Gourt Home::Gourt :: Duars
The Duars or Dooars are flood plains of the River Brahmaputra in the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal, and part of Bhutan. Many wars have been fought over them. These plains are very fertile. There are innumberable streams and rivers flowing through these fertile plains from the mountains of Bhutan. In Assam the major river are Brahmaputra and Manas, but in northern West Bengal the major river is the Teesta River. And there are many others like the Jaldhaka, Torsha, Sankosh, Dyna, Karatowa among others.
The name 'Dooars' is derived from the Bengali 'duar' or the English 'door', both meaning door, which signifies that this region used to be the entry point for the Bhutanese kingdom. In the 19th century, the British captured these areas from Bhutan and made them a part of India, which it has ever remained since.
People
The native people of this regions are East Asian-looking people and they are segregated into many tribes like the Bodo people in Assam, the Rabha, the Toto, the Koch and the Rajbongshis in Bengal.
Apart from the tribal population, a large Bengali population, mostly displaced by the Partition of Bengal, also populate the Dooars.
The Dooars are famous for the tea gardens, which were planted by the British. For working in the gardens, they imported labour from Nepal and the Santhal Parganas. The remnants of these people also form a very large part of the population surrounding the tea gardens.
The native people of this regions are East Asian-looking people and they are segregated into many tribes like the Bodo people in Assam, the Rabha, the Toto, the Koch-Rajbongshis in Bengal and Assam.
Apart from the tribal population, a large Bengali population, mostly displaced by the Partition of Bengal, also populate the Dooars.
The Dooars are famous for the tea gardens, which were planted by the British. For working in the gardens, they imported labour from Nepal and the Santhal Parganas. The remnants of these people also form a very large part of the population surrounding the tea gardens.
Cities and towns
While the exact origin of the Narayan dynasty is obscure, it is apparently of indigenous tribal origin and has ruled the area around the town of Cooch Behar since the 16th century. The state remained unaffected by the great changes that overtook its surrounding provinces in the decade following the battle of Plassey in 1757. However, it was invaded by Bhutan in the latter half of the 18th century, which prompted a formal treaty of alliance with the British in 1775. Upon the extinguishing of British rule in India in 1947, the state acceded unto the dominion of India; it merged with the Union of India shortly afterwards.
The Dooars region is a large region, and is dotted with many towns and cities. The largest city in the whole region stretching from the Darjeeling foothills to the Arunachal Pradesh foothills is Siliguri. This northern Bengal city is well connected with the rest of country by air and railway, and is the business hub of the region.
The other major cities are Tezpur, Bongaigaon, Goalpara, Barpeta and Dhubri in Assam. Cooch Behar, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Birpara are the major cities of the Duars on West Bengal. Also, the commercial capital of Bhutan Phuentsholing can be considered a part of this region.
Politics
The region has over the years been torn apart by ethinic strife. The Bodoland agitation in Assam for a separate homeland for the Bodo people and the Kamtapur or Greater Cooch Behar movement in northern Bengal for the Rajbongshis are the two most vociferous ones.
the original son of the historic Kingdom of Kamatapur is demanding a separate state within the boundary of india comprising of the parts of their historic koch kingdom i.e Kamatapur.The Indian government should understand the feelings of this ethinic tribe and their actual demand & rights of living ia separate state of kamatapur in order to save their old historic cultures and custom from deplition till today the Koch-Rajbongshi community of this part of the country demanding a separate home land.
Forests
The beauty of the region lies not only in its tea gardens but also in the dense jungles that dot the countryside. Famous wildlife sanctuaries like Manas National Park in Assam; the Jaldapara National Park, Buxa Wildlife Sanctuary, Gorumara National Park, Chapramari Sanctuary and the Mahananda Wildlife Park in West Bengal are located in this region.
"Duars"