breeding in temperate and wintering ...

, cotton teal,

tufted duck The tufted duck (or tufted pochard) (''Aythya fuligula'') is a small diving duck with a population of nearly one million birds, found in northern Eurasia. They are partially migratory. The scientific name is derived from Ancient Greek , an unide ...

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 ...

, and

great cormorant The great cormorant (''Phalacrocorax carbo''), also known as just cormorant in Britain, as black shag or kawau in New Zealand, formerly also known as the great black cormorant across the Northern Hemisphere, the black cormorant in Australia, and ...

. 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. One of the species in this genus, the red junglefowl, is of historical importance as the ...

sambar deer The sambar (''Rusa unicolor'') is a large deer native to the Indian subcontinent, South China and Southeast Asia that is listed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List since 2008. Populations have declined substantially due to severe huntin ...

Bengal tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the ''Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies and the nominate tiger subspecies. It ranks among the largest wild cats alive today. It is estimated to have been present in the Indian subcontinent since the Late ...

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 Suidae, suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The speci ...

spotted deer The chital or cheetal (''Axis axis''; ), also called spotted deer, chital deer and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777. A moderate-sized deer, mal ...

, wild bear, and

rhinoceros A rhinoceros ( ; ; ; : rhinoceros or rhinoceroses), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant taxon, extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates (perissodactyls) in the family (biology), famil ...

. It is fundamentally a part of the

, spread over an area of 700 acres. The park conducts herbivore safaris, carnivore safaris, and elephant safaris. The

is located away from Siliguri on the foothills of the Himalayas, between

and Mahananda.The sanctuary spans over of reserve forest. In 1959, it received the status of a sanctuary mainly to protect the

and the Bengal tiger. This sanctuary is home to rare

mountain goat The mountain goat (''Oreamnos americanus''), also known as the Rocky Mountain goat, is a cloven-footed mammal that is endemic to the remote and rugged mountainous areas of western North America. A subalpine to truly alpine species, it is a s ...

chital The chital or cheetal (''Axis axis''; ), also called spotted deer, chital deer and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described by Johann Christian Polycarp Erxleben in 1777. A moderate-sized deer, mal ...

, barking dear,

, sambar deer, tiger, elephant and

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 Monastery is located away from Siliguri. The main attraction is the

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

, which is believed to be founded by the Tibetan Lama,

Kalu Rinpoche Kalu Rinpoche (1905 – May 10, 1989) was a Tibetan 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 Fema ...

. This tranquil location for meditation was established by Tibetan monks and followers of

Dalai Lama The Dalai Lama (, ; ) is the head of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. The term is part of the full title "Holiness Knowing Everything Vajradhara Dalai Lama" (圣识一切瓦齐尔达喇达赖喇嘛) given by Altan Khan, the first Shu ...

. Sed-Gyued monastery is located near Salugara monastery. It is a breath-taking 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 Bodh_Gaya.html" ;"title="Kalachakra ceremony, Bodh Gaya">Bodhgaya (India) The Gelug (, also Geluk; 'virtuous')Kay, David N. (20 ...

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), commonly known as the Hare Krishna movement, is a religious organization that follows the Gaudiya Vaishnavism, Gaudiya Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. It was founded on 13 July 1966 ...

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

river close to the

.This temple dedicated to Maa Kali, the Goddess of Destruction. Siliguri also offers amusement and water parks to tourists and locals. Dreamland Amusement Park, located near Fulbari, from Siliguri junction, is an agricultural land converted in a fun house. It has 5-6 usual rides and 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 mea ...

. 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, as well as a multiplex, kids zone, and restaurant. The North Bengal Science Centre, established in 1997, is the only science centre in North Bengal. The main attractions are the Digital Planetarium, Science Shows, 3D Theatre, Taramandal Shows, science galleries and a green Science Park. The Hong Kong market is known as the Chandni Chowk of

Northeast India Northeast India, officially the North Eastern Region (NER), is the easternmost region of India representing both a geographic and political Administrative divisions of India, administrative division of the country. It comprises eight States and ...

