Bindu, Kalimpong


Bindu is a village in the Gorubathan CD block in the Kalimpong subdivision of the Kalimpong district in West Bengal, India. Bindu lies in the Indo-Bhutan border, India's second oldest dam is situated at Bindu on River Jaldhaka. It is located 121 km from Kalimpong Town, 103 km from Siliguri City and 85 km from Jalpaiguri city. It takes around 4hrs from Siliguri to reach Bindu. Roadway is the only option to reach Bindu. The roads are good for most part of the journey but during the last 15-20 km it's mostly off-road. As of 2023, a road is under construction by the Border Road Organization and is due to connect Bindu and surrounding area with NH17.

Geography

Location

Bindu is located at.

Area overview

The map alongside shows the Kalimpong Sadar subdivision of Kalimpong district. Physiographically, this area forms the Kalimpong Range, with the average elevation varying from. This region is characterized by abruptly rising hills and numerous small streams. It is a predominantly rural area with 77.67% of the population living in rural areas and only 22.23% living in the urban areas. While Kalimpong is the only municipality, Dungra is the sole census town in the entire area. The economy is agro-based and there are 6 tea gardens in the Gorubathan CD block. In 2011, Kalimpong subdivision had a literacy rate of 81.85%, comparable with the highest levels of literacy in the districts of the state. While the first degree college in the subdivision was established at Kalimpong in 1962 the entire subdivision, other than the head-quarters, had to wait till as late as 2015 to have their first degree colleges at Pedong and Gorubathan.
Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

The place

Bindu is the last village on the Indian side bordering Bhutan. It is known for its landscape with Jaldhaka River, hills and forests. There is a conjunction of three streams at Bindu. The three streams are known as Bindu Khola, Dudh Pokhri and Jaldhaka that originates from the Kupup lake, a small glacial lake in Sikkim. The combined streams meet at Bindu to form the Jaldhaka river. There is a dam known as Bindu Dam over the Jaldhaka river which is used for controlling water supply to the Jaldhaka Hydel Project at Jhalong and acts as a bridge for crossing over to Bhutan. However, one can cross the dam only by foot. Recently steel bridge construction will be done so that light weight vehicle can pass over.

People and economy

The village population is mainly Indian Gorkha Nepalese along with some tribal Communities. People of this village are largely dependent on orange and cardamom farming. Farming is the main source of income for much of the population of this village and along with orange and Cardamom, Chayote and Dalle Khorsani or Cherry Pepper are also one of the most cultivated crops. Tourism is also growing in the area. Oranges and cardamom of these area are exported to other places within India and abroad.