Terai region of Darjeeing district : Everyman’s Land

Darjeeling the queen of Hill stations is famous all over the world for her majestic beauty and charm. Tourists from various countries flow to her to view the serene natural beauty and aura reflected in the Hills and dales of this town. This town and the adjoining Terai belt and Dooars had been the bone of contentions between the surrounding kingdoms and empires like the then Nepal. Bhutan, Sikkim and also the state of Coochbehar. Especially, the Terai region adjoining Siliguri had been known as a no man’s land by the surrounding ruling clans. The historicity of this region had been always a matter of national importance as well. Little is  known outside that this small strip of Terai and Dooars had been the hotbed of nationalist revolutionaries led by the Sannyasis who had thrown challenge to the mighty British imperialists. If you have read the novel, Devi Choudhurani, the famous novel penned by the great writer Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, you could know that it was based on the real happenings  centered round the two great personalities, Devi Choudhurani the leader of the rebels as they used to call themselves and Bhavaani Pathak who was the Commander in Chief and the principal guide to the rebels. Legends and stories are rife about these two great leaders whom the then British rulers called them simply bandits and robbers. In the Dooars near Naagraakaataa there is a Kaali temple dedicated to them. Devi Choudhurani had also got a Kaali temple built near the Haldibari Road leading to Jalpaiguri, not very far from Siliguri. Historical evidences exists regarding the period like a Dingy boat possibly used by Devi Choudhurani and her followers, which can be seen in the museum of the North Bengal University . Vedic literatures have references about the Panch Paandavas who are said to have ferried  across the river Mahaanandaa, one of the two  principal rivers of this region, the other being the Teestaa. It is also referred in the Vedas that the name Mahaanandaa had been given by the Paandavas. Before them it was Known by the name Nandaa. The mighty and torrential river in those days when small ships used to sail might have prompted the Paandavas to christen it so. But the same river is drying up so fast that a time might come when there would be no trace of this historical river. According to S.O. Mayli In 1901  the population of Siliguri a mere village was barely 784. Now it is a ever expanding metropolitan city, flourishing with trade and commerce mainly that of Tea,  Tourism and Timber. In those days of yore. Sililguri village was surrounded by deep and evergreen forests inhabited by tigers. Leopards, elephants  and bisons. It was rampant with the killer malaria and kaalaajaar, the deadly fever. The region was best suited for the criminals, rebels of all sorts who were thrown here to die their painful  death by disease or the wild animals. For the welfare of the local people some of the Sanyaasis and Fakirs too opted for this place. These Sanyaasis and Fakirs  aroused among the local people patriotic sentiments against the foreign rule and so this wild place turned into hotbed of rebellious activities.  During the time of the Great uprising of 1857 this regions acquired a fame hitherto unknown outside. Thousands of rebels including Sanyaasis and Fakirs were executed after summary trial. To the east of the city in the Baikunthapur Forest there is a place called Sanyaasikaataa. It is supposed to be the place where hundreds of rebels were put to death. It is not that the revolt was a spontaneous one as some claimed to be,  but was the result of proper planning and co-ordination between the various stakeholders. In history there is the reference of one Gangaram Thapa, the Jaagirdaar of Nepal who along with the Chhogyaal of Sikkim had donated some land to the leader of the rebels Majnu Saahu and Birbal. The main plank of the rebels was that the British were hell bent on destroying the cottage industries of textile to foster their own textile industry. This had led to rampant unemployment and famine. The high handedness in collecting taxes was also one of the igniting points for the great revolt. Today, the Terai and Dooars is being inhabited by various communities and races making it into an ideal Bharat. So it is now everyman’s land. Whereas in the 18^th century it  was known as No man’s land which had been so many times harped upon by a political leader in the hills who now lives in self exile.