Bagdogra – Along the Borders (Photo Journal)

This is a new experiment from my part. These post are mainly for photographs that tells the story of the place.  So for all those people bored with my travel stories, this is for you. And these pics are not to showcase my photography skills. They are just an illustration of the magnificence or modesty of the location. Okay, truth be told, these trips happened a few years back. And trust me, I don’t have the memory of a computer to remember most details of the journey. But there are indeed a few memorable instances. So here, I would like portray my older journeys on the canvas.

Bagdogra – It is a small village in Darjeeling district of West Bengal. For travellers to Darjeeling or Sikkim, Bagdogra holds the nearest airport. From tourism point of view, Bagdogra has nothing but the airport. I too landed in Bagdogra for my Sikkim – Darjeeling visit, but something about Bagdogra caught my eye – its proximity to 3 national borders. This is my trip to explore the Indian borders to Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. (May, 2008)

The Coronation bridge is on NH 31 and was constructed by the British over the river Teesta.  It is an impressive feat of engineering.

This is the gateway to Bhutan. The indian side is known as Jaigaon and the Bhutan side is Phuentsholing. There is a drastic difference in culture and styles, the moment you cross the gate and the sitting-guy in the middle of the pic, actually washes the wheels of your car as you stop at the border. That’s the cleanliness in Bhutan.

A Welcome board

Jaigaon seen from Bhutan. The river Torsa can also be seen.

This is the Indo – Bangladesh border. Yes, it looks unostentatious and even Indians require a passport to cross it.

This is the Indo – Nepal border at Kakkarvitta. This pic was taken from the indian side and the pic below from inside Nepal.

I took a road trip around these borders and they are very close from Bagdogra. The farthest is Bhutan border which is about 150 km and the closest is Nepal border at Kakkarvitta. Indian citizens need no Passport for Nepal, Bhutan. In Bhutan, however, Indians require a permit. Bangladesh cannot be reached without a Passport.

This is the birth place of Naxalism – Naxalbari. It lies in the route to Kakkarvitta.

This is a small village in Bagdogra. These people toil all their lives in the tea plantations of landlords, adjoining the village and it continues through generations.

This concludes my photo journal on Bagdogra. A seemingly trivial village that holds the key to the gates of 3 nations.