Mainaguri

Mainaguri
—  town  —
Mainaguri Location of Mainaguri in West Bengal and India
Coordinates	26°34′N 88°49′E / 26.57°N 88.82°E / 26.57; 88.82Coordinates: 26°34′N 88°49′E / 26.57°N 88.82°E / 26.57; 88.82
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District(s)	Jalpaiguri
Parliamentary constituency	Jalpaiguri (SC)
Assembly constituency	Maynaguri (SC)
Population	27,086 (2001[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 84 metres (276 ft)
Website	jalpaiguri.gov.in/

Mainaguri (Bengali: ময়নাগুড়ি) is a census town in Jalpaiguri district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is known as the "Gate way of Duars" and is a regionally significant tourist destination for its temple to Shiva.

History

The history of the Dooars is very old. According to current historical research carried out by Dr. Sailen Debnath, an eminent scholar of the region, the Dooars was the seat of the medieval Kamata kingdom.Kamatapur emerged as a sovereign state right from the middle of the seventh century. Most probably, Nalrajar Garh in Chilapata Forest was the earliest capital of Kamatapur; and subsequently through different ups and downs the capital was shifted to Maynaguri.

Location

Mainaguri is located at 26°34′N 88°49′E / 26.57°N 88.82°E / 26.57; 88.82.^[1] It has an average elevation of 84 metres (275 feet).

Mainaguri is about 10 km north-east of Jalpaiguri and 56 km from Siliguri. Nearby towns include Neora Nadi, Dhupgari, Goyerkata and Changrabandha. Local attractions include Jalpesh Shiva Temple, Gorumara National Park and Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary. The nearest airport is Civil Enclave Bagdogra, and the nearest railway station is New Maynaguri.^[2].5 different roads connect to Maynaguri with i)Siliguri,Jalpaiguri(West) ii)Alipurduar,Coach Behar(East) ii)Changrabandha,Mathabhanga(South) iv)Malbazar,Lataguri(North) v)Ramsai(North-west).

Demographics

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[3] Mainaguri had a population of 27,086. Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Mainaguri has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 80%, and female literacy is 70%. In Mainaguri, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Transport

The main mode of transport in the area is roadways. Most of the places are well connected by roads and to rest of India. N.H. 31 is the main highway of the area. Regular bus services provided by North Bengal State Transport Corporation and Assam State Transport Corporation and other private parties run between all important places of the area. Share jeeps and maxi-taxies are quite popular in the area.

Maynaguri lies in the Northeast Frontier Railway zone of the Indian Railways. There are Railway links to the rest of the country directly and via Kolkata as well. The major railway junction of New Jalpaiguri (Code:NJP) is just 45 km from the town. The station named New Maynaguri(Code:NMX) is servicing the town directly . Nearly the whole country is connected via the stations of New Jalpaiguri .A new line via Maynaguri Road station will be opened shortly. It is expected that the work of New Maynaguri-Jogighopa line will be finished on march 2012.

Jalpesh Shiva Temple

The Jalpesh Temple is about three kilometres from Mainaguri 26°31′32″N 88°52′1″E / 26.52556°N 88.86694°E / 26.52556; 88.86694, dedicated to Lord Jalpeswara (Siva). The temple was built in a style akin to Islamic architecture. Inside, there is a Shivling called Anadi. Mahashivaratri is the main festival celebrated in this temple^[4]. Pilgrims come during Sravani Mela in July–August and during the fair of Jalpesh Mela in February–March to offer special puja to Siva. After puja, devotees collect water from the river Teesta and walk barefoot 15 km to the temple^[5].

The temple was founded by Bisu Singh of Cooch Behar in 1524 C.E. His son, Maharaja Narayan, rebuilt the temple in 1563. Pran Narayan in turn rebuilt the temple in 1663 C.E^[6].

Other places of interest

1>Jatileswar Temple(Shiva);

2>Bateswar Temple;

3>Ramsai Wildlife(Gorumara National Park);

References

1. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Mainaguri
2. ^ www.india9.com profile of Mainaguri
3. ^ "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. http://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. Retrieved 2008-11-01. 
4. ^ www.india9.com on Jalpesh Shiva Temple
5. ^ North-Bangel.com: Jalpaiguri
6. ^ Cooch Behar Government: Royal History : Book of Facts and Events