Naxalbari
Encyclopedia
Naxalbari is the name of a village and a community development block in northern part of the state of West Bengal
, India
. Naxalbari block comes under the jurisdiction of Siliguri subdivision
of Darjeeling district
. Naxalbari became famous for the left wing revolt
that took place in the late 1960s.
The stretch of land, where Naxalbari is situated, lies on the Terai
region at the base of the Himalayas
. To the west of Naxalbari, across the border river Mechi
lies Nepal
. The entire stretch of the land surrounding Naxalbari is covered by farm lands, tea estates and forests and small villages, consists of an area of 182.02 km². The Naxalbari block has six Gram Panchayats (village councils), viz. Gossainpur, Lower Bagdogra
, Upper Bagdogra, Hatighisha, Naxalbari and Moniram, from north to south. The population of Naxalbari block was 144,915 in the year 2001.
).
The "Naxalbari" incident was triggered on 25 May 1967 at Bengai Jote village in Naxalbari when the police opened fire on a group of villagers who were demanding their right to the crops at a particular piece of land. The firing killed 9 adults and 2 unknown children.
The CPI(ML) have put up busts of Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Charu Majumder
on that piece of land. The spot has Bengai Jote Primary School next to it. There is a memorial column erected that has the names of the people who died during the police firing. The names are 1. Dhaneswari Devi (F), 2. Simaswari Mullick (F), 3. Nayaneswari Mullick (F), 4. Surubala Burman (F), 5. Sonamati Singh (F), 6. Fulmati Devi (F), 7. Samsari Saibani (F), 8. Gaudrau Saibani (M), 9. Kharsingh Mullick (M) and "two children".
and rural areas with 6 gram panchayats, viz. Gossaipur, Lower Bagdogra, Nakshalbari, Hatighisa, Maniram and Upper Bagdogra. This block has two police stations: Bagdogra
and Naxalbari. The headquarters of this block is in Naxalbari.
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Naxalbari block comes under the jurisdiction of Siliguri subdivision
Siliguri subdivision
Siliguri subdivision is a subdivision of the Darjeeling district in the state of West Bengal, India. It consists of the Siliguri municipal corporation and four community development blocks: Matigara, Naxalbari, Phansidewa and Kharibari. The four blocks contain 22 gram panchayats and two census...
of Darjeeling district
Darjeeling district
Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its beautiful hill stations and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters...
. Naxalbari became famous for the left wing revolt
Naxalite-Maoist insurgency
The Naxalite-Maoist insurgency is an ongoing conflict between Maoist groups, known as Naxalites or Naxals, and the Indian government.In 2006 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called the Naxalites "The single biggest internal security challenge ever faced by our country."...
that took place in the late 1960s.
Geography
Naxalbari is located at 26.68°N 88.22°E. It has an average elevation of 152 metres (501 feet).The stretch of land, where Naxalbari is situated, lies on the Terai
Terai
The Terai is a belt of marshy grasslands, savannas, and forests located south of the outer foothills of the Himalaya, the Siwalik Hills, and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and their tributaries. The Terai belongs to the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion...
region at the base of the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. To the west of Naxalbari, across the border river Mechi
Mechi River
The Mechi River is a trans-boundary river flowing through Nepal and India. It is a tributary of the Mahananda River.-Course:The Mechi originates in the Mahabharat Range in Nepal...
lies Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
. The entire stretch of the land surrounding Naxalbari is covered by farm lands, tea estates and forests and small villages, consists of an area of 182.02 km². The Naxalbari block has six Gram Panchayats (village councils), viz. Gossainpur, Lower Bagdogra
Bagdogra
Bagdogra is a small town in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India, which is surrounded by tea gardens. Bagdogra is well connected by rail and air to the rest of the country. Bagdogra Airport is the only airport in North Bengal, which is now an International Airport. -References:...
, Upper Bagdogra, Hatighisha, Naxalbari and Moniram, from north to south. The population of Naxalbari block was 144,915 in the year 2001.
History
Naxalbari became famous for being the site of a left-wing poor peasants uprising in 1967, which began with the "land to tiller" slogan, an uprising continuing to this day (see NaxaliteNaxalite
The word Naxal, Naxalite or Naksalvadi is a generic term used to refer to various militant Communist groups operating in different parts of India under different organizational envelopes...
).
The "Naxalbari" incident was triggered on 25 May 1967 at Bengai Jote village in Naxalbari when the police opened fire on a group of villagers who were demanding their right to the crops at a particular piece of land. The firing killed 9 adults and 2 unknown children.
The CPI(ML) have put up busts of Lenin, Stalin, Mao and Charu Majumder
Charu Majumdar
Charu Majumdar was a communist revolutionary from India. Charu Majumdar's life is a story of "riches to rags". Born in a progressive landlord family in Siliguri in 1918, he not only dedicated his entire life to peasants' cause but also authored the historic 1968 Naxalbari uprising, the ideology...
on that piece of land. The spot has Bengai Jote Primary School next to it. There is a memorial column erected that has the names of the people who died during the police firing. The names are 1. Dhaneswari Devi (F), 2. Simaswari Mullick (F), 3. Nayaneswari Mullick (F), 4. Surubala Burman (F), 5. Sonamati Singh (F), 6. Fulmati Devi (F), 7. Samsari Saibani (F), 8. Gaudrau Saibani (M), 9. Kharsingh Mullick (M) and "two children".
Administration
Naxalbari block consists of one census town: Uttar BagdograUttar Bagdogra
Uttar Bagdogra is a census town in Darjeeling district in the Indian state of West Bengal.-Demographics: India census, Uttar Bagdogra had a population of 15,772. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Uttar Bagdogra has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national...
and rural areas with 6 gram panchayats, viz. Gossaipur, Lower Bagdogra, Nakshalbari, Hatighisa, Maniram and Upper Bagdogra. This block has two police stations: Bagdogra
Bagdogra
Bagdogra is a small town in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India, which is surrounded by tea gardens. Bagdogra is well connected by rail and air to the rest of the country. Bagdogra Airport is the only airport in North Bengal, which is now an International Airport. -References:...
and Naxalbari. The headquarters of this block is in Naxalbari.