Siliguri | |
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    .jpg)      Clockwise from top left: Siliguri aerial view, Science Centre entrance,Ewam India Monastery,Toy Train in Siliguri,Teesta River, Lions Clock Tower,Sevoke Roadway Bridge, Siliguri City Centre,ISKCON Temple, Siliguri traffic | |
| Nicknames: | |
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  Siliguri Location in West Bengal Show map of West Bengal Siliguri Location in India Show map of India | |
| Coordinates:26°43′N88°26′E / 26.71°N 88.43°E /26.71; 88.43[1] | |
| Country |  India |
| State | West Bengal |
| District | |
| No. ofWards | 47[2] |
| Established | 1994 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Municipal corporation |
| • Body | Siliguri Municipal Corporation |
| • Mayor | Goutam Deb |
| • Deputy mayor | Ranjan Sarkar |
| • Police Commissioner | Akhilesh Chaturvedi, IPS |
| • Sub Divisional officer | Priyanka Singh, IAS |
| Area | |
| • Urban | 157 km2 (61 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 2,222 km2 (858 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 3rd inWest Bengal |
| Highest elevation | 140 m (460 ft) |
| Lowest elevation | 114 m (374 ft) |
| Population | |
• City | 513,264[3] |
| • Rank | 3rd inWest Bengal |
| • Urban | 701,489 |
| • City rank | 88th inIndia |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Bengali[9][10] |
| • Additional official | English[9] |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 734 001-734 015 (city limits), 734 401-734 436(suburbs), 735 133-735 135 |
| Telephone code | 0353, 0354 |
| Vehicle registration | WB 73/74[2] |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Darjeeling,Jalpaiguri |
| Literacy | 85.46%[11] |
| Sex ratio | 1000♂/951♀[11] |
| Vidhan Sabha constituency | Siliguri,Dabgram-Phulbari,Matigara-Naxalbari,Phansidewa |
| Police | Siliguri Police Commissionerate |
| Website | www |
| [1]The coordinates given here are in metric system and based upon the Microsoft Encarta Reference Library Map Center 2005.[2]The Vehicle Code given here is based upon the Siliguri Sub-Divisional Court, Darjeeling District Court and Jalpaiguri District Court documentations. | |
Siliguri (/sɪˈliˌɡʊri/,Bengali pronunciation:[ʃiliɡuɽi];ⓘ), also known asShiliguri,[12][13] is a majortier-II city inWest Bengal. It forms theTwin Cities with the neighbouring city ofJalpaiguri. The city spans areas of theDarjeeling andJalpaiguri districts in the Indianstate of West Bengal. Known as the"Gateway of Northeast India",[1][14] Siliguri is popular for three Ts: Tea, Timber and Tourism.[15] It is located on the banks of theMahananda in the foothills of theHimalayas.[16] Siliguri is thethird largesturban agglomeration in West Bengal, afterKolkata andAsansol.[17][18]
Siliguri has great strategic importance in West Bengal, with convenient access to three international borders:Nepal,Bangladesh andBhutan. It also connects the North-East with mainland India. Located in the foothills ofEastern Himalayas, Siliguri is a significant trading and transportation hub.[19]
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According to Sailen Debnath, "Siliguri" means a stack of pebbles or stones. Until the 19th century this region was called as "Shilchaguri" when there was dense Dolka forest covering the region.[20]
Siliguri was a small agricultural village in theKingdom of Sikkim. It was captured by theKingdom of Nepal in 1788, after whichKirati andLepchas came to settle in this region.[21]
At that time a river port onMahananda, South of Siliguri inPhansidewa had an important role in having trade bond withMalda,Bengal andBihar. This riverine trade line was thus used by theBhutanese andSikkimese to bring goods into their mainland.
