Location : Jalpaiguri District, West Bengal
Nearest City : Siliguri and Jalpaiguri
Distance: 118 km from Shiliguri
Best Season : Anytime except the monsoon

(Way to Birpara, The Dooars)

Birpara, the name comes after join two Bengali words, Bir and Para. Where Bira means brave and Para means place of living. Initially Birpara was a part of another village called Dalgaon and was not peaceful or ideal to live. But due to the growth of population, some people started to live there. They were mostly tea garden workers. They were called "Bir" people or brave people for daring to live in such place. And the area was given such a identity. Now a days, the population of Birpara is about 30001.

Birpara is situated in the centre of the Dooars in the Jalpaiguri district, West Bengal. It has a very significance role in the economy of Dooars. The area is surrounded with more than eighteen tea gardens, developed a strong economy during the nineties, but now with the failure of the tea gardens, the economy of this area face a big problem. Now a days, people of Birpara mainly depends on service and trade with Bhutan. Bhutan is just 25 kilometer away from there.

Birpara is an ideal example of Indian Unity in Diversity. People of Birpara are from various ethnic community of India such as Bengalis, Gorkhas, Adivasis Marwaris, Asamese and Biharis. And they are spoken in many languages such as Bengali, Nepali, Hindi, marwari, Sadri and English. Since its origin, people here have lived in harmony.

People of Birpara mainly depend on service, trade and tea garden works. There has several slums-area, mainly tea garden workers are live there. Due to the 'Gorkhaland' propaganda, a racial outfits take in place in between Gorkha, bengali and Aadivasis. Where Gorkha demands 'Gorkhaland' and the bengali & Aadivasis opposing it. And it arise a tension among Bir (brave people) of Birpara.

Birpara has two toll-free parks where people can go during daytime. Both of them witness heavy crowds during occasions like New Year. People from surrounding areas like Ethelbari visit this place for shopping and other purpose. Ethelbari is famous for bricks manufacturing and is also hub for large numbers of RCC Hume Pipe manufacturers and stone crushers, mainly due to the easy availability of raw materials. Titi is a very populous picnic spot at Birpara, situated at the Bhutan border.

Gomtu in the Bhutan boarder is about 25 kilometer away from Birpara. It is surround with hills and virgin forests with beautiful and scenic environment. The road leading from Birpara to Gomtu is covered with lush green tropical vegetation. There has a temple of goddess Kali at Gomtu. It is very famous among all Hindu population of that area.

By Road :
NH 31 passes through Birpara, from Siliguri to Guwahati. North Bengal State Transport Corporation Buses, Bhutan Govt. Buses, Mini Buses, Private Buses and Taxi are available from Siliguri to Birpara. Journey time from Siliguri to Birpara is about 3 hours.

By Rail :
New Jalpaiguri and Siliguri Railway Station are main railway station in this area. It has also a train station, called Dalgaon station, connecting the town with the rest of the country. After you arrive at New Jalpaiguri or Siliguri, you can follow the road journey to reach at Birpara or can change train to reach Birpara. It takes around 3 hours from Siliguri or New Jalpaiguri. And also you can check the express train stoppage, which arrive at Dalgaon.

By Air :
Nearest airport is Bagdogra. It is a domestic airport under Indian Army. All major air services are available from all over India. Distance between Bagdogra and Siliguri is 13 km. You can find out various vehicles to come in Siliguri, and then follow the above road or railway route.

In Birpara, there has a forest department bungalow which are very good and comfortable for accommodation. Some other private accommodations are also available with tourists demand.

To check the room availability and online booking in the resorts of West Bengal Forest Development Corporation click here

Reservation Authorities

Divisional Forest Officer Wild Life Division P.O. & District - Jalpaiguri Phone : (03561) 230838

Tourism Centre, Govt. of WB M-4 Building, Pradhan Nagar Hill Cart Road, Siliguri-734403 Phone : (0353) 2511979/2432561