Diary of North Bengal -1/ On the banks of Jayanti

This has been one of the finest evenings I have ever spent. Sitting on its bank, we are experiencing the roar of River Jayanti, which is coming down from the Bhutan hills. The Moon is smiling over us. 
But the day started in the worst possible way. Weather was ready to damage the mood of our North Bengal trip. The Durga Puja has just been over, but rains have not. Yesterday, we reached Mal Bazar at the night, with the rains pattering down. Today when we started our journey from Mal Bazar, the rains relented a bit. But soon it started again. It was in 1994, when I last visited North Bengal. That time I was merely three. So I didn’t have any fond remembrance of that trip. So, for me, it is the first ‘official’ trip to North Bengal. I was being simple mesmerized by the beauty of this part of Bengal. 
The highway is running through the tea gardens. At a distance, the cloud covered mountains of The Himalayas can be seen. Though our first destination is Jayanti, we will be visiting The Buxa Tiger Reserve on our way. Crossing Chalsa, Hasimara, Hamiltonganj, we reached Rajabhatkhawa. The tea gardens have paved way to the forests. Through the forests, runs the railway line, which connects North East with other parts of India. Trains mowing down elephants are a very common scene here.
There is a tri-junction in Rajabhatkhawa. The road on the right heads to the town of Alipurduar. We will be heading left. That means we are entering Buxa Tiger Reserve now. There is an office of the forest department in the tri junction. Taking necessary permissions from the office, we entered the Tiger Reserve. 

railway line through Buxa Reserve

At the fag end of this Tiger Reserve, lies the Buxa Fort. The road is not motorable though. One has to climb almost two kilometers to reach the fort. With dense forests on both sides, we are moving. We can hear the beautiful chirping of birds. A few moments later, came another tri-junction. Here the road on the right goes to Jayanti, where we will be heading afterwards. For now, we are going straight.
Comes Santhlabari. A small Nepali dominated village on the foothills of the Himalayas. Here we have to take permission. The Buxa fort is four kilometers from here. But cars can go only one-and-a-half kilometers. After that, there lies a place called Zero Point. The locals told us that the beauty of the valley from that point is just mind blowing. But it is compulsory to take a guide. 

Climbing towards Zero Point

No cars are allowed upwards without taking local guide. On a flip side, we can say, it’s a major source of income of Santhlabari. The guide charge for Buxa Fort is a bit more than that of Zero Point. We considered going to Zero Point, instead of Buxa Fort. With guide Rudra Thapa by our side, we climbed upwards.
But Cars don’t go to Zero Point either. The motorable road ends almost half kilometer before that point. We followed Rudra Guide, and climbed the hilly terrain. After a walk of twenty minutes, came Zero Point. As we were told in Santhlabari, the place is indeed worth visiting. The beauty of Alipurduar plains is just mersmerising. We can see three rivers. Rudra told us that the one in the left is Bala river, the middle one is Jayanti River, and on the right side, it’s the Buxa Rivers. Thankfully, the rains have relented and the skies are slowing signs of easing up. The local boy Rudra also told us that further rains are unlikely. 

With Rudra Guide at Zero Point

After spending some fifteen minutes or so, we decided to climb down. Buxa Fort can be visited next time.
With the Sun pipping though the clouds, we started the final journey for the day. Jayanti is just ten kilometers now. After moving smoothly for few kilometers, our car stopped. There is a line of cars in front of us. What happened, we enquired.
We have to cross the Buxa River now. Since the bridge on the river has broken, driving through the river is the only way out. But that’s also impossible, as the water in the river has suddenly increased because of the rains.
 “What to do now?” we asked our driver.
“We will wait for the water to recede.”
He assured us that the water will recede. With no other way out, we came out of the car and observed the river.
Suddenly our driver shouted, “Please come fast, water has receded, we will move.”
I saluted the amazing observation power of our driver. Frankly speaking, I didn’t feel the water has reduced. We crossed the river and entered Jayanti. 

The place called Jayanti

With the massive Himalayas on one side, and plains on another, Jayanti is definitely a gem in North Bengal. The beauty of the place is because of the River, which is gushing down from the Himalayas. There are some places nearby which can be visited from Jayanti. The Mahakal Temple is a two-hour trek from Jayanti, through the forests. Lord Shiva is the main deity in the Temple. One can visit Pokhri also. It’s a trek of four kilometers from Jayanti. Pokhri is known for its Lake, which is considered as sacred by both the locals as well as the Bhutani people. Forest safari can also be done in Jayanti.
However we decided against visiting any places and instead take whole day rest. From the balcony of our resort, I was just enjoying the beauty of the place. On the evening we took a stroll towards the river. Its weekend, so people from nearby Alipurduar and Cooch Behar have thronged the place. 

The River called Jayanti

The weather is absolutely fine now. On the western sky the Sun in about to set, while the Moon is slowly getting her glow on the East.
Today is ‘dwadoshi’. People from nearby villages are coming to immerse Durga Idols. They are dancing on the rythm of dhak. With that they are shouting loudly
‘aschhe bochhor abar hobe’.

Jayanti in the morning

How To Reach
People from Kolkata, as well as rest of India can avail any New Alipurduar bound train. There are loads of trains from Kolkata to New Alipurduar. Trains to New Alipurduar are available from Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi as well. Jayanti is situated at a distance of 32 kms. One can avail Bagdogra bound flight also. Jayanti from Bagdogra is at a distance of 187 kms. 

Mohunchura Resort, where we spent a night in Jayanti

Where to Stay?
There are lots of private hotels and resorts on the banks of Jayanti River. You can search them in the popular hotel booking sites. But the best accommodation is the Jayanti Tourist Lodge, run by West Bengal Tourism Development Corporation. Hotel can be booked online through the website of West Bengal Tourism, www.wbtdcl.com.