Siliguri started as a small area in the northern part of city, on the front ofMahananda River, which is now Dagapur. TheTreaty of Sugauli in 1816, signed between Britain-Nepal, changed the prospects of Siliguri, and it became a point of transit for theDarjeeling hills andNepal mainland. From 1816 onwards, Siliguri started growing rapidly as a small city due to its strategic location in trade routes. In 1865, the British captured Darjeeling and the entireDooars region to build tea plantations and export the produce to England. To scale up exportation they introduced theSiliguri Town railway station which stands to this day, and introduced theToy train from the station to Darjeeling in 1880. This helped Siliguri gain sub-divisional town status in 1907.[22]
TheSiliguri Corridor was formed whenBengal was divided intoWest Bengal andEast Pakistan (later Bangladesh) in 1947, with Sikkim later merging with India in 1975.[23] At this point many immigrants came to settle here for better infrastructure, which led to an increased population. Later in 1950 Siliguri achieved municipal status.[24] Keeping in mind the importance of Siliguri, in 1951, the Assam rail link was established with newly made (1949)Meter gaugeSiliguri Junction railway station. After few years in 1961 all these stations were connected with broad gaugeNew Jalpaiguri Junction railway station which later became the most important railway station in Northeast India.[25]
Due to tremendous growth, Siliguri is now far away from its past outlook, becoming the largest and fastest growing city in eastern India afterGuwahati. The growth rate of Siliguri was 57.8% during 1971- 1981. Considering this growth, Siliguri came under the Integrated Urban Development Project program in 1981. Siliguri population growth rate rose to 46.8% of 1981–1991. A treaty between India and China for trade throughNathu La Pass, has expedited development and prospects of Siliguri as an international transportation and logistics hub. Later in 1994 Siliguri built a Municipal corporation which has been responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Siliguri. Siliguri has now achieved the status of becoming thethird-largest city inWest Bengal, afterKolkata andAsansol.[26]
Siliguri is located at the foothills of the eastern Himalayas at a location of26°43′N88°26′E / 26.71°N 88.43°E /26.71; 88.43. The city is spread over an area of 260 km2 (100 sq mi) within theSiliguri Corridor. The city is bordered by dense forests to the north and theMahananda River flows through the city, thereby bisecting it into two halves, while theTeesta River flows on its eastern border. Siliguri has an average elevation of 122 metres (400 feet).[27] As Siliguri is located in theTerai region, the soil issandy in nature with the ratio of sand and silt much higher than clay. This region is very prone to earthquakes as there are several fault lines nearby.[28][29][30][31]TheSiliguri subdivision is bordered by Himalayan ranges to its north,Bangladesh to the south-east,Uttar Dinajpur district ofWest Bengal to the south and the Indian state ofBihar to the south-west. To the east liesJalpaiguri district, north-east theKalimpong district, andNepal to the west.[32]
Siliguri has ahumid subtropical climate (Köppen:Cwa). Hot, humid summers, pleasant to warm winters and a severe monsoon define Siliguri's climate.
The average annual temperature in Siliguri is 23.2 °C or 73.8 °F. In summer, the temperature varies from a minimum between 20 and 24 °C (68 and 75 °F) to a maximum between 29 and 35 °C (84 and 95 °F).[33] The temperature of the hottest month, August, is 27.1 °C or 80.8 °F, and temperatures in peak summer sometimes exceeds 38 °C or 100 °F.[34][35][36][37] On the other hand, the winter maximum temperature hovers around 20 to 25 °C (68 to 77 °F), and the minimum drops to between 6 and 9 °C (43 and 48 °F).[33] January is the coolest month with an average temperature of 16.4 °C or 61.5 °F. The minimum temperature in winter season sometimes drops to or below 5 °C or 41 °F.[38][39][40][41] The highest temperature ever recorded in Siliguri was 41.9 °C or 107.4 °F on 7 June 2023,[42] while the lowest was 1.9 °C or 35.4 °F, recorded on 8 January 2018.[43][44]
On average, Siliguri gets more than 3,000 millimetres or 120 inches of rainfall annually.[45] Winters are mostly dry, with the summers being rainy. About eighty percent of the annual rainfall occurs duringthe monsoon or rainy season between June and September. Heavy showers are often felt in May,[46] June,[47] July,[48] August and September.[49] July is the wettest month (804 millimetres or 32 inches) and January the driest (12 millimetres or 0.47 inches). The average rainy days in July is 27 and for December and January it is 1. Humidity is high throughout the year.
