In to the wild - my trip to Jainti (a.k.a Jayanti), Buxa Duar

Sunset - Buxa Jainti, Dooars - By Surajit Ray

I had a dream of wilderness ... Dooars
The last month was not good for me. I had chicken pox, was bedridden for a few days and at that time I was frequently dreaming about wilderness. So once I am fit and fine again, I decided to visit our very own Dooars - Jainti / Jayanti forest.

I decided it on Wednesday ... and left on Thursday, so no question of railway reservation and I had to opt for bus. It seems there is a relationship between my tour plans and rain. As soon as I left for my journey it started raining heavily. I took a private bus from Esplanade bus terminus. It was a long journey. Though I had a friend, Binoy accompanying me, we didn't have much options but to sleep and pass the time. It was 21st April, 2011.

Jainti(a.k.a Jayanti) Forest - The dream is real now, I can feel the wilderness

Fist evening in Jaint, Buxa Tiger Reserver

We had reached Siliguri bus terminus around 9:30 am. It was difficult to walk after such a long bus journey, so decided to go to our next destination by train. We took a train for Alipurduar, it was almost a 3 and half hours journey. Luckily the train stopped at "Raja Bhat Khawa" and we left the train as "Jainti" was very near from there.
We got a bad news on arrival. The forest officials told that due to Supreme court order the Buxa jungle safari has been stopped. But still we had the option to stay beside the forest and feel the beauty of Dooars. So after getting the permit we took an "auto rickshaw" and left for Jainti forest. The auto rickshaw was the only option at that point of time for us.

The ruins of a bridge over Jainti River

The road was between the dense Buxa Reserve forest. We were chatting with our auto drivers to gather information about the place. We crossed a river in between - "Bala river" they call it. It was totally dry and no sign of water. I took a few snaps of that place. Jainti is about 17 kms away from Raja Bhat Khawa. We reached Jainti in the afternoon. We didn't have any booking so our first job was to find a shelter.
It didn't took long to find one. The lodge was good and clean, and it is just beside the Jainti forest dormitory.  There is no network coverage in this place ... so we were disconnected from the outer world. We left our drivers, had tea and went to the Jainti river bank. There was not much water in the river, so we were walking on the river bed, taking photos and listening the birds whistling and other sounds that forest produces. Night comes quickly in the forest areas. So around 6:30 pm there was none but two of us enjoying the river. We went back to our lodge with a bottle of whisky. There was a power cut for an hour or so. It was a beautiful experience to enjoy the darkness of a dense forest with a few shots of whiskey in candle light. We were walking along the memory lane ... it was so beautiful. We had our dinner early as we had some plan for the next morning.

Trek to Buxa Fort

I left bed early in the morning, it was around 5:30 am and went to the river bank. We had a plan to visit the Mahakal Temple. It is a 6 kms trek route from Jainti. We mate a local guy in the river bank. I asked him about the route to mahakal. He told us just to walk along the river bed. So our journey started ... I thought it will not take long to reach Mahakal as it is only 6 KMs away.

There was a dog following us. It was nice to have a local companion. Walking down the road we came to a point where the road devided into two. We took the right turn. The way was beautiful. (Contd)

Trek to Mahakal Cave - Jainti

It was the last day and we didn't want to miss the Mahkal cave trek. I knew it is going to be hectic but it worth that effort.

Inside The Mahakal Cave, Jainti, Buxa Tiger Reserve

After leaving bed early in the morning I was just roaming inside the village. I always feel, to know a place you need to know the people living there. Enjoying scenic beauties, architectural wonders are parts of traveling but knowing different people and their cultures, being a part of their life is the real thing. I remember so many people from this trip. The tea stall owner near the old banyan tree – whom we took to the Buxa fort with us – and believe me it was his first visit to that place! Our sumo driver – who was happily sharing his love story with us and he invited us to his marriage ceremony next month! Our guide to the Mahakal cave, Monoj Mahato, a person to get information about the forest. There are many other people and all of them were so good. I believe this is the effect of the forest where they are living.

Hanging Rope Bridge, Near Mahakal Cave

From the previous day’s experience we decided to take a guide this time. Our lodge owner asked Manoj to guide us. This is his part time job. He works as a labor to build road in that area. We left lodge after breakfast. Manoj asked me to take a torch and I had to buy one (better to carry one in this type of trips). There was no stiff climbing until we got to the gate of Mahakal and thereafter the hiking began. It is not a tough one and I believe anyone can manage to reach the top.

The beauty of the place was breathtaking. A beautiful waterfall, a mountain river flowing between gigantic rocks, a hanging rope bridge – all contributing to the beauty of that place.
Inside the cave it was really dark. The torch helped us a lot. There was a naturally built "SIVALINGA" inside the cave. After the visit we spent long time beside the river. I also had a bath in the river and it was really refreshing. It was a very hot day! We had return to the lodge around 2:30 and did the pack up in a hurry.Au Revoir Jainti, but this is not the last time for sure. Soon I will be back there, I am in love with Dooars.