(Redirected from Duars)The 'Dooars' or 'Duars' (
Bengali: ডুয়ার্স) are flood
plains and the foothills of the eastern
Himalayas in
North-East India around
Bhutan. ''Duar'' means door in both
Assamese and
Bengali languages and form the gateway to
Bhutan. There were 18 passages or gateways through which the Bhutanese people can communicate with the people living in the plains. This region is divided by the Sankosh river into the eastern and the western Duars consisting of an area of 8,800 square kilometre (3,400 square-mile). This region was controlled by the
Kingdom of Bhutan when the
British annexed it in
1865 after Bhutan War and also by the
Koch dynasty. They are now part of the
Indian states of
Assam and
West Bengal.
Many wars have been fought over them. These plains are very fertile. There are innumerable streams and rivers flowing through these fertile plains from the mountains of Bhutan. In Assam the major rivers are
Brahmaputra and
Manas, and in northern West Bengal the major river is the
Teesta besides many others like the
Jaldhaka,
Torsha,
Sankosh,
Dyna,
Karatowa,
Raidak,
Kaljani among others.
History
This region was controlled by the
Kingdom of Bhutan when the
British annexed it in
1865 after
Bhutan War under the command of Captain
Hedayat Ali. The area was divided into two parts; the eastern part was merged with
Goalpara district in
Assam whereas the western part as turned into a new district namely;
Western Dooars. Again in the year
1869 the name was changed to
Jalpaiguri District. Some part of the region was the western part of the
Kamarupa kingdom that later gave rise to the
Kamata kingdom in the
13th century. The most important dynasty that ruled this kingdom was that of
Koch dynasty.
Maharaja Biswa Singha’s ancestor was Haria Mandal, an indigenous chieftain of the Koch tribe. The western portion of this kingdom,
Koch Bihar, remained unaffected by the great changes that overtook its surrounding provinces in the decade following the battle of
Plassey in
1757. However, it was invaded by
Bhutan in the latter half of the 18th century, which prompted a formal treaty of alliance with the British in
1775. Upon the extinguishing of British rule in India in 1947, the state acceded unto the dominion of India and it merged with the Union of India shortly afterwards in 1949.
Geography and climate
'Political Geography:' The Dooars region politically constitutes the plains of
Darjeeling District, whole of
Jalpaiguri District and upper region of
Cooch Behar District in
West Bengal and the districts of
Dhubri,
Kokrajhar,
Barpeta,
Goalpara and
Bongaigaon in the
Indian state of
Assam.
'Physical Geography:' The altitude of Dooars area ranges from 90 m to 1750 m. There are innumerable streams and rivers flowing through these fertile plains from the mountains of Bhutan. In Assam the major rivers are
Brahmaputra and
Manas, and in northern
West Bengal the major river is the
Teesta besides many others like the
Jaldhaka,
Torsha,
Sankosh,
Dyna,
Karatowa,
Raidak,
Kaljani among others.
'Climate:' Average rain fall of the area is about 350 cms. Monsoon generally starts from the middle of May and continues till the end of September. Winters are cold with foggy mornings and nights. Summer is mild and constitutes a very short period of the year.
People
The native people of this region generally have
East Asian features. They are composed of numerous tribes, including the
Bodo people in Assam, the
Rabha, the
Toto, the
Koch,
Limbus,
Lepcha and the Rajbongshis in Bengal.
Apart from the tribal population, a large
Bengali population (mostly displaced from then East Pakistan by the
Partition of Bengal) also populate the Dooars.
The Dooars are famous for the
tea gardens, which were planted by the
British. For working in the gardens, they imported labour from
Nepal and the
Chotanapur and Santhal Parganas, the
Oraons and the
Mundas.
Kharia,
Mahali,
Lohara,
Chik Baraik are also populated, Before settlement of other communities, these people developed the jungle into tea villages and busties (agriculture village). These people have been granted scheduled tribe status in the state of
West Bengal. The remnants of these people also form a very large part of the population surrounding the tea gardens.
