Kurseong

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Kurseong
Town
Kurseong from the train
View of TV Tower
Nickname(s): The School Town[1]
Kurseong is located in West Bengal
Kurseong
Kurseong
Location of Kurseong in West Bengal
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Country  India
State West Bengal
District Darjeeling
Government
 • Body Municipal Council
 • Chairman Samir Dip Blon
Area
 • Total 5.05 km2 (1.95 sq mi)
Elevation 1,500 m (4,900 ft)
Population (2011)
 • Total 42,446 (Kurseong Municipality)[2]
Languages
 • Majority Nepali
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 734 203
Telephone code 0354
Vehicle registration WB-02, 73, 74, 76, 77
Lok Sabha constituency Darjeeling
Vidhan Sabha constituency Kurseong
Website www.kurseongmunicipality.org

Kurseong is a hill station and sub-divisional town in the Darjeeling district of the Indian state of West Bengal.

Located at an altitude of 1,458 metres (4,783 ft),[3] Kurseong is 32 kilometres (20 mi) from Darjeeling[4] and has a pleasant climate throughout the year.

Kurseong is 47 kilometres (29 mi) from Siliguri and is connected to the city by road and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway. The nearest airport is at Bagdogra and the nearest major railway station is New Jalpaiguri [NJP], which is about 53 kilometres (33 mi) from the town. The economy is based primarily on education and tourism.

Etymology

The origin of the name is unclear; stories suggest it comes from the Lepcha language word for "small orchid", kurson-rip because of the little white orchids (Coelogyne cristata) dotting the valleys, or perhaps the term for a stick made out of a local cane.(O'Malley 1999, p. 216)

History

The original inhabitants were the Lepcha people, who named their home "Kurseong", because every spring it was alive and bright with Kurson-Rip orchids. In the remote past, Kurseong was a part of the Kingdom of Sikkim, even before the British came to India. However, in around 1780 the Nepalese conquered and annexed Kurseong and its surrounding areas. Then came the Gurkha War, which the Nepalese lost. The 1817 Treaty of Titalia restored Kurseong to Sikkim.[5]

With its mountains providing a cool and dry environment in the summer, Kurseong was a favourite of the British. Nevertheless, they found travelling there from the plains of Bengal difficult, even on warm sunny days because of the mountains. Although a road was built from Kurseong to Darjeeling from Titalia in the 1770s and 1780s, its irregular maintenance soon made the new route, the Military Road, almost useless. The next route, Hill Cart Road (now Tenzing Norgay Road), opened in 1861 and fared better.

Nevertheless, in 1835, the British decided that Darjeeling would make an excellent sanitorium and summer residence for their military and civilian officers along with their families. Negotiations with the Chogyal of Sikkim, Tshudpud Namgyal, provided them a strip of hill territory in Kurseong for an annual fee. As one of the hill stations on the road to Darjeeling, Kurseong began to develop.

Kurseong is home to one of the oldest municipalities in the state of West Bengal. Established as an independent Municipality in 1879, it did not become a Sub-Division until 1890, when the District of Darjeeling was formed. Kurseong and the District were added to the Rajshahi Division (now West Central Bangladesh) by the British Raj for the Bengal Presidency. In 1908, they were transferred to the Bhagalpur Division in the same Presidency.

Before Independence, there were 12 ward commissioners. Four of them were appointed by the British Raj and it also appointed its own man, the Sub-Divisional Officer (S.D.O.), as their Chairman. In 1939, when Bengal became a province of British India, Kurseong was allowed to elect its own member to be the chairman but the Raj continued to send ward commissioners until India gained independence. Nevertheless, between 1939 and 1942, Kurseong grew rapidly. As of today Kurseong has 24 commissioners.[when?]

Sights

Coelogyne cristata, the white orchid from Kurseong
Kurseong Railway Station

Kurseong is surrounded by a myriad of tea gardens. These include Castleton, Makaibarie, Ambotia and Goomtee, all of which can be visited.

The toy train station is the nucleus of the town. The train tracks run through the length of the town and are used for a sight seeing tour.

