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<div>{{short description|Alluvial floodplains in eastern-northeastern India}}<br />
{{More citations needed|date=October 2013}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=March 2026}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2026}}<br />
{{Infobox ecoregion<br />
|name = Dooars<br />
|image = Tea garden in dooars.jpg<br />
|caption =A tea garden in the Dooars with the Himalayas in the background<br />
|biogeographic_realm = [[Indomalayan realm]]<br />
|global200 = [[Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands]]<br />
|country = {{flagicon|India}} [[India]]<br />
{{flagicon|Bhutan}}<br />
[[Bhutan]]<br />
|elevation = {{convert|90-1750|m|abbr=on}}<br />
|soil = <br />
|rivers = Brahmaputra River, Murti river<br />
|climate = <br />
}}<br />
<br />
The '''Dooars''' or '''Duars''' ({{IPAc-en|d|u|ˈ|ɑː|r|z}}) are the alluvial [[floodplains]] in eastern-northeastern [[India]] and southern [[Bhutan]] that lie south of the outer foothills of the [[Himalayas]] and north of the [[Brahmaputra River]] basin. This region is about {{convert|30|km|mi|abbr=on}} wide and stretches over about {{convert|350|km|mi|abbr=on}} from the [[Teesta River]] in [[West Bengal]] to the Dhansiri River in [[Udalguri district]] of [[Assam]]. The region forms the gateway to [[Bhutan]].<ref name=Debnath2010>{{cite book |author=Debnath, S. |year=2010 |title=The Dooars in Historical Transition |publisher=Shiv Mandir: N. L. Publishers |url=http://14.139.206.50:8080/jspui/bitstream/1/885/1/THE%20DOOARS%20IN%20HISTORICAL%20TRANSITION.pdf |access-date=18 February 2017 |archive-date=19 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219102130/http://14.139.206.50:8080/jspui/bitstream/1/885/1/THE%20DOOARS%20IN%20HISTORICAL%20TRANSITION.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> It is part of the [[Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands]] [[ecoregion]].<ref name=im0701>Dinerstein, E., Loucks, C. (2001). {{WWF ecoregion|name=Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands|id=im0701}}</ref><br />
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''Dooars'' means 'doors' in [[Assamese language|Assamese]], [[Bengali language|Bengali]], [[Bhojpuri language|Bhojpuri]], [[Kamtapuri language|Kamtapuri]], [[Magahi language|Magahi]] and [[Maithili language|Maithili]] languages. There are 18 passages or gateways between the hills in Bhutan and the plains in India.<ref name=Debnath2010/> This region is divided by the [[Sankosh River]] into Eastern and Western Dooars, consisting of an area of {{convert|880|sqkm|sqmi|abbr=on}}.<br />
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==History==<br />
{{More citations needed section|date=April 2023}}<br />
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[[File:Nalraja fort chilapata.jpg|thumb|Remains of Nalrajar Garh in [[Chilapata Forest]]s in Western Dooars]]<br />
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[[File:Southern border of Bhutan1985.jpg|thumb|280px|Most of the Duars were under the [[Kingdom of Bhutan]] till the [[Duar War]] of 1865]]<br />
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The Dooars belonged to the [[Kamata Kingdom]] under the [[Koch dynasty]];<ref name=Debnath2010/> They acted as a trade route between Assam and [[Bhutan]]. Assam exports wäre muga, silk cloth, endi cloth, dried fish and rice and imports consisted of woollen cloth, gold-dust, rock salt, yaktails musk, ponies and blankets from Bhutan.<ref>{{harvcol|Das|1998|p=28}}</ref><br />
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In the early 17th century, the combined forces of Ahoms and Koches temporarily checked the Bhutia's transgression.{{fact|date=May 2026}} During this period two important Duars on the Darrang frontier, Buriguma and Killing were under [[Ahom kingdom|Ahoms]] control.{{fact|date=May 2026}} During the [[Ahom–Mughal conflicts]] in the mid-17th century, the Bhutias attempted to extend their authority as far as [[Gohain Kamal Ali]] road.{{fact|date=May 2026}}<br />
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In the reign of Ahom king [[Jayadhwaj Singha]], the [[Druk Desi]] of Bhutan requested the transfer of these Duars to Bhutan. Therefore, an agreement was drawn, and the Darrang Duars went to the hands of Bhutias on the condition of annual tribute to the Ahoms. The Darrang Duars were also surrendered to Ahoms annually for four months from June to October. These Duars were properties of [[Ahom kingdom|Ahom government]], but the [[Druk Desi]] of Bhutan took possession of them in last phase of 18th century when the Ahoms were engaged in [[Moamoria rebellion|internal rebellions]].<ref>{{harvcol|Gogoi|2016|p=298}}</ref><br />