Cities and towns
The Dooars region is a large region, and is dotted with many towns and cities. The largest city in the whole region stretching from the
Darjeeling foothills to the
Arunachal Pradesh foothills is
Siliguri. This
northern Bengal city is well connected with the rest of country by air and railway, and is the business hub of the region.
The other major cities are
Tezpur,
Bongaigaon,
Goalpara,
Barpeta and
Dhubri in Assam.
Cooch Behar,
Alipurduar,
Jalpaiguri,
Birpara are the major cities of the Duars on West Bengal. Also, the commercial capital of Bhutan,
Phuentsholing, can be considered a part of this region.
Politics
Historically, the region has suffered from ethnic strife. The
Bodoland agitation in Assam for a separate homeland for the
Bodo people and the
Kamtapur or Greater Cooch Behar movement in northern Bengal for the Rajbongshis are the two most vociferous ones.
The ethnic people originating from the historic
Kingdom of 'Kamatapur' (the "Koch-Rajbongshi" community), are demanding a separate state within the boundary of India ostensibly to save their culture and customs from disappearing.
Economy
A tea garden in Dooars region
The economy of Dooars region is based on three T-s –Tea, Tourism and Timber. The main industry of the Dooars region is
tea industry. Thousands of people are engaged in the tea estates and factories as labours and other posts. Several people are also engaged in cultivation of
Bettlenuts which also contribute to the economy. Cultivation of other crops is done mainly for local consumption.
The area is dotted by several
national parks and
wildlife sanctuaries which attract a lot of tourist from all over
India and abroad making an important contributor to the economy and also employs a lot of people in this sector.
Timber industry both legally and illegally flourish in this region. Number of saw mills, plywood industries and other allied business also acts as an important contributor to the economy.
Dooars area acts as doorways to
Bhutan thus export-import industry also flourish in the area. The town of
Jaigaon,
Siliguri and
Phuentsholing are important hubs of export-import industry.
As the region is near the international borders of
Bhutan,
Nepal and
Bangladesh, the
Border Security Force (B.S.F.),Central Reserve Police Force(CRPF),
military and
Indian Air Force maintains a large presence in the area. This leads to a large population of semi-permanent residents who bring money into the local economy.
Forests and animals
The beauty of the region lies not only in its tea gardens but also in the dense jungles that make up the countryside. Famous
wildlife sanctuaries and
national park like
Manas National Park in Assam; the
Jaldapara Wildlife Sanctuary;
Buxa National Park;
Gorumara National Park;
Chapramari Wildlife Reserve; and the
Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary in
West Bengal are located in this region.
Number of rare, endangered species of animals like
tiger,
rhinoceros,
elephant, make their habitats in the forests of the Dooars. Other animals includes different types of
deer,
bison, birds and reptiles.
Transport
The main mode of transport in the area is roadways. Most of the places are well connected by roads and to rest of India. N.H. 31 is the main highway of the area. Regular bus services provided by
North Bengal State Transport Corporation and
Assam State Transport Corporation and other private parties run between all important places of the area. Share jeeps and maxi-taxies are quite popular in the area.
Railway is not much popular as a mode of transport in the area. Though there are some important stations like
New Jalpaiguri,
New Cooch Behar,
Alipurduar,
New Bongaigaon, etc. An important rail route between Alipurduar Junction and New Jalpaiguri via
Malbazar covers almost entire Dooars region. This line is under much controversy as five elephants have been killed in 2006 as hit by speeding train.
Two important airport of the area are
Bagdogra airport at
Siliguri and
Guwahati airport. Another airport is going to start in
Cooch Behar shortly (August 2007).
Notes
Dooars is a geographical region and not a political entity.
References
★
Encyclopedia Britanica – Duars
★
Cooch Behar District Website-Dooars
★
Jalpaiguri District Website-Culture and heritage
★
Jalpaiguri District Website-Forests
★
My Dooars.com
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