Siliguri ( pronunciation in Bengali : Shiliguri) is a rapidly developing metropolis in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in the Siliguri Corridor or Chicken’s Neck — a very narrow strip of land linking mainland India to its north eastern states. It is also the transit point for air, road and rail traffic to the neighboring countries of Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. The town hosts over 500,000 domestic and 15,000 foreign visitors annually. It is the commercial nerve center of North Bengal.

Siliguri is situated in Darjeeling district, and though it is the district’s largest city, the district headquarters is located at Darjeeling. Siliguri is a unique city as 15 out of 47 wards of Siliguri Municipal Corporation falls in neighbouring Jalpaiguri district. The Indian army, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Shashatra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Assam Rifles have bases around the town . The Bagdogra Airport is located within the Indian Air Force (IAF) cantonment area. Siliguri has an Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOC) oil depot near the southern edge of the town.Siliguri is the 2nd largest city of West Bengal after Kolkata.

Siliguri is the gateways to Darjeeling, Sikkim, Nepal, Dooars, Bhutan and most of the North-East states of India. Although Siliguri by itself is not a tourist spot and it is more of a transit point with very strong road, rail, air links. The tourists has to come to Siliguri since New Jalpaiguri railway station (NJP), the main railhead of the region, and Bagdogra Airport, the airport catering to the region with connections to Calcutta, Delhiand Guwahati are near this city.

Siliguri is the commercial capital of North Bengal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh. Hosts to over 5 lakhs domestic and 15000 foreign visitors, excluding the people of Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal, who visit Siliguri regularly both for business as well as for leisure.

 

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,Siliguri had a population about 800,000. The ratio of male and female  is 54:46. Siliguri has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 75%, and female literacy is 65%. In Siliguri, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.Siliguri is a cosmopolitan city with Bengali, Nepali, Bihari, Marwari, and Punjabi people . The Rajabanshi people, who originally owned most of the land around here, have been decreased in population. Biharis,Marwaris, Punjabis and Bengalis are the most of the  business communities here. Bengali,Bhojpuri,Kamtapuri, Hindi and Nepali are the languages spoken.

Siliguri has seen floods of Bengalis from Bangladesh and Assam. Besides, people from Bihar and districts of Northern Bengal are coming to the city in search of livelihood.

 

Economy

Siliguri is described as the gateway to the North East of India. The location of the city makes it economical region. Siliguri has gradually developed as a profitable centre for a variety of businesses.  The Hong Kong market located here is a chief hub for buying low cost Chinese goods and illegal imported goods, nearby Seth Srilal Market is a prominent place to buy daily use goods, and is very popular among people from nearby areas. 4 “T” s - Tea, Timber, Tourism and Transport are the main businesses of Siliguri.As a central hub, many national companies and organizations have set up their offices here. Recently many hotels,lodges had grown up. Siliguri is the headquarters of Federation of Chamber of Commerce and Industry of North Bengal. The latest development is the developing of shopping malls in the city. Some popular shopping malls are the Cosmos, City Style, Sun Flower, showroom of John Player,Bazar Kolkata,Koutons situated on Sevoke road and Vishal Mega Mart,Liver Pool’s showroom on the Burdwan road.

.Another feature of the Economy Hotels in Siliguri, West Bengal is that they organize numerous sightseeing tours for the entertainment of the guests. These tours are a feast for the eyes as they show you all the picturesque places in the city. So hurry and book your rooms at the Economy Hotels in Siliguri.

There are numerous other types of hotels in the city apart from the Economy hotels. The different types of hotels include four star hotels and three star hotels. Few hotels are in siliguri hotel Vinayak,hotel Ranjit,hotel Mainak Tourist lodge,hotel Embassy,hotel Holydon,hotel Mount View,hotel Chancellor,Tourist Services Agency Guest House,hotel Baydanath,Siliguri Lodege,Rajasthan Guest House.The facilities of the hotels include wonderful accommodation facilities, excellent dining facilities, excellent recreation facilities and much more to make the stay of the guests a memorable and enjoyable one. The Economy Hotels in Siliguri, India also provide excellent business facilities to the corporate travelers.

 

Education

The academic enviroment is very good. Educational institutions in Siliguri have produced highly successful students in secondary, higher secondary, graduate and post graduate levels. Siliguri students have been regularly topping the board examinations whether at the state or at the national level. The city also boasts of a large number of high quality private and government schools and colleges. A large number of students from all over north Bengal and neighboring countries such as Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal come here for their studies.

