The district panchayat and rural development department of Jalpaiguri has proposed a new eco-tourism hub at a village on the outskirts of Jalpaiguri town famed for being the site from where a rebellion of monks against imperial forces had erupted around 250 years back.

Gourikon, a village under Baropatia-Natunbos panchayat of Sadar block, has been identified as the site where the tourism hub would be developed under the Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA), a central scheme launched for the economic empowerment and infrastructure development of villagers.

Gourikon, which is surrounded by villages like Bodaganj, Shikarpur and has a number of old temples, is located on the right banks of Teesta.

“This is the area from where the Sanyasi Bidroho (the rebellion by the monks) started against the British in 1775, which Bankim Chandra Chatterjee had elaborately written about in his novels Anandamath and Devi Choudhurani. It would be great if a tourism hub is developed in the area with the history of the rebellion. Many people do not know about this aspect of our history,” said Umesh

Sharma, a historian based in Jalpaiguri.

Banamali Roy, the district panchayat and rural development officer of Jalpaiguri, said that they had received a detailed project report from the panchayat and had forwarded it to the Centre.

“The proposed tourism hub would help in socio-economic and cultural development of people in and around the village,” Roy said.

Krishna Das, the deputy of the panchayat where Gourikon is located, said it was likely that a sum of

Rs 8 crore would be spent on the project on 80:20 basis from the Centre and state.

A grant from the state has already reached them.

“There are around 300 bighas of land under the panchayat on the banks of the Teesta. We have planned to build cottages and dormitories at the site and some work has already started (with state funds). There will be a permanent exhibition centre where we will display old photographs and paintings of the rebellion along with the details, certain historical exhibits and pictures of the kings of Baikunthapur estate,” Das said.

The panchayat functionary also said that they had already dug up some ponds in the area for pisciculture or fish farming. “We will also set up a large kitchen garden. We want to provide a rural ambience to the visitors, local cuisine and also the rich history of this region. It will take around three years to get the facility ready,” he added.

Tourists going to the place can also visit the Devi Choudhurani temple that has been recently opened after reconstruction.

“In fact, the project has been named as Ananda eco-tourism hub on the lines of Anandamath. It is indeed a first-of-its-kind project in our district where village and historical tourism have been intertwined to draw tourists.

We welcome the initiative,” said Sabyasachi Roy, general-secretary, Jalpaiguri Tour Operators’ Welfare Association.

Moumita Godara Basu, the district magistrate of Jalpaiguri, said in due course, local youths would be trained to work as guides.

“The idea is to use tourism to economically uplift the residents of the village. The location of the proposed hub is equally attractive as it is on the banks of the Teesta and a few kilometres away from Bhorer Alo (the mega tourism hub in Gajoldoba of the district),” said Basu.