Climate data for Siliguri (Bagdogra Airport), (1991-2020), extremes 1951–present | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 32.5 (90.5) | 33.2 (91.8) | 38.1 (100.6) | 41.7 (107.1) | 40.8 (105.4) | 41.9 (107.4) | 40.4 (104.7) | 40.0 (104.0) | 40.1 (104.2) | 36.6 (97.9) | 33.8 (92.8) | 32.6 (90.7) | 41.9 (107.4) |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 25.6 (78.1) | 27.9 (82.2) | 32.8 (91.0) | 34.9 (94.8) | 35.3 (95.5) | 36.3 (97.3) | 36.0 (96.8) | 36.7 (98.1) | 35.8 (96.4) | 33.5 (92.3) | 30.4 (86.7) | 27.2 (81.0) | 37.0 (98.6) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 22.0 (71.6) | 24.5 (76.1) | 29.3 (84.7) | 30.8 (87.4) | 29.9 (85.8) | 29.5 (85.1) | 29.1 (84.4) | 29.6 (85.3) | 29.2 (84.6) | 28.5 (83.3) | 26.3 (79.3) | 23.4 (74.1) | 27.7 (81.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 10.7 (51.3) | 12.8 (55.0) | 16.1 (61.0) | 19.5 (67.1) | 22.1 (71.8) | 24.0 (75.2) | 24.6 (76.3) | 24.6 (76.3) | 23.5 (74.3) | 19.7 (67.5) | 15.2 (59.4) | 11.8 (53.2) | 18.7 (65.7) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | 6.9 (44.4) | 7.2 (45.0) | 12.5 (54.5) | 16.5 (61.7) | 18.6 (65.5) | 22.0 (71.6) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.6 (74.5) | 21.9 (71.4) | 16.8 (62.2) | 11.9 (53.4) | 7.7 (45.9) | 6.5 (43.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 1.9 (35.4) | 3.5 (38.3) | 6.2 (43.2) | 9.6 (49.3) | 15.0 (59.0) | 20.0 (68.0) | 21.0 (69.8) | 18.4 (65.1) | 19.8 (67.6) | 12.3 (54.1) | 6.4 (43.5) | 2.4 (36.3) | 1.9 (35.4) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 23 (0.9) | 24 (0.9) | 34 (1.3) | 76 (3.0) | 249 (9.8) | 628 (24.7) | 843 (33.2) | 589 (23.2) | 403 (15.9) | 121 (4.8) | 10 (0.4) | 11 (0.4) | 3,011 (118.5) |
| Average rainy days | 4 | 4 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 132 |
| Averagerelative humidity (%) | 69 | 65 | 54 | 63 | 79 | 88 | 90 | 88 | 87 | 80 | 70 | 68 | 75 |
| Averageultraviolet index | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| Source 1: normal temperatures[50][51]Ultraviolet Index[52] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Extremes(India Meteorological Department[53]), Mean maximum and Mean minimum temperatures[54] | |||||||||||||
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | 33,000 | — |
| 1961 | 66,000 | +100.0% |
| 1971 | 100,000 | +51.5% |
| 1981 | 234,000 | +134.0% |
| 1991 | 367,000 | +56.8% |
| 2001 | 479,000 | +30.5% |
| 2011 | 701,489 | +46.4% |
| Source:[55] | ||
Based on the Census data of 2011, the population of Siliguri UA/Metropolitan (including Siliguri municipal corporation and Dabagram municipality) is 701,489, while the population in the Municipal corporation area is 513,264.[3][17][58] Males constitute 51.44% of the population and females 48.55%. Population shares of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe category persons in Siliguri municipal area are 8.84% and 1.25% respectively. The literacy rate in Siliguri is 77.64%.[58][8] There are 154 notified and 31 non-notified slums in Siliguri, where 32% of Siliguri's population lives.[59]
Bengali is the official language inSiliguri subdivision, including Siliguri city.[60]
In the municipal corporation at the time of the 2011 census, 60.88% of the population spokeBengali, 25.24%Hindi, 4.66%Nepali, 2.39%Bhojpuri, 1.58%Marwari and 1.24%Urdu as their first language.[57]
Bengalis form the majority linguistic group in the city, followed byBiharis (includingBhojpuriyas),Marwaris,Punjabis,Nepalis,Odias, andTribals. According to a 2001 thesis, Bengali speakers constituted 64.25% of the total population. Of the 30 wards in 2001, their population ranged from 11.71% to 98.96%.[61]
The most common religion in Siliguri isHinduism, withIslam being the largest minority religion, followed by small percentages of adherents toChristianity andBuddhism.[56]
Siliguri saw rapid urbanisation under the British rule and that was reflected in its local governance as well. The earliest form of local urban governance was a Sanitation Committee set up in 1915.[62] Its function was to dispose of night soil. Until 1921, most aspects of local governance in Darjeeling district, including Siliguri, were looked after by the Darjeeling Improvement Fund. In 1922, Siliguri Local Board with nominated members was created under the Bengal Local Self Government Act, 1885. In 1938, the Union Board was set up in Siliguri under the Bengal Village Self-Government Act, 1919 and it provided public utilities in the city.
