Buxa Fort : Green Diversity of North Bengal

5^th June. The World Environment Day. All of us gathered at the at the bus stand at 6 in the morning. We were about thirty in all. There were men, women and children too. I was quite excited as it was going to be my first experience in trekking. In fact all of us were going for a trek to Buxa organized by NAS (Nature and Adventure study) Group, Cooch Behar. We started at 6.30and had our breakfast in the Bus. We reached ‘Santalabari’ which is at the foot of the Buxa hills at about 8.30 am and started to trek on the very steep road. The beautiful trees around us seemed to welcome us heartily. Mr. Arup Ghuha, our leader, gave us some important tips and suggestions that must be folled during the trek. It was a sunny day. So the journey became quite tiresome. But I was struck by the beauty of nature.

As we were moving forward we came to know about the forest. All the children with Arup Da were much ahead of us. Sometimes they stopped and waited for us. Arup Da and the other members of the NAS group who accompanied us guided us always. The children had lot of excitement to see a small crab. Some of us who were very enthusiastic like me were expecting to see a tiger even as Buxa is a tiger Reserve. But unfortunately, not only a tigers but all the animals except the monkeys disappointed us. But nature has adorned herself with so much beauty that we had really been mesmerised by it. I wished to stop there and gaze and gaze and gaze at this beautiful creation of God. But I could not do that because our destination was the Buxa Fort which was at the top of the hill.

Buxa National Park, in the subdivision of Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri district, was set up in the year of 1982-83 at the north eastern corner of West Bengal bordering Bhutan and Assam. It is declared a National Park in January 1992. The name "Buxa Tiger" has been derived from Buxa Fort - a fort at an altitude of 867 meters on the Sinchula Range guarding the most important of the eleven routes into Bhutan, which once was used for detainees during freedom movement of India. With an area of 759sq km this picturesque reserve with its prodigious Terai, Bhabar as well as Hilly landscape, crisscrossed by numerous rivers and their tributaries, presents a breathtaking landscape.                                                        Sourse:http://www.north-bengal.com/places/jalpaiguri/buxa.htm

We crossed a small stream. The water was icy cold. Sometimes the forest become very dense and we really felt the silence that is required to know one’s own self. The sound of the water fall and the calls of the birds are the only sounds that could be heard. Most of us were getting very very tired and exhausted. Suddenly we could hear a music – rhythmic though soothing.

We moved forward and saw a few houses. We stopped in front of a particular house to listen to the music. Though the language was unknown the feel of the music touched the heart and it refreshed the soul. After a four and half mile trek we reached near our destination. Only a few families live there. They live a very hard live. Most of these people are ‘Drukpas’ who originated from Bhutan and the others are the Nepalese. We came across a few tourists who were staying in the houses of some local people. These local people depend mainly on tourists and the cultivation of ginger. We refreshed ourselves and started for the historical Buxa Fort which was established nearly one hundred fifty years ago.

Buxa Fort, is a fort atop the Buxa Hill at a height of 2600 feet, 30 km from Alipurduar. For a long time it was a point of contention between the King of Bhutan and the Cooch Kings. Until the British on invitation of the Cooch King intervened and captured the fort in the end of the eighteenth century. The British reconstructed the fort from its bamboo wood structure to stone structure. The fort was later used mostly as a prison. Several revolutionaries were imprisoned there. The Bhutan King used the fort to protect the portion of famous Silk Route connecting Tibet with India, via Bhutan. Still later during unrest in Tibet, hundreds of refugees arrived at the place and used the abandoned fort as refuge.                                                                                                       Sourse: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buxa_Fort

It is the reminiscence of the Buxa Fort which was used as a jail by the British for the imprisonment of our freedom fighters. As we entered the jail a certain kind of awe fell on us. We heard the real stories of tortures on our freedom fighters by the British. We visited the cells and paid our homage to those great men of our country.

Freedom Fighters

Then, it was the time to come back. We visited the heritage Post office where the letters are still being delivered by the runners. Then we visited a small museum. The most valuable preserves of the museum are the photographs of some freedom fighters who were imprisoned in the Buxa fort. Here we saw a six-inch long leech. This forest is infested with leeches. So, one should always be careful.

Now, treking down –which is much more difficult than treking up, as the road either full of pebbles or slippery. After finishing the trek all of us become tired and exhausted. But at the same time we felt a certain kind of freshness and energy. To enjoy the real beauty of nature, to feel the all –pervasiveness of nature and to merge with the soul of nature. One must visit a place like  Buxa. The wonderful greenery that fell adeep impression on my mind reminded me of Wordsworth’s few lines-

I gazed--and gazed--but little thought 
What wealth the show to me had brought: 

For oft, when on my couch I lie 
In vacant or in pensive mood, 
They flash upon that inward eye 
Which is the bliss of solitude; 
And then my heart with pleasure fills, 
And dances with the daffodils." 
                                                                                 — William Wordsworth

Tips:

1.always carry an umbrella and a bottle of water.

2.Try to be an group.

3.Eating a lot of cucumber protects onefrom leeches.

4.Have some light snacks like dry fruits and juicy toffees at intervals.

Boxa Fort  and  Buxa National  Park                                  District : Jalpaiguri State : West Bengal                                                                Pin : 736130 Country : India                                                                         Location : 26° 46' 5.33" N  89° 32' 56.76" E  Area : 759 sq km                                                                     Elevation : 2600 feet or  867 mtrs Accomodation : Forest Bungalow. Contact Deputy Field Directer (East), Buxa Tiger Reserve, PO – Alipurduar Court, Jalpaiguri, PIN – 736122, PH: 03564 256005.

 

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