Day and night, I am exhausted from the pressure of work. Even if I want, I cannot get a vacation. But my heart wants to leave everything and go to Tepantar. But where is Tepantar, where is that opportunity! But is it really difficult to arrange a two-day vacation? Then you can visit a ‘heaven’ near Siliguri. Mountains, rivers, tea gardens – you will see everything there. Even a toy train moving in rhythm with the sound of flutes may accompany you while crossing the mountains. Everyone goes to North Bengal via New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri. Some choose Dooars via Alipurduar. But how many people keep track of the proximity of nature that is found in Siliguri and its surroundings?
Just 27 kilometers from the crowded city, you can reach heaven. The hill village is known as Shivkhola. There, the water flows noisily over small and big stones. In some places the river is flowing rapidly, in others it is very slow. There are bamboo bridges here and there to cross the river. Sometimes the sound is drowned out by the calls of birds. There are different opinions about why the village is named Shivkhola. So many people say that the village got its name from the river flowing here. Again, there is an old temple of Shiva in this area. Some say that Shivkhola is named after Shiva.
However, wherever the name comes from, the appearance of Shivkhola is captivating. On one side of the river there is an adventure camp from which trekking and bird watching are available. Shivkhola is surrounded by the Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary. You can spend two to three days here, and you can also visit Latpanchar, Ahaldara, and Mahaldiram. Of course, you can see the old Shiva temple on the hill. Decorated with colorful flags all around. There are big bells. The temple is built in a sprawling courtyard.