Religious sites

  • The Ambootia Shiva Temple.
  • Giddha Pahar Sita Ram Mandir
  • Giddahpahar Durga Mata Mandir.
  • Jagdish Mandir

This temple has very old idols (almost 300 years old) of Lord Jagannath (Lord Krishna). The speciality of this temple is that there are two idols of The Lord and both are of Lord Jagannath (Krishna). In other temples of Lord Jagannath there are three idols - Lord Krishna, Lord Balram and Devi Subhadra (Sister of Lord Krishna and Lord Balram). But in Jagdish Mandir - Kurseong both the idols are of The Lord.

  • St. Pauls Church on Hill Cart Road, near St. Joseph's School.
  • Buddhist Gompa in Monteviot.
  • Kunsang Choiling Monastery at Upper Naya Busty.
  • Juma Mosque in Hat Bazaar.
  • Grotto and Catholic church in St. Mary's Hill.

Natural sites

  • Eagle's Craig
  • Deer Park - now known as Dowhill Park, on the Dowhill Road.
  • The Kholas (Water Falls - Springs) like Whistle Khola (named by the British, as there is a bend and the toy train whistles when passing through it). It is also known as Hussain Khola (means river in the local language). Although relatively dry during the dry months of winter, it comes alive during the monsoon season. There is a story called the "gadiman" (bullock cart driver) by an famous local writer and is a staple story in the local school syllabus. Everyone who has been raised in those parts knows the story of the gadiman and hence the khola (river).
  • The Kettle Valley

Museums

  • Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Museum and NSC Bose Institute of Asiatic Studies, hosted in the house of his elder brother, Sarat Chandra Bose, are situated in the Giddhapahar area (5 to 10 minutes drive from the Railway station). Netaji was interned in this house by the British government in the late thirties. The house now displays priceless artifacts depicting the life of the freedom fighter. These include photocopies of the exchange of letters between Netaji and his would-be wife, Ms. Emilie, many rare photographs of his Indian National Army (INA), other memorabilia of the Indian Freedom Movement and a few personal belongings of Netaji and the Bose Family.[citation needed]

Other Sites

  • Chimney: A walk or ride through the forest of Cryptomaria Japonica on the road, now called Aranya Sarani, leads to the vast open meadows at Chimney. The curious name of the place is reminiscent of the days when there was a bungalow here on the only road (Old Military Road) leading to Darjeeling. A long, dilapidated chimney, standing all alone, is the only remnant of the bungalow now.

Naya Busty Park: Located just above the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Museum.

Civic administration

A busy road in Kurseong

Kurseong Municipality, which is over 125 years old (one of the oldest in the country), is the main civic administration body for the town of Kurseong. It is located at 13 Dowhill Road. The Municipality is divided into 20 wards [originally 12 wards] and each of the wards has its own ward commissioner. The current Chairman of the Municipal Committee is Mr. Samir Deep Blon, in office since 21 December 2011.

The previous Chairman, until 2008, was Mr. P. C. Agarwal. But in early March 2008 his political party, the Gorkha National Liberation Front (GNLF), lost the control of the Committee in a no-confidence vote to the other Gorkha political party, the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJMM). Since 2007, the GJMM has been campaigning for the creation of a separate state for the Indian Gorkhas, the original goal of the GNLF. Because of the no-confidence vote, Mr. Agarwal was forced to resign and the Municipal Committee was suspended.[6]

Kurseong has its own Munsif Magistrate Court and a Police Station (Thana) at Pankhabari Road. Police Town Out Posts are situated at Burdwan Road and Dowhill . The S.D.O. (Sub Divisional Officer) is the head of the administration for the Town.

Hospital and Health Care in Kurseong : Kurseong has a Sub Divisional Hospital and no private nursing homes or clinics unlike Kalimpong and Darjeeling.

Gorkha Public Library

Gorkha Public Library or Gorkha jana pustakalay was established in the year 1913,[7] as an initiative of the Indian Gorkhas to develop their culture, language and literature in the small town of Kurseong . It was probably the first Nepali public library project.[7] This small initiative played a vital role in the development of Indian Gorkha culture, language and literature. The library still exists today, and among other things is used as a polling station in local elections.[8]

Bloomfield Library: A well stocked library opposite of the post office. The timings are fairly convenient and there is a minimal fee.