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This region was controlled by the kingdom of Bhutan when [[British India]] annexed it in 1865 after the [[Duar War]] under the command of Captain Hedayat Ali. Bhutan lost almost one-fifth of its area in this war.<ref>{{harvcol|Phuntsho|2013|p=453}}</ref><br />
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The area was divided into two parts: Western Dooars and Eastern Dooars. The Western Dooars were under the Kingdom of [[Cooch Behar State]] from 1586 to 1949, and the Eastern Dooars under the Kingdom of [[Koch Hajo]]. Under the Koch government, the officer-in-charge of the Duars were called ''[[Subahdar]]''.<ref name="harvcol|Das|1998|p=31">{{harvcol|Das|1998|p=31}}</ref> Similar office existed under the Bhutan government, the ''Subah'' was selected by the provincial governors called ''[[Ponlop]]s''. The Ahom government managed the Duars through Duarieas.<ref>{{harvcol|Das|1998|p=32}}</ref> The other two Dooars were the Kamrup Duars and Darrang Duars. The Eastern Dooars was merged with [[Goalpara district]] in [[Assam]], the Kamrup Dooars was merged with [[Kamrup district]], the Darrang Dooars was merged with [[Darrang District]] and the western part was turned into a new district named [[Western Dooars]]. Again in the year 1869, the name was changed to [[Jalpaiguri district]].<ref>{{cite web |title=District Census Handbook - Jalpaiguri |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/1902_PART_B_DCHB_JALPAIGURI.pdf |website=censusindia.gov.in |access-date=18 February 2022 |archive-date=8 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220308151844/https://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/1902_PART_B_DCHB_JALPAIGURI.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref><br />
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===Western Dooars===<br />
The Western Dooars are part of the [[Duars]] of northern part of [[West Bengal]], [[India]] or those located to the west of [[Goalpara district]] of [[Assam]]. The Western Dooars came under the [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British]] in 1865.The region comes under the [[Kalimpong district]], [[Jalpaiguri district]], [[Alipurduar district]] and some parts of [[Cooch Behar district]]. The Western Dooars were created in 1865. It was merged with the Jalpaiguri district in 1869.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}<br />
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===Eastern Dooars===<br />
The Eastern Dooars are part of the Dooars of [[Lower Assam]]. Dooars between [[Sankosh River]] and [[Manas River]] are called Eastern Dooars.<ref name="harvcol|Das|1998|p=26">{{harvcol|Das|1998|p=26}}</ref> The five Dooars under Eastern Dooars includes [[Bijni]], Sidli, Chirang, Ripu and Guma.<ref name="harvcol|Das|1998|p=26"/> The area came under the rule of the [[Presidencies and provinces of British India|British]] in 1865. The region today falls under the [[Bongaigaon district]] and [[Kokrajhar district|Kokrajhar]], [[Chirang district]]s of [[Bodoland Territorial Region]] in Assam.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}<br />
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===Kamrup Dooars===<br />
The Kamrup Dooars are part of the Dooars of Lower Assam. Dooars between [[Manas River]] and [[Bornadi River]] are called Kamrup Dooars.<ref name="harvcol|Das|1998|p=26"/> The five Dooars under Kamrup Dooars include [[Bijni]], Chapakhamar, Chapaguri, Banska and Gurkola.<ref name="harvcol|Das|1998|p=26"/> Under the Bhutan government, the Kamrup Duars was under a ''Penlop'' or Provincial <br />
Governor under whom was the ''[[Dzongpen|Jongpen]]'' or Subah.<ref>{{harvcol|Das|1998|p=59}}</ref><br />
Kamrup Dooars were annexed by the British [[East India Company]] in 1841.<ref name="harvcol|Das|1998|p=31"/> Today, the area falls under the [[Nalbari district]], [[Kamrup district]] and [[Baksa district]] of Bodoland Territorial Region.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}<br />
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===Darrang Dooars===<br />
The Darrang Dooars are part of the Dooars of Lower Assam. Dooars between [[Bornadi River]] and Dhansiri River are called Darrang Dooars.<ref name="harvcol|Das|1998|p=26" /> The three Dooars under Darrang Dooars include Killing, Buriguma and Koriapar.<ref name="harvcol|Das|1998|p=26" /> The Koriapar Dooar was held by the chiefs of the [[Monpa people]] who were subordinate to the ruler of [[Tawang]], who in turn were a tributary to the [[Ganden Phodrang|Tibetan government]] at [[Lhasa]].<ref name="harvcol|Das|1998|p=26" /> The Killing, Buriguma were annexed by the East India Company in 1841 and Koriapar Dooars in 1844.<ref name="harvcol|Das|1998|p=26" /> The region today falls under the [[Udalguri district|Udalguri]] and [[Sonitpur district]]s of Assam.{{citation needed|date=April 2023}}<br />
