Siliguri

Siliguri শিলিগুড়ি
Metropolitan City/Urban Agglomeration
Nickname(s): Gateway City to Northeast India
Siliguri Location of Siliguri in West Bengal
Coordinates:
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri
Named for	Largest city of North Bengal,
Government
• Type	Municipal Corporation
• Body	Siliguri Municipal Corporation
• Police commissioner	K Jayaraman (IPS)
Area
• Metropolitan City/Urban Agglomeration	260 km2 (100 sq mi)
Population (2011 census)
• Metro	705,579
Demonym(s)	Siligurians, Siliguribashi
Languages
• Official	Bengali and English
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	734 001-734 015
Telephone code	+91353
Vehicle registration	WB 74 / WB 73 2
Lok Sabha constituency	Darjeeling
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Siliguri, Dabgram-Phulbari
Website	www.siligurismc.com
1The coordinates given here are in metric system and based upon the Microsoft Encarta Reference Library Map Center 2005 2 The Vehicle Code given here based upon the Siliguri Sub Divisional Court documentations.

Siliguri (<phonos file="siliguri.ogg">pronunciation</phonos>) is a city located in the Darjeeling district and Jalpaiguri district in the Indian state of West Bengal. Siliguri is located on the banks of the Mahananda River and the foothills of the Himalayas.

History

The city of Siliguri began on the banks of the Mahananda River at Saktigarh, a small town which is now in the southern part of the city. When the British East India Company introduced railways to Northeast India, it enhanced the importance of the region. The population of the town continuously increased leading to its expansion because of many immigrants from Bangladesh, Nepal, southern Bhutan and adjacent Indian states.

Climate

People living in big cities like Kolkata, Delhi, Ahmedabad always complain of a very hot weather. But the siliguri weather is a true bliss. No one can complain of it here. People there are actually obsessed by its weather. Actually the maximum temperature here goes upto 35 degree Celsius. Even after a sunny day, Siliguri has the rain coming to its rescue. Rainy season wins heart here as it is so beautiful and serene. Nevertheless winters here are chilly and Siliguri witnesses a very cheerful Christmas.

Climate data for Silguri
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	23 (73)	25 (77)	28 (82)	31 (88)	33 (91)	35 (95)	34 (93)	31 (88)	28 (82)	26 (79)	24 (75)	23 (73)	28.4 (83)
Average low °C (°F)	3 (37)	10 (50)	13 (55)	21 (70)	24 (75)	25 (77)	26 (79)	25 (77)	23 (73)	16 (61)	10 (50)	4 (39)	16.7 (61.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	8 (0.31)	18 (0.71)	33 (1.3)	94 (3.7)	300 (11.81)	658 (25.91)	818 (32.2)	643 (25.31)	538 (21.18)	142 (5.59)	13 (0.51)	5 (0.2)	3,266 (128.58)
Source: Siliguri Weather

Demographics

Siliguri has experienced a huge surge in population in recent times. Based on Census data of 2011, the city had a population of 513,264, while the population of Siliguri UA/Metropolitan is 705,579. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. In Siliguri, 10% of the population is under six years of age. Siliguri has a majority Bengali population. Other minority communities include Gorkhas (Nepali), Marwaris and Biharis. Bengali, Nepali, Hindi, English, Marwari, Bhojpuri, Assamese, Bodo, Punjabi, Gujrati, and Tibetan languages are spoken by the local people of Siliguri.

Siliguri has received waves of immigration over the years, most prominent being the migrants from the erstwhile East Bengal during the Partition of India, Nepal and Bihar. In addition, people from Jharkhand and other parts of India have also come to the city in search of livelihood.

Culture

Major festivals observed at Siliguri include Durga puja, Chhath Puja, Ganesh puja, Laxmi puja, Saraswati puja, and Dipawali. Baishaki mela is one of the oldest melas in Siliguri. The fashion week during winters are celebrated for entertainment. Various concerts are organized by local clubs, which continue from mid-October to mid-December.

Lot of fairs and carnivals take place in Siliguri. The famous fairs in Siliguri are Boishakhi Mela, Hosto Shilpo Mela, Book Fair, Lexpo Fair, Kanchenjunga trade fair etc. Most of the fairs happens in Kanchenjunga Stadium.

The city has a rich culture. Apart from a number of theatres, it hosts many music schools, clubs. In special interest section, there are automobile club, laughing club and cine club. The city hosts an active and well equipped astronomy club too, the Sky Watchers Association of North Bengal. The city have many markets which sell cheap but good quality Chinese products.

Education

File:SIT.JPG

SIT(Siliguri Institute of Technology)

Siliguri has always been the hub of education in the Terai and the Dooars region. Apart from the residents of West Bengal, students from neighboring states of Sikkim, Bihar and Assam and neighboring countries of Bhutan, Nepal,Pakistan and Bangladesh come here to pursue education.

Siliguri's schools are run by the state government or private organizations, many of which are religious. Bengali and English are the primary languages of instruction; Nepali and Hindi are also used. Schools in Siliguri follow the "10+2+3" plan. After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in schools that have a higher secondary facility and are affiliated with the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education, the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, or the Central Board of Secondary Education. They usually choose a focus on liberal arts, business, or science. Vocational programs are also available. Siliguri Boys High School (SBHS) is the oldest school of the city founded in 1918. Siliguri Baradakanta Vidyapith.

External links

• Siliguri Municipal Corporation
• Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority
• Information on Siliguri at West Bengal Government website