TheMunicipal Council was set up in 1949 under the Bengal Municipal Act of 1932 with 8 wards.[62] The first chairperson of the municipality was the Sub Divisional Officer, and the local councillors, called 'commissioners' in the then municipal act in effect, were nominated by the state government. After the amendment of the act in 1956, 3/4 of the local representatives were elected, while the remaining nominated by the Deputy Commissioner. The first elected chairperson of Siliguri was Jagdish Chandra Bhattacharya.
In 1994, the municipal council was upgraded to theSiliguri Municipal Corporation with 47 wards.[62] It had five departments then: General Administration, Collection, License, Public Works and Sanitation and Public Health. As of now, the corporation has 23 departments.[63] It has 47 wards, of which 14 wards are inJalpaiguri district, while the remaining 33 wards are inDarjeeling district.[64] The last municipal elections were held on 2015, whenCommunist Party of India (Marxist) won 23 seats,All India Trinamool Congress won 17 seats,Indian National Congress won 5 seats,Bharatiya Janata Party won 2 seats, while an independent candidate won 1 seat.[65] The mayor of Siliguri for the five-year term from 2015 till 2020 wasAshok Bhattacharya fromCPI(M), who was later elected as the localMember of Legislative Assembly as well.[66]
The term of the last elected body of Siliguri Municipal Corporation ended on 7 May 2020 but municipal elections could not be held because of theCOVID-19 pandemic.[67] A Board of Administrators was established with the outgoing mayor, Ashok Bhattacharya, as the chairperson. This board will take care of the civic utilities of the city until the new municipal body is elected. This follows the establishment of similar boards first in state capital Kolkata and then the rest of the state.[68]
Siliguri is part of theDarjeeling Lok Sabha constituency. The last elections for the Lok Sabha took place in2024, whenRaju Bista from Bharatiya Janta Party won the seat.[69] The last elections to the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha took place in2021. The Member of Legislative Assembly representingSiliguri Vidhan Sabha Constituency isSankar Ghosh.[70]
Building plans in Siliguri are approved by Siliguri Municipal corporation; for building up to 3 storeys including parking, the Borough Offices give clearance, while for buildings with more than 3 storeys, the Building Department gives the approval.[71] The present City Development Plan 2041 for Siliguri was developed in 2015 as part of the Capacity Building for Urban Development project under the thenMinistry of Urban Development by the private consultancy,CRISIL Risk and Infrastructure Solutions Limited.[59] Siliguri City comes under Siliguri Jalpaiguri Planning Area and the responsibility of planning and development of the city lies withSiliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority.
The Public Health Engineering Department of thestate government is responsible for developing and maintaining the infrastructure for water supply, while the Water Supply department of the corporation provides new connections, supplies water, and collects the user charges.[59][72] The Conservancy Environment Department of the corporation provides Solid Waste Management services in the city.[73] Each ward in the city has its own Solid Waste Management committee that takes care of cleanliness at the ward level.[59] The Public Works Department of the corporation andSiliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority (SJDA) are both responsible for the construction and maintenance of roads in Siliguri.[74][75][76] Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority also prepared the Traffic & Transportation Master Plan 2030 and the Comprehensive Mobility Plan for Siliguri Jalpaiguri Planning Area.[77]
Siliguri and the surrounding sub-Himalayan forests are rich in both their flora and fauna biodiversity. The plains of North Bengal (Siliguri,Jalpaiguri,Cooch Behar etc.) are surrounded by deep forests, which are home to various common and rare species of native plants. Notably, the forests here are moistTropical and characterised by the dense growth of tall Sal (Shorea robusta) trees. Overall, Sal trees compose about 80% of all the vegetation in these tropical forests.
