Alipurduar

City

Location in West Bengal, India

Coordinates: 26.489N 89.527E

Country IndiaState West BengalDistrict Alipurduar district

Government Chairman Aninda Bhowmick

Area Total 3,383 km2 (1,306 sq mi)

Elevation 93 m (305 ft)

Population (2011) Total 127,342 Density 38/km2 (97/sq mi)

Languages Official Bengali, English Regional Bengali, Hindi, Bodo, Nepali

AlipurduarFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alipurduar (Pron: :lpdw:) is a municipal cityand the district headquarters of Alipurduar district,West Bengal, India. Situated on the east bank ofKaljani River on the foothills of the Himalayas, thetown is a gateway to Bhutan and North Eastern statesof India. This town located in the Dooars region isknown for its forest, wildlife, timber and scenicbeauty, since the colonial period.

Contents

1 Geography2 History3 Demographics4 Travel and tourism5 Transportation

5.1 Rail5.2 Air5.3 Bus

6 Culture6.1 Music culture

7 Education7.1 Schools7.2 Colleges

8 Media9 Health facilities10 Visitor attractions11 See also12 External links13 References

Geography

Alipurduar

Coordinates: 26.489N 89.527E

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Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)

PIN 736121 , 736122 & 736123Telephonecode

03564

Vehicleregistration

WB-70/WB-69

Lok Sabhaconstituency

Alipurduars (ST) Dasrath Tirkey

VidhanSabhaconstituency

Alipurduars Deboprasad Roy

Website www.alipurduarmunicipality.in(http://www.alipurduarmunicipality.in)

The city is surrounded by deep forest and tea garden.Two rivers flowing across the town: Kaljani andNonai. The river Dima flows on the west of the town.It is a tributary of Kaljani and meets with the latternear Smashan Khola.

History

The history of Alipurduar (named after Hedayet Ali)can be reconstructed from the writings of J. F.Grunning, J. A. Milligan, D.H.E. Sunder and SailenDebnath. After the second Anglo-Bhutan War in1865, according to the Treaty of Sinchula, the elevenBengal Dooars were annexed by the BritishGovernment, although the seven Assam Dooars had already been occupied by the British in 1942. ColonelHedayet Ali was posted as the commander at the military settlement on the bank of the River Kaljani. Theentire tract of land of the Buxa Dooar was leased out to Hedayet Ali on his superannuation and the growingtown adjacent to the military settlement began to grow as well. According to Debnath, the militarysettlement in the town of Alipurduar, in course of time, increasingly turned to be less important because ofthe fast growth of military cantonment at Buxa Fort in the north of the town and the Chila Roy Barrack inCooch Behar. Along with the expansion of tea plantation and set up of railway lines, Alipurduar began tobe important in terms of communication and administration. The partition of the country in 1947 led to theimmigration of refugees from East Pakistan and the growth of population in the town of Alipurduar.[1]

Demographics

In the 2011 census, Alipurduar Urban Agglomeration had a population of 127,342, out of which 64,898were males and 62,444 were females. The 06 years population was 10,545. Effective literacy rate for the7+ population was 89.16 per cent.[2]

As of 2001 India census,[3] Alipurduar had a population of 73,047. Males constitute 51% of the populationand females 49%. Alipurduar has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of59.5%; with 54% of the males and 46% of females literate. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.The district has 11 of tribal communities including, Boro, Mech, Toto (only habitat), and Santhal.

Travel and tourism

Although Alipurduar town is not a popular tourist destination by itself, a number of interesting choices areavailable within a short distance. Dense forests and hills offering beautiful natural landscape surround thetown. A few of them are here-

1. The most important forest in Alipurduar is Buxa Tiger Reserve, which is famous for its rare flora andfauna. The forest has the status of a National Park and hosts the mosts Bengal tigers in North Bengal. TheChilapata Forests provide an elephant corridor between the Buxa reserve and the Jaldapara National Park,another important eco-tourism destination.

