NEARBY PLACES

On the outskirts of Jalpaiguri town, stands the famous temple of Devi Chaudhurani, the ‘bandit queen’ immortalized by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. It is believed this is where Devi and her mentor, Bhavani Pathak, who led a gang of dacoits, offered prayers to Goddess Kali. After worshipping the Goddess, the duo would ascend on their bojra(yatch), stationed along the banks of Trisrota river and proceed on their next mission.

The temple is 300 years old and is said to be the place where Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s famous novel “Devi Choudhurani” was based on The story of Bhabani Prasad, the protagonist of the famed novel, started from this place.Bankim Chandra has vividly described the temple and its environs in his novel.The temple was used as a hideout by freedom fighters and revolutionaries battling the Britishers.

Baikunthapur is a Terai forest region in the western part of the Dooars in West Bengal, India, south of the Himalayan foothills, between the Mahananda River to the west and Teesta River to the east. The main towns in the area are Siliguri and Jalpaiguri. The forests are partly in the Darjeeling district and partly in the Jalpaiguri district.

Gajoldoba is famous for its first reservoir built in the Teesta basin for irrigational purposes. The store frame is surrounded by the Baikunthapur forest a Terai forest region in the South Himalayan foothills home of the pachyderm creating the perfect ambiance for flourishing avifauna making Gajoldoba a paradise for birders.