These forests are broadly categorised according to the dominant plant species in them, such as:
1) East Himalayan Sal Forest, present on the lower slopes of theMahananda Wildlife Sanctuary. It containsSal,Khair, Simul andSissoo, alongside riverine grasslands and various rare species of plants likeOrchids.
2)East Himalayan Upper Bhabar Sal Forest, mainly present in the Jalpaiguri district. It is characterised by a dense population of Microstegium chiliatum andSal. Other notable species areTerminalia tomentosa andSchima wallichii.
3) Eastern Tarai Sal Forest, mainly present in lower altitudes compared to the other two types of forest. It is characterised by various species ofbamboos andferns, alongsideSal which is found in Baikunthapur Forest (near the Siliguri urban area).[78]
In recent times, the rapid growth of the city has led to deforestation, much like other urban areas globally. This has in turn made Siliguri's climate warmer, disrupting some of the local ecosystems.
Siliguri is located in theTerai region of theIndo-Gangetic Plain, which is a belt of marshy grasslands and dense tropical deciduous forests at the base of the Himalayan range. The region is rich in biodiversity, containing numerous rare species of flora and fauna. These forests are especially notable for their distinct variety of wildlife. For example,Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary near Siliguri is famous for its Indian elephants. Sukna is the gateway to this sanctuary, which is located 12 km (7.5 mi) from Siliguri.
These sub-Himalayan forests are home to various types of wild animals like theelephant,tiger,Indian bison,barking deer, wild pig, monkey,civet, snake, lizard, mountain goat,sambar, chital andfishing cat. These forests are also home to about 243 different bird species like thepied hornbill,egret, kingfisher, drongo, fly catcher, woodpecker and others. Migratory water birds are also a common sight.[79]
TheNH 27 crosses through the heart of the city[80] and is now a part of theAH2 project. Siliguri is the origin of the century old Hill Cart Road (also known as)NH 110, which connects Siliguri toDarjeeling[81] (77 km (48 mi)) dating from the British period. It is connected toGangtok via theNH 10.[82][83] TheNH 12 which connects Pankhabari with Mirik. HighwaysNH 327 andNH 327B connect Siliguri toPanitanki and Mechi Bridge. Adjacent countries are connected through the following routes:
Being a transportation hub,[90] Siliguri is well connected through railway with almost all parts of the country. There are seven stations that serve the city.
New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station, established in 1960[91] (station code: NJP)[92] is an A1 category[93] broad gauge and narrow gauge railway station underKatihar railway division ofNortheast Frontier Railway zone. It is the largest railway station of Northeast India serving the city Siliguri. This station is well connected to almost all parts of the country exceptGoa.[94] This station ranked 10th cleanest railway station in India in a 2016 survey[95] and was among the top 100 booking stations of Indian railway.[96] Many premium services are available, including 1 internationalMitali Express,Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Vande Bharat Express,New Jalpaiguri - Guwahati Vande Bharat Express,New Jalpaiguri–Patna Vande Bharat Express, 4Rajdhani Express, 2 Tourist Vistadome Express, 1Shatabdi Express and 2Humsafar Express.[97]
Siliguri Junction railway station (station code: SGUJ)[98] established in 1949[99] is another major broad gauge and narrow gauge railway station of Siliguri. Until 2011 it was the only triple gauge (broad gauge, meter gauge and narrow gauge) railway station in India.[100] After 2011, the meter gauge was shut down, but the track remains between Siliguri Junction railway station and Bagdogra railway station. Many different cities in India are serviced from this station.[101]
Siliguri Town railway station is one of the oldest railway station (station code: SGUT)[102] of the region, opened in 1880[103][104] for theDarjeeling Himalayan Railway (Toy train) connecting Siliguri to Darjeeling. Its importance has now lessened with the construction of the Siliguri Junction railway station and New Jalpaiguri junction.Siliguri Town railway station is also a broad gauge and narrow gauge railway station, and is halting point for 8 trains only.[105]
Bagdogra railway station (station code: BORA)[106] comes under greater Siliguri metropolitan area. It is 10 km (6.2 mi) from Siliguri junction and is the third largest railway station after NJP and Siliguri Junction. This station serves Bagdogra and adjacent areas. Bagdogra railway station is on theSiliguri-Aluabari broad gauge single line viaThakurganj. This station is the halting point for 14 trains.[107]
Gulma railway station Railway (station code: GLMA) is part of the Siliguri Urban area. It is 12 km (7.5 mi) from Siliguri City center and serves Champasari Anchal and Gulma areas. Gulma railway station is on theNew Jalpaiguri-Alipurduar-Samuktala Road Line. This station is the halting point of 5 trains. Mainly passenger train halt at in this station.