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Buxa Tiger Reserve Gate

New Alipurduar Railway Station(NOQ)

Alipurduar Railway Junction Station

2. The highest peak of Dooars, the Chota Sinchula, is in Alipurduar. Situated at an altitude of 1733m atabout 12 km from Buxa the peak offers views of the impermeable forest covers of Buxa hills and Bhutanvalley.

3. Rajabhatkhawa, Jayanti, Bhutanghat, and Raimatang are situated deep inside the forest, and offer wildlifetourism. Each place has forest rest-house accommodation for limited numbers of tourist.

4. A day trek to Buxa hill through dense forest track reaches Buxa fort and further up to Rovers Point andthen leads to Rupam Valley in Bhutan Hill. Besides these, Adma, Gatuka, Tashigaon, Ochhlum and

Lavchakha in the Buxa hill gives different flavours of touring.Jayanti Mahakal trek is another route that leads to a stalactite cavenear Bhutan border. This trek is popular among the pilgrims whovisit the cave to offer prayer to their deity, Lord Shiva.

Transportation

Public transport includes auto rickshaws and cycle rickshaws. Thereis no metered vehicular transport. While 6-seater city autos plybetween two fixed destinations of about 1015 km, one can hirepetrol-driven auto rickshaws from auto stands at a rate fixed by theauto authorities. 9000 auto-rickshaws are permitted.

Rail

Alipurduar is a divisional headquarters of North-East FrontierRailway. It is serviced by two railway stations. A branch fromAlipurduar Junction (Indian Railways code APDJ) connects theNew Jalpaiguri-Alipurduar-Samuktala Road line (Dooars line) to themain line (New Jalpaiguri-New Bongaigaon section ofthe Barauni-Guwahati line).From Alipurduar Junction,one may either commence toNew Cooch Behar and thento Bamanhat (nearing toIndo-Bangladesh border) orto Guwahati and bypass NewCooch Behar altogether. Onthe other hand, NewAlipurduar (Code: NOQ) issituated on the NewJalpaiguri-New Bongaigaon section and connects directly to manyparts of India. Alipurduar is further serviced by two satellitestations: Alipurduar Court (APDC) and Alipur Duar (APD). Bothare on the New Coochbehar-APDJ stretch.

The four railway stations which serve the place are:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Buxa_Tiger_Reserve,_IUCN_category_II_,National_park..jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:New_Alipurduar_Railway_station.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alipurduar_Railway_Junction_Station.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajabhatkhawahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stalactitehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shivahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_rickshawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cycle_rickshawhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North-East_Frontier_Railwayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alipurduar_Junctionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jalpaiguri-Alipurduar-Samuktala_Road_linehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jalpaiguri-New_Bongaigaon_sectionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barauni-Guwahati_linehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Cooch_Beharhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Alipurduar_Railway_Station

Sikkim Mahananda ExpressAlipurduar Junction to Delhi

Bagdogra Airport

Lokpriya Gopinath BordoloiInternational Airport

1. Alipurduar Junction (Station Code- APDJ),

2. New Alipurduar (Station Code- NOQ),

3. Alipurduar (Station Code- APD) and

4. Alipurduar Court (Station Code- APDC).

Alipurduar Junction (APDJ Enquiry Number- 03564-255091) and NewAlipurduar (NOQ Enquiry Number- 03564-255207) connect Alipurduar tothe rest of India.

Air

Bagdogra Airport situated about 147.8 km. away from the main town, isthe only functioning airport in the region. The airport is connected toBengalore, Chandigarh, New Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Mumbai,Chennai, Bangkok, Kathmandu and Paro.

Another nearby internationalairport is Lokpriya GopinathBordoloi InternationalAirport, situated at Guwahatiabout 297 km from the town.

Bus

There are two bus stops for most private and state-owned buses in the region- Alipuduar NBSTC Bus Depotand Private Bus Terminus.

NBSTC Depot: All sorts of Govt. Buses are available from here.Private Bus Terminus: Private buses to Siliguri, Tufanganj, Coochbehar, Jaigaon (border of Bhutan)and Assam are available from here.Safari Stand (near Alipurduar fire station): private safaris to Coochbehar and Falakata are availablefrom here.

