Destination India

West Bengal (PART-V)

Jalpaiguri (2)

Chalsa

Chalsa is a small town situated just on the foot of the Himalayas in the Duars in Jalpaiguri district. The region is famous for its wildlife sanctuaries, the most notable of which is Jaldapara. The forests in the Dooars have a large variety of deer, namely, the sambar, barking deer, spotted deer and the hog deer. Gorumara Wildlife Sanctuary, another haven for wildlife, is known for its flora and fauna, rich wild life, which includes elephants, guars, pigs, reptiles, birds and fishes. Buxa Tiger Reserve, covering an area of 761 sq. km, is a paradise for nature lovers and trekkers. While the peice-de-resistance is the Royal Bengal Tiger, the other animals also inhabit the region like Leopards, Elephants, Chital, Sambar, Barking deer and Malayan Giant Squirrel.

Chalsa is surrounded by hills, tea gardens, rivers and forests. One part of the town is surrounded by Gorumara National Park and other part with Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary. This small town was known as Queen of Duars in British India. Canvas like tea gardens and dense forest will quench the thrist of your mind. The Sinclair's retreat is located on a hillock close to Chalsa.

 

Chapramari

Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the oldest Sanctuaries in India. It situated in the Nagrakata block of Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal. The Murti River flows by the western boundary of it and the Sanctuary is totally located on the plain land of the Doors. Just 9.6 square kilometers area is bounded in this Sanctuary. It is a very small Sanctuary in India compare with others. The Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary is filled with dense greenery which provides a natural home to the animals and birds living here. With very tall trees and thick bower of greenery, this sanctuary is a wildlife heaven. In 1895, it was declared as Reserve Forest by the British Government. In 1998, it was declared as Wildlife Sanctuary.

Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary is famous for Indian Elephant. A large numbers of Elephant are there. Beside this the Royal Bengal Tiger and Indian Bison(Gaur) are very common animal in this Sanctuary. Cheetal, Sambar, Barking Deer, Wildboar, Pangolin and many more species are also available in the Sanctuary. 

 

Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary is paradise for bird watchers. There are more than 100 species of birds which include Green Magpie, Indian Treepie, Thrush, Scarlet Minivet, Hill Mayna, Whitr Breasted Kingfisher, Hornbill, Large Grey Headed Fishing Eagle, Adjutant Stork, Peafowl, Green pigeon, Roller, Florican, Flinch, Bee-eater, Black Partridges and many more. In winter you can find out various migratory birds like Brahminy, Teals, etc.

An observation tower is located in the front of the Glade in the Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary. It is a very beautiful bird watching point as well as elephant and Gaur.

Jalpesh Temple

Jalpesh Temple, an old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva is located at a distance of around 15 km from Jalpaiguri town. It was built by the last successor of King Baghadatta, called Jalpash, who built the temple around 800 AD. The temple bears a long history to trace back. Bhaktiyar Khilji when invaded Kamrup destroyed this temple of Jalpesh. However, one of the Kings of Bhutan again restored it in the 12th century. But subsequently the temple was lost in the jungle. Again, in the year 1665, King Pranannarayan of the Cooch Behar dynasty excavated the temple site and re-established the temple.
Again in the year 1897, the temple was almost destroyed by an earthquake. With the unavailability of government help, funds were raised to repair the temple. A huge mela is held at the site of the temple in the month of January, which attracts bulk of people from Assam and Duars as well as the hills of the Darjeeling district.

Jogomaya Kalibari

The famous Jogomaya Kalibari in the Temple Street of Jalpaiguri is worth visiting. The temple is dedicated to Goddess Kali. A shrine of Baba Loknath has also been constructed in the temple complex.
The idol of Goddess Kali is believed to be extreme powerful and divine. Tourists flock at the temple site mainly during the celebration of Kali puja.

Talk about India, from India with you

Hindi thriller movie - 'Koun'

Good morning/Good afternoon/Good evening my friends, wherever you are! This 11:00pm. 27^th February, 2013, Wednesday in India. How are you friends? Last week, for few technical problems, I was not able to post ‘Flavors of India’ and ‘Tips from the kitchen of an Indian homemaker’. Hope this week all will be well!

Friends, you know, this year, Indian cinema has completed the journey of 1oo years! It’s a grand achievement I must say. The Hindi film industry, called Bollywood, has made some enormous films which are renowned and appreciated by the entire World. Bollywood is going through all the streams of cinema for the 100 years – Comedy, thriller, family drama, Romantic and what not! We, all Indian, are really proud of that. In this special occasion, 100^th Birthday of Indian cinema, I have tried to write about 11 best thriller movies of Bollywood, directed by great directors. Here is the link of the article. Hope you all are going to enjoy it!

http://www.rockying.com/a/251 

That’s all for today! Take care of your health and your family! Have a good day/ afternoon/evening/night! Namaskar.

Festivals of India in the month of February

 

Taj Mahotsav

 

Taj Mahotsav at Agra is a culturally vibrant platform that brings together the finest Indian Crafts and cultural nuances. Starting from mid-February every year at Shilpgram, the Taj Mahotsav is a much-awaited event. It is a festive introduction to India and Uttar Pradesh. India's extensive arts, crafts and culture are on display at this event. There are a bundle of activities like folk music, shayari (poetry) and classical dance performances that keep you intrigued. Also, there are elephant and camel rides along with games and food festival that make the event even livelier.

The Taj Mahotsav is a non-stop 10 day carnival which is held annually at Shilpgram, near Tajmahal. The impressive festival commences with a spectacular procession inspired by Mughal splendor. Bedecked elephants and camels, drum beaters, folk artists and master craftsmen, together recreate the glorious past of the Mughals.

The Taj Mahal Mahotsav area becomes a live culture with a variety of crafts and traditions. It is a great opportunity for legendary artisans to display their exquisite work. Marble of course rules the festivities each year for obvious reasons. Besides this, crafts include wood carvings from Saharanpur, brass and other metal ware from Moradabad, handmade carpets of Badohi, pottery of Khurja, chickan-work of Lucknow, the silk of Banaras and much more.

Indian festivities can never be complete without the preparation of exotic cuisine. Some of the best and richest food items are available at the fest for all the visitors and foodies. This will be a perfect fest to treat your taste buds with lip-smacking spicy Indian-Mughal food.

Throughout the Taj Mahotsav, one can experience a profusion of folk music and dances of Dundelkhand, 'Nautanki' (Drama), 'Sapera' dance of Rajasthan, Lavani of Maharashtra performed in the old and traditional style, just the way they used to be performed centuries ago. Visitors join in with the folk dancers enjoying swinging to a different tune and dance style.

This year Taj Mahotsav started from 18 February 2013 and will continue to 27 February 2013.

Image curtsy:  https://www.google.co.in/search?q=taj+mahotsav&hl=en&newwindow=1&tbm