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==Geography and climate==<br />
The Dooars region politically constitutes the northern bank of the [[Brahmaputra Valley]] in state of [[Assam]] and the plains of [[Kalimpong district]], the whole of [[Jalpaiguri district]] and [[Alipurduar district]] and the upper region of [[Cooch Behar district]] in [[West Bengal]].{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}<br />
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The Dooars is dotted with many towns and cities.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}} The largest cities in the region stretching from the [[Darjeeling district|Darjeeling]] foothills to the [[Arunachal Pradesh]] foothills are [[Siliguri]] and [[Jalpaiguri]], which both partly lie in the [[Terai]] region rather the Dooars, geographically.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}} This [[North Bengal|northern Bengal]] cities are well connected with the rest of country by road, air and railway and is the business hub of the region.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}<br />
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The other cities are [[Kokrajhar]], [[Bongaigaon]], [[Goalpara]], [[Barpeta]] and [[Dhubri]] in Assam. [[Cooch Behar]], [[Alipurduar]], [[Dhupguri]], [[Malbazar]], [[Mainaguri]], [[Falakata]] and [[Birpara]] are the major cities of the Dooars in West Bengal, and [[Kishanganj]] in Bihar.{{citation needed|date=May 2024}}<br />
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A number of endangered animals live in the forests of the Dooars like [[Bengal tiger]], [[Indian rhinoceros]], [[Indian elephant]],<ref>[http://www.wildlifetimes.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=332&sid=0306ed815c658b7c0569e8bb15c640e9 Wildlife Times: Elephants of North Bengal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718052504/http://www.wildlifetimes.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=332&sid=0306ed815c658b7c0569e8bb15c640e9 |date=18 July 2011 }}</ref><br />
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{{Siliguri weatherbox}}<br />
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== Media ==<br />
The film "[[The Dooars World]]",<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Dooars World (2025) - Cast & Crew on MUBI |url=https://mubi.com/en/films/the-dooars-world/cast |access-date=24 July 2025 |website=mubi.com}}</ref> narrated by [[Dia Mirza]], shows the wildlife and human-animal relationship in the Dooars.<br />
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==Notes==<br />
{{reflist}}<br />
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==References==<br />
{{refbegin}}<br />
* {{Cite book |last1=Phuntsho |first1=Karma |title=The History of Bhutan |date=2013 |publisher=Penguin Books |isbn=9781908323583}}<br />
* {{Cite thesis|last=Das|first=Smriti|date=1998|title=Assam Bhutan relations with special reference to duars from 1681 to 1949|type=PhD|publisher=Guwahati University|url=https://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/195|hdl=10603/67909|access-date=31 March 2023|archive-date=16 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316100526/https://ir.nbu.ac.in/handle/123456789/195|url-status=dead}}<br />
*{{cite book |last1=Gogoi |first1=Nityananda |title=Historical Geography of Medieval Assam |date=2016 |publisher=EBH Publishers (India) |isbn=9383252707}}<br />
{{refend}}<br />
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==External links==<br />
{{commons category}}<br />
*[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9031316/Duars Encyclopædia Britannica - Duars]<br />
*[http://coochbehar.nic.in/htmfiles/dooars.html Cooch Behar District Website – Dooars]<br />
*[http://jalpaiguri.nic.in/index.htm Jalpaiguri District Website]<br />
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{{Dooars}}<br />
{{Jalpaiguri topics}}<br />
{{Alipurduar topics}}<br />
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{{coord missing|West Bengal}}<br />
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{{West Bengal}}<br />
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[[Category:Dooars| ]]<br />
[[Category:Regions of West Bengal]]<br />
[[Category:Regions of India]]<br />
[[Category:Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands]]</div>62.201.232.59