Matigara Railway Station (station code: MTRA)[108] is situated at Mathapari, West Bengal.[108] Trains passing through this station include MLFC - SGUJ DEMU and SGUJ- MLFC DEMU. This station has a single platform and two tracks; one broad gauge line and one metre gauge line.[citation needed]
Rangapani railway station (station code RNI) is part of the greater Siliguri metropolitan area. It is 14 km (8.7 mi) from Siliguri City center and serves Rangapani and adjacent areas. Rangapani railway station is on theHowrah-New Jalpaiguri line. This station is a halting point for 2 passenger trains.
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Bagdogra Airport is aninternational airport located towards the west of Siliguri city, operated as acivil enclave at AFS Bagdogra of theIndian Air Force. This airport is a major transport hub in the region, with flights toKolkata,Durgapur,New Delhi,Mumbai,Chennai,Bangalore,Hyderabad,Ahmedabad,Guwahati,Dibrugarh and has international connectivity withParo andBangkok. The airport also has regularhelicopter services toGangtok. Due to its location nearDarjeeling hills andSikkim, the Bagdogra Airport sees thousands of tourists annually.
Central government of India confirmedinternational airport status to this airport in 2002 with limited international operations.[109][110] This is one of the few airports in India with zero sales tax on aviation turbine fuel.[111]
| No. | Name[140] | Frequency[141] | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Primary Channel (PC) | PC: 421.9 Metres 711 kHz (Medium wave) | Bengali |
| 02 | Vividh Bharati Service (VBS) | VBS: 101.4 MHz (High wave) | Bengali/Hindi |
| No. | Name[142][143] | Frequency[144] | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Nine FM | 91.9 FM | Hindi |
| 02 | Radio High[145] | 92.7 FM | Hindi |
| 03 | Red FM | 93.5 FM | Hindi |
| 04 | Radio Misty | 94.3 FM | Bengali |
| 05 | Radio Mirchi | 98.3 FM | Bengali |
| 06 | Air Rainbow[146] | 102.3 FM | Hindi/English |
Siliguri hosts numerous sporting events and matches to facilitate developing young athletes from the city. Local clubs in Siliguri that conduct matches include cricket, football, volleyball, swimming, and table-tennis.Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Kanchenjunga Stadium conducts football and athletics.[154] With the provision for an international outdoor and indoor stadium, Siliguri has enough opportunities to host national level matches.[155] This has led Siliguri to become a prominent city for national champions likeMantu Ghosh, the gold medalist winner in the bi-annual South Asian Games (SAF) for table tennis,Ankita Das,[156]Nandita Saha,[157] andSoumyajit Ghosh[158] - another internationally acclaimed table tennis player- andWriddhiman Saha – Indian internationalcricketer who playsFirst-class andTest cricket for theIndian national team.[159] Siliguri has done a tremendous job for Indian table tennis.[160] Bikash Ghosh Memorial Swimming Pool is beside Kanchenjunga Stadium in the city, and conducts swimming competitions. White water rafting is done nearby in theTeesta River.[161]
Kanchenjunga Stadium, a multipurpose stadium, is the main stadium in Siliguri,[162] and is primarily used for football matches, although it has also hosted several cricket matches. It has a seating capacity of 30,000.[163]
Football:
Cricket:
Indoor sports includingtable tennis,badminton,taekwondo,lawn tennis andchess are played here. Siliguri is renowned for being the training grounds of table tennis players. This stadium can hold 5000 people at a time. The Senior National Table Tennis Championship[168] was recently organised here.[169] Sports festival, 2017 was also held in this indoor stadium.[170]