The academic environment of Siliguri is dominated by University of North Bengal which is located on a plush green campus on the outskirts of Siliguri. This is the most important educational institution for the entire North Bengal and Sikkim. There are 8 major colleges under the University located in and around Siliguri. Apart from this there are several private colleges providing graduate level education mostly through the distance learning form.Some professional educational institutions such as MBA institutes have also come up around Siliguri during the last few years.There are a few dozen Schools around Siliguri affiliated to CBSE, ICSE as well as WBBSE and WBCHSE.

Siliguri has always been the “hub” of education in the Terrai region. Apart from the residents of the town, students even from states like Sikkim, Nagaland and Assam come here to pursue education. Now a days students from Delhi, Ranchi, Bihar and South India come here for higher studies.

The Schools in Siliguri are:

In and around Siliguri, there are a number of colleges, Siliguri College, Siliguri College of Commerce (classes held at night in the premises of the Siliguri College), Siliguri Women’s College, Surya Sen College, Siliguri Institute of Technology. All these deliver general degrees as well as specialization (Honours) in the fields available under the University of North Bengal.

The North Bengal Medical College, located in Sushrutnagar is the  medical college in the region and is connected to the main city through the 3rd Mahananda Bridge. Students from across the state as well from neighboring sates come to study here, after having cleared the West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations for  medicine.

The Siliguri Institute of Technology(SIT), which is recently set up and located at Sukna, a few kilometers away from the city has fast become one of the major and regular centres for the state’s corporate houses to recruit fresh engineers.

Another college Gyan Jyoti college which is also recently set up and located near dagapur(a few kilometers away from the city).This college deliver degrees on BCA,MCA,MBA.

The University of North Bengal, located in backdrop of the Terai foothills and tea gardens, was established in 1962, 10 km away from the Siliguri town. Approximately 80 colleges are affiliated to the University, with approximately 36,000 and 1,500 students enrolled in graduate and post graduate courses respectively, every year.

Various all India reputed Management Colleges have their centre in Siliguri. ICFAI offers MBA courses and their campus is located at Mallaguri area. IIAS offers mainly Hospitality Management courses and is a very renowned name with their alumni working worldwide, IIAS is situated beside Hill Cart Road 2 km from Darjeeling More in Siliguri towards Darjeeling.

 

Transport

City buses, cycle rickshaws and auto rickshaws (tempos) and city autos are local public transports.6-seater City Autos ply between two fixed destinations of about 10-15 km away, one can hire petrol-driven auto rickshaws from auto-stands at a rate fixed by the Municipal Authorities.

Rail:

Siliguri has three important railway stations:

The NJP Station
The NJP or New Jalpaiguri rail station is about 5 km away from the centre of the town. The station is has broad gauge and narrow gauge rail lines. All trains between north east of India and the rest of the country must pass through NJP station. The station connects with almost all the major towns of the country including Delhi, Mumbai, Calcutta, Bangalore, Patna, Lucknow, Guwahati and other major towns of the country. The station is also the originating  point for the UNESCO world heritage `toy train` of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways.

Siliguri Junction
Close to the Tenzing Norgey Bus Terminus on the Hill Cart Road, this is the second most important station in Siliguri. This is the terminal station for many trains connecting to Calcutta and other parts of the country. The station is also unique for having all the three types of rail tracks Broad gauge, Meter gauge and Narrow gauge.

Town Station
Siliguri Town Station has great historical significance. In the pre independence era this was the major rail station for the region. Leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Bagha Jatin, all traveled through this station at one point of time or the other. Today the station is in a dilapidated state. The are few passenger trains traveling through this station and the platforms are often occupied by the antisocial especially after sunset. Despite several promises to improve its state, the railways is yet to take concrete measures to improve the status of this station. The station is located at the heart of the town. The connecting rail line divides the town into North and South. Trains passing through this station has been the cause for long delays and traffic jams in the town. A flyover has been built next to the station in recent time to avoid traffic snarl.

