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Siliguri may called the Gateway of Eastern
India as it is the main transit point for going to Darjeeling hill region,
Sikkim, Bhutan, Eastern Nepal and Assam. It is the biggest town in North Bengal
and is a fast developing one.
The surrounding areas of the city are beautiful. The Mahananda Wildlife
Sanctuary is 18 kms from the city (Permits are required). The Coronation Bridge
(Sevoke Bridge) is an important b ridge of the north east. There are a number of
good hotels in the city.
GENERAL INFORMATION
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Altitude : 329 ft. above Sea level
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Climate : Summer annual mean temp 34.8° C,
Winter annual mean temp 12.8
°
C
Humidity : (annual mean) 81%
Season : Throughout the year except monsoon season 15th June
to 14th September
Clothing : Light tropical and cotton in Summer and light woolen in Winter
Language Spoken : Bengali, Hindi, Nepali & English
EXCURSIONS
Jaldapara :
124 Km. from Siliguri by road via New teesta Bridge (Jalpaiguri).
A ‘must’ for the visitor, is the Wild Life Sanctuary at
Jaldapara. Besides bison, deer, etc., the rare one horned rhino is the special
attraction here.
PICNIC SPOT
Mahananda Weir Sukna : 18 km. from Siliguri town. It is a beautiful
picnic spot inside the Mahananda Wild Life Sanctuary.
Kalijhora : 27 km from Siliguri on National Highway 31A’ is a
beautiful picnic spot by the side of Teesta River.
Mirik : A new hill-resort at an altitude of about 5800 ft. and almost
midway on a 100 km. alternative route between Darjeeling and Siliguri.
HOW TO REACH?
Air : Bagdogra – 16 Km. from Siliguri, is the
nearest Airport, the following Airlines operate the schedule services :-
- Indian Airlines
- Jet Airways
The Darjeeling bound tourist disembarking at Bagdogra may
avail of the D.G.H.C. Tourism’s tourist coaches – Tourist Taxi or Private Taxi
to Darjeeling. Sikkim Nationalised Transport’s Mini Bus available at the Airport
for transfer to Gangtok.
Rail : Siliguri is the junction of North-East Frontier
Railway on metre gauge railway grid. Direct rail connections are available from
Siliguri to Lucknow, Gauhati and Katihar.
New Jalpaiguri Station which is the junction for broad gauge
lines is 7 km. from Siliguri. Direct railway connections with Calcutta (Sealdah
and Howrah), Delhi, Madras, Bombay, Cochin etc are available from here.
The popular ‘Toy train’ between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling
passes through Siliguri.
Bus Services : North Bengal State Transport Corporation
links by road almost all the important places of North Bengal. Long distance
Express buses to Calcutta, Patna and Durgapur, Ranchi, Gauhati are available
from Siliguri.
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