Culture

Alipurduar is a melting pot of many cultures. The tribal communities like Bodo, Rava, Mech, Santhal andRajbanshi have a rich cultural heritage. They have their own form of art and music. Mud wall of theirhouses are beautifully painted.

Major festivals observed at Alipurduar include Durga puja, Chhath Puja, Ganesh puja, Laxmi puja,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mahananda_Express_at_Siliguri_Town.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bagdogra_International_Airport.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Guwahati_Airport_in_2011.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alipurduar_Junctionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Alipurduar_Railway_Stationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alipurduar_Court&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagdogra_Airporthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bengalorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandigarhhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Delhihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolkatahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guwahatihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mumbaihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chennaihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangkokhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kathmanduhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paro,_Bhutanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lokpriya_Gopinath_Bordoloi_International_Airporthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guwahatihttp://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alipuduar_NBSTC_Bus_Depot&action=edit&redlink=1

Saraswati puja, and Diwali. Dooars Utsav is one of the popular fairs in Alipurduar which takes placein January.

Music culture

Alipurduar is known as queen of Duars, and the town has its own music culture. Rock music culture isgrowing rapidly here. Alipurduar has more than 15 Bengali rock bands. There are several rock festorganized here, the most popular is Mat Fest, where a guest band comes as a judge and many other up andcoming bands get an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of them.

Education

Alipurduar's schools and college are either run by the government or by private and religious organisations.The schools usually use English and Bengali as their medium of instruction, although the use of Hindilanguage is also stressed. The schools are affiliated with the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education(ICSE) or the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or the West Bengal Board of SecondaryEducation & West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education. Colleges run by affiliation ofUniversity of North Bengal and West Bengal University of Technology.

Schools

Schools at Alipurdur main city

1. Alipurduar High School [Semi-Govt],2. Mc William Higher Secondary School [Semi-Govt],3. Jitpur Higher Secondary School [Semi-Govt],4. Railway Higher Secondary School [Govt],5. Shayamaprasad Vidya Mandir (boys and girls) [Semi-Govt],6. Kendriya Vidyalaya [Govt],7. Newtown Girls' High School [Semi-Govt],8. Balika Siksha Mandir [Semi-Govt],9. Alipurduar Girls' High School [Semi-Govt],

10. Gobinda High School [Semi-Govt],11. Ravikanta High School [Semi-Govt],12. Stepping Stone Model School [Private],13. The Little Flowers English School [Private],14. Techno India Group Public School [Private],15. St. Xavier's School [Private],16. Dooars International Public School [Private],17. Sishu Mahal [Private],18. Sarada Sishu Tirtha [Bidya Bharathi funded].

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Certificate_of_Secondary_Educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Board_of_Secondary_Educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengal_Board_of_Secondary_Educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengal_Council_of_Higher_Secondary_Educationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_North_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengal_University_of_Technology

Alipurduar College

Anandabazar Patrika

Colleges

Alipurduar College (affiliated with University of North Bengal)Dooars Academy of Technology & Management (affiliated with WestBengal University of Technology)Industrial Training Institute (ITI), Birpara, AlipurduarAlipurduar Mahila Mahavidyalaya, (affiliated with University of NorthBengal)Vivekananda College, Alipurduar (affiliated with University of NorthBengal)

Media

Newspapers: English-language newspapers include the Times of India, TheEconomic Times, The Asian Age, The Statesman and The Telegraph. SeveralBengali newspapers, including Anandabazar Patrika, Uttarbanga Sambad,Bartaman, Ganashakti, Aajkaal and Pratidin are also available.

Radio: All India Radio.