With the extension of broad-gauge railway track to the Siliguri Junction station, people can now travel directly to the heart of the city without having to alight at New Jalpaiguri. This new broad-gauge track extends to the old Dooars metre-gauge track up to Alipurduar and beyond. Travelling over this railway line is a beautiful experience as it passes through the picturesque tea gardens of the Dooars area in the backdrop of Darjeeling and Bhutan hills.

Air:

Bagdogra airport, situated about 15 km away is the closest airport. The airport, since falls within Air Force area (having some restrictions over length of runways and time of flight, etc.), is not well connected to most Indian cities. However, daily flights are available for the state capital Kolkata, Guwahati, and New Delhi. The Bagdogra airport is poised to become an international airport in the near future. Only then people of this region will be able to visit neighbouring capitals like Kathmandu, Dhaka, Thimphu which will in turn boost tourism in North Bengal and Sikkim. A regular helicopter service links Siliguri to Gangtok.

Bus:

  1. The bus station is located across the street from the Sher-e-Punjab Hotel on Hill Cart Road (Tenzing Norgay Road).There are regular buses to/from Kolkata. The well-known and comfortable Siliguri Rocket, run by the State Transport Corporation, leaves Kolkata at 8pm arriving Siliguri at 8am (Rs. 245). Some private bus lines also ply the route. The ‘Royal Cruiser’ Volvo buses run by Gupta Travel (Tel: +91 353 251-3451) leaves Kolkata at 8pm arriving Siliguri at 9am (Rs. 745 AC/Rs. 325 non-AC).
  2. Under a joint understanding between Indian and Bangladeshi transport authority, there are regular bus services to/from Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh. BRTC (Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation) buses leave Dhaka everynight at 8 PM and reach India-Bangladesh border at Changrabanda post at early morning. These buses will not cross the border and the passengers have to clear customs, walk a few hundred yards to cross the border and board the waiting Indian buses for another three hour ride to Siliguri. The buses are air conditioned, very comfortable and depart on time. A One way fare for Dhaka to Siliguri is between USD 20 to 25, depending on conversion rates.
  3. There is a regular bus service from Phuentsholing in Bhutan and the Bhutanese border town of Jaigon to Siliguri. The Bhutan Government buses are the most efficient.
  4. The Bagdogra Airport is just 10 kms from the heart of Siliguri. It is well connected with most major Indian cities.
  5. New Jalpaiguri Railway Station is 6 kms south of the city centre, and is very well connected with the rest of the country.
  6. SNT Terminus – Sikkim Nationalised Transport or SNT has its own terminus close to the Tenzing Norgey Bus Terminus. The buses of SNT ply from here to Gangtok at regular intervals. The office of Sikkim government for providing inner line permit to tourists is also located here.
  7. PC Mittal Bus Terminus – The buses plying to Dooars use to originate from the Bidhan Market at the heart of the town causing traffic snarl. The new PC Mittal Bus terminus was created on Sevok road at 3rd mile to solve this problem. This is a modern bus terminus and most of the buses traveling to Dooars now start from here except buses of Jalpaiguri – Coochbehar route. The terminus is located in the outskirts of the main town.
  8. Court More Bus Stand – This is the local bus stand of Siliguri. The buses to Bagdogra, Naxalbari, Kharibari, Panitanki, Batasi and other places located to the west of the Siliguri town are covered from this bus stand. The bus stand is located at Court more at the heart of Siliguri town leading to frequent traffic congestion in the area. There is not proper bus stand here and the buses mostly remain parked on the road or on vacate lands of Indian railways. Previously this bus stand used to act as the life line for connecting the local people since as these buses travel through the entire length of Hill Cart road in Siliguri. During the last few years, due to increasing popularity of the City Autos (three wheelers), this bus stand has lost much of its previous glory.
  9. Airview Bus Stand – This bus stand serves Jalpaiguri-Coochbehar route. There has been several attempts  to move this bus stand to the Junction Bus terminus. But the bus stand still functions from the side of the Burdwan road.        

Road:

A new four-lane road, named Vivekananda Road, has been rebuilt connecting Burdwan Road to Mahabirsthan bringing much relief to the chaotic section of the city. The road is planned to join to the west with Matigara, through the proposed 4th Mahananda Bridge which is scheduled to come up by March,2010. The eastern wing of the Vivekananda Road will connect the Eastern by-pass, thus fulfilling a major demand of the vehicular traffic. Also a newly constucted fly-over over the Rail Gate connecting Hashmi Chowk to Mahabirsthan, provide seamless communication from the Station Feeder Road in the South and Deshbandhu Road in the East to the Hill Cart Road in the central part of the city.

