Alipurduar
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| Alipurduar | |
|---|---|
| Alipur Duar | |
| ActiveRecorded as grown here since 2000 | |
| Hierarchy | |
| Gene Pool | South Asian Gene Pool |
| Regional Complex | Eastern Plains |
| Growing Region | The Dooars |
| Geography | |
| Country | India |
| Province/State | West Bengal |
| District | Alipurduar District |
| Coordinates | 26.63, 89.46 |
| Landscape | |
| Area | 2,800 km² |
| Terrain | Approximately Alipurduar District below the hills: alluvial plain, tea estates and forest |
| Climate | |
| Climate Type | Subtropical humid |
| Seasons | Monsoon (Jun–Sep), Winter (Nov–Feb) |
| Growing history | |
| Earlier names | Alipur subdivision of the Western Duars (Gruning 1911) |
| Dated accessions | 2025 |
| Dated news reports | 2022–2026 |
| Documentation | |
| Appellations | 7 |
| Accessions | 37 |
| Conservation | |
| Populations | none documented yet |
Alipurduar is a landrace cannabis growing area in The Dooars, covering Alipurduar District in West Bengal, India, below the Bhutan hills. It takes in the eastern part of the Western Duars, the tract Bhutan held until 1865, and its appellations are the duars, blocks and forests within it: Lakhi Duar, Buxa Duar, Falakata, Kumargram, Jaldapara, Chilapata and Khairbari-Deogaon. Most of its accessions were collected in June 2025, around Madarihat, Hasimara, Kalchini and the Jaldapara and Chilapata forests.
History
The Western Duars, a strip of country about 22 miles wide between the Teesta and the Sankosh, were annexed from Bhutan in 1865.[1]: 1 In 1911 their eastern part formed the Alipur subdivision of Jalpaiguri District, and the Western Duars were divided into four tahsils: Mainaguri, Falakata, Alipur and Bhalka.[1]: 124–125 A yearly fair for trade between Bhutias and Bengalis was held at Alipur, which Hunter placed "in the Baxá Dwár".[2]: 270
No source read gives the limits of the duars, so the appellations are drawn on the modern blocks that hold their named places, with the forest tracts cut out and made appellations of their own.
Cultivation
In January 2026 Alipurduar District Police uprooted and burned cannabis grown on four plots at Purba Narathali, in the Kumargram police station area.[3] The district's seed lots of 2025 come from feral stands and garden plants around the Jaldapara, Khairbari and Chilapata forests and in the Kalchini block; see the appellation pages for each.
Appellations
| Appellation | Area (km²) |
|---|---|
| Buxa Duar (appellation) | 590 km² |
| Chilapata (appellation) | 155 km² |
| Falakata (appellation) | 240 km² |
| Jaldapara (appellation) | 210 km² |
| Khairbari-Deogaon (appellation) | 120 km² |
| Kumargram (appellation) | 490 km² |
| Lakhi Duar (appellation) | 300 km² |
Accessions
Recent news
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Gruning, John F. (1911). Eastern Bengal and Assam District Gazetteers: Jalpaiguri. Allahabad: Pioneer Press – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ Hunter, W.W. (1876). A Statistical Account of Bengal, Volume X: Districts of Darjiling and Jalpaiguri, State of Kuch Behar. London: Trübner & Co. – via Internet Archive.
- ↑ [District Police destroy illegally cultivated cannabis plants in Purba Narathali (Kumargram)]. Landrace.Wiki News, 15 January 2026.