, a street market with a variety of shops popping out on the alleyways.

Notable people

* Anandamoy Bhattacharjee former chief justice of the

Calcutta High Court The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It is located at Esplanade Row West, Calcutta (Kolkata), West Bengal. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. T ...

. *

- Ex Minister of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs. * Ankita Das - Represented India at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

in Women's singles event in Table Tennis. * Debabrata Das Indian

cricketer Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

, who plays domestic cricket for

Bengal cricket team The Bengal cricket team is an Indian domestic cricket team representing the state of West Bengal. The team based in Kolkata. It is administered by the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and participate in tournaments organized by the Board ...

and the IPL franchise

Kolkata Knight Riders The Kolkata Knight Riders, also known as KKR, are a professional Twenty20 cricket team based in Kolkata, West Bengal, that competes in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The franchise is owned by actor Shah Rukh Khan, actress Juhi Chawla, and ...

. *

Goutam Deb Goutam Deb (born 6 January 1957) is an Indian Politician currently serving as the Mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation. He was the Minister of Department of Tourism of West Bengal from 2016 to 2021. He also served as the Minister of Nor ...

- Incumbent Mayor of Siliguri since February 2022, ex-Cabinet Minister of Department of Tourism, Government of West Bengal * Mantu Ghosh - Indian table tennis player, two time national-level Champion and

Arjuna Award The Arjuna Award, officially known as Arjuna Awards given for Outstanding Performance in Sports and Games, is the second-highest sporting honour of India, the highest being the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award. The award is named after Arjun ...

ee. * Richa Ghosh - Indian cricketer, who played in the

2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup The 2020 Women's T20 World Cup was the seventh Women's T20 World Cup tournament. It was held in Australia between 21 February and 8 March 2020. The 2020 Women's T20 World Cup final, final took place at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Internati ...

. *

- 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. *

Bappi Lahiri Bappi Aparesh Lahiri (born Alokesh Aparesh Lahiri; 27 November 1952 – 15 February 2022), also known as Bappi Da, was an Indian singer, composer and record producer. He popularised the use of synthesised disco music in Indian music industry and ...

- Indian singer, composer and record producer. *

Charu Majumdar Charu Majumdar (15 May 1918 – 28 July 1972) was an Indian communist leader, and founder and General Secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist). Born into a progressive landlord family in Siliguri in 1918, he became a Commun ...

- founder of the

Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) (CPI(ML)) was an Indian communist party formed by the All India Coordination Committee of Communist Revolutionaries (AICCCR) at a congress in Calcutta in 1969. The foundation of the party wa ...

. * Sailendra Nath Roy -

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, list ...

holder for the farthest distance travelled on a zip wire and pulled 40 tonnes DHR toy train using hair. *

- table tennis player who was part of Indian trio, defeated Canada in Commonwealth 2006 at Melbourne and won bronze medal for India. *

- Indian

, who plays First-class and

cricket for the

Indian national cricket team The India men's national cricket team, also known as Men in Blue, represents India in international cricket. It is governed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India and is a full member nation of the International Cricket Council with ...

References

External links

*
Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority
{{West Bengal Cities and towns in Jalpaiguri district Cities and towns in Darjeeling district Cities in West Bengal

History

Etymology

Modern history

Geography

Location

Climate

Temperature

Rainfall and other conditions

Demographics

Languages

Religion

Governance and politics

Civic administration

Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha constituency

Civic services and infrastructure

Flora and fauna

Flora

Fauna

Transport

Roads

Bus services

Rail

Air

Educational facilities

University

Colleges

Schools

Media

Sports facilities

Kanchenjunga Stadium

Municipal corporation indoor stadium

Visitors' attractions

Notable people

See also

References

External links