Gorubathan
Gorubathan is a village in the Gorubathan CD block in the Kalimpong Sadar subdivision of the Kalimpong district in the Indian state of West Bengal.
History
Gorubathan was once ruled by Lepcha kings who built Dalim Fort on top of a hill at Dalim Busty. Lepcha king Gaeboo Achyok defeated the King of Bhutan when the Bhutanese had invaded Gorubathan and signed a treaty in that fort, making it a place of significance for the Lepcha tribe. In 2008, Govt of West Bengal announced the place as a heritage site. How the nomenclature ‘Gorubathan’ was started is still controversial but due to vast grazing land and rearing of huge cattle in the open plain land of this area in earlier time must have started calling the place as Gorubathan in Nepali language by the local people.Some say that this place must have been dominated by the Gurus with their deity and supernatural powers in earlier times and subsequently started calling Gorubathan. It is also said that the cowboys from Bhutan used to supply Ox in bulk meant for Kalimpong Hat Bazar from Bhutan. They used to stay on the bank of Chel river of present Sombarey Bazar for a day. Those Ox used to graze in the vast grazing areas of Upper Fagu and its adjoining areas. this is how the name of the place Gorubathan came into existence.
Geography
Location
Gorubathan is located at. It has an average elevation of 417 metres. It is surrounded by dense forest viz. Neora Valley National Park. The climate is moderate and it is neither too hot in the summer and nor too cold in the winter season.Gorubathan is demarcated by river Jaldhaka with neighbouring country Bhutan in the eastern side, Sikkim State in the northern side with dense forest of Rachela Range, Kalimpong Block I & II in the western side and the vast plain areas of Jalpaiguri District in the southern sector.
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 characterised 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.