Algarah
Encyclopedia
Algarah is a small town located at a distance of 15 km east of Kalimpong in Darjeeling district
of West Bengal
, India
. It lies at an elevation of 1,780 m (5,840 ft) and has a population of about 3,000. Most of the town's residents are ethnic Gorkhas.
king Gyabo Achuk had built this fort in 1690 with the help of spirits who brought the big round smooth stones from the Reshi river. Initially built to fight the Drukpas of Bhutan
, it was later used to ward off the forces of the British East India Company
. The fort fell into ruins after the 1864 Anglo-Bhutan War.
Darjeeling district
Darjeeling District is the northernmost district of the state of West Bengal in eastern India in the foothills of the Himalayas. The district is famous for its beautiful hill stations and Darjeeling tea. Darjeeling is the district headquarters...
of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. It lies at an elevation of 1,780 m (5,840 ft) and has a population of about 3,000. Most of the town's residents are ethnic Gorkhas.
History
Algarah is famous for the remains of the ancient Damsang Gadi (Damsang Fort). It is said that the LepchaLepcha people
The Lepcha or Róng people , also called Róngkup , Mútuncí Róngkup Rumkup , and Rongpa , are the aboriginal people of Sikkim, who number between 30,000 and 50,000...
king Gyabo Achuk had built this fort in 1690 with the help of spirits who brought the big round smooth stones from the Reshi river. Initially built to fight the Drukpas of Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, it was later used to ward off the forces of the British East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. The fort fell into ruins after the 1864 Anglo-Bhutan War.
Economy
The surrounding villages of this small town are Paiyung Busty, Santook Menzong, Tenderbong and Dalapchand. People of these villages depend on agriculture, floriculture, milk production, etc. for their living. Tenderbong Busty is very well known for the production of milk. Potato production is a major income source for the people of these villages.Places of interest
- Algarah is well known for the birding mile that starts from Algarah to Lava. Lava is one of the hotspots for Indian birdlife. This distance from Algarah to Lava is 20 km.
- Rikisum is a scenic hill from where one can see SikkimSikkimSikkim is a landlocked Indian state nestled in the Himalayan mountains...
, BhutanBhutanBhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
and KanchenjunghaKanchenjunghaKanchenjungha is a 1962 Bengali film by Bengali film director Satyajit Ray. It was Ray's first original screenplay and his first colour film....
. Rikisum is 6 km away from Algarah.