Mainaguri

Mainaguri ময়নাগুড়ি Maynaguri
Town
Mainaguri Location in West Bengal, India
Coordinates: 26°33′50″N 88°49′12″E / 26.564°N 88.820°E / 26.564; 88.820Coordinates: 26°33′50″N 88°49′12″E / 26.564°N 88.820°E / 26.564; 88.820
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	Jalpaiguri
Elevation	84 m (276 ft)
Population (2001)
• Total	27,086
Languages
• Official	Bengali, English
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Lok Sabha constituency	Jalpaiguri (SC)
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Maynaguri (SC)
Website	jalpaiguri.gov.in

Maynaguri is a census town in Jalpaiguri district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is known as the "Gate way of Dooars" and is a regionally significant tourist destination for its temple to Shiva.

History

The history of Maynaguri dates back to antiquity. According to present historical researches carried out by Sailen Debnath, an eminent scholar of the region, Mainaguri was the second capital of the medieval Kamata kingdom.Kamatapur or Kamata Kingdom emerged as a sovereign state right from the middle of the seventh century.^[1] 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 Mainaguri or Maynaguri. Sailen Debnath, narrating the history of the extant early temples in and around Mainaguri, has indicated that Mainaguri even might have been a big city in the period of Bhaskar Varman of Kamrupa.^[2]

Location

Maynaguri is located at 26°34′N 88°49′E / 26.57°N 88.82°E / 26.57; 88.82.^[3] It has an average elevation of 84 metres (275 feet).

Maynaguri 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.^[4] 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 India census,^[5] 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 railway station(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 2015.

Jalpesh Shiva Temple

The Jalpesh Temple is approximately 3 kilometres from away Mainaguri 26°31′32″N 88°52′1″E / 26.52556°N 88.86694°E / 26.52556; 88.86694, and is 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, which is 126 feet high and 120 feet wide. ^[6] 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 worshipping, devotees, whose number reaches approximately 1.2 million, collect water from River Teesta and walk barefoot 15 kilometres to the temple.^[7]

Jalpesh Temple was founded by Bisu Singh of Cooch Behar in A.D. 1524. His son, Maharaja Narayan, rebuilt the temple in A.D. 1563. Pran Narayan in turn rebuilt the temple in A.D. 1663 ^[8]

Other places of interest

1. Jatileswar Temple(dedicated to Lord Jatileshwara or Lord Shiva);

2. Bateswar Temple;

3. Ramsai Wildlife(Gorumara National Park);

References