Alipurduar district is an administrative district in the northern part of the Indian state of West Bengal. Carved out of the erstwhile Jalpaiguri district, it became the twentieth district of West Bengal on 25 June 2014. The district headquarters is located at Alipurduar town. It lies in the Dooars region at the foothills of the eastern Himalayas and is known for its forests, tea gardens, and proximity to the international borders of Bhutan and Bangladesh.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | West Bengal |
| Division | Jalpaiguri division |
| Headquarters | Alipurduar |
| Formed | 25 June 2014 |
| Parent district | Jalpaiguri district |
| Region | Dooars / North Bengal |
| Languages | Bengali, Hindi, Nepali, Rajbongshi, Sadri |
Alipurduar district is bordered by the Kingdom of Bhutan to the north, the state of Assam (Kokrajhar district) to the east, Cooch Behar district to the south, and Jalpaiguri district to the west. The terrain consists of alluvial plains drained by Himalayan rivers, including the Torsa, Kaljani, Raidak, Sankosh, and Jaldhaka. The northern parts rise into the Bhutan foothills, while the rest forms part of the Terai-Dooars belt.
The district contains substantial forest cover, including Buxa Tiger Reserve and Jaldapara National Park, which is known for the Indian one-horned rhinoceros.
The district is organised into subdivisions and community development blocks. It comprises the following blocks: Alipurduar I, Alipurduar II, Falakata, Madarihat-Birpara, Kalchini, and Kumargram. Major urban centres include Alipurduar, Falakata, and Jaigaon, the last being a key trading town on the India–Bhutan border opposite Phuentsholing.
The Alipurduar region historically formed part of the Bhutan Duars before being annexed by British India following the Bhutan War of 1864–65 and the Treaty of Sinchula in 1865. Under British administration it was incorporated into the Jalpaiguri district. In the post-independence period, demands for separate district status grew due to the area's distinct geography, large tribal and tea-garden population, and administrative distance from Jalpaiguri town.
The Government of West Bengal, under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, formally inaugurated Alipurduar as a separate district on 25 June 2014, making it the 20th district of the state.
The district economy is largely based on agriculture, tea cultivation, forestry, and cross-border trade. Tea estates in the Dooars belt, particularly in the Kalchini and Madarihat-Birpara areas, are major employers. Jaigaon serves as one of the principal land-trade points between India and Bhutan. Tourism centred on Buxa, Jaldapara, Jayanti, and the Bhutan border also contributes to the local economy.
Alipurduar Junction is an important station on the Northeast Frontier Railway and is the headquarters of the Alipurduar railway division. National Highway 17 (formerly NH 31C) and other arterial roads connect the district to the rest of North Bengal, the Northeast, and Bhutan. The nearest major airports are at Bagdogra and Cooch Behar.
The population of the district is ethnically diverse, with significant Bengali, Rajbongshi, Nepali, Bihari, and Adivasi communities, the last including Oraon, Munda, Santal, and other tea-garden tribes. Bengali is the official language, while Nepali, Hindi, Sadri, and Rajbongshi are widely spoken. Festivals such as Durga Puja, Karam, Tusu, and