Television: Alipurduar receives almost all the television channels that arereceived by the rest of India. Apart from the state-owned terrestrial networkDoordarshan, cable television serves most of the homes in the city, whilesatellite television is common in the outlying areas and in wealthierhouseholds. Besides mainstream Indian channels, the city also receivessome Nepali and Bangladeshi television channels. Local news broadcasts, sporting events, andconcerts are broadcast live or delayed via cable to many households. DTH services by governmentand private companies are also available such as Tata Sky, Dish TV, Videocon d2h, Airtel Digital TVand Reliance Digital TV. Alipurduar has four local channels - FCC, FCN, FCC Variety and Ex-TVBangla.

Cell phone networks: Alipurduar serviced by cell phone companies such ase BSNL (3G & 2G),Airtel (3G & 2G), Reliance (2G), Vodafone (3G & 2G), Aircel (2G), Idea (3G & 2G), Tata Indicom(2G), Tata Docomo (2G), RIM (2G), MTS (2G) and Virgin Mobile(2G).

Internet: Internet cafes can be found in the main market area, served through broadband servicesprovided by BSNL.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alipurduar_College.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AnandabazarFront.JPGhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alipurduar_Collegehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_North_Bengalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Bengal_University_of_Technologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Training_Institutehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vivekananda_College,_Alipurduar

Jayanti Hills

Buxa Fort

Health facilities

Alipurduar Subdivisional Hospital (Govt. Hospital),Green-Land Nourishing Home (Private Hospital),Maa Seva (Private Hospital),Alipurduar Lions Eye Hospital: established in 1995, it is one of the biggest eye hospitals in thisregion of Alipurduar, Coochbehar and Dooars.Matri Sadan (Private Hospital), at new Alipurduar.North Bengal Medical College is situated at Siliguri about 136.4 km from Alipurduar main city.

Visitor attractions

Buxa Tiger Reserve, IUCN category II national parkJayanti HillsBuxa Fort, built by British RajJaldapara National ParkChilapata ForestsJaigaon, a small town of Alipurduar and near the BhutanborderRajabhatkhawa Museum at RajabhatkhawaRai matangSantrabariRovers pointRoopang valleyLepchakhawaChunabhati.Tea GardensDurga Bari, at Alipurduar puran bazarChinnomosta Kali Mandir,Front of Alipurduar Junctionrailway stationBajranbali Temple, at North Point, tea gardenHanuman Temple, at Railway Bazar, Alipurduar JunctionLoknath Mandir, at Railway Bazar, Alipurduar JunctionShani Maharaj Temple, at Railway Bazar, Alipurduar JunctionBalaji Tamil Temple, at Railway Bazar, Alipurduar Junction11 Hat Kali Bali, Newtown, AlipurduarSatsang Temple, Newtown, Alipurduar

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An elephant safari through theJaldapara Sanctuary

Hill Down View Of Jaigaon

Satsang Temple, Damanpur, Alipurduar JunctionKaljani RiverNonai River

See also

Alipurduars (Lok Sabha constituency)Alipurduar districtAlipurduar Junction railway stationAlipurduar Railway JunctionChechakhataNew Alipurduar Railway Station

External links

Official website (http://alipurduar.ne1.in)Alipurduar travel information(http://www.mytourideas.com/alipurduar.php)

Alipurduar travel guide from WikivoyageAlipurduar Junction Railway Station

(http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alipurduar_Junction_railway_station)

References

1. ^ Sailen Debnath, The Dooars in Historical Transition, ISBN 97881868604412. ^ "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-

results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_3_PR_UA_Citiees_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf). Provisional PopulationTotals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-21.

3. ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Elephant_safari.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Jaigaon,_West_Bengal.jpghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satsanghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alipurduars_(Lok_Sabha_constituency)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alipurduar_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alipurduar_Junction_railway_stationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alipurduar_Railway_Junctionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chechakhatahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Aliprduar_Railway_Stationhttp://alipurduar.ne1.in/http://www.mytourideas.com/alipurduar.phphttp://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Alipurduarhttp://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alipurduar_Junction_railway_stationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9788186860441http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_3_PR_UA_Citiees_1Lakh_and_Above.pdfhttp://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999

(http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999).Census Commission of India. Archived from the original (http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999) on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.

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Categories: Cities and towns in Alipurduar district

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