National Highway no. 31, 31A passes through Siliguri.

Small vehicles stand:

There are a large number of small vehicle stands spread all over the town. The main taxi stands are spread through the length of Hill Cart Road and Sevok Road. The shared taxi stands are located between Airview more and Darjeeling more and mostly ply to Darjeeling and Sikkim hills. The Panitanki more area of Sevok road has a few shared taxi stands for plying to the smaller and offbeat destinations. The Sevok more to Airview more area and the Burdwan road stands are dominated by exclusive car rental vehicles. The new Jalpaiguri station area also has a large number of vehicles plying to every nook and corner of the region.

 

Geography

The second largest city in West Bengal, Siliguri lies in the shadows of the mighty Himalayas. It is the largest city in the North Bengal and connects the hill stations of  Darjeeling,Kurseong, Mirik,Gangtok and  Kalimpong, with the rest of India. The Mahananda River flows past Siliguri. Summer temperatures rarely exceed 38°C.It is considerably cooler than the southern and central regions of West Bengal. During winter, tourists from all over India stop in Siliguri en route to the cooler climes of the northern hill stations. Winters are relatively cool and temperatures range from a high of 15°C to a low of about 3°C. Light rain and dense fog are seen during this season. During the monsoon season between June and September, the town is lashed by heavy rains often cutting access to the hill stations and Sikkim. The climate is suitable for growing tea and the surrounding region has many tea gardens.

 

Places

Places to visit in and around Siliguri:

Nature Interpretation Centre :
Mahananda Wild Life Sanctuary Nature is presented as an exhibition. Entry permit for Mahananda weir, Sukna are issued.

Mahananda Weir wild life Sanctuary, Sukna :

18 km from Siliguri, a place, deep inside forest & nature a good picnic spot.

Madhuban Park :
A park, developed by Indian Army, is an excellent picnic spot.

Umrao Singh Boat Club, Sukna :

Umrao Singh Boat Club, Sukna, a Boat Club, developed by Indian Army. Different size & shapes of boats are available for tourists.

Passing through Tea Gardens :
The whole of sightseeing trip pass through tea gardens. If you are interested, you can observe tea processing also.

Visit to Salugara Monastery :
His eminence Kalu Rinpoche has constructed a one hundred foot stupa, which contains five types of relics and is an object of veneration which will bring liberation to any one who sees it.

Visit to Kalchakra Monastery :
Kalchakra was 1st time organised in Salugara in December 96.

Teesta view Point, Sevoke :
The Teesta river is the life line of the Sikkim and Darjeeling Himalayas. Bird watching is possible.

Kali Mandir :
Kali Mandir, a Hindu Temple near Sevoke, an abode of the living goddess Kali. The famous Kali Mandir is frequented by newly wedded couples seeking the blessing of the Goddess Kali for an happy married life.

Monkey Point :
Before reaching Coronation Bridge, you will run into groups of friendly monkeys. These monkeys can be hand fed bread, bananas or tidbits.

Hong Kong Market :
For purchase of foreign goods, it is the best place around. For people, who cannot go to Dhulabari, Nepal, this is a market of great charm a large variety of imported goods are available at reasonable prices. The prices are cheaper by 30% in comparison to Calcutta and 40% in comparison to Delhi and Bombay.

Consumer Goods Market :
Seth Srilal Market and Hill Cart Road have some big consumer goods shops, which stock large varieties of mercantile. The people of North Bengal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh regularly visit Siliguri for purchasing. Prices are competitive and bargaining is negligible.

Railway Exhibition :
For seeing Steam Engines of narrow gauge ‘c’ Class, a relic of British Raj, Siliguri Junction is to be visited.

Art Gallery :
Regular art exhibitions are being held in Siliguri. The most important and regular site of Art Exhibition is Dina Bandhu Manch.

ISKCON Hare Krishna Mandir :
A temple dedicated to Lord Krishna. The ISKCON CENTRE in Siliguri is being labelled as the biggest Krishna Centre in the whole of the North East.Lord Krishna had gone into hiding in the jungles of Baikunthapur with Rukmini at one time so Siliguri was the first choice of Iskon for making this biggest Krishna Centre in the Northeast.