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway toy train runs betweenNew Jalpaiguri, Siliguri andDarjeeling. It was built between 1879 and 1881 and has been designated as aUNESCO World Heritage Site.[171][172]Coronation Bridge, also known as Sevoke Bridge, is situated on lower Himalaya about 20 km (12 mi) from Siliguri and was made in 1930.[173] This bridge spans acrossTeesta River.[174]Gajoldoba view point is 28 km (17 mi) from Siliguri, famous for the huge reservoir formed byTeestaBarrage. This reservoir is home for many species of migratory birds, includingriver lapwing,great crested grebe,Indian cormorant,purple heron,Eurasian wigeon,common shelduck,cotton teal,tufted duck,little ringed plover, andgreat cormorant. Due to shuttling of migratory birds, the Pakhibitan sanctuary was established here. A boating facility is available.[175]
North Bengal Wild Animals Park, about 8 km (5.0 mi) away from the city, offers visitors the 'Bengal Safari' to experience sub-Himalayan wildlife closely, such asjungle fowl,sambar deer,Bengal tiger,wild boars,spotted deer,wild bear, andrhinoceros. It is fundamentally a part of theMahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, spread over an area of 700 acres. The park conducts herbivore safaris, carnivore safaris, and elephant safaris.[176][177] TheMahananda Wildlife Sanctuary is located 13 km (8.1 mi) away from Siliguri on the foothills of the Himalayas, betweenTeesta andMahananda.The sanctuary spans over 159 km2 (61 sq mi) of reserve forest. In 1959, it received the status of a sanctuary mainly to protect theIndian bison and the Bengal tiger. This sanctuary is home to raremountain goat,chital,barking dear,fishing cat, sambar deer, tiger, elephant andIndian bison and migratory birds. It offers mild to medium trekking challenges at some points.[178]
There are some important Hindu and Buddhists monuments in and around the city.Salugara Monastery is located 6 km (3.7 mi) away from Siliguri. The main attraction is the 100 ft (30 m)stupa, which is believed to be founded by the Tibetan Lama,Kalu Rinpoche.[179] This tranquil location for meditation was established by Tibetan monks and followers ofDalai Lama.[180] Sed-Gyued monastery is located near Salugara monastery. It is a breath-taking monument which was destroyed by the Chinese army, and then rebuilt. The monastery is home to more than 90 monks of theGelukpa division, and is used as a research centre.[181] Ewam India Buddhist Monastery is 11 km (6.8 mi) from Siliguri and is placed in the lap of nature near Bengal safari.[182] TheISKCON temple in the city, also known as Sri Sri Radha Madhav Sundar Mandir locally, is one of the biggest Krishna centres in the North-Eastern region of India.[183] The Sevoke Kali temple is an ancient temple on the banks ofTeesta river close to theCoronation Bridge.This temple dedicated toMaa Kali, the Goddess of Destruction.[184]
Siliguri also offers amusement and water parks to tourists and locals. Dreamland Amusement Park, located nearFulbari, 12 km (7.5 mi) from Siliguri junction, is an agricultural land converted in a fun house. It has 5-6 usual rides and a miniRopeway. Savin Kingdom is an amusement and water park which is located near Dagapur in Siliguri. The water park has a pool, slides, artificial wave, and rain dance.[185] It also has various joy rides like adrenaline junkies, sky train, break dance, go-carting, and artificial bulls, as well as a multiplex, kids zone, and restaurant.[186]
The North Bengal Science Centre, established in 1997, is the only science centre in North Bengal. The main attractions are the Digital Planetarium, Science Shows, 3D Theatre, Taramandal Shows, science galleries and a green Science Park.[187][188] The Hong Kong market is known as the Chandni Chowk ofNortheast India, a street market with a variety of shops popping out on the alleyways.[189]
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