Education

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Goethals Memorial School

Among the towns of Darjeeling District, Kurseong was nicknamed as "the school town" due to the emergence of many new schools in the town. The schools can be classified into two distinct groups. The English Medium and the Nepali Medium. The English medium schools are mostly affiliated to the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education, Delhi while the Nepali Medium Schools are affiliated to the State Education Board i.e. West Bengal Board of Secondary Education, Calcutta. Only one school Godwin Modern School is affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education, Delhi in Kurseong Town.

University Colleges

Kurseong has one college Kurseong College which is affiliated to the University of North Bengal. It provides undergraduate studies - Bachelor of Arts (General and Honours), Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Commerce (General). The institute is fast developing and is offering bachelor's degrees in various fields of Science, Commerce and especially with the introduction of Economics Honours. The institution is looked after by a general body which comprises the Principal of the college, the SDO of Kurseong, appointed Members for the General Body and the most important personnel being the General Secretary of the college who is nominated or elected through a free and fair election. There have been plans that have been undertaken and initiated and recently the college is under expansion, utilisation and construction of the premises. The college also offers diploma courses on various fields and computer education has been made mandatory now.

Darjeeling Polytechnic College offers grades in Civil, Computer, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering.

From 1889-1971 there was even a theological college training Jesuit seminarians to the Catholic priesthood on St. Mary's hill (2 kilometres (1.2 mi) north on the way to Darjeeling. St. Mary's College was shifted to Delhi where, from 1972 onwards (and under the new name of Vidyajyoti College of Theology) it is still flourishing. The old Theologate's building now hosts the Eastern Forest Rangers College, which provides training courses to the would-be Forest Rangers of India. There is a West Bengal Forest School near Deer Park and Victoria Boys School, Dowhill which also provides training for foresters as well. About 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north on the way to Darjeeling at Tung, there is an Industrial Training Institute (ITI) which offers various vocational course in plumbing, motor mechanics, and book binding. In St. Mary's Hills, Holy Cross Institute offers higher secondary courses in commerce via the vocational stream.

Schools of Kurseong

ICSE & ISC STREAM

  • St. Anthony's School (Separate Schools for Boys and Girls)
  • Himali Boarding School (Co-Ed)
  • Goethals Memorial School (Boys)
  • St. Helens Secondary School (Girls)
  • Jnaneshwar Memorial School
  • Dowhill School
  • Victoria
  • Daises School
  • Sunshine School
  • Modern English School
  • Glenhill School
  • Bellvue School

Madhyamik Stream & HS Level School

  • Ramakrishna Girls High School
  • Pushparani Roy Memorial School
  • St. Alphonsus School

Higher Secondary Vocational

  • Holy Cross Institute (Class 11 & 12)

Secretarial Course also Provided in this institute (1 Year) [Qualifications : 10, 10+2 & Graduate)

Colleges

  • Kurseong Govt. College
  • Polytechnic College

Transport

Kurseong Railway Station

Bagdogra Airport, Siliguri, is 60 km (37 miles) away. Taxis/buses are available at the airport for transit to Kurseong. Siliguri, 50 km (31 miles) and New Jalpaiguri, 57 km (35 miles) are the nearest main stations. Siliguri to Kurseong current share for taxi rental is maximum of Rs. 100 per person. It is an important station on the Toy Train route from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling. The Toy Train takes a little over 5 hours from New Jalpaiguri to reach Kurseong. Kurseong is also well connected by roads. There are three roads from Siliguri to Kurseong. The shortest one is called Pankabari Road. Taxis are available and it takes 45 minutes to reach Kurseong from Siliguri.

Demographics

In 2011, the population of Kurseong Municipality was 42,446. The rural area in Kurseong Block had a population of 94,347.[2]

Media and communications

All India Radio has a local station in Kurseong which transmits various programs of mass interest. Which was established in the year 1962.

Notable Residents

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Kurseong Municipality, "History" [of Kurseong]. Retrieved 2 February 2013
  6. ↑ "GNLF loses control over Kursong civic board", OutlookIndia.com, 18 March 2008. Retrieved 2 February 2013
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Information Booklet. Gorkhaland Territorial Administration Sabha Election - 2012

Bibliography

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External links

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