Triveni-The Teesta-Rangeet confluence
Amidst the beautiful and serene greenery with the snow clad mighty Himalayas as backdrop, lie the captivating hill stations of North Bengal and Sikkim.Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong and Gangtok are the major tourist spots for a peaceful and enjoyable vacation .These places make a perfect summer retreat, far from the concrete jungles, traffic jams and polluted environment ,a welcome change for any city dweller. There are numerous places in North Bengal and Sikkim which are the favourite haunts for many people from the plains but there are some places which are cut off, less travelled and very quiet yet eriched with natural and breathtaking beauty. The confluence of the rivers Teesta and Rangeet is one of them.
The Rivers
Teesta ,the lifeline of Sikkim, originates from the Tso Lahmu lake ( Cholamu as called by the localites there) situated at the extreme north of Sikkim in the Eastern Himalayas from where it moves ahead with turbulent flow covering almost the entire length of Sikkim and separating it from North Bengal, thereafter moving into North Bengal and reaching a point next to the junction where the roads coming from Darjeeling and Kalimpong ( two famous hill stations) meet. At this point it meets Rangeet , another mighty river originating from a glacier of west Sikkim region which melts during the summer months to feed the river and flows down the hills till it reaches Teesta forming a major tributary.
The Meeting Point
This confluence of Teesta and Rangeet is also known as Triveni . Some call it Lover’s point. It is considered to be a holy place where two great Rivers meet. Rangeet is considered to be a male river who meets his beloved Teesta at this point, hence the name ‘Lover’s point’. From here the river moves through west Bengal and enters Bangladesh where it finally meets the mighty Bramhaputra River.
The legend goes….
It is believed that once upon a time the beautiful Teesta and her friend and soulmate, Rangeet playfully challenged each other to a race down the hills. They decided to take their own routes and fixed up on a place far away from their region .Since they were venturing out of a known territory for the first time they decided to take help of some friends. Teesta agreed to be guided by a snake while Rangeet took a mountain bird as his guide. When they set out flowing vigorously following their guides, the snake moved fast without being distracted followed by Teesta. The mountain bird however kept getting distracted flowing through the mountains and enjoying its beauty much to the annoyance of Rangeet as he wanted to win the race desperately. Teesta having followed the snake reached much in advance and waited patiently for her friend Rangeet. Rangeet after reaching late and realising that he has lost the race got angry and threatened to go back. Teesta pleaded with him and requsted him not to leave her behind. This made Rangeet come down and meet his beloved, never to be parted again. Ever since that time this place where two river Gods met is considered to be holy and sacred.
Nature at its best, making it perfect to steal some tranquil moments with family and friends
Having stayed in that region for quite some time, we always looked for places where we could spend some time and enjoy. The entire terrain is so beautiful that one could simply pack some sandwiches carry water bottles and move out for a trek or a drive and never be disappointed with the experience. The local people had mentioned to us about Tribeni also known as Lover’s point which they said was worth a visit. So, on a bright sunny morning, along with few more families decided to have a picnic there .We set out early so that we could spend the entire day there. Our children took Frisbees, Volley ball, books and a tent along to enjoy the outing.We reached after an hour’s drive from Kalimpong. The place turned out to be way beyond our expectations. The confluence of rivers is an amazing treat to the eyes. The two rivers have two distinct colours merging together and moving ahead with a forceful vigour. The entire area is surrounded by lush green hills on all sides. One can simply stand there for hours, doing nothing but absorbing the natural beauty. The edges of the rivers were crystal clear. Rangeet is deep blue while Teesta is Emerald coloured. There is a facility for river rafting for the adventurous kinds which is again an experience of a lifetime. We thought of leaving that for another day (which we did) and spent that morning simply relaxing by the river. We dipped our feet into the Rangeet and walked on the pebbles seen clearly underneath. Water was almost ice cold but felt amazing. The river bank was almost like a narrow beach..Children could put up their tent, play throw ball and make sand castles all day long. There were other groups who had come for picnic and it was heartening to see everyone took special care to keep the place neat and clean. The localities guarding the area keep informing that it is their holy place so one should leave it cleans. People were seen cooking their food on small ‘chullhas’ made there but after finishing everyone cleaned up as a rule before leaving. We had taken packed lunch. After lunch we lazed around some more and then drove back home. It was a memorable morning and the memories will last us a lifetime.
When and How To Reach there
New Jalpaiguri is the nearest Railway station and Bagdogra is the nearest Airport. From both places one has to head for the hills through Siliguri. While going uphill it is about 55 Kms from Siliguri which is approx. one and a half hour drive. One may miss the slight detour that the road takes just short of Teesta Bazar if not attentive. The best time to visit are the months of March, April, November and December. Monsoons should be avoided because the rivers get rough and water levels rise. Although the drive though the hilly terrain along the river side gives an out of this world look to the river with clouds touching the water at places , one cannot really go for a picnic during that time.
It is said that memories are made of beautiful people you have spent time with in beautiful places…I feel blessed to have experienced many such moments of which one I just wrote about today!
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